Level Up Your Climbing

Table of Contents:

Footwork and Smearing

Inside edge / Outside Edge, Pressure, Smearing, Front Point/Toe, Active ankle (high, low)

Overhead view of a blue and black sports shoe with yellow laces, and color-coded rectangles highlighting different shoe features.
Diagram of the bottom of a shoe with labeled sections: Toe in red, Inside Edge in yellow, Outside Edge in orange, Arch in blue, Heel in orange.

The sole is divided into sections, the most important being:

Toe: Usually where the big toe lands. The strongest point of the foot.

Outside Edge: The long side of the toe box. More Surface and Grip.

Inside Edge: The short side of the toe box. Better Edge.

Arch: The weakest part of the foot.

Heel: Able to be hooked and pulled on.

Footwork edge orientation is crucial for maximizing grip on footholds depending on the type of foothold and approach.

Outside Edge

Brings the heels closer to the wall, allowing the hips to be closer to the wall.

provides more rubber contact, allowing less effort to be used.

Climber wearing blue pants and a yellow shirt, with climbing shoes, on a rock climbing wall.

Inside Edge

Provides more rubber contact, allowing for less effort to be used to hold the foothold

Close-up of a person climbing on an indoor rock wall, focusing on their legs, hand gripping a pink hold, and climbing shoes.

Toe

The “power point’ of the shoe. While the strongest point of pressure, it is also the most fatiguing.

Close-up of a black and yellow climbing shoe on a rocky surface.

Smearing

Smearing uses the surface area of the rubber on the sole to secure the shoe on the wall.

It can be applied on volumes as well as flat walls.

Softer shoes are better at smearing as they allow the rubber to stretch more, allowing it better grip

Close-up of a person's foot wearing a climbing shoe on an indoor climbing wall.

Low / High Ankle

A Low Ankle will allow for less energy to be used to hold the foot in position and for more of the shoe to contact the wall for improved smears.

A High Ankle will allow for more pressure to be exerted at the power point of the shoe to secure smaller footholds and add more height to the position

Comparison of climbing shoes showing low and high ankle support.

Back

Pivots and Flagging

The point around which the object can rotate or turn.

Pivots

There are a lot of moments where changing the side of the foot closest to the wall is required.

For best execution, use the toe of your foot. The ankle angle may matter as a higher angle and smaller toe area may allow for easier rotation.

A roller skate worn on a person's foot, standing on a yellow roller skate wheel on a smooth surface, with part of a denim pant cuff visible.

Flagging

Some pivots may set you off balance and induce a swing. Sticking your leg out to arrest the swing is called Flagging.

Mindful flagging will allow you to pull off tricky pivots without throwing yourself off balance and slipping off the foothold.

A woman climbing a rock wall with various colorful holds, swinging her left arm, with an annotation pointing to her arm saying 'Swing' in red, and her foot with a yellow arrow labeled 'Stop'.
Back

Step Throughs and Foot Swaps

Changing Directions and Changing Feet

The Step Through

Requiring accurate footwork. One foot is passed through the front of the other foot. The standing foot pivots on the toe of the shoe, allowing the climber to rotate and face the opposing direction.

A person wearing an orange shirt and dark shorts climbing an indoor rock wall.
Young man in an orange shirt and blue shorts climbing an indoor rock wall with various colorful hand and foot holds.
Person wearing an orange shirt and blue shorts climbing an indoor bouldering wall with colorful holds, gripping with their left hand and right foot, their right arm extended upward and left leg stretched outward.

The Foot Swap

At times feet must be swapped to find a better position for the next move.

You can wedge one foot below the other, hop between feet or wiggle one on while wiggling the other off.

Feet direction still apply, with the toe being the best area to foot swap.

Close-up of a person's feet wearing climbing shoes on a climbing wall with yellow holds.

Back

Heel Hook and Toe Hook

Heel Hooks and Toe Hooks serve different purposes but act on a common principle.

It is often times required to pull on the wall using the foot. This can be done with the heel hook and the toe hook.

While the toe hook serves more as a alternative way to flag aka resist rotating out of position, the heel hook can also act as a way to prepare to a tricky mantle.

Close-up of a climber's gloved hand gripping a blue climbing wall with a yellow arrow pointing to a hold.
Close-up view of a climber's hand gripping a climbing hold on an indoor rock climbing wall.

Back

Mantles and Gastons

Mantling is the user of the lower limbs to aid in raising the body over and onto another position. Often times the lower limb hooks on via a Heel Hook.

A Gaston’s is to push off of holds, instead of the usual pulling of holds.

In many cases a Mantle composes of a Heel Hook and a traditional arm pull onto a Gaston, completing the move.

Woman climbing an indoor rock wall with colorful holds.
A person with a red beanie and black and gray clothing climbing a rock wall outdoors, gripping the rock with both hands and using their feet to support their climb.

Back

The Bicycle and Force Opposition

Locking in with Feet and hands using Contracting and Opposing Forces.

In the case where you have no foot holds near your feet, both the feet can be used to apply compressive pressure to a Jug by pulling with a toe hook, while pressing down with the other foot.

The same effect can be applied in the inverse scenario where both feet are applying opposing pressure within a ‘void’ also known as the void bicycle.

Close-up of a climber's feet wearing blue and gray climbing shoes on a pink and gray indoor bouldering hold.
Person wearing flip-flops and jeans climbing a rock wall using climbing shoes and harness.

Opposing Forces are crucial for advanced moves.

Locking in using this method can be done with a relatively wide stance but follows the same idea.

A person climbing a rocky overhang with their right hand and right foot gripping small ledges, wearing black climbing shoes and a green shirt.
A woman rock climbing on a vertical cliff face, wearing a helmet and climbing gear, with yellow arrows pointing to her hands and feet.
Back

Hips over Feet and Scumming

Finding Center of Balance over Feet

To force a limb into the wall for extra assistance even if marginal.

Optimally, moves center out the hips over feet.

There are moves that may place you out of position but even in those cases the hips eventually find themselves above the feet.

Harder grades see this concept less and less as climbs become more dependent on strength and technique.

A woman in black and maroon climbing shoes and maroon leggings is rock climbing on an indoor climbing wall with various colorful holds.
Person wearing an orange beanie, pink shirt, and tan pants climbing a large rock.

Scumming is the additional application of force to aid in climbing using a limb other than hands or feet, such as elbows, shoulders, knees and legs.

Maybe even your head.

A woman climbing a rock face with climbing gear and safety harness.
A man climbing a rock wall, smiling, wearing a red shirt, climbing harness, and climbing shoes, with safety gear attached to the wall.

Back

Rest and Recovery Positions

A man rock climbing on a steep, rocky cliff face, wearing climbing gear and yellow gloves, with a safety harness and rope.

The ideal resting positions allow you to take both hands off the wall completely.

At these "no-hands" rests, you can fully recover and stay indefinitely.

When a full no-hands rest isn't available hang with straight arms to engage your skeletal system rather than muscles and use the minimum grip strength needed to maintain your hold

A man wearing a gray t-shirt and jeans is climbing an indoor rock climbing wall with colorful holds, using his hands and feet to grasp the holds for support.