Slow-motion climbing

Who it's for

Climbers who muscle through moves and can't tell you afterwards what their feet did. Slowing down removes momentum, and without momentum every sloppy placement shows up immediately.

You need a rough flash grade to pick the boulders, so it suits anyone past their first few months of climbing, right up to strong climbers who've got into the habit of throwing for everything. On steep walls it's hard on the shoulders and core, so if a shoulder is already sore, get a physio to look at it and keep to vertical walls until then.

Common mistakes

• Slow arms, fast feet. Feet get placed carelessly because nobody's watching them. Watch them.
• Picking boulders that need a dynamic move. Two or three grades below flash, and nothing that has to be jumped.
• Pausing between moves instead of moving slowly. A slow move is continuous. Stop-start is a different drill.
• Going harder because it felt easy. If the movement stops being smooth, the grade is already too high.
• Reaching before you're in position. If the hand has to lunge at the end of a reach, your hips and feet weren't set. Get the body in place first, then move the hand.

How to progress

Same boulders, slower. When six to eight problems are genuinely smooth end to end, move up one grade. The real test is doing a boulder you normally rush and finding you can climb it at half speed.

How to make it easier

Start on vertical walls with good footholds, where your feet carry most of your weight and slow moves don't cost much strength. Drop a grade if you're shaking, and do fewer boulders if the last few turn scrappy. You can also slow down only the feet at first: move your hands at normal speed and make every foot placement quiet and exact.

Where it fits in your week

It goes in a Base period, where the point is clean movement, and in a Strength period, where slow moves on steep ground add body tension to your climbing. Do it early in a wall session after your warm-up, while you can still focus.

Questions

What is slow-motion climbing?

Slow-motion climbing is climbing easy boulders as slowly and precisely as you can, with no jumping or swinging. Every hand and foot goes exactly where you want it, and your body gets into position before you reach. Without momentum to hide behind, you find out which moves you've been getting through on speed alone.

How do you get into a good position before a climbing move?

Get your feet on, set your hips close to the wall, then reach. If you can pause halfway through a reach without falling off, the position was right. If you have to lunge to finish it, move your feet or turn your hips first. Climbing slowly on easy boulders is the simplest way to practise this.

Does climbing slowly build strength?

Climbing slowly builds body tension and control more than raw pulling strength. Holding a position while you reach keeps your core and shoulders working the whole time, especially on steep walls. That's why it fits a Strength period as well as a Base period, though the main thing you're training is precise movement.

What grade should you climb in slow motion?

Pick boulders 2-3 grades below your flash level. That's easy enough to move smoothly the whole way, and hard enough that a lazy foot shows up. Include some you usually climb fast or with momentum. Only move up a grade once six to eight boulders feel smooth from start to finish.