How to Identify Your Climbing Weaknesses

Every climber has a weakness—yes, even the pros. Being well-rounded in all aspects of climbing is tough to achieve! Likely, every climber has at least one specific area they can improve.

While you can seek out climbs that suit your style, you may not realize you’re missing out on so much of climbing this way. Not every climb will suit your style, and that is okay! Instead of putting yourself into a box, round your corners and try to become a more well-rounded climber.

Acknowledging your climbing weakness doesn’t mean you’re not strong; it just means you have room to improve in one aspect of climbing. But, spoiler alert: Everybody does.

Try to stop caring so much and focus on how you can find joy in working on your weaknesses. For all you know, you may discover a new climbing style that you fall in love with! Let’s explore how to improve your weaknesses and turn them into strengths!

The Key Components of Climbing

There are many styles of climbing walls: slab, vertical, overhung. There are also various kinds of climbing holds: crimpy, pinchy, slopey, pocket-y. Plus, different styles of climbing routes require different strengths: powerful, balance-y, endurance-y—see?

It’s tough to maintain balance among all the styles of walls, holds, and types of climbing that each requires. You may excel at squeezing big compression moves, but your face climbing might lack finger strength. Or you can power your way up an overhang, but struggle with foot swaps. That’s okay!

The best thing you can do for your climbing is to work on your weaknesses. This will not only teach you more but also open up an entirely new side of the sport to explore! Think of all the climbs you had written off because they didn’t suit your style; not anymore! It’s time to embrace the suck.

How to Improve Your Climbing Weaknesses

Identifying your weaknesses is just the first step; strengthening them is where the real work begins. After determining where you struggle—possibly in more than one area—it’s time to make a plan.

Finger Strength

If finger strength is your kryptonite, it’s time to tackle some crimpy routes! You could also start hangboard training, but only if you can fit it into your typical week and if your fingers are ready for it.

Sloper Strength

The hangboard can also be an excellent tool for improving at slopers. Use the slopey holds and perform max hangs. Of course, you should also seek out slopey routes! There’s nothing quite like training for climbing other than actually climbing.

Pinch Strength

If you have pinch blocks, use them to train your squeeze. Seek out routes with pinches. Remember to engage your thumb!

Endurance

There are plenty of exercises to help with endurance training: ARCing, 4x4s, ladders—it’s hard to go wrong here. Try them all and see which one you enjoy the most!

Overhangs

Overhung climbing requires more body tension and larger muscle groups to stay close to the wall. Weight lifting can be helpful here!

Footwork

Perform footwork drills like Silent Feet, Sticky Feet, flag, and foot swap practice to encourage the different ways you can dance up the wall.

Flexibility

Stretching and yoga are fantastic for improving your flexibility for climbing. Many climbing gyms offer yoga classes you can attend! Alternatively, you can find an online routine to perform at home on your own time.

Mental

The mental side of climbing can also be a weakness for some, particularly the fear of falling. To combat this, practice, just like with everything else. You must practice falling to become more comfortable putting yourself in different positions and learning to correct your body and land safely or trust your belayer to catch you.

Embrace the Work

If you’ve been climbing for a while, you know how dispiriting it can feel to climb well below your limit on your antistyle. Sure, you may be climbing V7 on a crimpy overhung boulder, but can’t get up a V4 slab; it will feel like you’re learning to climb all over again.

Don’t dwell on your expectations. You may think that because you’ve sent X grade in some style, you don’t need to train the basics. But the basics are how you get stronger. If you can learn to let go, you can discover what all climbing has to teach you.

Besides, you may venture to entirely different crags or areas of the gym you don’t usually climb. Talk about adventurous learning!

Turn Weakness to Strength

Whatever it is you want to improve in climbing, you can do it. You’ve come this far by not focusing on your weakness. Imagine how far you can go once you become just a little more well-rounded.

So before you write off trying to strengthen your anti-style, consider all the ways you can do so. You have the power to learn how to dance up delicate slabs, be comfortable climbing above your bolt, or endure your way up a massive multipitch.

So, are you going to sit back and focus on your project, or are you going to train that weakness?

Conclusion: Your Climbing Journey Awaits

Climbing is a journey filled with ups and downs, literally and figuratively. Embracing your weaknesses is a vital part of becoming a better climber. Remember, it’s not just about the grades you climb; it’s about the joy of the journey and the community you build along the way.

As you work on your weaknesses, you’ll not only improve your skills but also gain confidence. You’ll discover new routes, meet new friends, and perhaps even find a new passion within the sport.

So, let’s get out there and tackle those weaknesses together! The climbing community is waiting for you, and there’s so much to explore. Whether you’re scaling indoor walls or outdoor crags, remember: every step you take is a step toward becoming a more well-rounded climber.

Now, let’s get climbing!