[Dave Flanagan]

Just back from Font and have the usual why am I so shit at climbing angst. As usual the issues stemmed from standing on shitty little crimps and polished smears. I remember talk years ago on here about a foot board that was for training footwork. Basically it was a small wooded board with lots of crap footholds that one do moves without hands on.

This was the old thread http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php?topic=4239.0.

I'm going to try and put something together, anyone have any advice?

[bigironhorse]

I have tried a few hands free problems recently and have been shocked at how bad I am at them! I definitely think that practicing these more will be good for my general slab climbing technique, I felt like I had learnt stuff about body position and how to stand on holds after only 20 mins or so. Maybe try something like this?

[Johnny Brown]

I've never been convinced you can learn decent footwork indoors. Find a friendly slab outdoors and just play at using less holds and worse holds. You should find once you dial the angle and body positions you can do similar moves with really marginal holds. For sustained smearing sequences it's as much about suspension of disbelief as technique.

[andy popp]

I'm with Johnny on this, I just think its difficult hard to mimic really poor foothold - though the fact Nik thinks it can work should make us think again, given his abilities. I don't even know if its that important to have strong legs.

[SA Chris]

For sustained smearing sequences it's as much about suspension of disbelief as technique.

This. Convince yourself you can actually stand on it until the point you are actually falling off it.

[GazM]

For sustained smearing sequences it's as much about suspension of disbelief as technique.

Love that quote.  I'd certainly agree with that.

[36chambers]

just imagine your foot is a helicopter

[fried]

Get really strong crimping fingers, innit

[jwi]

Nah, it's all about having a good range of ankle dorsiflexion. Helps with toehooks as well.

[ghisino]

my opinion, having climbed font slabs up to 7c 

-suspension of disbelief +1000

-tons of patience and tries
-the right skin ans weather conditions (cold, very cold)
-Torture-proof pain tolerance for the occasional nail crimp and razor sharp gratton.
-decent crimping strenght, though it is useless without the above two lines.
-foot, calf and legs: having a little a lot of extra strenght is a big bonus. If moves don't feel desperate on a muscular level, it is much easier to concentrate on the subtle details.
-Ubertight Laspo noedge line, or a credit-card edger (eg blancos). Or green Ninjas.
-learning to fine-tune your arousal state (and to recognize symptoms of being over or under optimum). I find this point to be more suble (and important for success) than for other font bouldering styles.

[Johnny Brown]

-learning to fine-tune your arousal state (and to recognize symptoms of being over or under optimum). I find this point to be more suble (and important for success) than for other font bouldering styles.

This is a good point. The sort of aggressive approach that can work on steep rock isn't going to get to you anywhere here. Likewise getting over-excited (oh my god I'm going to do it!) often tenses you up and/or shakes you off.

That and keeping your heels low.

[SA Chris]

Plus Yoga.

It's all in the hips. If you can't get your hips over your foot you are screwed.

[andy_e]

Oh, I thought the arousal he referred to was to control how close you can keep your body to the rock via an extra appendage.

[ghisino]

-learning to fine-tune your arousal state (and to recognize symptoms of being over or under optimum). I find this point to be more suble (and important for success) than for other font bouldering styles.

This is a good point. The sort of aggressive approach that can work on steep rock isn't going to get to you anywhere here. Likewise getting over-excited (oh my god I'm going to do it!) often tenses you up and/or shakes you off.

That and keeping your heels low.

but at the same time, too relaxed and you will not crimp, push with your toes and engage your core hard enough.

not sure about low heels all the time, depends on the shoe and the foothold i guess..
Look at pics of this font slab legend and boreal ninja lover: high heels most of the time!
https://bleau.info/profiles/philippe.ledenmat

[ghisino]

Oh, I thought the arousal he referred to was to control how close you can keep your body to the rock via an extra appendage.

too much arousal will definitely push you away from the wall, yet some may provode a subtle (and helpful) forward C.O.G shift.

[duncan]

-foot, calf and legs: having a little a lot of extra strenght is a big bonus. If moves don't feel desperate on a muscular level, it is much easier to concentrate on the subtle details.

Wad point to ghisino for slab knowledge.

Regarding leg strength, it's suprising the number of climbers who can't do a single leg squat / press / pistol easily and fluently. This would seem an absolute minimum for slab climbing.

[andy popp]

-foot, calf and legs: having a little a lot of extra strenght is a big bonus. If moves don't feel desperate on a muscular level, it is much easier to concentrate on the subtle details.

Wad point to ghisino for slab knowledge.

Regarding leg strength, it's suprising the number of climbers who can't do a single leg squat / press / pistol easily and fluently. This would seem an absolute minimum for slab climbing.

I don't think I've ever been able to do one but, without making any great claims for myself, I was OK at slab climbing. Strong calves are probably more important.

[dave]

-foot, calf and legs: having a little a lot of extra strenght is a big bonus. If moves don't feel desperate on a muscular level, it is much easier to concentrate on the subtle details.

Wad point to ghisino for slab knowledge.

Regarding leg strength, it's suprising the number of climbers who can't do a single leg squat / press / pistol easily and fluently. This would seem an absolute minimum for slab climbing.

Surely that would only be a requirement for very high steps or rockovers. For small steps there wouldn't be any more strength needed than climbing stairs.

I would agree that calf, ankle and foot strength would be more important.

[Johnny Brown]

One of the things I've always liked about slabs is that objective measures of strength appear to be largely irrelevant. You'd be much better served investing the time in improving your palming skills.

[SA Chris]

Not palming the aforementioned appendage hopefully.

I can still do a one leg squat on leg, but not the other since i sprained ankle badly a few years back.

[andy popp]

Also, "slab climbing" covers a multitude of styles, angles, holds, and requirements. Pure friction climbing is relatively rare in the UK I think. Even on grit, climbs such as Obsession Fatale or Angel's Share are the exception. Is Etive pure friction? (I wish I'd made it there).

[Will Hunt]

I think for pure friction climbing, the Dubh Ridge on Skye is probably up there with the UK's finest. About 900m of boiler plate slabs above Loch Coruisk. Interspersed by lots of little ledges where you can pause before falling up the next set of slabs.

[Muenchener]

Loved that thing. Totally disproves any argument that easy routes can't be world class & amazing.

[dave]

Dubhs ridge is amazing, but I would barely class it as friction climbing, it's like walking up a particularly steep disabled access ramp. Most of it you couldn't so much fall off as fall over.

[SA Chris]

Is Etive pure friction? (I wish I'd made it there).

On the harder (E2 and up) routes there are sustained sections of pure slabbing yes.