The Tension Board Full Review
Jan 18, 2018 10:48:52 GMT -7
MarkAnderson, RichF, and 4 more like this
Post by erick on Jan 18, 2018 10:48:52 GMT -7
As I wrote up the review for you all and it quickly got too long to post on here so I created a wordpress account for it to live in. You can find that link here Tension Board Review if you don't want to read the whole thing here is the conclusion of that review...
Conclusion
Does the TB work for base fitness and warming up for Hangboard workouts? Yes, if your already strong enough, otherwise its gonna be tough but possible. If you have the strength to flash V3/4 on the TB then volume workouts can be an incredible way to develop skills and hone in core tension on slippery feet. The inclusion of jugs and finger buckets make it possible for beginner climbers to use the TB for limit workouts which is where it really shines. If you are not already a powerful climber, like me, there will be a learning curve as you develop your dynamic aggression. During my limit workouts I often found movement skill was a major factor in failing instead of my fingers. As I learned this aggression on a steep wall I was able to push deeper into smaller holds. Power Endurance training on the TB is great, but again it will only work if you’re strong enough! Who is the TB best for, I think that any climber who can boulder in the V5 and up range is an ideal candidate for the TB. If you don’t currently climb at that difficulty you will still enjoy it but a lot of holds will unused. If you have the space and skills to build and adjustable angle TB that could go from 20* to 50* you would have probably the best training tool imaginable!
Is there anything I would change? Like I mentioned, I don’t really love the finger buckets (except the small one, it’s awesome) so maybe a reshape of those and adding some pocket holds if I’m really critical, but I don’t need them. Otherwise the TB functioned exactly as I wanted it to. I am very excited to use the TB this training season now that I am more familiar with it and know how best to utilize it. The mirrored pattern is the real deal and does an amazing job helping the self-coached climber find weaknesses.
Now the cost, for the full board without LEDs you’re looking at $3000ish for 303 holds, is it worth it? I am the first to acknowledge that this is an absurd amount of money to throw down on a climbing wall. For that price you could take a LONG trip to Spain to climb world class limestone, and watch wafer thin euros warm up on your project while smoking cigs and enjoying their properly functioning governments. You could also easily buy tons of holds form other companies for that price and that may be the better option for many people. If you wanted to make things a bit cheaper for yourself you could buy only the footholds and just add the hold sets you want. Or even skip the footholds and use some other types like teknik screw on chips, which I have on my 20*, they would make all problems a notch harder too. If I was really pressed to try and save money I would probably be happy skipping hold Set A and adding some other jugs, but I’m glad I have all the tension holds. If your wall is mostly just for play and keeping your fingers fresh the TB is probably too pricy and you might not get your moneys worth. If you are dedicated to training and climbing improvement you will find the TB a incredibly valuable resource. When you get a TB you are buying into the whole mirrored training system with a quickly growing problems database. For me the complete package is totally worth it as I see this as a long-term investment and I’m very happy with my purchase.
-Eric
Conclusion
Does the TB work for base fitness and warming up for Hangboard workouts? Yes, if your already strong enough, otherwise its gonna be tough but possible. If you have the strength to flash V3/4 on the TB then volume workouts can be an incredible way to develop skills and hone in core tension on slippery feet. The inclusion of jugs and finger buckets make it possible for beginner climbers to use the TB for limit workouts which is where it really shines. If you are not already a powerful climber, like me, there will be a learning curve as you develop your dynamic aggression. During my limit workouts I often found movement skill was a major factor in failing instead of my fingers. As I learned this aggression on a steep wall I was able to push deeper into smaller holds. Power Endurance training on the TB is great, but again it will only work if you’re strong enough! Who is the TB best for, I think that any climber who can boulder in the V5 and up range is an ideal candidate for the TB. If you don’t currently climb at that difficulty you will still enjoy it but a lot of holds will unused. If you have the space and skills to build and adjustable angle TB that could go from 20* to 50* you would have probably the best training tool imaginable!
Is there anything I would change? Like I mentioned, I don’t really love the finger buckets (except the small one, it’s awesome) so maybe a reshape of those and adding some pocket holds if I’m really critical, but I don’t need them. Otherwise the TB functioned exactly as I wanted it to. I am very excited to use the TB this training season now that I am more familiar with it and know how best to utilize it. The mirrored pattern is the real deal and does an amazing job helping the self-coached climber find weaknesses.
Now the cost, for the full board without LEDs you’re looking at $3000ish for 303 holds, is it worth it? I am the first to acknowledge that this is an absurd amount of money to throw down on a climbing wall. For that price you could take a LONG trip to Spain to climb world class limestone, and watch wafer thin euros warm up on your project while smoking cigs and enjoying their properly functioning governments. You could also easily buy tons of holds form other companies for that price and that may be the better option for many people. If you wanted to make things a bit cheaper for yourself you could buy only the footholds and just add the hold sets you want. Or even skip the footholds and use some other types like teknik screw on chips, which I have on my 20*, they would make all problems a notch harder too. If I was really pressed to try and save money I would probably be happy skipping hold Set A and adding some other jugs, but I’m glad I have all the tension holds. If your wall is mostly just for play and keeping your fingers fresh the TB is probably too pricy and you might not get your moneys worth. If you are dedicated to training and climbing improvement you will find the TB a incredibly valuable resource. When you get a TB you are buying into the whole mirrored training system with a quickly growing problems database. For me the complete package is totally worth it as I see this as a long-term investment and I’m very happy with my purchase.
-Eric
