Bouldering, one of the most common leisure activities most of us like, has become very popular today especially among the younger generation. Here, we give you some bouldering tips for beginners which you can use to learn a few things about how to go about rock climbing.
Most people like bouldering, which is also called rock climbing, and it is pretty natural that people have a fair idea of what's involved. However, if you are a beginner and don't know what to do, here is an attempt to explain to you some bouldering tips so that you get the basics right, besides identifying your strengths and weaknesses which are required during the process of climbing.
Go Through the Route
The first and the most important techniques is going through the route which you wish to climb. You should be skilled at reading routes as it's an important part of improving your climbing technique. Before you start climbing, take a look at the route you would traverse. Follow and visualize the steps which you would need to take besides the sequence you would follow. Try to predict the balance you would need for each move. The key is finding the most important places through the route which you can use to balance yourself. Take notes mentally where your hands and feet should be.
Intensity of Your Grasp
Another important bouldering tip is your grip. While holding the boulder, just relax, don't over grip. If you over grip, your forearms would wear and you would not be able to climb in the proper order. Even though some climbers believe that relaxing the grip is not that important, but it is. Many a time there is a tendency to unconsciously tighten the grip, thereby making the body tense, which in turn effects the smoothness and fluidity while climbing. The shoulders and back should be relaxed and loose.
Get Your Balance Right
Getting your balance right is one of the most important bouldering tips. The center of balance should always be on the body mass while you should ensure that the center of gravity is in the region of your belly. The key to become a good climber is to have an excellent sense of balance and move smoothly and effortlessly.
Be as Close as Possible to the Rock
While climbing, you should always ensure that you balance yourself in the proper order with your arms and feet. The center of gravity should always be in a forward-backward direction, which means you should not tilt too much on either your left or right. Be as close as possible to the rock.
Static Climbing
In a static climbing move, the body is controlled by the movement of muscles instead of the body's momentum. You can control the movement of your body by shifting the body weight either left, right, up or down. You should move your body when both feet and hands are properly planted on the rock. A good technique to remember is a two step process - moving limbs and then shifting body weight. You should never move your limbs and shift your weight at the same time. Your arms should be used for balance and legs for holding body weight. A good indicator or whether you have got the right static climbing technique right is taking a note whether your feet makes noise while climbing. If they do, you need to improve on your static climbing technique.
Speed
There are climbers who climb up slowly and deliberate, while others climb fast. Whatever the speed of climbing, both are considered good bouldering techniques. If you climb fast, you would need to use a lot of your upper body, especially your arms, besides you should have a proper grip and your arms should be strong enough. If you are looking to move up fast, you should use the momentum of your body, especially the legs to move up fast. On the other hand, if your hands are not that strong, you should not try to move up fast. You should try and balance your body mass using your legs as a support for your weight and arms for keeping you in place.
Even though people may think climbing to be tough, it's not, if you use the proper bouldering tips and techniques. So the next time you go out climbing, use the tips mentioned above and have a smooth ride to the zenith.
