How to Improve Climbing Footwork: Master Training
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Footwork is often hailed as the foundation of climbing prowess. A climber’s ability to place their feet precisely and efficiently can mean the difference between a graceful ascent and an exhausting struggle. Struggling with how to improve climbing footwork? Look no further. Here, we delve into some master training tips tailored to enhance your footwork across various levels of climbing proficiency.
Key Points to Remember
The first key point to improving climbing footwork is to learn to trust your feet. You will hear this many times, but what does it mean to trust your feet? Trusting one’s feet means recognizing the strength and grip they offer, allowing you to distribute your weight effectively and maintain balance. It involves “paying attention to your footwork” and “being precise with your feet.” Over time and lots of practice, placing your feet precisely and judging the reliability of each foothold will become more natural.
In addition to trusting your feet, it is important to remember that good climbing footwork is an extension of good body positioning. It is one thing to just think about your feet and where to position them, but you also have to be aware of your body position. To improve how and where you can place your feet you also need to find the best body position. Having a good sense of your bodies position will allow you to make more calculated foot placements with confidence.
Check out the video below from Catalyst Climbing to learn more about shoe parts and foot placement, which is great information to keep in mind when practicing footwork drills.
How do you improve climbing footwork?
Keeping in mind the aforementioned key points, here are some drills tailored to enhance your footwork across various levels of climbing proficiency.
Quiet Feet Drills
Banging, scraping, and knocking into the wall with your feet is a sign that you need improve your footwork. Quiet Feet Drill, a common practice among all levels of climbers, is an exercise that involves climbing routes with the objective of minimizing noise produced by foot placements. You should concentrate on silent and precise movements by looking at your feet as you slowly place it on a specific point on each foothold, without readjustment. By doing this, you develop better control and sensitivity in your footwork, while also building trust in your feet.
This exercise is ideal for climbers at the beginner level as it emphasizes technique over strength, but is also a great warm up for more advanced climbers and can greatly help with improving climbing footwork at any level.
Pro Tip: Want to make this drill more difficult? We recommend tying small bells to your shoes when practicing this exercise.
Downclimbing
Another great drill to improve climbing footwork is downclimbing. After completing a route or boulder problem, reverse the sequence and descend using the same holds. Downclimbing helps improve climbing footwork because it is a foot-first movement, forcing you to find secure footholds all while reinforcing proper foot placement.
This exercise is a great way to practice footwork, while doing your warm up routine. It is best for picking routes one to two grades below your level, but you can also challenge yourself on more difficult routes.
Target Practice
This drill involves setting up specific targets on the climbing wall and practicing placing your feet precisely on these targets. You want to keep a steady focus on your feet placement, striving for accuracy and precision in each placement. This also involves identifying the best part of the hold, then placing your toe onto that part without taking your focus off of your foot.
Slab Climbing Practice
Slab climbing provides an excellent platform for honing footwork skills. With minimal handholds and reliance on friction, climbers must focus on precise foot placements and weight distribution. This delicate balance fosters improved technique, agility, and confidence, making slab climbing an ideal training ground to improve climbing footwork.
Don’t know what a slab wall is? Check out our article on Top 3 Bouldering Wall Types.
Analyze Your Footwork
Take video of your climb and analyze your footwork. This can offer invaluable insights into your climbing technique that can help you to improve climbing footwork. By reviewing your climbs, you can pinpoint areas for improvement, identify inefficiencies, and refine your foot placements. This visual feedback enhances awareness and aids in honing precise and efficient footwork for better climbing performance.
