Top 3 Climbing Technique Mistakes - FIXED!

Letting the hands get too far ahead of the feet and ending up really stretched out

Here's concept which will help ANYONE avoid that "lazy leg" thing: On overhanging terrain, one of your feet is your SUPPORT foot. This is the foot opposite the hand which will remain in place through the move, and it almost always requires a usable foothold. The other foot is your DRIVER. It should be placed opposite your TARGET handhold, in a straight line through your center of mass (lower abdomen.) If there's a foothold VERY near that spot, use it; if not, you're much better off planting your toe where it needs to be than using a foothold, EVEN A JUG, which is in the wrong spot! Also, place your driver high enough so that it will maintain contact all the way through the movement until you latch that next handhold - you'll be AMAZED at how much power this conserves!

Another beginner's sin that I am repeatedly guilty of is mispositioning relative to holds. My most mindblowing beginner moment was, when I figured out that it is 1000x easier to hold the starting holds of a sloper problem by starting with my butt on the floor compared to upright. It just did not occur to me that starting "farther down the problem" would be of any benefit. But it made all the difference. Another example is failing to move to the side when holds are at an angle. Yes, I know that you should generally position perpendicular to the edge of the hold and that straight arms are often better than lock off. But my stupidity is stronger, when putting that into practice...

Thanks guys. I'd love a video dedicated to hips! How to use them shift the center of gravity... When to drop your butt to smear etc... I always stugle with that!

My most common mistake still is: not trusting my abilitys. And when I was a beginner 6 years ago, I focused to much on reaching the top instead of trying to find the best technical and efficent moves for the boulder.

I feel so attacked by this video haha. The lock off and lazy leg is totally me! Thanks for showing alternatives and ways to work on this!

Nice video. I wanted to mention how important a strong core is for the last suggestion. In order to maintain that tension to make those flags effective your core is going to need to be engaged. If this is your weak area, you may find you still sag somewhat despite flagging, or are less able to push your weight close to the wall as you tire. Also, work on breathing with your core engaged, as newer climbers may hold their breath when holding tension. As a taller climber I struggle with these things. I am personally working on the front level progression exercises suggested by lattice, every day when I warm up.

Your point on setting the feet the first time is great and new for me. I just learned to do this with my hands: grab the hold correctly on first go instead of regripping

Golden! Simple advice that can make a world of difference... Thank you!

Great video, my mistake is I rely far too much on technique and static body position and don't train my strength or dynamic movement much. Ive done V6 on technical small hold boulders but still struggle with v3/4 strength and dynamic climbs and can't(won't) even do a v2 Dyno. Biggest breakthrough for me was being diagnosed with ADHD and starting medication, it calmed my brain down so not thinking of every way I could hurt myself and instead can focus on the climb!

Great video! I climb v5 and I’m definitely guilty of all three of these mistakes. Thanks for the insight!

The way you explained the second one really got through to me. Thanks!

Thank you for the great video! I defiantly make all of these three mistakes. Next time I’ll watch out for them

Similar to the tappy foot - Regripping. Try to avoid constantly repositioning/fidgeting your grip while transitioning to the next move. Instead, grab the hold, readjust to the best grip if you're not already there, then STAY THERE while you reposition your feet and commit to the next move.

Great video! When I first started climbing, I would say I made all three of those mistakes!

Great for begginners and old timers too. Thank you.

wow, great video. Short and very informative. I come from a Parkour background, but switch to bouldering now and then and i see myself doing the first 2 quite often. So i like that these were really things that could bring me forward instead of other more basic tips (like: use your feet or similar). The first one i do, because my background makes me used to fast, precice movements. I land quite a lot with my feet, but it is true i never really check them and it sometimes leads to hanging to long or falling off. The second one i do, becasue i have the strength to do it and the climb-up/dyno style is very common on normal walls you use in parkour. I appreciate the tip, becasue i feel that this overconfidence in my strength holds back my technique. The last one doesnt really apply to me, but i see many others in my "league" doing it.

i've been climbing for around 3 months now and haven't done much bouldering (mainly top roping), but i'm trying to do more. I've got way better at watching my feet, but I definitely lock off and reach way too much! I think it's cos im scared of falling cos i don't feel very strong yet, so i feel like i have to pull in to the wall (but actually this makes my arms more tired so im probably more likely to fall anyway!) this video's really helpful tho, thanks! going climbing tonight so i'm gonna try some of these tips 🙌

I feel like this could've been two separate videos; there's a significant difference between a V0 climber and a V4 climber. It may be tricky to think up three suggestions for each group, but I think going V0-V4, V5-V8, V9-V12 are too wide a grouping to help the most people

The first two were certainly issues I have as a V2/3 climber. Definitely going to consider these more next time I'm in the gym.