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Home Board Size (Read 22312 times)

sdm

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#50 Re: Home Board Size
January 20, 2021, 09:17:02 pm
+2 on the footholds suggestion. Although you can also change it up so it's not only decreasing side / positivity of the footholds: I've got a 'good but in the wrong place / orientation' foothold option which adds some variety.

I use different rules on feet to keep things varied:
1) the default: feet on any of the wooden footholds or foot jibs.
2) moonboard rules: bottom two rows of footholds are in, then feet follow hands (with the caveat that feet aren't allowed on most of the wooden handholds).
3) designated feet only. I find these are the hardest problems to set and get the difficulty right.

SDM: that's a lot of holds on your board - impressive! Just showed the photo to my girlfriend who thinks she'd become confused with that many options. Does that become a problem?
I don't find it a problem, I like having a lot of holds. It's good for variety, makes it easy to set replicas and I never run out of problems to set. It stops me feeling the need to reset so I've built up a massive library of problems for endurance work or if I'm feeling too lazy to set new problems.

All of the holds get used. There are 3 aspirational holds on there that I haven't been able to use in a problem yet but every other hold gets used.

I log all the problems on an app so it's easy to keep track of them.

Soon, even I'm going to have to accept that it's full and that I really can't squeeze any more holds on. There's still a few gaps though!

Bradders

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#51 Re: Home Board Size
January 20, 2021, 09:25:30 pm
Another idea I've had recently for foothold rules is only one allowed per row and / or per column, with no swapping.

Will only work if you have your feet in a grid pattern (I.e. I have four rows of six footholds set in line), but forces you into different body positions, especially high steps or bunched feet which is a weakness for me, or if you restrict columns as well means you end up going really wide too. Anything to force not using the easiest option.

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#52 Re: Home Board Size
January 20, 2021, 09:46:44 pm
To illustrate, this is my woodie (although, the domes had not been fitted when this photo was taken).


SA Chris

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#53 Re: Home Board Size
January 20, 2021, 10:14:12 pm
Will only work if you have your feet in a grid pattern (I.e. I have four rows of six footholds set in line), but forces you into different body positions, especially high steps or bunched feet which is a weakness for me, or if you restrict columns as well means you end up going really wide too. Anything to force not using the easiest option.

I've got a grid of shitty smears, all problems have 3 variants; 1) any feet, 2) handholds only for feet, 3) smears for feet. Sometimes 2) feels harder sometimes 3).

moose

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#54 Re: Home Board Size
January 20, 2021, 10:41:00 pm
SDM: that's a lot of holds on your board - impressive! Just showed the photo to my girlfriend who thinks she'd become confused with that many options. Does that become a problem?
I don't find it a problem, I like having a lot of holds. It's good for variety, makes it easy to set replicas and I never run out of problems to set. It stops me feeling the need to reset so I've built up a massive library of problems for endurance work or if I'm feeling too lazy to set new problems.

+1 for having  high density of varied holds.  I usually devise problems by trying to replicate boulder problems or the cruxes of routes on my "tick list".  Having lots of different types of holds all over the board means I can do that without having to move holds.  Re recording problems, I've made a topo of my woodie - a pdf / word doc  with a photo and entries for when the problem was done on all footholds, on small positive footholds, and domes., either as set or the mirror image   I print out copies that then can be marked-up with problems and successes.


tomtom

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#55 Re: Home Board Size
January 20, 2021, 10:47:28 pm
Interesting hearing everyone’s methods.

I’ve had three different feet sizes and just swap them around - so in the same place but harder to push on/stay on.

My board has quite a low hold density and I’ve probably only got 8-10 different problems on it (mirrored so double that). I do the same warm up and then cycle up through a series of harder problems that are all quite droppable.

So if I’m climbing well I get thought most of these quite fast and then make up one or two to try. If I’m climbing shit I never make it through the older repertoire.

Amazingly I’m not really bored of it yet - having had three different foot hold sets it’s climbed subtly differently (but enough) each time.

remus

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#56 Re: Home Board Size
January 21, 2021, 08:21:24 am
Another idea I've had recently for foothold rules is only one allowed per row and / or per column, with no swapping.

