Just some observations during Climb On for the new climbers, since i belonged to the group of dedicated spectators during the event. Seniors most prob have heard this for uncountable number of times. BE WARNED.
1. FOOTWORK
Can't stress this enough for the new climbers. Have to refer examples to the guy climbers as i didn't watch the girls climb. Don't mind ya? We're all learning; no personal vendettas. Sumitro - remember the feature you couldn't step on? Not so much of poor footwork but an area which needs improvement in order to step on these tricky pockets. Weiliang - observed that each time you made a move, the first point of contact off the wall is not your hand but your feet; dont over-emphasize on your arms, feet is equally important for stability and pushing force.
2. ROUTE READING
There's a difference between plain OBSERVING the route and READING the route. Not sure if Heng Hong you are aware of this. Observing is merely looking at the tiles of the route whereas reading involves PLANNING your moves, assessing possible cruxes and where certain moves might be made. Like all things in life, the execution may not go according to plan, but at least it serves as the basis for your improvision.
3. FLEXIBILITY and BODY TENSION
Much neglected aspects of climbing, though currently drilled into the basic training now. Build on it and high footholds and weird angles will no longer be a problem.
That's enough to work on for now. My recommendation to you peepz is to climb more in general but if you want to have some focused training areas, start with these first. Finger strength, endurance and power are prominent aspects which naturally receives a lot of attention, but building your foundation upon the above points will only enhance your development of these core competencies and overall climbing ability and technique.
Remember, don't lose faith, enjoy the sport of climbing and have patience. Cheers!
