A Better Way To Grab The Climbing Holds

When I first started climbing I was often the only climber in the gym where I trained. I had no one to model the correct way to climb for me, so I just used whatever tactics I could at the time to claw my way to the top of the route. This often involved some version of a death grip on the holds, which seemed like a good idea at the time, but turned out to not be the most efficient way to create force or generate friction (the thing keeping you from slipping off of the holds).

Before I share with you my key tip to holding on to climbing holds easier though, I feel it’s important to discuss the basic factors that help us generate friction. If you don’t care for a physics lesson right now, simply skip the next few paragraphs.

Factors That Affect Friction

Friction is a function of two key Factors: The amount of force that you apply directly into a surface, and the texture of that surface. Since you can’t do much to change the surface quality of the rocks (other than chalking or brushing), you can really only change the amount of force being applied directly onto the surface of the rock (not across the surface) if you hope to hang on longer.

While squeezing harder with our fingers is certainly one way we can apply more force to a rock or hold, it’s not the only way. Force can also be created with our legs when we push off a foothold, or by gravity pulling down on our bodies. The key is to be able to position ourselves so that the force of gravity or the force from our legs can be transferred through our bodies and then our arms to our fingers, which simply have to not straighten out in order to have that force be applied to the holds (read: limited squeezing required.)

The climber’s leg is pushing against the foot hold (small white arrow), which in turn creates force back against the climber (purple arrow). It is this force reaction from the foothold that is transferred through the arms to the hand hold (large white arrow). Notice how the angle of the force arrow and the surface of the hold make a “T". Applying more force with your legs through the surface of the rock by turning your body to one side or the other is the key to creating more friction without having to squeeze harder with your fingers.

The Secret Key

In the end, the easiest way to hold on to slopers, side pulls, underclings, or really any kind of hold, is to consider how you can position your body so that your arm can be used to pull force through the surface of the rock. I call it “making a T with the hold.” This will ensure that whatever force you can generate from your legs pushing or gravity pulling will be used as efficiently as possible in creating friction on the hold. It will also keep your hips closer to the wall, which means more of your weight will be supported by your feet instead of your fingers.

About The Author

David Murray has been coaching climbing for more than 17 years. He has helped over 5000 new and experienced climbers become more efficient and have more fun. David is currently a co-owner of The Hangout Climbing Centre in Duncan, Canada.