bouldering journey

i. bouldering 101

1. holds

jugs: the most basic, the easiest to grab
pockets: holes, you grab and hold onto with fingers
crimps: small surface, tip of your fingers, like one phalanx (not even) — 3 positions of crimping possible
slopers: sloppy slippery, round-ish, gotta use as much friction as possible, stay low and trust yourself
pinches: pinch with fingers
footholds

2. concepts

direction of pull
- perpendicular to the best position of a hold
timing momentum
- from your hips (best center of balance)
- dead point, apex of trajectory → max of a movement
- hips close to wall as much as possible
3 points of contact / triangle base
- 2 hands - 1 foot
- 1 hand - 2 feet
- → flag, smear to create more contact point and get stability if necessary
- can also use lazy leg on opposite direction of movement to create more balance

3. techniques

from basic to more advanced,
to get an overview of the possibilities, the tool kit 🧰

technique	description	why
match	placing both hands or both feet on the same hold	body repositioning, + strength and stability
foot swap	swapping feet on a foothold	body repositioning and balance
smearing	basically using your foot (or hands) on the wall directly, not on a defined hold	provide additional support and stability
drop knee/ backstep	twisting hip and knee inward, literally dropping the knee	allow higher reach
flagging	extend leg out to the side	counterbalance
undercling	gripping a hold from below	converts pull into upward movement
heel hook	hook your heel on a hold	helps pulling and stabilising, + support
toe hook	hook top of your toe on a hold	maintain body tension, esp. on overhangs
sidepull	pulling sideways on a vertical hold, opposite direction (can add a foot to help)	body tension and balance
dyno	jumping dynamically to reach a distant hold	when static reach isn’t possible
crimping	full crimp (90°+thumb), half crimp (90°), open crimp (just dragging on the hold)	on crimps, no choice
pogo/campus	only make use of your upper body (arms, hands) without the help of your feet	no choice on overhanging climbs
gaston	that movement that looks like you’re trying to open the elevator door to save sb lmao	outward force/tension for stability
compression	it’s the inverse of the gaston, you sssqueeze opposing holds	inward force/tension for stability
mantle	push down on a hold with your hand/arm to get on top of it (like getting out of a pool)	get on top of a hold, access higher holds
rock over	use foot and leg to push yourself on top of a hold	get on top of a hold, access higher holds

4. grades

each climbing gym has their own grade systems,
can be really subjective,
but here’s some baselines

Vermin scale	Fontainebleau scale	description
VB	3	🌱 Beginner
V0	4	🌱 Beginner
V1	5	🌱 Beginner
V2	5+	🌱 Beginner
V3	6A - 6A+	🦥 Intermediate
V4	6B - 6B+	🦥 Intermediate
V5	6C - 6C+	🦥 Intermediate
V6	7A	🦥 Intermediate
V7	7A+	⭐ Advanced
V8	7B - 7B+	⭐ Advanced
V9	7C	⭐ Advanced
V10	7C+	🔥 Expert
V11	8A	🔥 Expert
V12	8A - 8A+	🔥 Expert
V13	8B	🔥 Expert
V14	8B+	💎 Elite
V15	8C	💎 Elite
V16	8C+	💎 Elite
V17	9A	💎 Elite

ii. tips

> tips for beginners

yeah yeah yeah… you hear that everywhere,
general rules tho (not to be followed to a t, obvi)

straight arms ~~vs. bent arms, lock off~~
use tip of your foot i.e. toes ~~vs. sole of the feet~~
use your legs more ~~vs. exhausting upper body~~
hips close to the wall
move your feet first
… silent feet

> tips +

route reading and visualisation
use momentum more
know when/how to use static vs. dynamic
pay attention to bad/inaccurate body/foot/hand positioning

iii. personal journey

started (more seriously) indoor climbing / bouldering in september 2025,

i am excited about learning the different techniques— both in theory and in practice

i have been keeping track of progress and feelings in a detailed spreadsheet (as always),

as of october 2025, i can do V2-V3 problems,
my goal is to be more comfortable with V3, maybe start V4, by the end of 2025 (edit: wrist injury came back),

let’s see how consistent i can be,
my right wrist injury sometimes comes back,
and it takes couple weeks for it to be back to normal,
it’s a little bit sad,

but that’s just how my body is right now,

as you age,
you do accumulate a number of injuries,
being more careful and conscious of your abilities and limits is an important lesson.

something i have been trying to apply more consciously — it’s hard cause not always natural

deeilna