The benefits of traversing

[climbersg]

Hello Mike, Mark and fellow board readers,

I have been ARCing for a period of a month for my base-fitness phase. Since it is sometimes difficult to arrange a day together with my climbing buddies due to our differing work schedules, I have been doing them conscientiously by traversing in a bouldering gym. A few days ago, I am stumbled by a question asked by a fellow climber on the relevance and usefulness of traversing. Given climbing is usually done vertically, in what ways can traversing be applicable to vertical climbing or climbing as a whole in general? With my limited experience, the benefits I feel from traversing is generally felt from ARCing rather than the act of traversing alone. I'm wondering if anyone has more experiences with traversing and ARCing who would be in better position to give more insights on its benefits and relevance. Many thanks!

[tetrault]

I think there is plenty that can be learned about balance, flagging, hand/foot placements and accuracy, and maintaining focus while pumped when traversing. That being said, it has been recommended here that a climber should attempt to follow more of a "W" shape vs a strict horizontal traverse in order to bring in the specificity of moving up.

[aikibujin]

Agree with what's said above. I think Mark said something like if you're only traversing horizontally, then you're just training swinging sideways on straight arms. I have some theories of my own on ARCing, one of them is that the upward movement is important in ARCing not just from a technique perspective, but also because it works the whole body and not just the forearm muscles.