Hang tough by Peta Barrett
Can you do 10 chin-ups, but get on the wall and find you are unable to hold on to certain holds? Get stuck making the move past a certain hold? Chances are your weakness isn’t your strength, it’s your contact strength. If you can’t hold on to that tiny piece of rock, chances are you’re not going to be able to move off it either!
So, what do you do?
Well, you have a few options. You could train on the systems wall. A systems wall is a wall set up with the same type of holds that you can practise. For example, you’ll find a row of slopers or a row of crimps. This will enable you to keep climbing up and down to practise and strengthen that particular grip type all while using your body in a simulation of climbing.
You can jump on the hangboard. A hangboard is a board that pairs up different types and sizes of certain holds. The idea is to dead hang off these holds without moving. You can also practise pull-ups on specific hold types. And they don’t have to be the same hold types. You could try doing a pull-up with a crimp on one hand and a jug in the other. When this gets too easy, you can add a weight belt.
Bouldering is a great way to develop your contact strength all while maintaining and building upon your core strength. You must choose hard problems that challenge you.
You could also jump on a climb that focuses on your handhold type of weakness. It must be a climb that is challenging and will take you awhile to work out. Something a little outside of your comfort zone. This option trains your grip type in different positions rather than in the one direction.
Remember to maintain your strengths, but work on your weaknesses. Contact strength is your first point of contact with the wall, so it’s a good bet that you’ll need to train it, no matter what your skill level. Now you have the tools! Go practise!