Heel-toe cams and knee bars

Who it's for

Steep, feature-heavy bouldering, and anyone who never seems to find the rest that everyone else finds. It's pure technique work, so it costs almost nothing and fits in most weeks.

It suits you once you're climbing on overhangs regularly and can hang in a steep position long enough to look around for your feet. If you mostly climb vertical walls and slabs, there's little to cam or bar against, so spend the time on footwork there first.

Common mistakes

• Placing the heel and forgetting the toe. The cam is the toe pressing up into something above. Without it you have a heel hook that will pop the moment you move.
• Only looking for knee bars when pumped. You find them by reading for them from the ground. Discovering them halfway up in desperation rarely works.
• No knee pad. A hard knee bar on a textured volume will take skin off your shin, and then you'll stop trying them.
• Getting into the position and immediately climbing on. The whole point is that you can let go and shake out. Practise the release.

How to progress

Start where they're obvious: big volumes, roof features, obvious kneebar slots. Then look for them in the beta of a project you're already trying. Then set problems that only work with one, which is also the fastest way to teach yourself to spot them.

How to make it easier

Pick a feature where your feet are close to the floor and the wall is only slightly steep. Get into the cam or bar with both hands on, then take one hand off for a second before you try a full shake.

Where it fits in your week

It's moderate and low risk, so it works in any training period, deload weeks included. Put it after your warm-up on a wall day, before any hard limit bouldering, while your legs still have the attention to place a foot precisely.

Questions

What is a heel toe cam?

A heel toe cam is a foot position where your heel presses down on one hold while your toes press up against another hold or the wall above it. The two opposite pressures lock the foot in place. It lets you hold your body in to the wall on steep ground and take weight off your arms.

Is a heel toe cam the same as a kneebar?

A heel toe cam and a kneebar are related moves that both wedge your leg between two surfaces. The cam locks the foot between heel and toe. The kneebar wedges your lower thigh against a hold or roof while your toes push on a foothold below. A good kneebar usually lets you rest with both hands off.

How do you practise heel toe cams?

Practise heel toe cams on a steep wall with big features. Find four or five spots where a cam or kneebar works, get into the position, take one hand off and shake it out, then climb on. Do each spot three times. Start on obvious volumes before looking for them on your projects.

Do you need knee pads for kneebars?

You don't strictly need knee pads for kneebars, but they help a lot. A pad protects your shin from rough volumes and adds friction, so the bar holds with less pressure. Without one, a hard kneebar can scrape skin off, and most climbers then stop trying the move altogether.