Fixing 5 Common Mistakes that Make Climbers Fall Every Time

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// TIMESTAMPS //
00:00 Intro
00:15 When to shift from a heel to a toe
01:07 The difference between effective and ineffective training
02:03 Position your body before moving your hands
03:22 Demonstration: The difference between easy and hard is often tiny
04:47 How to use this as actionable advice
05:31 How to get "unstuck" from sidepulls (hip flick)
07:09 Don't pull STRAIGHT to the next hold
08:46 Instagram, 8a, Mountain Project, and guidebooks all in one
09:40 Rows for climbers and how to engage a better drop knee
10:23 "Basically never" use a drop knee this way
// SHOW NOTES //
Episode 121
www.hoopersbeta.com/library/h...
// DISCLAIMER //
As always, exercises and rehab programs are to be performed assuming your own risk and should not be done if you feel you are at risk for injury. See a medical professional if you have concerns before starting a new training or recovery program.
// SPECIAL THANKS //
The Wall Climbing Gym. Check them out at: www.thewallclimbinggym.com/
// PRODUCERS //
Written and Produced by Jason Hooper and Emile Modesitt
#trainclimbsendrepeat #climbingtraining #doctorofphysicaltherapy

[@HoopersBeta]

"It's a better Instagram, better Mountain Project, better 8a... plus guidebooks." -- Dan This video isn't sponsored by KAYA (we just know the devs) but they were kind enough to give us a code so our viewers can get two weeks free of KAYA PRO (including guidebook access). Use code KAYAGB22 and follow the instructions in this doc to redeem: bit.ly/3hYmHGK KAYA is planning to keep adding guidebooks and features, so it's definitely THE climbing app 🔥🔥 For coaching/training with Dan, email [e-mail]!

[@hellfish2309]

10:46 Zero disrespect: when Dan or someone says ‘this’ or ‘that’, it would be helpful if in the edit or added captions there could be added context biomechanical or otherwise to clarify the distinction… that said, I appreciate neither you nor Dan profit that much more from this kind of content and such detail would arguably be more appropriate for paid services

[@danielbeall7725]

@@hellfish2309I appreciate the feedback! Always trying to learn and improve our method and presentation here. I’m not sure I get exactly what you mean though? Do you mean that it would be helpful to provide greater context for the positions that I’m miming for the cross / match sequence just after your time stamp? Unfortunately one of the *major* difficulties of discussing climbing is that the existing lexicon is not very good. If you have an example that you like, that would be awesome, but in many cases, there just isn’t a much better description than “this / that” and some hand waving… If I’ve misunderstood your question, please let me know, thanks!

[@imxd9698]

this format is infinitely better with the demonstrations…

[@HoopersBeta]

Glad you liked the addition!

[@mysterymachineclub]

it honestly helps so much 😊 sometimes the red arrows alone make me even more confused lol

[@TheUwaisPatel]

I second this, it's really helpful

[@georgealexanderp]

Yes! Came to post this.

[@gregorydesprez7520]

Agreed! Please do more of these :D

[@sdixon91]

Please more of these! So great. For all the climbing content on KZbin, there’s not enough in depth analysis of movement like you guys are doing here

[@HoopersBeta]

Thanks for the comment! Glad you're enjoying the analysis 🙏

[@henning_jasper]

yes, these are gold!

[@emmanuelgonzalez4555]

Totally! 🤙🏼💪🏼…

[@TheMrbonkers115]

Wow the demonstrations added so much. As someone who's only climbed for ~1 year it helped me better understand Dan's taking points.

[@HoopersBeta]

Nice! Glad you found them to be helpful!

[@charliexoxox]

your gains will be crazy if you’re able implement this technique stuff

[@runforrest86]

these videos are so great, I climb roughly 5.13/v8 and I find that I can still learn a lot from v2 boulder breakdowns.

[@HoopersBeta]

I love the open mind! Great approach, always something new we can learn :)

[@ThePcHelperdude]

same, most of these moves we have done many times subconsciously, but it is still beneficial to be more aware of the mechanics while climbing. we all get distracted, or our mind is set on doing something one certain way, and we dont see the other options. or any of the many other lapses in logic that can happen while climbing.

[@snuffalobill1250]

This series is the best climbing resource on KZbin. Please do more long form episodes, there's so much information that there's no need to edit it down

[@redbarron128]

Thanks so much for the feedback! Mine was the first clip (Indoor Dyno). It was a V5/V6! Didn’t see it in the video but I didn’t think i was going to make the catch on the initial dyno… thus the quadruple pump! 😂 Also… I didn’t workout the second half of the boulder because of this… Learned a lot on this project! Thanks again Coach Dan and Dr. Hooper! I love this series you guys do together!

