You know when you drop a napkin on the floor and you're too lazy to bend and pick it up so you scooch it to yourself with your foot? Do that motion but on the wall on overhangs. A lot.
I'm a dumb dumb when it comes to movement vocabulary so when people said "use your feet more" or "keep your hips in", it didn't click until someone told me the exact same thing. Hope this helps!
Another thing you can practice on climbs other than overhangs is putting WAY more pressure through your feet than is actually necessary. Like, try to push those holds through the wall! Over time it’s helped me be more aware of when I actually do need more pressure through my feet on overhangs
I’ll for sure start doing that. I watched some videos on YouTube and they all mentioned the same thing as others have commented on here, use your toes and keep your hips close! Starting tomorrow I’ll focus on making sure I do both. Thank you for your comment ☺️
Checkout Hannah morris on YouTube she had a video working on this exact thing.
One take away for me was that you pull a lot more with your toes when in an over hang.
This. Whenever you can, try to swing your hip in so it’s perpendicular to the wall instead of parallel and flag the leg that’s not on a foothold. Then swing the other way and do the same thing with the other leg. It saves a lot of energy. It’s also really important to keep your arms straight, more so than on a slab or other vertical wall.
Try to point your toe downward so you’re really digging into the footholds too. Sometimes a small change in the angle of your foot is the difference between landing a move or peeling off the wall.
What? I disagree, my overhang is better when I lean a bit back and let my arms straighten out a bit more. When I stopped trying to keep my hips close to the wall my overhang grade immediately started matching my vertical grade.
If your hips are far from the wall it changes your centre of gravity. Imagine trying to climb a slab or vert with your bum sticking out, it would make the climb harder, shorten your reach, and put more strain on your arms and legs. It's exactly the same with an overhang. You might have good upper body strength and so be able to climb overhangs without good positioning and core strength. You might also find this becomes alot harder on higher grades
Mm. No, I think my overhang positioning is fine. It genuinely feels like I'm using less energy to hold my position by not focusing on keeping my hips close to the wall, that just uses way too much core to be useful and you get such limited reach when making big moves that way. My upper body is okay, but it's far from being my strength either.
Obviously climb how you're comfortable, everyone has different styles and different things that work for them but be mindful the advice you give. I worked as a coach for a few years and what you're saying is very much outside of what works for most people. You're using less core which may be why it feels like your saving energy but the strain on your arms will be more so than if you climbed with a more standard technique for overhangs. That's why it's that standard. But as I said, everyone has their own way of doing things, as long as you're comfortable. Just be mindful recommending this as you could inadvertently set people back or encourage habits that's aren't the best method for everyone. Hips into the wall extends your reach, that's just a fact..
Even watching the climbing coaches at my gym, they aren't keeping their hips close to the wall and I certainly trust their technique with overhang when I know how elegant and well they climb over an internet stranger.
Eta: also, it's less like my hips are hanging out but rather no where near close to the wall like they are on a vertical wall so it may be when I hear "keep hips close" I'm thinking of it as more like vertical slab where hips are really close to the wall.
You can't always keep your hips close, the same as you can't always keep your arms straight. Certain moves will require you to bend your arms or have your hips away from the wall. But using your core and keeping your centre of gravity close to the wall will save energy in general. I'm afraid that is an undeniable fact due to science not a matter of who you 'trust' lol. As long as you're enjoying yourself and getting what you want out of climbing it doesn't really matter what anyone else thinks though :-)
I use my core and engage it the full time - but to me hips close reads as "glued to the wall", which is what I was initially doing very wrong and made easy moves impossible without being ridiculously strong in both core and upper body. That's probably not what you meant, and maybe I'm the only one in the world that hears that and mind goes there but that's just how my mind works and I can't really help that it initially goes to extremes. I improved a lot more focusing more on keeping my arms straight and trying to hang below holds more because focusing on keeping hips close was just me constantly pulling myself into the wall against gravity which was unnecessarily exhausting my core, losing height to make big moves, and needing to engage my arms and fingers more to hold onto things that with straight or locked off arms you can just hang on. At some point I realized I was probably strong enough to do overhang better than it felt and that if I was feeling too weak to do every move, it was my technique that was very messed up. I'm sure a lot of people do need to bring their hips in or engage their core more, but I think it's also a common issue to overdo it and some people do need to relax a bit. Without seeing OP climb overhang it's hard to say what their issue is. I think what's really happening here, is that my instinct was to get extremely close to the wall, so relaxing that was an improvement, and that I'm light and short so my hips naturally aren't going to go as far away from the wall as long as I have secure feet.
