I've found, for me, the most overlooked aspect of climbing whether outdoors or indoors, even on a 50 degree board, is the pretty in your face fact that all the good/best climbers have very flexible hips! It's only taken me 20 yrs to work this out!!! Maybe since most of them say they're not very flexible etc. They are and it makes a world of difference
Here I feel I must invoke that font of all climbing knowledge: "The Thing" (I'm paraphrasing) Stretching - "Robin Barker can't touch his toes. Robin Barker climbs 8b. Fuck stretching"
For me, a mid 7's punter (on a good day), I've hardly ever felt that my inflexibility has held me back - much more often I have felt that I have lacked strength (fingers, core, arms). If I find I'm being held back by flexibility - I tend to just go and do a different problem!!
So on this trip to bishop, you know the one where I did Mandala, PS - Nibs-was that how I should be tossing that in there. Or was that too obvious
Quote from: tomtom on February 04, 2015, 04:18:17 pmFor me, a mid 7's punter (on a good day), I've hardly ever felt that my inflexibility has held me back - much more often I have felt that I have lacked strength (fingers, core, arms). If I find I'm being held back by flexibility - I tend to just go and do a different problem!!I'm a low 6's punter - but I'm pretty sure it was lack of flexibility in the hips that stopped me on the crux of The Tempest at Rivelin, in December. At the time, my initial reaction was "how can I ever pull on those smeary crimps?" With a bit more thought, it was actually the fact I couldn't open my hips enough to get my foot on the small break and push with my legs. My center of gravity moved out because my hips had to... ping, I was off.
Yoga has shown me that I'm pretty flexible and strong at certain thing (like Cobra) but my hamstrings and calves are solid and my hips just don't want to open up. I've worked on my hamstrings for years - got nowhere and I think my are just short or something. I never pulled a hamstring in years of football and rugby, so they must be strong, it's their flexibility that's the issue.
Quote from: Sasquatch on February 04, 2015, 04:29:15 pmSo on this trip to bishop, you know the one where I did Mandala, PS - Nibs-was that how I should be tossing that in there. Or was that too obvious Ahahahahahah! That's perfect. But I like it more when it's tossed more randomly, as in the "Have you seen a good movie" thread. "You know, a few weeks ago, the night I did The Mandala, we didn't watch any quality movie, because, you know, we were in Bishop. Where I had climbed The Mandala. You know..."
Its a funny one - I can see how if you are at the top of the game - doing bouldering comps etc... then this is an important aspect to work on..For me, a mid 7's punter (on a good day), I've hardly ever felt that my inflexibility has held me back - much more often I have felt that I have lacked strength (fingers, core, arms). If I find I'm being held back by flexibility - I tend to just go and do a different problem!!
For me, a mid 7's punter (on a good day), I've hardly ever felt that my inflexibility has held me back
If I find I'm being held back by flexibility - I tend to just go and do a different problem!!
Stop talking shit and lowering things to your standard saying there are always ways around things! Start stretching your hips out and you'll be able to climb 7a more readily, same if you climb 6a or 8a or 9a.Next time I'll point out all the best climbers I've seen are obese
Quote from: tomtom on February 04, 2015, 04:18:17 pmFor me, a mid 7's punter (on a good day), I've hardly ever felt that my inflexibility has held me backRight Tom, so flexibility has never been as issue.......Quote from: tomtom on February 04, 2015, 04:18:17 pmIf I find I'm being held back by flexibility - I tend to just go and do a different problem!!Apart from the problems you can't do because you are too inflexible?This always comes down to the fact climbing requires one to be good at lots of things and the best way to improve is to work weaknesses. If flexibilty is a weakness, work it.
Quote from: a dense loner on February 05, 2015, 09:04:26 amStop talking shit and lowering things to your standard saying there are always ways around things! Start stretching your hips out and you'll be able to climb 7a more readily, same if you climb 6a or 8a or 9a.Next time I'll point out all the best climbers I've seen are obeseOk I may be trying to lower things to justify my own inflexibility but.. Weight, Strength are factors that you cannot change (rapidly - as in a day..) and are very difficult to adapt around... Whereas flexibility often is something that can be worked around - quickly with different technique.
Quote from: tomtom on February 05, 2015, 09:32:44 amQuote from: a dense loner on February 05, 2015, 09:04:26 amStop talking shit and lowering things to your standard saying there are always ways around things! Start stretching your hips out and you'll be able to climb 7a more readily, same if you climb 6a or 8a or 9a.Next time I'll point out all the best climbers I've seen are obeseOk I may be trying to lower things to justify my own inflexibility but.. Weight, Strength are factors that you cannot change (rapidly - as in a day..) and are very difficult to adapt around... Whereas flexibility often is something that can be worked around - quickly with different technique. This does sound like someone trying to justify not doing flexibility work...
So on this trip to bishop, you know the one where I did Mandala, Megos was there working Lucid and about 4-5 of us were having a play on Evilution. He was giving all of us shit because we were all having to jump our foot up to the start hold, and it's a very glassy precise foot. And here's this guy who's a good 3 inches shorter than all of us, and he just reaches his foot up and places it precisely on the hold, then pulls off the ground.
I seem to be stirring thing s up here (I'm not trolling honest!)
Is Megos short? I got the imprerssion he was tall from the vids.
height is 173cm, weight is 57kg, ape is 0!