[@HoopersBeta]

The quadruple pump was so fun! It was a great video to watch, thank you for the submission and I/we hope you were stoked to see yourself on the episode! Thanks for allowing us to teach more people with your submission :)

[@Vuora93]

I haven't heard anyone articulate climbing technique better than Dan

[@HoopersBeta]

Agreed!

[@Mrperson662]

Dan blows my mind every time he talks about climbing

[@HoopersBeta]

Mine too!

[@danielbeall7725]

Thank you for the kind words! I’m glad you enjoy it!

[@spencerharrison5114]

I love these episodes. Beall is a bit of gem - he's so well spoken and he makes movement really intuitive.

[@HoopersBeta]

Agreed! His advice is invaluable!

[@benjaminstevens8641]

My dude is well spoken

[@huntergibson9359]

This format is absolutely incredible. The coaching is phenomenal. Almost every example you talked about gave me a tonne of insight into climbing technique. It was easy to follow with the arrows, and examples. This is the diamond standard of beta and technique coaching hands down.

[@sonia1234321]

Love the new format!!!

[@madraven5915]

As a fellow climbing coach, I learn so much about how to describe the positions and changes one can do to make it work. 5 star quality content!

[@Thaitan15]

This was an amazing breakdown. Loved the more in-depth approach and examples of the techniques being used.

[@joebro77]

Great format, thank you!

[@VioletElizabeth001]

SO many points i had never thought about but make a ton of sense, and communicated super clearly! great video ya'll

[@HoopersBeta]

Thank you, Violet! Glad you think so :)

[@DingoDjango]

The side-by-sides and the breakaway bit at 3:22 were great!

[@HoopersBeta]

Glad you found them to be helpful

[@hellfish2309]

@@HoopersBeta i ask the climbers I coach all the time: “where’s your weight?”

[@dannym8015]

Really useful, thanks very much! Keep it coming.

[@emilferent23]

Amazingly precise explanations! Thanks!

[@HoopersBeta]

You're very welcome!

[@brianhlynch]

Would love to see breakdowns like this but focused on a single style(compression, heel hooks, cave climbing, etc.)

[@dsmeier6270]

I really love these videos and the new exemplar positions. It's all super useful to think about.

[@HoopersBeta]

Awesome! Thanks for the feedback and glad you found it useful!

[@pascaljutras178]

All that technic is the main reason I love so much this sport, every time you apply it well you can feel the difference, it is a very satisfying feeling.

[@Syrupjuice]

Wow, that was a great ep

[@wisconsinair]

More Dan! More Dan!

[@souloddddd]

one of the best technical videos series on the interwebs

[@HoopersBeta]

Dan has such amazing technical breakdowns it's nuts! Thanks for commenting!

[@sje19861]

These videos are awesome! So detailed and practical.

[@HoopersBeta]

Glad you enjoy them! We have a new one coming out in a couple of weeks!

[@Harry-mr3mn]

these Dan videos are my favorite

[@lufepelomundo]

what a video, guys! its so nice to see this type of video. I'm learning a lot with you guys. Thank you from a brazilian guy!

[@nitchdrones5042]

I remember starting climbing and scrounging the internet for videos like this. Thank you so much! I’ve been in plateau and your content is a key step to helping me out!

[@HoopersBeta]

Nice! Glad that you find them to be helpful :)

[@wmvdw1978]

Excellent video! Thank you.

[@HoopersBeta]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@brainyu]

I’m a simple man. I see anatomy of a climb with Dan and I smash that like button 😂. I feel like I learn something every time I watch one of these

[@HoopersBeta]

Nice! Glad you're learning something new every time! Thank you for the button smashing 💪

[@arturobandini4078]

Awesome advice and clearly explained.

[@HoopersBeta]

Glad you think so!

[@fat82much]

So good! Thanks guys

[@zaheercoovadia4745]

this was amazing!

[@johnhutton2701]

Woah, incredible video. So much rapid fire good advice

[@HoopersBeta]

Glad you enjoyed it! Stay tuned for many more in the future :)

[@RimshotKiller]

I love just about all of your content, but these videos really tak ethe cake! Great tips as always.

[@HoopersBeta]

Nice!! Glad you enjoy these vids in particular. 🤙

[@jimcooper1053]

Fantastic video as usual guys thank you great advice

[@HoopersBeta]

Thank you!

[@ASNIV_]

Super helpful with the demonstrations

[@HoopersBeta]

Thank you, Argyle. Your support is greatly appreciated!