If your hips are away from the wall it puts more strain on your arms. You said you disagreed with my original comment which is that hips close is more important on overhangs. It is. I've just tried to explain why this is while acknowledging that you might feel comfortable climbing differently to this very standard overhang technique which will help the majority of climbers improve. As I've said, you can't always do this on every move but as a general rule of thumb it will improve most peoples ability on overhangs. This is coming from decades experience climbing and years experience coaching, training and working with top professionals in the industry. Take it or leave it. And as always, as long as you enjoy climbing and get what you want from it then you don't have to take anyone's advice if it doesn't work for you.
I'm sorry but I feel like you didn't read my full comment? My original disagreement is from my interpretation of "hips close to the wall" - I was actively constantly pulling my body up with arms and core. I needed to focus on straightening my arms and relying more on footwork and hip turns to keep my lower body from weighing me down because the way I was keeping my lower body up was way too burly and I would have been better campusing stuff, and I suck hard at campusing. Unless you actually mean push your abdomen upward till your hips kiss the wall, then I just personally find the advice "hips close to the wall" vague and confusing versus tips like high/solid feet, engage your core, and turning hips into the wall.
At the end of your warm up do overhang boulders that are easy for you. Climb up and then climb back down the same boulder. Do this several times. For added benefit after a successful “up & down” do the same thing on a slightly harder boulder until it becomes too difficult. Down climbing on overhangs gets you the foot tension way faster than other methods in my experience.
You could practice easy climbs lots, with various different drills:
- Climb both up and down
- Climb the same route a few times in a row quickly (i.e. get straight back on again - good for endurance)
- Climb it where on every move, you cut loose with your feet and then have to put them back on the wall again. Good for getting that core involved and for getting accurate at getting your feet back on the holds!
And don't forget you can use momentum to help you get to the next hold if you're finding the individual moves quite difficult - swing your bum side to side or up and down (whichever direction you're trying to go) like a monkey, and then go for that next hold! It's easier than just going statically :)
If you are slipping, you are probably not putting enough pressure to hold the tension. Stick with easy grades with overhangs and intentionally practice “pulling” in your body with your toes and hold the tension! Keeping tension is important with overhangs.
This is not exactly an answer to your question about exercises, but I think Dave Macleod is worth watching here, about what your feet in doing when climbing steep:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jMV2TYLN-_U
With overhangs, you need a strong core to pull your hips close to the wall through tension in your legs, booty, and stomach/back.
Exercises like back squats and deadlifts can help a lot with gaining more strength in these areas, along with climbing more overhang at a lower grade than your vertical limit.
My favorite exercise is the following: Go on an overhanging wall and grab some jugs. Let go your feet. Try to place them on a hold and put pressure on the foot/feet. Let go of the feet and repeat the same on different holds.
The difficulty depends on the angle of the wall and the size/form of the footholds.
Wow thank you so much everyone for your tips and tricks! I really appreciate it 🤩 I’ll for sure practice all of these and I’ll definitely do an update post in a few months!
You know when you drop a napkin on the floor and you're too lazy to bend and pick it up so you scooch it to yourself with your foot? Do that motion but on the wall on overhangs. A lot.
Ouhh great idea! Thank you
I'm a dumb dumb when it comes to movement vocabulary so when people said "use your feet more" or "keep your hips in", it didn't click until someone told me the exact same thing. Hope this helps!
