Crushing Tip #20
Balance
by: Andy Davis
Do you ever find yourself tapping the wall with your foot in order to stand up? Do you find yourself holding onto holds harder than you need to? Perhaps becoming more adept at shifting your weight might help!
We are incredibly good at shifting our weight when doing activities like walking, running, ice skating, slacklining, etc… What is different about climbing? Well we get to hold onto things with our arms mucking our balance up. At the most basic level what you should be doing while climbing is shifting your weight from foothold to foothold while balancing with your hands. That’s right, not pulling with your arms, just shifting your weight to balance on your feet.
A great way to practice this concept is to get on an easy slab route and try climbing it without hand holds. You can also traverse and practice moving your hips in such ways that you feel balanced at all times with as little weight on your hands as possible.
Good Luck!