Will only work if you have your feet in a grid pattern (I.e. I have four rows of six footholds set in line), but forces you into different body positions, especially high steps or bunched feet which is a weakness for me, or if you restrict columns as well means you end up going really wide too. Anything to force not using the easiest option.

I like this idea, gonna give it a go next session.

More broadly, I think having some foothold rules is underrated generally. A lot of boards these days seem to have a grid of feet and if it's just 'use anything' I find I get pretty lazy with the sort of movements I end up doing. Recently I've found setting problems with specified feet has made for some much more interesting problems.

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#57 Re: Home Board Size
January 21, 2021, 08:58:39 am
For some problems (when I remember), I try and ensure it goes hand movement, foot movement, hand movement, foot etc... this ensures I have a greater amount of moves per problem and so I don't get lazy and just bump the hands up from the same feet.

I also have a line on the board that once a hand goes above, the next movement must be me getting my foot off the kicker if it isn't already. This line is pretty low, so most of the warms ups use no kicker and typically the second move is always moving the feet up.

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#58 Re: Home Board Size
January 21, 2021, 09:11:32 am
Topic split? Some interesting stuff here that could get buried

tomtom

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#59 Re: Home Board Size
January 21, 2021, 09:17:29 am
More broadly, I think having some foothold rules is underrated generally. A lot of boards these days seem to have a grid of feet and if it's just 'use anything' I find I get pretty lazy with the sort of movements I end up doing. Recently I've found setting problems with specified feet has made for some much more interesting problems.

I've a grid of small feet holds - and certainly have rules! Its also easy to make problems different/harder by spacing the feet more too - means you have to use something out of your comfort zone.

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#60 Re: Home Board Size
January 21, 2021, 10:02:04 am
Recently I've found setting problems with specified feet has made for some much more interesting problems.

Yeah 100%. I've found that rule is just a nice way of short cutting the process.

Also +1 for having really high hold density. I watched a YouTube video yesterday where a couple were stripping their entire wall in order to then set specific problems, and I couldn't understand why they were bothering. Having a big set of holds means problems just develop naturally, especially if you force yourself to think about either moves outdoors, or moves on other boards, and all without the massively time consuming faff of taking all the holds off and putting them all on again.

Here's the vid. Suppose whatever keeps you entertained atm but hardly good practice in my opinion.


M1V0

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#61 Re: Home Board Size
January 21, 2021, 10:25:31 am
Recently I've found setting problems with specified feet has made for some much more interesting problems.

Yeah 100%. I've found that rule is just a nice way of short cutting the process.

Also +1 for having really high hold density. I watched a YouTube video yesterday where a couple were stripping their entire wall in order to then set specific problems, and I couldn't understand why they were bothering. Having a big set of holds means problems just develop naturally, especially if you force yourself to think about either moves outdoors, or moves on other boards, and all without the massively time consuming faff of taking all the holds off and putting them all on again.

Here's the vid. Suppose whatever keeps you entertained atm but hardly good practice in my opinion.


One suspects that resetting their board is just a way to create youtube content that appeals to the masses. It may also be a difference between those that have a home wall for "training" and those who have one for leisure and replacing indoor climbing instead. Personally I am also a huge advocate of the hold density, the options are limitless. In an ideal world I would also have a blank section of wall that I could throw specific holds onto for recreating moves and problems.

I don't know anyone personally that has reset a board bar tweaking a few holds every now and then.

tomtom

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#62 Re: Home Board Size
January 21, 2021, 10:41:48 am
Its also an aesthetics/taste thing... I personally don't like the splatter board approach - prefer fewer holds and more spaces...

mburke

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#63 Re: Home Board Size
January 21, 2021, 11:06:16 am
Has anyone had experience training on a really small board? Something like this;



I've got pretty limited space, but keen on the idea of some sort of training beyond just a fingerboard - just not sure how valuable this would be


Probes

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#64 Re: Home Board Size
January 21, 2021, 04:26:09 pm
Going back about 8 years.. this was the only space I had when I took my cellar board down.. pretty mixed results.. certainly got stronger fingers and fitter fingers, didn't do much for anything else... but then I had a bar for arms and lever strength. Had quite a bit of fun on it stringing together different routines. The little board at blocfit came from these videos I am pretty certain of that.


