Drop knees

Who it's for

Anyone whose reaches feel short on steep ground. Turning the hip in brings your chest to the wall and buys reach that no amount of pulling will.

It suits you once you're climbing on overhangs and a backstep already feels natural. If your knees are sore or you've had a knee injury, get a physio to look at it before you start rotating the knee under load.

Common mistakes

• Rotating the wrong knee. It's the knee on the same side as the reaching hand. Getting this backwards is the most common error in the drill.
• Pushing through the middle of the foot. Both feet push through the big toe. That's what lets the hip turn.
• Cranking it hard on day one. A deep drop knee puts real load on the knee joint. Build the range over weeks and never force it.
• Staying in it too long. Turn in, reach, unwind. It's a position you pass through.
• Footholds too far apart. A drop knee needs two footholds you can push between. If they're very wide, the knee twists too far and the position feels stuck.

How to progress

Find them on easy steep boulders first, three tries a side, then look for them in the beta of harder problems. When it's automatic, the tell is that your feet start choosing footholds that make a drop knee possible before you've consciously decided to use one.

How to make it easier

Choose footholds close together and at about the same height, and only turn the knee part of the way. A shallow drop knee still brings the hip in and asks much less of the joint. Big handholds help too, so your attention stays on your feet.

Where it fits in your week

Drop knees belong in a Base period, when you're building technique, and in a Performance period, when you're working the moves of a project. Put them early in a wall session after your warm-up, when your hips are loose. Twenty minutes once a week is enough to start using them without thinking.

Questions

What is a drop knee in climbing?

A drop knee in climbing is turning one knee inward and down so your hip gets close to the wall and your reach gets longer. Both feet push on footholds through the big toes while you rotate the knee on the same side as your reaching hand. It's one of the most useful positions on steep ground.

How do you do a drop knee?

To do a drop knee, stand on two footholds and push through both big toes. Rotate the knee on the same side as your reaching hand inward, toward the floor, so your hip turns into the wall. Reach for the hold, then unwind the knee. Practise it three times per side on easy steep boulders.

Are drop knees bad for your knees?

Drop knees aren't bad for your knees when you build the range gradually and never force the position. A deep drop knee does put real load on the knee joint, so start shallow and go deeper over weeks. If your knee hurts or you've had an injury there, get a physio to look at it.

When should you use a drop knee?

Use a drop knee on steep ground when the next hold is out of reach and you have two footholds you can push between. It works well on overhangs, in corners and on long reaches to the side. If a backstep gets you close but not quite there, a drop knee often adds the missing reach.