[@endlesssearchofknowledgean6998]

This video confirms what I learned through trial and error and gives technical and scientific terms for what I have tried teaching to other people. Thanks! Keep doing what you do!

[@HoopersBeta]

Thank you for the feedback! Glad it helped you confirm a few things :)

[@yybbhn]

quality, dense content. well done!

[@HoopersBeta]

Much appreciated!

[@konradnoises]

Amazing format. We pick up a lot of info from this

[@HoopersBeta]

Stoked to hear that!

[@boulderingace7952]

Great video guys! Love from Manchester, England

[@boulderingace7952]

When are we getting that video on creatine Hooper!? Is the additional ~2kg in weight gain effectively counteracted by the explosive strength gains? Thanks 😊

[@danielbeall7725]

@@boulderingace7952Short answer is yes 😉

[@boulderingace7952]

Thanks dude. Anecdotally I’d agree. I’ve been taking it for around 3 months and seen some benefits, especially on overhangs. The additional 2kg takes me up to 82kg which can feel heavy at times but I think it’s worth it. Cheers

[@danielcouch635]

Move my knee! Of course! The number of times I've not been able to stand up on a hold. Now I know why. SO obvious when you see the demo. Great advice as always. Thank you and Merry Christmas.

[@HoopersBeta]

Glad you found it to be helpful! Certainly hope it helps you send next time!

[@ronnoclaine]

Hey, stoked to be in this! Rotator cuff at rumbling bald. I'll add that what ended up allowing me to get my weight really sunk into that left hip was pushing off the wall with my right foot. Instead of hanging out in space, I found an edge and was able to get that last bit over and have control getting to the finish.

[@HoopersBeta]

Awesome, thanks for submitting! Glad you figured out some good beta 💪

[@ychefla]

This kind of content is GREAT with the scientific approach. I've got a question/comment on the last clip. Am I thinking this wrong? To me the biggest problem there was that since he has his right knee pointing inwards, his right side is towards the wall making it hard to hold with the right hand (same side). In contrast at 10:47 the correct technique shows knee pointing outwards allowing body rotation so that left side is more towards the wall.

[@bennomartini6372]

I liked "send blind" the most ;-)

[@gamotousername]

On "Dont pull STRAIGHT to the next hold" situation I would normally smear and pull towards the right side, to load the right leg better, all in one "dynamic" motion. The leg would generate the left diagonal force you describe rather than the pull. What do you think?

[@codyleehanson]

The info in this is gold. Unfortunately I suffer from send blindness quite often and need to learn how to be more conscious on the wall when trying harder.

[@HoopersBeta]

Yeah! A combination of both is great, honestly. Sometimes you want to purely focus on the send but other times cues and intention with your climbing will help you learn and acquire skills faster!

[@marka.6879]

Really good video

[@FishTall]

Omg I’ve done that first one!! Crazy seeing my gym here

[@HoopersBeta]

Always a fun realization :)

[@jacobsbenjamin4810]

This video looks good, it shows how easy it is to mess up the moves and get stuck. if I may have one remark, it would be best to compare the route with the same climber and same problem and not using replica. Any tip for tall climber? I am always finding myself either full extended and reaching next hand holds and then being stuck, or trying to frog to avoid that and ending wasting energy because I am not anymore close the wall. (This is more valid for routes than boulder).

[@PolarZ0]

The first climb is a v5-v6

[@derbaum5509]

Bluescreen tips by Jason: 1. Wear blue hoodie :D

[@HoopersBeta]

haha it was cold! We were hoping it would work out but sadly it did not :P

[@lizosaurusrex]

Love you guys. Endlessly grateful. Side note--in mid-December I injured my sesamoids (and/or the tendon they're involved in). I blew off a tiny flat foothold (like a smear of hardened putty on the wall, you know the kind) in the gym as I toed down hard to push off of it (wearing pretty soft smeary shoes), and now 3 weeks later later I'm still icing and taking Aleve and wearing dancer's pads and hobbling around. I saw a doctor and he told me 6-8 weeks if I do everything right. Looking like no Junuary climbing for me this year. Any advice for dealing with sesamoiditis?? When can I safely start climbing again to give myself the best chance for a quick recovery? Looking online and talking to my friends, this seems to be a pretty common ailment, one that climbers try to ignore (as usual), and one that is extremely stubborn and often results in surgery and/or many months to YEARS of pain.

[@HoopersBeta]

Thanks for the support and sorry to hear of the injury you sustained! What a great injury though, truly means that you were trying to use your feet as best as possible :) As for advice, sure! With many injuries that are a few important components to consider: reducing irritants, maintaining mobility, and slowly reintroducing activity. That being said, if climbing is an irritant, returning too quickly will prolong the timeline. But the same can be said if you don't do anything at all. Lack of movement and mobility can slow the process. If you do it right, I would certainly not expect recovery to involve surgery or years of pain. Hope that helps!

[@RossPotts]

Wow, when did Sportrock go to Sterling? I haven’t been to that gym since like 1999, so it’s been quite a while…

[@palomeraleon]

absolutely amazing explanations. BTW what's the app you use to draw on the video?

[@HoopersBeta]

Glad you enjoyed it! It's called OnForm

[@palomeraleon]

@@HoopersBeta thanks for the reply!

[@ryanlzp5374]

Heyo, I just wanted to ask if you have any recommendations for exercises to help tendonitis that happens at the bottom of the tricep where it meets the elbow? Thanks for all your great videos, keep them coming!

[@HoopersBeta]

We haven't done a specific video on that but isometrics building into concentric + eccentric exercises are standard. But be sure to check out our ulnar nerve video to make sure that's not the issue!

[@ryanlzp5374]

@@HoopersBeta okay I'll check that out thanks, I got it from climbing in Fontainebleau and I thought a few months of rest would get rid of it. But when I do some pull-ups and push-ups it starts to flare up but I couldn't find any videos related to this specific issue as it's not on the inside or outside of the elbow. Cheers!

[@V8chump]

What grade does Dan climb? His knowledge seems incredible, I’ve just climbed a v9 and most of these small details he points out I wouod only feel on the wall after playing around with my beta. Like the whole flicking of your hips when moving through opposing holds, don’t think I’ve ever used that tech (then again you barely ever see that specific move)

[@MadsVangsgaard]

I think you could use this technique in other situations, than this specific one. Id say basically anytime you have a centered foot and you need to go from left-right or right-left, and your holds are in a sidepull type direction.

[@V8chump]

@@MadsVangsgaard I mean that’s just an example from this video alone, there’s tons of other examples from other videos. Plus I’m sure I’ve used something similar to this technique but I’ve only been climbing for 8 months, if I’m gonna start pushing V10+ I feel like I need to be perfect and some of these smaller details still evade me as I’m rather new

[@HoopersBeta]

Dan eats V15 for breakfast 🥞 😜

[@V8chump]

@@HoopersBeta what a freak! Hopefully I get there one day

[@il24ir]

I seem to struggle with routes that go from steep to vertical. It isn't necessarily the rocking over that's hard, it's the placing of higher feet when the options are limited. I've been training these kinds of routes more, but are there any exercises or videos you guys recommend?

[@tylervoyer74]

Sounds like flexibility

[@alexfong6824]

Hey! What app do you use to draw those diagrams?

[@HoopersBeta]

It’s called OnForm

[@ZackRaborn]

Nice.

[@HoopersBeta]

Super nice.

[@alexlarsen8539]

why is the video "behind" the dude on the left but somewhat blended in with the dude on the right?

[@HoopersBeta]

Jason wore a blue jacket so it partially blended in with the blue screen 😂

[@ramdop]

Hi great videos very very informative 🙂 I would like to sand a video of mine . How do I do that? .thx ram

[@HoopersBeta]

We typically do call outs for videos prior to an Anatomy of the Climb session, so just make sure you are following us on IG or here and you'll see the next time we need more vids :)

[@georgestone8099]

Some of this advice seems correct to a point, but then not. Like when he said (3:00) you should feel the weight coming off your hand (via changing body position) and then move. Okay, up to a certain grade there's usually going to be a way to do that. But then there's levels of difficulty where the move is just going to be hard and desperate and that's what gives the climb its grade.

[@HoopersBeta]

The advice actually holds true even in situations that require harder and/or more dynamic movements, but it won't always look completely static. Even on dynamic moves, you still need to (temporarily) unweight the hand you're moving as much as possible to prevent your weight from falling in that direction when you release the hold. It can become a lot more subtle at advanced grades, but the concept still applies. Of course, there will be times when the climb just won't allow you to do a move "gracefully", but that doesn't mean the principle doesn't apply. -Emile

[@danielbeall7725]

Exactly right @hoopersbeta Many of these ideas are *essential* at higher grades, and we’re trying to make them available and sensible for climbing at lower grades. It’s not that hard climbs make “good” technique not work, in fact it’s even more necessary. What makes them hard is that the precise and marginal positions make “good” movement much more difficult to achieve.

[@hemasgeir470]

Nice video, I like this format! 👌 But the Kaya app tho.... An app giving you betas?? It sounds like a nightmare to me... I guess it suits well to some people but I really can't get how it is a good thing. You're basically never going to work by yourself.

[@HoopersBeta]

Fair point that you still want to work some beta on your own! But just seeing other beta doesn't mean you'll be able to execute it, or that it's the correct beta for you. I think that having access to other beta can teach you new movement, allow you to try new styles, and unlock new tools! (Also you don't have to use the app until you feel you need to to figure out some beta that no one else can show you :) ) Glad you enjoyed the video format, though!

[@danielbeall7725]

@hemasgeir470 I mostly agree actually. I think there is too much of a trend recently of people looking up beta videos for everything, and compromising the development of their own imagination and problem solving skills. Two points though: 1) optimal learning is likely achieved with a combination of example and practice. Just watching videos requires little thinking, but watching no videos reduces awareness of possibilities and access to exemplars (good or bad) 2) Kaya is only partially about beta videos. The logging, guidebooks and analytics are very very useful even if you never touch the beta vids. If you download the guidebooks in offline mode, you’ll get all the utility of a guidebook, and the beta vids won’t even exist for you. Hope that makes sense!

[@stephenkoawl3453]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@mahmoodem2849]

Please keep adding to the Anatomy of the Climb 🙌 Btw regarding the hip flick trick, this video by @movementforclimbers7436 kzbin.info/www/bejne/iGKohXimitqSrNk has a pretty good illustration of this technique for those interested ^_^

[@nbka8rs]

Algogogogo

[@HoopersBeta]

Let's gooooo!

[@Dillonboyd802]

At 2:05 did he just say WAP

[@HoopersBeta]

😂

[@Mike-oz4cv]

All those tips are only possible if you have the hip and ankle flexibility :(

[@HoopersBeta]

We have videos on how to improve both of those areas! 😀

[@jlehm]

I have to disagree that you can get centered on the foot easier with a toe vs a heel. The heel is literally closer to your centerline, and a bit of proof is that you can sink in over deep heels and get no hands rests. You’re not going to get those no hands with a toe. Also, the outdoor boulder with the Yabo start is in Rumbling Bald and his beta was just wrong. He was going to the wrong hold. So, nothing he would have done with his feet/legs would have been right.

[@HoopersBeta]

Depends on the situation; sometimes a heel will work better, sometimes not! A toe will give you more range of motion to work with (especially when you need to push *up*), but a heel will sometimes still be preferred. Impossible to give specific advice that will perfectly apply to every situation when the advice is highly situation-dependent, but rules of thumb are still valuable and worth discussing. -Emile

[@jlehm]

@@HoopersBeta imo if the foot is big enough for a solid heel, it’s the better option if I have to pull over, mantle, press out, sit deep, etc. You get better pull, you eliminate any weakness in the big toe, you eliminate needing the lower leg muscles to hold the foot in position or flex the foot to keep your foot from slipping, and it makes it easier to pull into the wall by adding a little rotation of the foot to cam against the wall.

[@HoopersBeta]

It's too situation-dependent to be able to make that big of a generalization unfortunately. There are plenty of times a toe is the way to go, and plenty of times a heel is better, and sometimes it comes down to personal preference. In the first example of this video, a toe is clearly a better choice, because he needs to use his leg to help translate his body *up*, and the heel doesn't allow you to use our natural ankle and foot flexion/extension to assist with that. -Emile

[@danielbeall7725]

There’s also no such thing as objectively “right” beta. I absolutely buy the idea what he’s doing isn’t a standard method, but I’m positive that it could be done that way. (Maybe harder 🤷🏻‍♂️) It is a good observation though that getting too sucked into the details of a move may distract you from realizing that you’re completely missing a better sequence.

[@herrar6595]

It depends on your ankle mobility and stability. You get more rom on the toe if you need that. Cant bring your knee down to foot heigt with a heel and a flat foothold cause your ankle doesn't fold like that. So if you want/need to really sink that knee, toe is better. Also you can no hands rest on the toe in a vertical or close to vertical wall. The reason you can't in steeper overhangs is because your ankle is not capable if resisti g the inward rotation force, the heel comes out and then you slip.

[@hellfish2309]

You guys need wildly unnecessary, giant headphones… Madden-style

[@HoopersBeta]

😂 that sounds like a wonderful edition

[@sncaterd]

what the hell is that unbearable hi pitched hissing sound...cannot watch the video with it...does nobody listen to the video before posting it or what

[@HoopersBeta]

No one else seems to hear what you’re talking about…??

[@danielbeall7725]

Sorry, that might be a hardware issue on your end. Watched this on several devices now, and no hiss seems to exist.