Top 5 Mistakes Every New Climber Must Avoid

Rock climbing is not an easy sport. It needs plenty of guidance, mentorship and a lot of practice. Well, in simple words, there is nothing you can do other than dedicate hours and hours of practice to accelerate and master the sport of climbing. Nevertheless, there are a few mistakes which you must avoid as a beginner, as they can slower your pace tremendously.

Mistakes to avoid as a new climber

Climbing with bent arms: Understand this – you have to use your legs more than your arms. So, as beginner, form a habit of stretching your arms to reach better grip rather than bending them and lifting your body weight with it. Also, when you are tired, shake your arms in and out to ease the tension. If you don’t know much about proper climbing techniques, you can always seek guidance from trainers available at https://blocshop.com/.

Always looking up: Most of the beginners constantly look upwards to find next handhold. Well, if you will not look at your feet, you might simply loose a valuable resting position. This will cause overexertion as your foot placement is poor.

Underestimating proper hip technique: As a beginner, you will be climbing the rock wall like you climb a ladder. Don’t worry, this is absolutely normal. However, what you really need to do is place the hip of the arm you are using to reach a handhold against the wall.

Beta spraying: Bets is a word which described the necessary moves of a climb. Now, beta spraying is telling a climber about what route to attempt and how to attempt it. The thing is, one should only advice a climber is he/she is seeking advice. Every climber has their own set of skills and the way they see the rock wall and route is completely different. So, if you are getting constant advice about how to complete the climb, simply go ahead like you want to.

5: Being unsafe: If you have just started climbing, it is ideal that you develop proper safety habits right from the beginning.

So, for the points given below:

Always use proper equipment like climbing ropes, harness, climbing shoes etc.
Don’t underestimate the importance of wearing a climbing helmet.
Practice and perfect the belay technique.
While descending, use your foot instead of rappelling.

Well, these are some common mistakes which mostly every new climber makes. If you want to accelerate your development, keep these mistakes in mind and avoid them at all costs.