SA Chris

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#65 Re: Home Board Size
January 21, 2021, 04:39:18 pm
Its also an aesthetics/taste thing... I personally don't like the splatter board approach - prefer fewer holds and more spaces...

Agree to an extent. I have set problems mostly using a certain type / colour of hold but (above the bottom strip too low to use for handholds) I think I've got over 80% of the board full. I haven't done a rest and don't intend to, but have tweaked / extended some problems.

Wood FT

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#66 Re: Home Board Size
January 21, 2021, 06:13:38 pm
Has anyone had experience training on a really small board? Something like this;



I've got pretty limited space, but keen on the idea of some sort of training beyond just a fingerboard - just not sure how valuable this would be

I have a tiny board in my cellar that isn’t too dissimilar to the one you have posted above. Same height wise although it’s around 30 degrees and a touch wider.

It feels worth having. I can do two-move wonders and go round in, very tight ;D, figure-8s. If I was to build it again I would make it steeper to get a bit of extra length.

In summary, if you’ve got the space, go for it. I really appreciated having something to put my shoes on for, but I am a sad bastard. 

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#67 Re: Home Board Size
January 22, 2021, 11:03:51 am
Going back about 8 years.. this was the only space I had when I took my cellar board down.. pretty mixed results.. certainly got stronger fingers and fitter fingers, didn't do much for anything else... but then I had a bar for arms and lever strength. Had quite a bit of fun on it stringing together different routines. The little board at blocfit came from these videos I am pretty certain of that.



It was better on the lungs than that cellar board too!

James Malloch

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#68 Re: Home Board Size
January 22, 2021, 08:48:05 pm
Interesting hearing everyone’s methods.

I’ve had three different feet sizes and just swap them around - so in the same place but harder to push on/stay on.

My board has quite a low hold density and I’ve probably only got 8-10 different problems on it (mirrored so double that). I do the same warm up and then cycle up through a series of harder problems that are all quite droppable.

So if I’m climbing well I get thought most of these quite fast and then make up one or two to try. If I’m climbing shit I never make it through the older repertoire.

Amazingly I’m not really bored of it yet - having had three different foot hold sets it’s climbed subtly differently (but enough) each time.


TT - as an aside, I think I ready that you just use liquid chalk? Does that keep everything clean?

tomtom

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#69 Re: Home Board Size
January 22, 2021, 09:59:18 pm
Not completely clean - but MUCH cleaner... and works great on the wooden holds. Nearly finished my first bottle got back in April!!

There is a film of chalk dust in less cleaned places in the room - but tbh it’s indistinguishable from the dust that settles in this house anyway!! (Wife hasn’t noticed/commented anyway...)

I was a bit sceptical - but a total convert now on the wooden holds. It’s ok on lime too - but shit on grit (for me at least)

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#70 Re: Home Board Size
January 22, 2021, 10:03:58 pm
What type do you use that doesn't have resin in? I bought some of the stuff from decathlon, but after reading what was in it I only use it indoors.

tomtom

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#71 Re: Home Board Size
January 22, 2021, 10:15:39 pm
Rock technologies one. White bottle black label.

Got a bottle of the decathlon extreme one that I’ve only used once (just waiting for the other one to run out).

According to fiend - liquid chalk conessuer - the regular decathlon one isn’t much cop but the extreme one is good.

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#72 Re: Home Board Size
January 23, 2021, 02:28:34 pm
Johnny Walker, brown bottle, red label one.

Bit sticky but after a few goes you’ll not care too much.

Approved by Fiend.

James Malloch

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#73 Re: Home Board Size
January 23, 2021, 03:00:48 pm
Cheers TT!

Finally (now I’ve ordered holds and got dimensions sorted) what ply and structural wood is recommended? I guess 18mm ply and 2x4s but there’s so much variety.

We’re just using screw ons if it makes a difference.

tomtom

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#74 Re: Home Board Size
January 23, 2021, 03:25:07 pm
I used the cheapest that was there at B&Q (it was all that was available at the time)

The better stuff is stronger (paulB sent me a data sheet) - and can be more weatherproof (if that’s an issue). Some looks nicer (birch ply).

I’m happy with what I’ve got - but if doing it again I’d spend a bit extra on screws for the holds - get some decent branded ones as cheapo ones are not so good going in and can round a bit easier (esp of you unscrew and move etc..).

 

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