Critique my technique

[alvaro]

I've recently taken the advice provided by Mark and Mike and started videoing myself on project climbs to help with beta and check my movement. I'd like to share these videos with you to hopefully get some outside feedback on my movement and technique.

The first video is from a short power endurance climb on independence pass called scene of the crime. It's 5.12+.  Super bouldery crux through the first 2 bolts straight into 11+ climbing with no rest. I've sent it since the video was taken but could still use movement feedback: youtu.be/z_c6TLGRiu4

This climb is my current project; sustained 5.13a that's a full-on endurance fest. 30 meters long with hardly any place to rest the whole way: youtu.be/qu8cnCq_-_A

Thanks for any feedback!

[MarkAnderson]

I fear that replying will encourage a deluge of additional videos from all corners of the globe, but since 1) you are a fellow MP Admin and 2) one of the videos is from a cliff very dear to me, here are my thoughts:

Overall it looks like you have excellent technique. I don't see any red flags, and I doubt technique is holding you back any.

1st video:
-You're adjusting/bouncing your feet a lot. Perhaps there's an issue there, maybe a lack of confidence in your shoes, sloppy initial placement, or a failure to maintain the right amount of pressure as you execute moves. Could also be that the footholds really suck on that route.
-It might help you to do more flagging, or to have more confidence in your flagging. I would practice flagging more.
-Think more about the direction your hips need to travel when dynoing--sometimes they don't need to travel at all.
-On the high dyno (where you fell the 2nd time), it looks like you weren't really committed to trying to stick the move, but also your hips came way further out from the wall than you would want

2nd Video:
-At 3:20ish, you move your right foot dynamically twice. This could be the best option, but another option would be to match feet, then move your RF up, then throw your LF back out into the stem.
-If you compare your movement where you fall at 3:38 and then stick it at 3:56, you're moving your shoulders and hips way too much when you fall. Again it looks like you didn't commit to latching the hold, but even if you did it would probably be hard to control all that hip movement.
-At 5:32 it looks like the fall is as much because your shoulders, head and hips came so far out as anything else. It looks like you got the hold, but you can't control the barn door. Throwing your head and shoulders out would make that worse I would think. Look at how far your hips and shoulders are from the wall when you finally fall. Compare that to when you stick the move.
-You climb quite fast. I'm a fan of that in general. Most of the time I try to sprint between rests. But sometimes slow climbing is better, particularly on really technical lines, so consider that too.

Summary:
-Your technique is quite good
-Practice flagging so you can flag more confidently
-Get some better shoes(?), or when you're sussing your projects, really test how much weight you can place on your feet so you can use footholds confidently on redpoint
-Think about your hip movement, practice it when working dynos, and vocalize it when visualizing your beta.
-Commit to latching dynos.

Good work on Scene of the Crime, that's a slippery bitch!

[alvaro]

Wow Mark, thanks for the great analysis! It's funny that you say I climb fast. I think I actually climb pretty slowly and too statically; it's something I've been working on lately to move more smoothly and dynamically, almost like I'm dancing over the rock. I look at the videos of myself climbing and think that I still have a ways to go to achieve that fluid, effortless-looking movement.

You're right about bouncing my foot placements; the feet on Scene of the Crime are notoriously small and slippery (as you know) so I was being extra sure about my placements. Again though, ideally I would like to get to the point where I can confidently place my foot and keep moving.  I've been working on that on the 13a in the video; hopefully it shows a bit.

Good note on working on flagging technique. Watching the videos again I do tend to keep myself square to the rock a lot and usually find places to put both my feet before I attempt to make a move. I think that working dynamic movements (like you mentioned I should) and more confidently placing my feet will help with this as well.

Like I already mentioned, dynamic movement and knowing/learning how to best execute a dynamic move with regards to body position is an area of improvement that I've identified for myself. It's good to get that confirmed and thanks for the insight on how I can make the dynos on those climbs better/easier. On the last dyno in the 2nd video I'm already quite pumped at that point and it's a big lock-off with the right hand and swim the left through to a pocket that I have to stab quite accurately. I barely latched it the time I fell and felt I didn't have enough of the hold to keep my shoulders and hips from swinging away.

Scene of the Crime was definitely a huge challenge for me, but it was really cool to go from thinking "How the hell does anyone get up this thing?" to sending it in a few weeks time.  I still think the boulder problem start is ridiculously hard and quite a sandbag at 5.12+, but admittedly short, bouldery climbs are not really my style.

Thanks again for the advice! Some good things for me to work on and hopefully it'll lead to better sending :-)

[tedwelser]

Thanks for posting these videos-- it is great to see your climbing and also just the different routes up close, especially Scene of the Crime because it's historic role in climbing development.

This is a minor redpoint tactics comment illustrated in Scene of the Crime. When you clip the third bolt you do so from a tenuous looking sidepull and a single small right foot. It looks like it requires a good bit of tension. Two short moves later you are in a solid rest stance and you are still right next to the bolt. It seems like in general, especially on worked redpoints, that you will maximize your overall ability by making your clips from a more restful stance whenever possible. In this instance the route is over soon, so that extra effort will not prevent the send, but on longer routes those small differences add up.

Impressive routes!