So Many Climbers REFUSE to Do What This Short Girl Does... And It Holds Them Back

[@HoopersBeta]

What do you think of Dan's advice? Do you make any of these mistakes yourself? I must admit, I'm guilty of a few (like the pogo technique) -- even though I know better! Dan's info: [e-mail] or testpiececlimbing.com/schedule-dan

[@mahmoodem2849]

I do shrug my shoulders to reach higher but haven't realized how much dis-engagement it causes to my shoulders and eventual injuries until I watched the video. Thanks for the tip 🙏 I'm going to try and keep my shoulders locked down from now on. Btw both of you make a good collection of recommendations. I love these joint climbing analysis videos 👍

[@danielbeall7725]

@@mahmoodem2849 thank you! I’m glad it helps!

[@smockytubers1188]

Yep, I'm guilty of the full static, not using momentum, and not starting with straight arms mistakes way more often than I'd like to admit.

[@SurfAllBlue]

Unfortunately knowing things and being able to apply them when climbing are often 2 very different issues 😅 I always make tones of those mistakes that I'm able to catch only after analyzing climbing videos later on.

[@PS-nm8wk]

I shrug my shoulders all the time, I've noticed that before. It's hard to always be aware of it and maybe it's also a lack of strength in the back?

[@florianbar873]

I'm short and I climb with tall people. So yes I feel short because I try to do everything statically the way they do it but it never works out for me because I just use way to much strength. This is a good reminder to just use more momentum. Thanks for the video.i

[@HoopersBeta]

Great point! Thanks for sharing :)

[@slapthesloper]

It’s funny because I’m tall and never climb static and at this point I am so weak at lockoffs it’s a problem

[@V8chump]

Easier with momentum but some moves require accuracy, especially as you get into V8/9/10s. Both have their strengths and you should know when and when not to use momentum 😁. Loves me some static strength whenever I can use it 😍

[@kiransurdhar362]

I absolutely love this format where you break down what's happening right after watching a clip. I would be hyped to see this applied to every kind of scenario-from day 1 climbers in the gym to pros sending outside!

[@HoopersBeta]

Nice! Glad you enjoyed it :) We do have a few other vids with some renowned climbers in it (such as our Midnight Lightning AOC) but we don't have too many with brand new climbers. Thanks for the input!

[@muumarlin1731]

These breakdowns are probably some of the most helpful technique-oriented teaching tools I've come across. I hope you do a ton of these on a regular basis!

[@davidwright9940]

Hey thanks for the advice, I just got back from a moon board session where I used your "initiate movement from a straight arm". It was amazing how much difference it made! I hadn't realised until consciously thinking about it how bent my arms are before making a dynamic move. Thank you.

[@HoopersBeta]

Nice! That's awesome that it paid off. I agree! I did that drill as well just today on the moonboard. Makes such a difference.

[@nicofricker78]

Mabye this works until the grades get higher and the holds are so far away that your arms have to be straight...

[@nurfuerdieplaylist]

Man I love these detailed technique analyses... I always take something new from them. Keep em coming!

[@HoopersBeta]

Glad to hear it! I do too

[@pavelbelik6174]

@@HoopersBeta You could do a future one with some lead comp footage and show different pros in the same moves. For example I get the feeling that Alex Megos is guilty of the shrugged shoulders you mentioned A LOT, would be great to see your opinions.

[@AlexisLimozin]

Hey, thanks for putting my clip in, and thanks for the advice! I'll keep in mind next time I have to do a pogo. That move felt quite far even though I have a good reach, maybe this was why.

[@HoopersBeta]

Thanks so much for sending in your footage!

[@toktassarna]

I need to watch this a few more times ready to take notes, especially on the short girl moves, being a short girl my self!

[@loganbennett9757]

Ayyyy one of the clips was from my climbing gym! And the pogo advice helped a lot thank you!

[@jhy8191]

Great video! You and Dan's analysis are so detailed. I would love to see a dedicated video with you and Dan geared towards short climbers.

[@HoopersBeta]

Great idea!

[@khakicam5400]

With estimated grade differences compared to the 6'4 stick insect

[@danielbeall7725]

Cool idea! We’ll have to start collecting videos

[@illegitimate0]

You can look smooth and dynamic. I think looking controlled when deadpointing is the sign of an efficient climber (beyond pristine footwork).

