Arrived at the Co op tonight after a really really long day at work and there was no one there :(
It's difficult to be motivated when I'm on my own, and it's so so very bitterly cold, but I set myself the task of trying my usual warm up laps of the wall using only the tiniest foot holds I could find. It's funny how time flies and work gets done when I'm focusing on one task.
About a half hour later, the guys were there and between my laps of the wall I watched their footwork and noticed that for the most part (particularly in the case of Kev!) there was absolutely no noise whatsoever during foot placements on the wall.
I find when I climb, particularly when I'm using small holds for my feet, my toe butts the wall, or I have to place it twice on the hold before I'm happy.
Having done a bit of observation tonight I think what I'm chasing is silent footwork and eventually silent footwork that I don't even have to think about.
Watching the guys train, even when they had to rush their feet to the wall, the placement was still so precise and there was no noise!
So while my wrist and fingers are recovering from the strain I suffered I'll be chasing silent, precise feet... which makes me think this injury could end up being a blessing in disguise for the overall good of my bouldering :)
My feet are always loud and i sound like im going to kick my way through the wall!
ReplyDeleteAn old game I was shown years ago was to climb around as part of the warm-up without making any noise, and precisely placing your feet onto the wall - as you place the foot onto the hold, hold it just above it, and then silently and firmly stand into it.
ReplyDeleteI almost do it subconsciously still now as I warm-up.....