Purpose:
To practice and enhance your ability to heel hook while climbing. Phase One isolates the ‘pull’ action of a heel hook
Where: on the floor
This drill happens on the floor. You’ll need a chair for this one
When: during the Warm Up
Conduct this floor based drill before you start climbing
The Drill:
Stand directly behind your chair
- Lift your leg and place your heel at the top of the back of your chair
- Carefully pull your heel back towards you, tipping the chair back
- If you can, find the balance point of the chair before it tips
- Pay attention to the muscles in the leg that are engaging (you can tell by which ones are tense to touch)
- Repeat on the other leg
NOTE: be very careful that you do not hurt yourself, pulling the chair onto your standing leg or stumbling while performing the drill. If needs be, conduct this next to a wall where you can use your hand to steady yourself
The Outcome: How do you know when it’s working?
Over time, you should find that you develop the ability to engage the muscles and pull your heel back towards you