[@orhyle]

Have recently been getting into the MoonBoard and these breakdowns are very insightful!

[@sakurasshhii]

Thank you for this video format, it's very helpful!

[@malteschwarz4081]

at 9:30 Dan says that he's got a couple of warmup drills he likes to do that seem to really convey the importance of shoulder positions. Would he like to share maybe one or two of them? :) pretty please?

[@troylink2887]

I was going to ask this same exact question. I would love to see a video on some good warm up drills to help people learn better movement. Thanks!!

[@pavelbelik6174]

Amazing content Hooper!!!!

[@n3v3r1s4]

Amazing video, this is what we newbies need not another tip to 'use your feet'. Not that that isn't good advice as well, just.. extremely basic. This video answered a bunch of hypothetical questions that have been lurking around in the back of my mind subconsciously.

[@HoopersBeta]

Glad to hear it!!

[@crispycrimps865]

Another great video, thanks guys

[@HoopersBeta]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@louisesieg948]

Super precise content - thanks!

[@iliaskyrlies-chrysoulidis6262]

Helpful in so many ways.. Thanks!

[@HoopersBeta]

Awesome! Welcome :)

[@metyu3730]

Thank you for another great video :-)

[@superdeluxesmell]

I love these videos and they’re super helpful if you’re stuck in your climbing, but for me, a big part of the fun is figuring things like this out for myself.

[@bartdevisser795]

Ey man, Thank you for the great content, really happy i found your channel. Subd after 4min of watching ^^ so many good insights already XD keep it going

[@HoopersBeta]

Thank you and welcome to the HB Fam :)

[@InanimateObject123]

I'm new to bouldering but I've never understood why people tend to avoid anything dynamic like the plague. There are moves in my gym clearly designed to be done dynamically and most people sit for ages trying to do them static

[@henning_jasper]

Love these analysis video! Even though I'm a somewhat decent climber already I still can take something away from your explanations every time!

[@HoopersBeta]

Nice! Glad you are still benefiting! I benefit from talking with Dan every time! He has so many great strategies and techniques to share.

[@larryseibold4287]

I love the detailed analysis and two perspectives. I need to rethink a few things. I have historically gone out of my way to do the vast majority of moves overly statically vs with lunges and excess momentum, in an effort to improve form and reduce injury. It is clear in this video that using a fair bit of momentum would actually reduce injury and likely improve my form and result in stronger longer pulls. I am holding myself back and increasing the likelihood of injury over time (think medial and lateral epicondylitis).

[@SurfAllBlue]

I would speculate that sometimes climbers reluctance to do moves with more momentum is because of lack of distinction between strength and power. I feel like some people that climb have much more strength than power and doing things statically is simply easier for them (in relative terms). Though it doesn't mean that static way is the most energy efficient way or the most technical way what I feel often wrongly comes up. Now that I thing of it it might have came up in the video and this comment doesn't really makes sens. Oh well... Great video as always. Thank you for making it 🙂

[@HoopersBeta]

I think that’s a great point! Thanks for sharing. I know a few climbers that have a lot of strength but have trouble using that strength dynamically. It’s a good reminder that power is something climbers need to train, and some maybe more than others. -Emile

[@MP-bx3uj]

You’ve saved my shoulders, Dr Hooper 😄thank you so much!!

[@HoopersBeta]

Happy to help!

[@SnowmansApartment]

Wow, loving the climbing of the shorter climber!

[@HoopersBeta]

She's impressive!

[@Hobbychemiefreak]

"It's convenient that the things that are somewhat injurious are basically never mechanically advantageous." One big counterexample that comes to my mind is the pocket grip with the non-engaged fingers curled in. Are there more?

[@HoopersBeta]

I think Dan was speaking more in terms of larger joint positions, like elbow, shoulder, etc. but even still I’m sure you could find exceptions to the rule! It’s a great heuristic but of course won’t be true for every possible situation. I like your pocket example; then again, Dan hates pockets so he was probably pretending they don’t exist 😂 -Emile

[@punio4]

I gotta ask - what's the app you're using for whiteboarding on videos?

[@HoopersBeta]

It's called OnForm

[@punio4]

@@HoopersBeta thanks!

