Climbing: technique, footwork, movement and route reading

Contents

The national systems teach in the same order: feet and body placement first (pushing with the legs, placing the foot precisely, the hip towards the wall), then movement (flag, drop-knee, rock-over, dyno), holds, route reading and finally falling, progressive and always with a belayer. For young climbers, the default grip is the open hand, never a full crimp, and no finger strength work. This order is that of the FFME passports; the names of the movements come from everyday gym vocabulary.

Feet first

The white passport teaches climbing by pushing with the legs, arms straight. The orange passport adds balance movements and side-on climbing. The other elements in the table are everyday words, not federation sentences.

Element	What it is	Reference
Pushing with the legs	climbing up from the feet, arms straight	FFME, white passport
Quiet feet	placing the foot precisely, with no scraping or repositioning	common teaching
Weight transfer, balance	bringing the centre of gravity over the supporting foot	FFME, orange passport (balance movements)
Side-on, hip to the wall	turning the hip towards the wall to bring the centre of mass closer	FFME, orange passport (side-on climbing)
Edging and smearing	the inner or outer edge of the shoe, or the friction of the sole	passport syllabus

Movement

Static movement, controlled and driven by balance, is the foundation for young climbers and for route reading. Dynamic movement (the “dyno”, where the feet and hands leave the wall) appears with the orange passport's bouldering, with big moves and balance on volumes.

The profile of the wall

Slab, vertical, overhang, roof

The wall seen from the side. The climber is to the right of each line, the floor at the bottom.

Gym vocabulary, not to scale. Speed angle: World Climbing, Speed Licence Rules (2022).

Movement	What it is
Flag	a free foot acts as a counterweight, without resting on a hold
Drop-knee (backstep, lolotte)	turning the knee downwards to lock off a side hold
Rock-over (mantle)	standing up on a high foot, or pushing up onto a ledge
Dyno	a move where the climber briefly leaves the wall to reach the next hold

The names of these four movements are everyday gym vocabulary (the texts we read do not define them). They describe gestures; they carry no consequence for the rules.

Holds, and what to give young climbers

Hold	Common term	Remark
Open hand	open, open crimp	the default grip for young climbers
Crimp, half crimp	crimp, half crimp	adult; maximal crimp loading is for over-18s only
Pinch	pinch	thumb opposition
Sloper	sloper	open palm, friction
Two-finger pocket	two-finger pocket (bidoigt)	the highest load per tendon: avoid loading it in young climbers (Paak instruction)

Young climbers learn to solve problems on jugs and big holds, with open hands, and crimp work is postponed to adulthood. The detail of what comes from the BMC, from an article or from a Paak precaution is in the guide on fingers.

Route reading

You read the sequence from the ground, spot the rests and the stable positions for clipping, then commit. The competition framework gives the form: 6 minutes of shared observation, then 40 individual seconds, for an on-sight route (World Climbing). The FFME yellow and orange passports teach the reading of a section of route.

Falling, step by step

Confidence on top rope: sitting back in the harness and being lowered (white passport).
The small lead fall, just above a clip (yellow passport: “Stop a small fall”).
The controlled dynamic fall, high on a clip, with a clear fall line and a competent belayer (orange passport: “Brake and stop a fall dynamically” and “Overcome my apprehension to accept flying in the movement”).

In the library, a lead fall is trained only above the clipped point, with the belay commands of the belaying guide.