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Rock Climbing Technique: The Practical Guide to Movement Mastery
If you have ever wanted to move effortlessly and get the most from your hard-won climbing fitness, this is the guide you've been waiting for.
Getting better at rock climbing doesn’t have to be about strength, endurance, flexibility or hours spent on repetitive training. It doesn’t need to be a balancing act between losing fitness and getting injured overtraining. Climbing is fundamentally a skill-based sport, and this guide will change the way you look at moving on rock.
Whatever your ability, learning to master smooth, relaxed and powerful movement means maximising your enjoyment and performance of the sport. This is the definitive practical guide to improving your rock climbing technique, and making you a more efficient climber. Fully illustrated with over 35 skills exercises supported by online videos, this book allows you to plan out your path to excellent technique with drills and exercises suited to all levels of ability.
Written by the UK's leading climbing movement specialist, it’s packed with the knowledge and expertise gained over two decades as a professional climbing coach. Essential reading for all climbers from intermediate to elite in sport climbing, bouldering and traditional climbing.
137 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2018
188 people are currently reading
293 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 3, 2021
Great book for climbing technique.
I would recommend the following approach to reading this book:
1) Read the whole thing. Maybe in one or two sittings (it's a short book). Highlight the different exercises you want to try.
2) After reading the whole thing, identify a section you want to start with (for me, it's feet). Take this book with you to the climbing gym or wall and actively work on those exercises.
I read the book in chunks because I didn't want to miss things, but as a result I think I missed out on opportunities to try to apply different exercises or techniques in the moment (because I didn't realize they existed).
I would recommend the following approach to reading this book:
1) Read the whole thing. Maybe in one or two sittings (it's a short book). Highlight the different exercises you want to try.
2) After reading the whole thing, identify a section you want to start with (for me, it's feet). Take this book with you to the climbing gym or wall and actively work on those exercises.
I read the book in chunks because I didn't want to miss things, but as a result I think I missed out on opportunities to try to apply different exercises or techniques in the moment (because I didn't realize they existed).
September 15, 2019
Practical coaching
This book gives practical coaching on many aspects of climbing movement. It has useful exercises throughout, with accompanying videos. I've been climbing for 44 years, yet I learned a lot!
This book gives practical coaching on many aspects of climbing movement. It has useful exercises throughout, with accompanying videos. I've been climbing for 44 years, yet I learned a lot!
April 18, 2022
Practical and succinct. Great references to alternative material by other authors.
Wish there were more diagrams, but what we got is still pretty good.
Wish there were more diagrams, but what we got is still pretty good.
March 30, 2019
Great drills to help climb harder
This book Is full of high-quality drills to help you climb more efficiently. If you feel you are stuck and not getting better this is the book for you to help out additional gains
This book Is full of high-quality drills to help you climb more efficiently. If you feel you are stuck and not getting better this is the book for you to help out additional gains
January 9, 2021
Great little book!
Short but sweet, this book has a very good number of drills that could help any climber. It would work for both early beginners, intermediate climbers like myself, and very experienced climbers. I strongly recommend it!
Short but sweet, this book has a very good number of drills that could help any climber. It would work for both early beginners, intermediate climbers like myself, and very experienced climbers. I strongly recommend it!
April 26, 2023
Really good book that puts a focus on pjysical and metal part of training.
As other people mentioned first read a whole book and then return to the specific drills.
The techniques in the book are meant for long-term improvment so you will return to it often.
As other people mentioned first read a whole book and then return to the specific drills.
The techniques in the book are meant for long-term improvment so you will return to it often.
December 10, 2019
To be honest, this thing is so overhyped. It's ok but nothing revolutionary or new, just some twists on well-known practices.
December 23, 2019
Amazing advices, ton of material to use while training :) I feel that this is the book that is not read only once, but that it is useful to get back to it while training climbing over time.
August 16, 2021
Well, it focuses mainly on technique... which is good, but it's just too short. This book should've been twice the size, on the other hand, it's easily portable to the gym or crag.
October 19, 2022
Very practical , useful drills
February 2, 2023
Training regimen for 2023. Has been a good reference for me since I bought it.
August 28, 2023
Concise, with good references to further reading and research on "geek corner" sections.
December 21, 2023
Love this book . Super useful drills for all kind of climbers.
Also, I loved that the author suggest others books.
DEF WILL READ AGAIN!💖💖💖
Also, I loved that the author suggest others books.
DEF WILL READ AGAIN!💖💖💖
September 17, 2024
A bit outdated but has some useful fundamentals for coaches to consider
November 21, 2024
Brilliant
December 21, 2024
Me ha gustado muchísimo. Esta es mi primera lectura, rápido. Ahora toca ponerlo en práctica. La idea del libro es servir como compañero entrenando. Mola!
August 17, 2025
Seems helpful and insightful
January 28, 2021
Helpful but overpriced
Being an Indian who looks for value for money in almost everything, I find this book a bit overpriced for the amount of information contained within it. This could be because rock climbing is a sort of niche sport/activity.
That being said John provides dozens of physical exercises and a few mental exercises that is supposed to make the person practicing it efficient in climbing. I think it's really helpful if you've started out and trying to learn climbing by yourself without the help of a coach or an experienced climber like I am right now. But if you're an advanced climber or being coached by one chances are you're already following these or made to follow these techniques without you paying much attention to it. So if you're a beginner to intermediate climber and don't mind shelling out some of money, amount you could have gotten couple of carabiners then I'd say go for it.
Being an Indian who looks for value for money in almost everything, I find this book a bit overpriced for the amount of information contained within it. This could be because rock climbing is a sort of niche sport/activity.
That being said John provides dozens of physical exercises and a few mental exercises that is supposed to make the person practicing it efficient in climbing. I think it's really helpful if you've started out and trying to learn climbing by yourself without the help of a coach or an experienced climber like I am right now. But if you're an advanced climber or being coached by one chances are you're already following these or made to follow these techniques without you paying much attention to it. So if you're a beginner to intermediate climber and don't mind shelling out some of money, amount you could have gotten couple of carabiners then I'd say go for it.
January 2, 2022
Nice, short book with practical exercises for evaluating and improving your climbing technique. I appreciate the drawings and videos of techniques.
This has definitely added more drills to my tool chest. I think I'll be returning to this book again and again.
This has definitely added more drills to my tool chest. I think I'll be returning to this book again and again.
August 3, 2023
La otra cara de la moneda del título de entrenamiento para escalada de Eric Horst. Capítulo a capítulo ofrece una excelente aproximación a los detalles técnicos de la escalada. Incluye ejercicios y estrategia de seguimiento. Excelente.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews