Topic split: Kneebars / Kneepads / Knee training

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Like Barrow's says, adductor work.
A football between the knees is a good place to start, that and knee hooking doorways in a one legged squat position. Waving the other leg around helps make it harder
 
I suspect calf strength and hip mobility / strength are not the issue as I already do a lot of this stuff.

I'll incoporate the doorway knee hooks! In fact i'll try and get even more speicifc by setting some hard kneebars on my board. I'll also give the Sportiva pad a try as I already have one - generally much prefer the Send but who knows for this particular knee.
 
I find the send much more comfy and it's my default go-to, but there are some knees where the sportiva works better (like shoes I guess - I have my default pair but then the odd other option for particular heel hooks or toe hooks)
 
“ I fall out of the knee quite abruptly as it needs a lot of sidewards pressure. ”

You seem to fall out of the knee bar as you reach with your right hand. Maybe you are ever so slightly opening your hip at that moment. Maybe try driving your right hip towards the knee bar and try not to look for the handhold just feel for it while looking the other way.
 
Steve Crowe said:
“ I fall out of the knee quite abruptly as it needs a lot of sidewards pressure. ”

You seem to fall out of the knee bar as you reach with your right hand. Maybe you are ever so slightly opening your hip at that moment. Maybe try driving your right hip towards the knee bar and try not to look for the handhold just feel for it while looking the other way.

Yes, good spot. Fortunately there isn't an actual hold to look for so precision is non essential :lol:
 
The other day I went back to the crag where I learned to sport climb in the early 00s, a small but brilliant granite crag a stone's throw south of the polar circle. I had a kneepad with me because it is 2022 and not 1994. I couldn't be bothered to put it on since it was warm and I didn't care if I topped out any of the routes or not.

When I first started to climb there around the turn of the century, I made my first kneepad following some instructions in Climbing Magazine, since it was pretty obvious that it would help. As time progressed, I bought and used the first kneepads commercially available in Sweden (5.10). When I moved away for good some ten years ago, I knew most of the routes at the crag well.

Now, when revisiting the place, I discovered that I could take both hands off using knee bars in a lot more places than I could 15 years ago. In some spots that I previously could only get some marginal knee bars, requiring at least one hand on, and only if wearing a rubber knee pad, I could now take completely bomber no hands rest wearing slippery stretch jeans and no pad.

Just like tape glows allow for faster learning of handjamming by making jams a lot less painful, it seems like my constant kneebaring on Mediterranean limestone wearing protection against the rough rock actually do improve the technique. Who could have known?

I am not sure I have a point other than it helps a lot to move to somewhere with lots of kneebars, buy kneepads, and try to put them in everywhere.

You might get weak.
 
jwi said:
The other day I went back to the crag where I learned to sport climb in the early 00s, a small but brilliant granite crag a stone's throw south of the polar circle.

Completely off-topic but have you climbed in the Kvalya region north of Tromso? I was recently looking through the guidebook, considering a trip. If I go I'll be trad climbing (or possibly winter climbing) and won't be kneebarring..
 
petejh said:
jwi said:
The other day I went back to the crag where I learned to sport climb in the early 00s, a small but brilliant granite crag a stone's throw south of the polar circle.

Completely off-topic but have you climbed in the Kvalya region north of Tromso? I was recently looking through the guidebook, considering a trip. If I go I'll be trad climbing (or possibly winter climbing) and won't be kneebarring..

I have.

Baugen on Hollenderan might have the best granite in Europe. No joke.

The routes on the left side are incredibly sustained. Thanatos, Gemini, Halvmånerisset, Svart Hav.... they are all brilliant.
 

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