Rock Climbing Technique

Climbing is all about movement. It's about learning to use your hands and feet to ascend vertical rock faces. It's about the specialized techniques used in face climbing and crack climbing. Climbing is a natural human activity. Learn the basics here about moving over stone.

How you use handholds on a cliff is essential to your climbing success. We use our hands to grab various rock features, which allow us to pull ourselves upward with our arms and to stay in balance on vertical terrain. Learn here about the nine different types of handholds that you will encounter on cliffs and how to use each type of handhold...

Use these six climbing movement tips to improve your performance on the rocks. Learn about properly using your feet, legs, and hands; how to make basic climbing strategies; and how to be one with the rock. Read them, practice them, and get climbing.

There are 3 types of rock faces you'll encounter when you're rock climbing — slabs, vertical faces, and overhanging faces. Find out about these faces, how to climb them, and America's best areas for each type.

Learn how to climb an indoor wall in a climbing gym and then lower back to the ground.

Rock climbing has two distinct disciplines--free climbing and aid climbing. Learn here about free climbing, French free, and aid climbing.

You need to learn to effectively use your hands and fingers to become a successful rock climber. Learn about using handholds and the six basic finger grips for rock climbing.

The half crimp grip is one of 6 hand and finger positions used in rock climbing. Learn all about the half crimp, how to do it, and how to avoid crimping injuries.

The full crimp grip is one of 6 hand and finger positions used in rock climbing. Learn all about the full crimp, how to do it, and how to avoid crimping injuries.

If you want to climb better, then you need to use your feet better. Learn here why good footwork is important if you want to get up hard climbs.

Slab climbing is ascending rock faces that are angled less than vertical. To learn how to climb slabs, you need to use good footwork, learn to read the rock, and keep a cool head. Find out the most important parts of slab climbing and the best places to climbs slabs in the United States.

If you want to become a better slab climber or even just a better all-around climber, then you have to learn how to read the rock surface and how to use your feet better. Learn here how to read the nuances of the rock surface, how to find the best footholds, how to move upward more quickly and efficiently, and how to place your feet with precision and exactness on small footholds.

Use the buddy system when you go climbing to keep safe. Buddies look after each other on the rock, check and double-checking knots, harnesses, and safety systems. Follow these 5 tips before leaving the ground to stay safe climbing.

Crack climbing, also called jamming, is a learned climbing technique. The best way to learn how to jam cracks is to practice jamming at your local cliff. Read more about how to learn how to crack climb by practicing jam cracks and finding a crack mentor to help you jam better and higher.

Definition of Finger Crack, climbing words for a finger-sized crack that is ascended by jamming or wedging a climber's fingers into it.

Definition of Fist Crack, climbing words for a crack that is as wide as a climber's fist.

Cracks form natural weaknesses in rock faces that rock climbers ascend by jamming or wedging their hands, fingers, and bodies in the cracks. Learn about all the different sizes of cracks, how the difficulty ratings of crack climbs are body-size dependent, and how crack climbs are rated.

Learn how to climb hand cracks (cracks the width of your hand) by using hand jams and good footwork. Hand cracks are the best cracks to learn how to crack climb since they offer tbe easiest and most secure jams.

"How strong do I have to be to go rock climbing?" is a frequently asked question (FAQ) about climbing. The answer is "Not very strong." Read my long answer to find out why economical climbing movement and good technique is more important than strength when you're rock climbing.

How you move and place your feet and rock shoes while you're climbing is important to your climbing success. Efficiently foot placement, including watching you foot, placing your foot softly and quietly, and taking small steps is paramount to climbing well. Learn 6 tips about climbing footwork and you'll be climbing harder and higher.

Use your feet well when you're jamming cracks and you will feel more solid and secure and get less pumped. Learn how to make basic foot jams; how to torque you knee to lock in; which rock shoes to wear crack climbing; and tips for better foot jams.

Finding and using rests while you're rock climbing is just as important as the moves you make using handholds and footholds. Learn all about rests, what a resting point is on a climb, and a couple basic rest techniques to help you rest and recover if you get pumped climbing.