CLIMBING TRAINING Reading time : 6 min Updated October 28, 2026
Contents
In bouldering there is no rope: safety comes down to what is under the climber and what the people around them do. The FFME writes it as three rules from the white passport: the landing area is clear, you do not climb above other climbers, you do not run on the mats. Spotting is taught from the yellow passport. The texts we read give no “safe” height: the only height published is the ceiling on youth competition boulders.
The three rules of the white passport
FFME white passport, bouldering module (page modified 14 August 2026), sentences from the federation, translated from the French:
“Check that the landing area is not cluttered.”
“Do not climb above other climbers.”
“Do not run on the mats.”
They apply at every age. The library's landing drill draws from them the instruction to check under the problem before every climb. In Paak's library, attention to the mats starts from the under-9 band.
Spotting: yellow, then orange
Spotting (parer, in French) protects a climber's fall in bouldering. The FFME places it in two stages:
Passport
What the FFME says
Yellow
“Ask the instructor for a spot if I feel the need.”
Orange
“Spot a climber when necessary.”
The two sentences read together: at the yellow passport, you ask for the spot; at the orange passport, you give it. The precise way to spot (the position of the body, arms and hands) is not detailed by the FFME page; it is described in the library drill below, which remains a drill instruction and not a federation sentence.
The height of youth boulders
The FFME caps the problems of official youth competitions (categories and formats, 10 October 2025):
Category
Maximum height of a problem
U13
3.5 m
U15
4 m
U17 and above
4.5 m
This is a competition ceiling, not a safe height for training: no text we read gives a training height. World Climbing does not cap the height (it is left to the route setter); it asks for at least 3 m of width per problem on the competition area (four problems, about 12 m) and no more than 12 hand holds per problem.
Bouldering walls
The reference standard for bouldering walls is part 2 of EN 12572 (2017); only its catalogue was read. The “pan” or “spraywall”, a dense training wall, is gym usage, with no federation definition read.
The drills of this guide
Spotting and landing, with their instructions, then bouldering in every direction to learn to read the possible falls. The coaching points of the landing drill quote the three rules above.
the climberthe belayer / spotterbody / movement pathlanding / fall zone (pad)
Spotting on the boulder
Protect a boulderer's fall by guiding the upper body and head toward the pads without catching them, requesting or giving a spot when needed - the FFME spotting competence.
Drill details
Set out
Low boulder over pads; a spotter behind and slightly to the side, arms up, thumbs in.
What it trains
Protect a boulderer's fall by guiding the upper body and head toward the pads without catching them, requesting or giving a spot when needed - the FFME spotting competence.
Published frame
FFME (jaune->orange), verbatim: 'Demander au moniteur une parade si j'en eprouve le besoin' -> 'Parer un grimpeur quand c'est necessaire'.
How it runs
Protect a boulderer's fall by guiding the upper body and head toward the pads without catching them, requesting or giving a spot when needed - the FFME spotting competence. Low boulder over pads; a spotter behind and slightly to the side, arms up, thumbs in. Track the climber; if they fall, guide the hips/upper back so they land feet-first on the pad and the head is protected - do not try to catch the whole weight.
Coaching points
FFME (jaune->orange), verbatim: 'Demander au moniteur une parade si j'en éprouve le besoin' -> 'Parer un grimpeur quand c'est nécessaire'. Arms up, thumbs tucked, eyes on the climber. Guide the body, protect the head - don't catch. Check the mat is clear and no one is below.
Make it harder
Spot a dynamic move or a traverse; two spotters for a big span.
Make it easier
Spot only the first move from a low start; coach demonstrates.
the climberbody / movement pathlanding / fall zone (pad)
Landing & mat safety
Learn to fall and land safely on bouldering pads - feet first, bend the knees, roll back - and to keep the landing zone clear, the FFME bouldering safety rules.
Drill details
Set out
Thick pads under a low boulder; a clear zone with no bags, no other climbers below.
What it trains
Learn to fall and land safely on bouldering pads - feet first, bend the knees, roll back - and to keep the landing zone clear, the FFME bouldering safety rules.
Published frame
FFME (blanc bloc), verbatim: 'Verifier que la surface de reception n'est pas encombree' / 'Ne pas grimper au-dessus d'autres grimpeurs' / 'Ne pas courir sur les tapis'.
How it runs
Learn to fall and land safely on bouldering pads - feet first, bend the knees, roll back - and to keep the landing zone clear, the FFME bouldering safety rules. Thick pads under a low boulder; a clear zone with no bags, no other climbers below. From a low height, drop and land feet-first with bent knees, then roll back onto the pad; practise controlled falls before climbing higher.
Coaching points
FFME (blanc bloc), verbatim: 'Vérifier que la surface de réception n'est pas encombrée' / 'Ne pas grimper au-dessus d'autres grimpeurs' / 'Ne pas courir sur les tapis'. Feet first, bend the knees, roll back. Never land stiff-legged or on the hands. Check below before every climb.
Make it harder
Fall from a little higher; land and roll from a dynamic move.
Make it easier
Step down and land from the lowest holds only.
the climberbody / movement pathlanding / fall zone (pad)
Boulder in all directions
Move up, sideways and down on boulder holds to build varied movement and body awareness, using volumes and different hold types, from the FFME 'blanc/orange' bouldering modules.
Drill details
Set out
A low bouldering panel with holds and volumes; pads clear.
What it trains
Move up, sideways and down on boulder holds to build varied movement and body awareness, using volumes and different hold types, from the FFME 'blanc/orange' bouldering modules.
Published frame
Down-climbing builds control as much as up.
How it runs
Move up, sideways and down on boulder holds to build varied movement and body awareness, using volumes and different hold types, from the FFME 'blanc/orange' bouldering modules. A low bouldering panel with holds and volumes; pads clear. Traverse left and right, climb up and reverse back down, use big holds then small; explore how the body must reposition for each direction.
Coaching points
Down-climbing builds control as much as up. Change the body position for each direction. Use volumes to practise balance and pressing. Stay low; land safely on the pad.
Make it harder
Harder holds; add a rule (feet-only marked, hands-only marked).
Make it easier
Jugs only, traverse near the ground.
Frequently asked questions
From what height is a spotter needed?
No text we read gives a height. The FFME writes that the young climber asks for a spot when they feel the need (yellow passport) and spots when necessary (orange passport). The decision therefore rests with the instructor, depending on the problem, the landing and the climber.
Do the FFME ceilings limit height at the club?
No: they apply to the problems of official youth competitions. They do not say how high a club may let its young climbers go in training.
Do climbers need to learn how to fall?
The FFME teaches bouldering safety through the three rules above and spotting; how to land is described in the landing drill of Paak's library. It is presented there as a drill instruction, not as a federation sentence.
Sources
FFME: Passeports escalade, white, yellow and orange passports (page modified 14 August 2026); categories and formats of official competitions (10 October 2025). World Climbing: Competition Rules, version 3, January 2026, art. 1.10; Event Regulations, version 3, Annex C, note 52. AFNOR / CEN: NF EN 12572-2 (March 2017), catalogue only. Not read: the landing rules of Switzerland, Germany and the United States; any training boulder height.
After “Bouldering: pads, landing and spotting”, plan the session
The generator is right on the session: plan by the players’ age band and the duration, pick a theme. Paak builds a minuted five-block outline (warm-up, two work blocks, a game and a cool-down) from this same library of 30 drills.
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