Article by Michael Strong and Ryan Ojerio; video by Dan Crowe

Handholds come in a variety of sizes, shapes and textures. To climb efficiently and to avoid injury, it's important to learn how to "hold" onto the various shapes encountered while climbing on the wall. On lower angles, hands should be used mainly for balance, letting the stronger legs propel you up the wall. As the angle steepens, contact strength becomes increasingly important, and it becomes critical to figure out how to obtain the best purchase with your hands.

When using handholds:

• Regardless of the angle, avoid the tendency to overgrip; overgripping leads to undue fatigue. Try experimenting with the amount of contact your hand has with, and where your body's weight is in relation to the hold. There are more and less secure ways to use any hold.
• Plan ahead for the best possible movement sequence;
• Ideally, keep your hands at about shoulder width and above your shoulders. On steep climbs, the farther your hands move sideways, or below your shoulders, the more strenuous climbing becomes.

• The CRIMP is used on small holds, usually when grasping an edge. For the best purchase, move your fingers along the hold until you find the most positive grip, then crimp down positively. Crimping is a powerful way to latch onto hand holds.
• One way to make a crimp stronger is to wrap the thumb over the index finger, turning the cling grip into a RING GRIP. The thumb is the strongest digit, so getting it involved adds contact strength.
• in the PINCH GRIP, the thumb usually "pinches" in opposition to the fingers, but it can also pinch 90° from the direction the fingers are gripping (e.g. the thumb presses on the side of a hold while the fingers pull down).
• If you want to give your fingers a rest, use a wrap. In a THUMB WRAP, wrap your thumb over top of a positive hold and stack your fingers on top of your thumb. This can be a powerful combination and take advantage of the thumb's superior strength.
• On large (e.g. bucket) holds, use a WRIST WRAP. Hook the heel of your hand over the hold and hang on your long bones. The wrist wrap has limited use, however, it can transfer force to the long bones of the arm, thereby giving muscles a break.

Be careful when pocket climbing and crimping small holds. It's easy to injure tendons. Stretch the fingers, warm up adequately, and avoid the temptation to crimp very small holds. Some climbers tape tendons to add security and avoid injury.

Much nicer on your tendons and kinder to the finger tips is the OPEN GRIP, which is used on larger holds such as slopers, which don't have a defined edge. Curve your hand into a tensed C-shape and hook it over a sloping hold.

Some rock formations lend themselves well to "POCKET" climbing, especially limestone and welded tuff. For this reason, many gyms replicate this type of climbing. Pockets can be small, one-finger affairs, or larger holds that accommodate the hand. When pulling on a pocket feel around the inside edge to find the most positive grip (it's not always on the bottom). Generally speaking, it's best to use as many fingers as possible. The most challenging pockets are one-finger (mono-digit) holds. These require sufficient strength to used effectively (and to avoid injuring a tendon). If a one-finger pocket is tall, stack your middle finger on top of your index finger for added strength. If the pocket accommodates two fingers, use the middle and the ring finger to balance the load on the hand.

An UNDERCLING is a very effective ways to utilize a hold that has the best gripping surface on the bottom or side. When using an undercling, pull up on with your hands to create counter pressure against the feet, maximizing security. Another variation of the undercling is a SIDEPULL, where your body is off to the side of a hold whose most positive edge is furthest away from you. Hooking a hand on that edge will be positive so long as you are pulling on it towards yourself, but moving your weight to the opposite side will make it less useful.

As you become more familiar with the different holds, your climbing efficiency will increase. Experiment with how you grasp holds and the sequence with which you utilize them. For example, rather than matching hands on every hold as you traverse, try crossing through. One hand reaches past the other in the direction you move. This can increase smoothness and efficiency in your climbing.

TOP