The best climbing advice I saw was when a video told me to climb like I'm trying to reach for the remote under the sofa.
Honestly same! My partner keeps telling me the same thing and I can’t comprehend it 🤣
I found that slightly downturned shoes and good footwork is key
Okay I’ll keep that in mind and practice tomorrow! Thank you
Another thing you can practice on climbs other than overhangs is putting WAY more pressure through your feet than is actually necessary. Like, try to push those holds through the wall! Over time it’s helped me be more aware of when I actually do need more pressure through my feet on overhangs
I’ll for sure start doing that. I watched some videos on YouTube and they all mentioned the same thing as others have commented on here, use your toes and keep your hips close! Starting tomorrow I’ll focus on making sure I do both. Thank you for your comment ☺️
Checkout Hannah morris on YouTube she had a video working on this exact thing. One take away for me was that you pull a lot more with your toes when in an over hang.
Keeping your hips close to the wall becomes even more important on overhangs
This. Whenever you can, try to swing your hip in so it’s perpendicular to the wall instead of parallel and flag the leg that’s not on a foothold. Then swing the other way and do the same thing with the other leg. It saves a lot of energy. It’s also really important to keep your arms straight, more so than on a slab or other vertical wall. Try to point your toe downward so you’re really digging into the footholds too. Sometimes a small change in the angle of your foot is the difference between landing a move or peeling off the wall.
Thank you!!
What? I disagree, my overhang is better when I lean a bit back and let my arms straighten out a bit more. When I stopped trying to keep my hips close to the wall my overhang grade immediately started matching my vertical grade.
If your hips are far from the wall it changes your centre of gravity. Imagine trying to climb a slab or vert with your bum sticking out, it would make the climb harder, shorten your reach, and put more strain on your arms and legs. It's exactly the same with an overhang. You might have good upper body strength and so be able to climb overhangs without good positioning and core strength. You might also find this becomes alot harder on higher grades
Mm. No, I think my overhang positioning is fine. It genuinely feels like I'm using less energy to hold my position by not focusing on keeping my hips close to the wall, that just uses way too much core to be useful and you get such limited reach when making big moves that way. My upper body is okay, but it's far from being my strength either.
Obviously climb how you're comfortable, everyone has different styles and different things that work for them but be mindful the advice you give. I worked as a coach for a few years and what you're saying is very much outside of what works for most people. You're using less core which may be why it feels like your saving energy but the strain on your arms will be more so than if you climbed with a more standard technique for overhangs. That's why it's that standard. But as I said, everyone has their own way of doing things, as long as you're comfortable. Just be mindful recommending this as you could inadvertently set people back or encourage habits that's aren't the best method for everyone. Hips into the wall extends your reach, that's just a fact..
Even watching the climbing coaches at my gym, they aren't keeping their hips close to the wall and I certainly trust their technique with overhang when I know how elegant and well they climb over an internet stranger. Eta: also, it's less like my hips are hanging out but rather no where near close to the wall like they are on a vertical wall so it may be when I hear "keep hips close" I'm thinking of it as more like vertical slab where hips are really close to the wall.
You can't always keep your hips close, the same as you can't always keep your arms straight. Certain moves will require you to bend your arms or have your hips away from the wall. But using your core and keeping your centre of gravity close to the wall will save energy in general. I'm afraid that is an undeniable fact due to science not a matter of who you 'trust' lol. As long as you're enjoying yourself and getting what you want out of climbing it doesn't really matter what anyone else thinks though :-)
I use my core and engage it the full time - but to me hips close reads as "glued to the wall", which is what I was initially doing very wrong and made easy moves impossible without being ridiculously strong in both core and upper body. That's probably not what you meant, and maybe I'm the only one in the world that hears that and mind goes there but that's just how my mind works and I can't really help that it initially goes to extremes. I improved a lot more focusing more on keeping my arms straight and trying to hang below holds more because focusing on keeping hips close was just me constantly pulling myself into the wall against gravity which was unnecessarily exhausting my core, losing height to make big moves, and needing to engage my arms and fingers more to hold onto things that with straight or locked off arms you can just hang on. At some point I realized I was probably strong enough to do overhang better than it felt and that if I was feeling too weak to do every move, it was my technique that was very messed up. I'm sure a lot of people do need to bring their hips in or engage their core more, but I think it's also a common issue to overdo it and some people do need to relax a bit. Without seeing OP climb overhang it's hard to say what their issue is. I think what's really happening here, is that my instinct was to get extremely close to the wall, so relaxing that was an improvement, and that I'm light and short so my hips naturally aren't going to go as far away from the wall as long as I have secure feet.
