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Foot swaps

6-8 very easy boulders with a foot swap on every foothold.

Slot
On the wall
Focus
Precision
Time
15 min
Intensity
Low
Injury risk
Low
Intervals
6 rounds
Equipment
Boulders, Easy circuit

How to do it

A foot swap is switching which foot is on a foothold without stepping off it. On very easy boulders, swap feet on every foothold: bring the free foot next to the one on the hold, then slide the old foot out as the new one slides in (or hop them quickly). Do it quietly and without losing balance. Climb 6-8 boulders this way.

Who it’s for

Anyone who finds themselves with the wrong foot on the right hold. It’s a small skill, it costs nothing to practise, and it turns an impossible sequence into a normal one.

Common mistakes

  • Hopping when you could slide. The quiet swap, sliding one foot out as the other slides in, works on small holds. Save the hop for big ones.
  • Losing the hips. Your weight should stay over the foothold through the swap. If your hips move, you’ll skate.
  • Practising on holds that are too small. Very easy boulders and big footholds first. The movement pattern is what you’re after.
  • Making noise. A loud swap is a slipped swap you got away with.

How to progress

Smaller footholds, then steeper ground where your hands have to hold more of your weight during the swap. Doing it on every foothold of an easy boulder is a good warm-up in its own right.

When it fits

The training periods this exercise fits into in Blok Sessions.

  • Base Lots of easy climbing, good movement and aerobic fitness.

Start with a ready-made block

A six-week strength plan with a deload, as a file for the app, and seven short emails on how to run it.