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Category: Sports

Rock Climbing Revelation

I've been doing rock climbing for a few years now, and only started taking it seriously after picking it up again earlier this year. I'm by no means a terrible climber, the hardest route I think I've done is 6A-6B ish (5.11 to 5.12 in yosemite grading), but I'm not great either. However, just today I think I had one of the biggest revelations regarding my rock climbing technique that completely changed how I look at routes.

Up until now my technique has involved doing everything one step at a time, kind of like a chess or shogi problem - this resulted in slow, static climbs as i slowly stretched out my arms to see if it could make the next hold. It always surprised me how, watching professionals, they would be so quick and do multiple moves at a time. I get it now - how to be more dynamic.

This didn't come to me through analysis or study, no, it happened on a fairly easy route I was doing by pure chance. The route must have been no harder than 4A (5.5 yosemite), but the sensation was that as if I was floating up the wall instead of climbing it. I must have applied less pressure to my fingertips, and was thus less tense, requiring less force to pull myself up. My arms were probably more stretched as I leaned away from the wall too, but I can't remember. It was all kind of... effortless.

The only proper analogy I can give it, is that it felt like my solid, tense, tough climbing technique that relied on the range of my arms and the strength of my muscles was exchanged for something more fluid. I felt like liquid, no idea how else to put it. 

TL;DR: Refer to me as "Liquid d4rs" from now on. Rocks of the Patriots!


P.S. I got lost on my way home and instead of taking a bus like a reasonable person, I just... walked home. for 10 miles. that was a fun little adventure ^_^


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DatBoiN8

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The Climber™️


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Truthnuke.

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