Footholds outdoors

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This year im really struggling with my confidence on small footholds outdoors , feel strong enough but my feet are not playing ball , apart from dropping a few grades to sort it out any other advice?

 PaulJepson 05 Aug 2019
In reply to Northernladlovesgravy:

Have you changed anything that's causing you to feel this way?

What rock are you feeling this way on? Sport or trad?

What shoes are you climbing outside in? What shoes are you climbing inside in?

 tehmarks 05 Aug 2019
In reply to Northernladlovesgravy:

Get yourself out on some grit slabs on toprope and you'll be sorted in no time. Trusting your feet is about mileage - at least for me. The more you climb on smeary routes or routes with small holds in a safe environment, the more confidence you'll have in your feet on lead and the better an awareness you'll have of what you can and can't do.

 alan moore 05 Aug 2019
In reply to Northernladlovesgravy:

Never, ever, trust your feet.

11
 tehmarks 05 Aug 2019
In reply to alan moore:

And so how do you go about climbing a blank technical slab without ever trusting your feet?

5
In reply to PaulJepson:

Its sport  ,all on limestone at min , cheedale and stoney west

Had a little wobble on a clip and fell, not been the same since , wear alot stiffer shoes outside than inside

 PaulJepson 05 Aug 2019
In reply to Northernladlovesgravy:

Just keep climbing then! If it's sport then it doesn't matter if you fall off. Your footwork will get better with mileage and you'll learn what you can and can't do. The only way to get trust in your feet is by finding the edge of the envelope. Assume your foot will stick until it doesn't. 

In reply to tehmarks:

> And so how do you go about climbing a blank technical slab without ever trusting your feet?

You use your hands... slither up like a snake.

2
 zv 05 Aug 2019
In reply to Northernladlovesgravy:

Outdoor footwork doesn't happen overnight, it takes many routes, with plenty of them being outside of your comfort zone so that they can't be climbed with poor footwork. (e.g. a 7a climber can normally easily climb 6a-6b with pretty bad footwork and engrain bad habits, however if you put them on their limit, they may be forced to use good technique to get there). Plenty of them should be mileage as well, where you can practice some warm up techniques.

These warm up techniques are crucial! I start pretty much every session with a simple exercise - I place a foot carefully and with each placement I tend to look and keep my eyes on the hold until the foot is securely placed at the best bit of the hold. 

If you look around the climbing wall you will see most people actually looking away just before placing their feet, which leads to plenty of inaccuracies.

Try to implement that not just in your warm up but in any part of your session/day at the crag. Day in, day out, eventually your footwork will improve.

Additionally, I've heard other bits of useful advice, I think I remember Johnny Dawes saying that the choice of a foothold is like choosing where you would land a small helicopter, which is normally where the friciton is.

Also, climbing with people with good footwork really helps. You will tend to pick up their good habits naturally, even better if they are not shy and are happy to point out any inaccuracies they might see.

The beauty of climbing though is that this process kinda never ends. Every time you mix up rock types it takes a while to adjust. E.g. in the winter when I might do some gritstone after a summer of limestone, it takes a while to get used to the fact I don't always need an edge to stand on and actually there is amazing friction to smear.

Good luck and have fun

 alan moore 05 Aug 2019
In reply to tehmarks:

It's an old joke from a Kevin Fitzgerald article called "surely we're off route".

 GrahamD 05 Aug 2019
In reply to Northernladlovesgravy:

When seconding or top roping outside, make an effort to totally relax your hands or even take them off whilst standing on small holds.  That an the suggestion above to watch your foot all the way onto the hold then push through that foot - dont dab the rock with it and expect it to stay put !

 Greasy Prusiks 05 Aug 2019
In reply to Northernladlovesgravy:

Do some low traversing or put a top rope on something and climb on progressively worse foot holds until your feet finally pop off. Once you learn exactly how far you can push it you'll feel more secure leading. 

pasbury 05 Aug 2019
In reply to Northernladlovesgravy:

> Its sport  ,all on limestone at min , cheedale and stoney west

Well that explains it!

 andyman666999 05 Aug 2019
In reply to Northernladlovesgravy:

I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself. Climbing on peak lime is not as soft as elsewhere ! The foot work particularly is punishing - the largest footholds are not always the right ones. 

My advice - just keep turning up and get a clipstick (has helped me push my grades no end).  The best routes go from feeling desperate to an intricate dance - only downside is it can take several seasons to get there. But your footwork etc will be so much better. 

 Mick Ward 06 Aug 2019
In reply to Northernladlovesgravy:

You seem to be based in or around Sheffield. Go down Broomgrove wall and work the traverses until you can do them in your sleep. By that time, you'll have superb footwork (and fingers of steel!)

Mick

P.S.  Brilliant footwork is so precise that it looks and feels almost slick. Watch a video of virtually any top climber.

In reply to Mick Ward:

Ive heard of broomgrove , its only about a 10minute walk from mine and never gone down

Ill get on it . Thankyou to everybody for their suggestions 

 springfall2008 06 Aug 2019
In reply to Northernladlovesgravy:

If you have time do some circuit training, repeat the same circuit over and over again until you feel like the footwork is perfect and your hands aren't working very hard.

 Mick Ward 06 Aug 2019
In reply to Northernladlovesgravy:

Take it easy on Broomgrove. Don't pull too hard!  I never used to warm up in the '80s (nobody did) but God knows I'd have to warm up now.

Sheffield used to have good traversing brick walls. There was one in Endcliffe Park, just below Riverdale Road, if I remember correctly. That might be a better one to start on (not as fingery but similarly intricate footwork). But it needs traffic to keep it clean. There was also one at Tay Street on Crookes - again, not as fingery (though still technical) but great for footwork.

Personally I feel that 45% boards are great for power but for steel fingers/slick footwork, nothing beats old skool brick edge crimping. The trick is not to get disheartened - or go crazy - just nibble away at it and progress comes.

Good luck!

Mick

In reply to Mick Ward:

You got a topo for broomgrove? Looking at the routes on here but cant make heads or tails of it

 Mick Ward 06 Aug 2019
In reply to Northernladlovesgravy:

Bloody hell, that's complicated. You'd need a maths degree!

Just keep it simple: something like 2, C, D, 33, 37. Your feet will be very low. Just try and link the biggest/best holds. Near the right-hand end, you can either go up (easier for a bit, but then hard, dropping down a little) or go low (one crimp doesn't feel that much bigger than a razor blade). Either way, the crux is the right-hand end.

Left Sheff in 2001, so it must be almost 20 years since I've last been. Never had a topo. There are problems but it's a bit small. I never bothered with the problems, just did lots of laps on the traverses. Even when you know them backwards, it's still great training. It's sheltered by a little roof, so you can go there even when it's raining.

Most of the '80s stars went there. It did them a power of good. It's a great little resource. And a very good use of time. Even a quick session there will do so much good.

Enjoy!

Mick

1
 bpmclimb 07 Aug 2019
In reply to Northernladlovesgravy:

>  but my feet are not playing ball 

Does that mean that your feet are slipping off holds, or that they're generally sticking but you lack confidence in them?


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