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Basic Rock Climbing Grips and Holds Beginners Must Know

Climbing a tall rock wall takes lots of upper body strength. However, the way you use rock climbing grips can affect your experience. As a beginner, it is usually not easy to understand the kinds of rock climbing. But, you can get started by learning the basics.

To do rock climbing montreal, you don’t really need incredible upper body strength. For the majority of climbers, the lower body is stronger than the upper body. As you climb up the wall, keep your body weight centred over your feet. That said, you will need to know the main rock climbing grips and finger holds to ensure your lower body strength holds. Keep in mind that the rocks made into climbing walls at a gym are built to challenge you like you are going on an outdoor climb. Every rock is made with various faces and requires you to make use of different grips and holds.

Main Holds in Climbing Gyms

Below are the main holds you will find in climbing gyms:

  • Flat edges. This typical rock does not provide you with plenty of space to grip.
  • Rounded slopers. These are building rocks that do not have a right angle to hold.
  • Slightly detached rocks.
  • Rock holes which only fit two fingers or a whole hand.
  • Rocks that can be pinched with the whole hand or a few fingers.

Climbing Grips and Finger Holds

If you want to be a successful climber, you must know how to traverse the different kinds of rocks using the right holds. Below are some kinds of rock climbing grips you should learn to get started:

  • Full crimp and half crimp grips. These grips are ideal for small edges and flakes. In these grips, you grab with the majority of the pressure on your middle finger joints. They put plenty of pressure on your fingers and can lead to injury if you do not do them correctly.
  • Pinch grip. This grip is popularly used in rock climbing gyms. You can do this by holding with an open-hand grip or half-crimp and using the thumb for pinching the other rock’s edge.
  • Open-hand grip. This grip is used to grab slopers. It involves straight knuckles and spread fingers. This leads to less stress on the hands and fingers although you may feel like it is the weakest grip at first. Over time, you will be using this grip the most.

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