New answers tagged bouldering
0
I think this advice is really targeting beginners that use the arch to stand on a big hold. The arch is the worst part of the shoe to use, because it has very poor usable surface area, it's angled, and it often has less high-friction rubber than the forefoot and heel. When I say "standing on the arch", I mean that literally the toes and heel have no ...
0
Another thing to consider is when there is a long, narrow foothold along the wall, e.g. a horizontal crack. Standing on it with your feet parallel to the wall places your center of gravity outside of the foothold (first picture) and you constantly need to pull yourself towards the wall. If you place only your toes on the foothold, your center of gravity is ...
6
As others have said, it's bad practice to use the arch and heel because (a) it restricts motion when you're going for the next hold, because there's one fewer joint you can bend, and (b) it throws your weight back. But it's also bad practice to use your knees, your elbows, your butt, or to jam your head into a crack. But I've done all of these when the ...
3
I must disagree.
It is a bad idea to put your whole foot into a deep foothold as this shifts your leg too far forward and causes balance issues.
On a wide foothold, it's often a good idea to give the muscles on the ball of the foot a rest by turning the foot sideways so the inside edge of the heel takes some load.
Balance is the key issue. Don't ...
9
Using your whole foot while rock climbing is a poor practice in most cases as it restricts your footwork and limits your movement options. When stepping with the front of the shoe you are able to effectively pivot and stretch onto your tip-toes.
Pivoting can be a very important part of increasing your overall climbing efficiency by allowing you to move ...
35
Apart from the reasons already stated, namely getting used to doing it that way as it will help you on smaller footholds, there's also maneuverability: If you step with the entire foot, it is really hard to turn your foot if you e.g. need to reposition yourself to reach the next hold. You often see beginners especially in gyms doing the "frog move", where ...
61
It's a matter of practice, but also a matter of feel: When stepping with the front of your foot you have a smaller contact area, so the pressure is higher than using the whole foot. This increases sensitivity to the rock underneath (extremely important with smaller holds), strengthens the muscles you will need for them, and also sort of gives you more ...
4
It's not bad; it's just better to practice standing on your toe tips, so you can progress to smaller holds that require them later.
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