Purpose:
Firstly to encourage greater movement skills and secondly to provide purpose to hip movements while climbing
Where: wherever you like
This drill can be done in any environment on any hold types. That means, you can select holds/wall angles that suit you to allow a little more enjoyment.
Slowly increasing difficulty of climbs (grade, hold type, wall angle) will exaggerate the learning point
When: during the Learning Window
Climbs should be easy enough to allow thought process but not so easy as the drill feels contrived.
The Drill:
On your given climb, complete the following on every move:
- With all limbs on the wall, look at the next hold and decide which hand is about to move
(e.g. right hand) - before moving your hand, move your body around and point at the hold with your hip on the same side
(e.g. right hip) - once you have pointed, clearly, pause with the hip at it’s furthest point. When here, now reach for the hold
- repeat for the next move (e.g. left hand and left hip) for every move on the climb
This drill works best when exaggerated as much as possible. It may feel a little silly at first but a) won’t stay like this for long and b) usually isn’t as obvious from the ground as it is on the wall
The Outcome: How do you know when it’s working?
Over time, you should find that your body begins to move and rotate into better positions before reaching for holds