Feedback Please. Video linked

[dan]

Any/all feedback much appreciated!


animal attack 12.c


What am I doing well? What can I improve? How can I improve it?

Thanks!

[srossabi42]

i'm not familiar with the route, so take this with a grain of salt
it seems like you pumped out, do the rests you are using once you get in the roof actually allow you to get something back? if they aren't great rests maybe you should just try firing it?

[dan]

srossabi:
Thanks. "Firing it" is exactly what I think I need to work on. The holds on the route are generally big and positive, but the feet are smaller, so I find it hard to jam through the route quickly without popping a foot off. For what it's worth, this wasn't an all-out project route either, so I didn't have it really wired.

For self-feedback, I think I can climb smoothly when I slow it down, but for steeper or longer routes, I often start making mistakes if I climb faster. I'd like to develop a faster, deliberate, "flowy" style of climbing. The movement drills such as "speed climbing" outlined in the Anderson's book could possibly help, but I find it tough to pick a route to practice on.

[MarkAnderson]

It seems to me that in general, you climb very square to the rock (with your hips/chest facing in to the rock), attempting moves when you aren't properly in balance. There are a few moves where you dyno and/or a foot pops off as you latch, and I wonder if you could have instead switched feet, backstepped, turned the backstepping hip into the rock, flagged the other foot, and made the move more statically. I recall one instance where you did that, but for the most part you are rarely flagging or backstepping. I feel like I use those techniques constantly on steep terrain with big holds.

[dan]

Thanks Mark. That's a good point. I didn't notice it until you mentioned.

To ingrain more back-steps, do you have any particular drills/exercises that have helped?

I think the challenge for me is to apply those techniques when I'm close to or at my limit.

[madisonchoss]

Jun 22, 2017 15:16:59 GMT -7 dan said:

To ingrain more back-steps, do you have any particular drills/exercises that have helped?

Try to avoid having your feet perpendicular to the rock. When they are, your knees are too which, if your legs are bent, keeps your hips way out. If you focus on moving your ankles the rest of your body will follow (seems like a bit of a stretch in writing but try it the next time you're climbing and you'll see what I mean). 

You can also experiment with placing the outside / inside edge of your shoe on holds (though make sure to choose wisely because it's difficult to pivot if you do). 

[MarkAnderson]

The Self Coached Climber has a plethora of great flagging drills, but you don't absolutely need that. You just need to make a point to practice it. Warmups and ARC sets are great opportunities for practice. Make yourself a reminder to practice these skills during your next several opportunities.