We're no experts in climbing. I'll be the first to admit that. But we're learning, and we're trying to get better. Even if we were experts, we'd still be trying to get better. In an effort to learn and grow, I found this retro (if 1993 would be considered retro) video explaining some basic technique in climbing. Though outdated in clothing style, I think the content is quite relevant.
Essentially you can throw yourself at a wall, and sometimes you'll stick. But if you want to go from playing vertical twister to doing yoga up a wall, you'll need to understand these concepts.
I particularly think it is important to think of your whole body in every move. How does your body's momentum shift? How do your feet move when you reach? How do your hips twist as you climb? How aware are you of your next hold? Do you need to look down to find your next foot, or does your mind's eye remember? How can you climb so that those watching will think, "that looks easy!"?
Try to make it to the end of the video. I know it's a somewhat lengthy video for YouTube, but the very last segment is my favorite. It's about climbing blind. I'm vary interested in this as an exercise to increase your body's awareness. There are some routes where I have pretty good muscle memory. Maybe I'll give them a shot with my eyes closed and see how it goes!
-Jonathan
I take no credit for this video. If you would like to see more, check out therealudini's YouTube channel.
No comments:
Post a Comment