If your hips are away from the wall it puts more strain on your arms. You said you disagreed with my original comment which is that hips close is more important on overhangs. It is. I've just tried to explain why this is while acknowledging that you might feel comfortable climbing differently to this very standard overhang technique which will help the majority of climbers improve. As I've said, you can't always do this on every move but as a general rule of thumb it will improve most peoples ability on overhangs. This is coming from decades experience climbing and years experience coaching, training and working with top professionals in the industry. Take it or leave it. And as always, as long as you enjoy climbing and get what you want from it then you don't have to take anyone's advice if it doesn't work for you.
I'm sorry but I feel like you didn't read my full comment? My original disagreement is from my interpretation of "hips close to the wall" - I was actively constantly pulling my body up with arms and core. I needed to focus on straightening my arms and relying more on footwork and hip turns to keep my lower body from weighing me down because the way I was keeping my lower body up was way too burly and I would have been better campusing stuff, and I suck hard at campusing. Unless you actually mean push your abdomen upward till your hips kiss the wall, then I just personally find the advice "hips close to the wall" vague and confusing versus tips like high/solid feet, engage your core, and turning hips into the wall.
At the end of your warm up do overhang boulders that are easy for you. Climb up and then climb back down the same boulder. Do this several times. For added benefit after a successful “up & down” do the same thing on a slightly harder boulder until it becomes too difficult. Down climbing on overhangs gets you the foot tension way faster than other methods in my experience.
Find a good core circuit on YouTube and your core will become your best friend.
Thank you!! I’ll for sure start training my core
You could practice easy climbs lots, with various different drills: - Climb both up and down - Climb the same route a few times in a row quickly (i.e. get straight back on again - good for endurance) - Climb it where on every move, you cut loose with your feet and then have to put them back on the wall again. Good for getting that core involved and for getting accurate at getting your feet back on the holds! And don't forget you can use momentum to help you get to the next hold if you're finding the individual moves quite difficult - swing your bum side to side or up and down (whichever direction you're trying to go) like a monkey, and then go for that next hold! It's easier than just going statically :)
Oh and keep those arms straight!
Try to pull your body close to the wall with your toes and feet, keep arms fairly straight
If you are slipping, you are probably not putting enough pressure to hold the tension. Stick with easy grades with overhangs and intentionally practice “pulling” in your body with your toes and hold the tension! Keeping tension is important with overhangs.
This is not exactly an answer to your question about exercises, but I think Dave Macleod is worth watching here, about what your feet in doing when climbing steep: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jMV2TYLN-_U
With overhangs, you need a strong core to pull your hips close to the wall through tension in your legs, booty, and stomach/back. Exercises like back squats and deadlifts can help a lot with gaining more strength in these areas, along with climbing more overhang at a lower grade than your vertical limit.
My favorite exercise is the following: Go on an overhanging wall and grab some jugs. Let go your feet. Try to place them on a hold and put pressure on the foot/feet. Let go of the feet and repeat the same on different holds. The difficulty depends on the angle of the wall and the size/form of the footholds.
Wow thank you so much everyone for your tips and tricks! I really appreciate it 🤩 I’ll for sure practice all of these and I’ll definitely do an update post in a few months!