subject: Improving Climbing Skills [print this page] One of the popular options among people who like to engage in sports outdoors is rock climbing, because of the way that the people involved are pitted against the forces of nature and their own abilities. It is a highly personal experience that challenges the participant to go up a seemingly impossible obstacle with little outside help.
While safety precautions are always mandatory and the experience is something that can be enjoyed in groups, it is ultimately up to the individual to triumph over their obstacles. This makes rock climbing a sport that requires skill and mental determination in order to find success.
Rock climbing is accomplished by having the participant ascend a sheer rock face, using their hands and legs to grip and find purchase anywhere that will support them, in order to find the appropriate leverage that will encourage progression. In most cases, the person is utilizing a set of equipment that will aid them in their endeavor, as well as making them more safe.
There are several different ways that people can go rock climbing, divided into three basic subsets. First, there is the option to go "top roping", where the individual is tied to a rope that is looped over a support ring and is held by another person on the ground.
This essentially creates a pulley that links the athlete with a designated belayer on the ground, who has the job of keeping the rope tight and catching their friend if they happen to fall as they try to ascend higher. Once the climber has reached the top or they do not wish to go any further, then they assume a rappelling position and rappel back down, with the belayer assisting in keeping them safe as they get back down to the ground.
Another type of climbing is the self belay, where the individual ascends the face using only their own equipment. They are tied to a rope that they must secure in a series of metal rings as they go.
Securing the rope in these rings allows the person to catch themselves as they go, making any fall that they may experience short and uneventful. This is a more advanced type of engagement within the context of the sport, requiring certification in some instances.
Lastly, there is the option to go bouldering, which involves climbing freely up a rock face without the benefit of anything but powdered chalk that helps keep the hands of the individual dry and able to grip effectively. Bouldering is something that requires many different skills to engage in, and may be the most dangerous of the three options.
No matter what type of climbing is engaged in by people participating in the sport, there are a variety of techniques that will greatly aid them in future attempts. Firstly, knowing the role of the legs as they relate to the arms and the rest of the body is highly important.
The arms are mostly used to scout ahead and find purchase in the cliff. They are not the primary impetus of motion in the activity, however.
The legs are what are primarily used to propel the participant upward. As the hands find purchase, the individual pushed up with their toes and tries to find purchase fir their feet as they go up.
Footwork is the most important key to success, so focusing on it is a wise idea. Ideally, the person will ascend steadily as they go from foothold to foothold as they go.
Knowing how to tread a route is also something that is very important in the context of the activity. If the more efficient route is taken, then the person has more stamina that they can dedicate to the attempt, which means that flashy displays are easily trumped by slower, more effective ones.
Rock climbing is a very physical and dynamic sport that requires the participant to have a specific set of skills in order to find success while ascending a face. While strength and conditioning are highly important within the context of the sport, they pale in comparison to what a skilled individual can accomplish, because the right moves ensure better purchase and conserve energy, making the athlete more efficient in their pursuits.
