Purpose:
To encourage you to listen to your body’s natural tendency to find efficient movement
Where: wherever you like
This drill can be done in any environment on any hold types although ideally, you will choose a wall with LOTS of holds, like a spray wall or Kilter/Tension Board
When: any time post Warm Up
It depends on how hard you’re trying. You can try this any time post-warm up but tailor the intensity to where you are in your session
The Drill:
The add-a-move drill is well known and a common game played with groups of climbers. However, here, we are going to try playing with it on our own.
- Pick a random collection of holds on the spray wall, stepping off the floor. Make them as simple or convoluted as you like
- Stage 1: Select a hand or foot to move next but allow your body to naturally feel where to move next
- Stage 2: Once in a stable position, try and force yourself into an uncomfortable position again, but one that you can still hold
- Repeat stages 1 and 2 until you either top, fall or get bored
IMPORTANT: try and close off your mind and let your body naturally tell you where it would like to move next. Consider both the position of the new target hold and how your body has moved on the wall (specifically the hips)
SUGGESTION: consider filming your attempts in order to be able to better analyse moves that felt difficult and uncomfortable from moves that became more stable
The Outcome: How do you know when it’s working?
Over time, you should find that develop a better understanding of your body’s definition of ‘efficient movement’