[@WeThin]

8:58 Full crimp has entered the chat

[@joolsgrommers1466]

I’ve known about my tendency to shrug for quite awhile, shoulders are stronger now, but still find it really difficult to keep them ‘active’ while trying hard. I just seem to revert to older worse habits.

[@HoopersBeta]

Yeah sometimes just the strength training is not quite enough. Your body/brain will occasionally revert right back to those old habits. It's useful to retrain those movements on the wall with easier problems and then over time it may start to stick better with more challenging climbs as well. I'd recommend making it a part of your warm up to work on your positioning.

[@sstrong42]

US climbing needs more movement analysis. I'd watch a channel dedicated to this kinda stuff.

[@HoopersBeta]

Yeah that would be awesome! Good idea

[@ralphmunn1685]

Of all your "demonstrators," only Bethany got it consistently right: consistently crossing up, being on the outside edge of her support foot, placing her driving foot where her intended movement wanted it to be rather than where "the foothold" was. Whether this is instinctive (which gives rise to a lot of "good day/bad day" scenarios) or intentional (which helps in "fixing" bad days,) she was doing great! I always told my students, "Don't watch strong men climb, you can't 'learn' being strong; watch women who climb well. They generally use better technique, which you CAN learn!"

[@fongwee]

Do you have a video on exercises to work on shoulder engagement?

[@HoopersBeta]

We've got a a few older videos specifically on shoulder training. To work on a specific shoulder engagement issue it helps to know what the issue is as they can vary quite a bit. However, exercises like face pulls, pullups, rows, etc. performed with good scapular engagement can go a long way in general IMO. -Emile

[@craigbritton1089]

I have found it is very difficult to get some climbers from breaking the habit of catching holds with a straight arm; and often a pretty lax/ high shoulder. I blame some of this on some coaches and others telling climbers to catch holds with a straight arm. But the physics and physiology are both worse with a straight arm that acts as a lever to magnify forces/ movement.

[@td.z1]

What if I can't feel that mind-muscle connection to my mid back? I cant seem to feel when im engaging it and when im not. Is there an exercise for this?

[@angelalee7958]

Hi! May I know what app you are using in your video? i am a PT student and would love to try that out as well!

[@HoopersBeta]

It's called OnForm

[@dawnriddler]

The problem isn't momentum, it's lack of strength. Most climbers know they can do a move dynamically, but you need to have actual strength and coordination to pull it off. And since most of the time that isn't the case, you try to static it.

[@woolypuffin392]

5'2 here, my husband is 5'9 and he can comfortably touch a LOT of holds I can't and it's frustrating! The world just isn't built for us and it sucks that short ppl always have to go out of their way to get to the same point as tall ppl.

[@HoopersBeta]

On the positive side, short climbers can leverage a number of solid advantages over tall climbers with practice :)

[@santi_super_stunts2573]

Dynamic moves are easier for us short climbers tho , even tho I’m not flexible I can get much higher feet just cause my legs don’t take as much space , and now that I’ve been working on flexibility I can get really high feet.

[@jamrollz]

You're about the same height as Brooke Raboutou, her brother said she almost sent v16 in a week.

[@thegzak]

The shoulder coming up and forward to the ear - for me, that happens when I lack grip strength, for some reason that position feels lighter on the hands even though I know it’s bad for the shoulder. I’ve tried adjusting but my hand just pops off.

[@HoopersBeta]

It does seem to a common response when finger strength is lacking. All the more reason to focus your training on your specific weaknesses :)

[@LiamKaplan]

what's the app they are using to scrub through the videos

[@HoopersBeta]

OnForm

[@bencrawshaw1227]

I'm short and I climb too, my style is similar to the girl but I'm not quite at 6a yet. I'm probably about 4 to 6 sessions away from making the leap though.

[@HoopersBeta]

Nice, it's a great style to emulate!

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

The best beta breakdowns out there! This is something I was just telling my girlfriend at the gym yesterday who REFUSES to do anything non-statically and ends up pumped out before the top 😂 Keep up the videos 🙌🏼

[@HoopersBeta]

It does seem to be a rather common occurrence; I'd be curious to hear from those climbers why they REFUSE 😂. Thanks for the kind words!

