Bouldering basics

General:

  • Tips: Try to keep much weight on your feet, hip close to the wall and arms straight
  • Terrain: Face (Slab, Vertical, Overhang), Crack, Flake, Chimney, Arete, Dihedral, Traverse
  • Footwork: Edging (Outside, Inside), Smearing, Hooking (Heel, Toe), Bicycle
  • Handholds: Jugs, Crimps, Pinches, Pockets, Slopers, Side pulls, Gastons, Underclings

Upper-body Moves:

  • Bumping … move from an intermediary hold to a further hold with the same hand
  • Crimping … the fingertips (DIP joints) creating a reverse arch (performed on crimps)
  • Cross through … one hand reaches over/under the other arm for the next hold (e.g. traverse)
  • Lock off … a static reach while the holding arm is bent sharply
  • Mantle … transition from a hanging to a standing position on a ledge (muscle-up movement)
  • Palming … pushing with the open palm instead of pulling with the hand/fingers

Lower-body Moves:

  • Back stepping … one foot is on the inside edge, the other on the outside edge (one hip in)
  • Bat hang … an upside-down hang while both feet doing a toe hook (provides no hand rest)
  • Drop knee … like back stepping, but the knee of the foot on the outside edge points downward
  • Flagging … one leg is dangling in the air for keeping the balance
  • Knee bar … kind of a jam executed between foot and knee with the calf (provides no hand rest)
  • Meat hook … flex the wrist to be able to wrap/hook a hold over the top
  • Rock over … placing a foot on a high hold and standing up on it
  • Step through … same as Cross through, but with the feet

Full-body Moves:

  • Dyno … a jump during which the whole body has for a short time no connection to the rock
  • Houdini swap … put on hand/foot over the other than remove the lower one
  • Jamming … wedging a body part into a crack (e.g. Finger, Hand, Fist, Foot)
  • Lay backing … pulling with the arms and pushing with the legs on a vertical feature (e.g. flake)
  • Matching … bring both hands/feet onto one hold before going to the next hold
  • Run and Jump … running over a few volumes to jump to a handhold (parkour-style bouldering)
  • Stemming … pressing legs/arms away from each other on two widely spaced holds (e.g. chimney)