John Kettle - Rock Climbing Technique

Improving climbing technique can mean many things. Increasing efficiency is one aspect which allows you to climb harder at any given fitness level. Effortless, fluid movement is another. The accompanying feelings of mastery can open the door to a deeply rewarding experience on rock. It can also mean finding flow, experiencing climbing as a dance or a way to celebrate movement and express physical creativity.

Investing in your climbing skills is always worthwhile and doesnt demand a consistent time commitment. If you have limited opportunities to climb regularly, physical training can feel like pouring water into a leaky barrel: you must keep pouring all the time just to maintain a level. To increase the level you must pour faster and faster and if you stop, the level steadily decreases.

Skills development is far less dependent on consistent input. You can practise whenever you can - sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on circumstances. If you take a break for a few months, those skills are still embedded and you can continue to develop them further.

If you have an enforced layoff from fitness training - perhaps due to injury skill development is a great way to maintain motivation and keep improving, while paving the way for excellent performance when you return to form. While I am enjoying the richness of life outside climbing, my own maintenance schedule of up-skilling typically sees me climbing around twice a month. This is enough for me to continue gently consolidating my skill level, in anticipation of periods when I can devote more time to getting climbing fit.

This book contains five chapters, each focused on a specific area of the body or a specific climbing technique, including a range of practical exercises to introduce and develop skills which can be done at any climbing wall. Chapter Six explores how to apply it all to your climbing and Chapter Seven contains the quick fixes for those really short of time.

Many of the practical exercises are accompanied by a demonstration video, in addition to the written description and illustrations. If you have access to a tablet or smart phone, watching these videos will ensure you learn quickly and easily. There are links to the videos in the e-book version of this publication and they are freely accessible online. From the paper version of this book, you can reach them by scanning the QR code on your mobile device, typing the web address into your browser or by visiting youtube.com and searching for my channel by name.