[@nickthemanager]

@@HoopersBeta she says "I'm afraid of falling ever since an accident. And I have really sweaty hands so I already feel like I'm falling despite how much chalk I use. So dynamic moves are a no-go"

[@davidwright9940]

@@HoopersBeta I think for some people whose contact strength is not so good it can seem easier to take the hold slowly.

[@lubie_sie_ruszac]

Are these grades benchmarks? All these 7Cs look like simple moon 6C.

[@HoopersBeta]

No not all of them are benchmarks, but that was not part of our inclusion/exclusion criteria :)

[@RoadtoV11]

Pogos are a party trick! It's great when they work thought. Amazing detail on this video!

[@HoopersBeta]

I'd say more than just a party trick! lol :) But glad you enjoyed the vid!

[@philipegoulet448]

They help generate momentum and are sometimes nescessary to reach a hold!

[@DanielGarcia-rh9oj]

is that the wall?!

[@HoopersBeta]

It sure is!

[@cinerati0n]

Idk, climbing with momentum is useful in certain situations. It certainly isn't useful on the slab wall at my gym XD

[@danielbeall7725]

You’d be surprised 😉 But yeah, slabs can be pretty unforgiving. Generally speaking, dynamic moves exchange margin of error for less physically taxing movement. Depending on experience level and practice, slabs can definitely be a style where it’s hard to give up much margin.

[@powersergio]

Omg yes I love analyzing moonboard videos As a short climber (5ft 6in) there was so much micro power generation technique I learned over my long experience of moonboarding, allowing me to compete with a lot of the taller climbers.

[@HoopersBeta]

Awesome! Yeah board climbing seems to be very helpful for learning that

[@georgestone8099]

If you're going to criticise peoples form on the moonboard, surely it makes sense to go to the moonboard and do the better beta for everyone to see? That's the good thing about the moonboard, everyone can try the same climbs as everyone else (apart from the different hold sets)..

[@HoopersBeta]

I’d call it “critique” over “criticism” 😜. And yes, that would be cool! It has been suggested before, and I like the idea, but from a scheduling/production standpoint it’s not particularly realistic. It also makes the videos a lot more complicated, which isn’t always a good thing. I hope we can try it at some point in the future though! -Emile

[@nbka8rs]

algogogooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[@HoopersBeta]

gogogo!!!

[@crispycrimps865]

I heard that using feet on a moonboard is considered dabbing jk jk

[@HoopersBeta]

It’s aid for sure

[@hundhundkatt]

Climbers vs ”short girl”🙄 why not ”short climber”? The wording seems rather dismissive

[@HoopersBeta]

It was written that way purely for aesthetic reasons (surprisingly important for KZbin titles). Don't want to repeat words or use longer words than necessary whenever possible. Also, the fact that she's a "short girl" is cool -- she puts the "tall boys" to shame!

[@jacksonshelby2460]

I hate when people blame all their failures on height, try harder

[@HoopersBeta]

I think it's usually a case of "train better" rather than "try harder", though for some those phrases will be synonymous :) -Emile

[@woolypuffin392]

Just grow a few inches, can't be that hard 🤓 Bro I am 5'2, regularly climbing with my 5'9 husband. He has a lot more reach than I do and as I am not strong and confident enough yet, I can't swing around like a monkey... Fuck tall ppl who don't know our struggles but blame us.

[@saxon8981]

this whole video is just betas simping

[@roxannee8316]

I love this way of learning, thank you for the awesome video; This teamed with physically climbing to create the muscle memory 🤌 Slight side waffle - I found Its good to have regular breaks. Time out makes a huge difference to stronger climbs. After the first time of climbing I was obsessing over watching videos on technique, it was great but then I became so focused on perfecting moves that I forgot to have fun which was the soul purpose. I want to be good but playing and having fun is equally important; ironically in the best way, in doing this we become good all the same it's just that its a longer process maybe but thats probably a blessing for the body in terms of balanced longevity physically. Full side waffle - I'm basically just talking to myself here iv realised... typing on my phone my thoughts as I hear myself saying the words in my head 👾

[@HoopersBeta]

Haha I very much appreciate your anecdote and your self awareness! Great advice for all climbers to be aware of. The ability/motivation to “play” is crucial in many regards IMO. -Emile