If you are new to the sport
of mountain climbing (or even if you have been doing it for a long time) there
are certain tips and suggestions that may cause you to even better. If you have
never rock climbed prior to it being a good idea (and generally required if
seeing a gym) that you take a class. However the class is under an hour or so
and will only teach you the basics and give you some safety advice. Although
this is of course extremely important, there are a lot of other techniques that
you won't learn during one of these intro courses.
Mountain climbing is mentally exhausting in addition to physically. Planning out your moves and approaching each climb from an intellectual point of view is more important that going at it with brute force. It's for this reason that I suggest climbing when you're already tired. It may sound silly, however, if you're full of energy you will attack the wall, while if you are physically tired, you will have to plan out each step in to expend as little energy as you possibly can. You should be climbing smarter not harder.
It is best to work with the wall rather than against it. There are a few ways in which this must be done. For just one, you need to find and maintain your center of gravity. This ought to be held in your abdomen and every one of your movements should begin here. It's a good idea to keep your legs either directly under you or spaced out evenly on each side in between movements. You should only move one leg at any given time, this ensures that you are using your lower body to push you upwards rather than your upper body. If you feel that you will get a muscle cramp... stop moving. Should you continue climbing, you will have a more difficult time getting rid of the cramp than should you stopped and rested for some minutes while the cramp passed. When you are resting you can stand in put on the wall or you can rest to your harness. The latter will be more relaxing for you but will also require more movement to return to the wall.
Take a moment in between movements to plan the next move. Check to make sure where the foot and hand holds are and evaluate which limb you will move to reach them. Rock climbing is not a race (if you aren't doing sport climbing) so you can move as quickly or as slowly as the are comfortable with.
When you are on the floor belaying or just hanging out, watch other climbers. Become familiar with your best techniques when observing various other experienced climbers. Watch their movements and seriously consider how they shift their weight, where they rest and just how they move from one foot and hand hold to another.
Climbing is an exciting and challenging sport. By understanding the right techniques early on, you'll become a better climber and have much more fun doing it.
Mountain climbing is mentally exhausting in addition to physically. Planning out your moves and approaching each climb from an intellectual point of view is more important that going at it with brute force. It's for this reason that I suggest climbing when you're already tired. It may sound silly, however, if you're full of energy you will attack the wall, while if you are physically tired, you will have to plan out each step in to expend as little energy as you possibly can. You should be climbing smarter not harder.
It is best to work with the wall rather than against it. There are a few ways in which this must be done. For just one, you need to find and maintain your center of gravity. This ought to be held in your abdomen and every one of your movements should begin here. It's a good idea to keep your legs either directly under you or spaced out evenly on each side in between movements. You should only move one leg at any given time, this ensures that you are using your lower body to push you upwards rather than your upper body. If you feel that you will get a muscle cramp... stop moving. Should you continue climbing, you will have a more difficult time getting rid of the cramp than should you stopped and rested for some minutes while the cramp passed. When you are resting you can stand in put on the wall or you can rest to your harness. The latter will be more relaxing for you but will also require more movement to return to the wall.
Take a moment in between movements to plan the next move. Check to make sure where the foot and hand holds are and evaluate which limb you will move to reach them. Rock climbing is not a race (if you aren't doing sport climbing) so you can move as quickly or as slowly as the are comfortable with.
When you are on the floor belaying or just hanging out, watch other climbers. Become familiar with your best techniques when observing various other experienced climbers. Watch their movements and seriously consider how they shift their weight, where they rest and just how they move from one foot and hand hold to another.
Climbing is an exciting and challenging sport. By understanding the right techniques early on, you'll become a better climber and have much more fun doing it.
No comments:
Post a Comment