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Bouldering technique: How to dyno like a pro

Are you ready to learn how to dyno like a pro? This bouldering technique will help you improve your coordination and feel more confident when climbing.

‘Dyno’ is short for ‘dynamic.’ Dynamic climbing involves quicker velocity and can use less strength. Nowadays, it’s an essential technique to add to your repertoire. It’s the opposite of ‘static’ climbing, where you try to always keep as many limbs as possible on the wall. Climbing dynamically uses less energy and includes climbing faster, allowing you to climb longer and more efficiently.

So why have you yet to learn to dyno? Take it from me, a historically static climber, that dynoing takes a tremendous amount of confidence. I spent many years staying on and as close to the wall as I could, even to the detriment of how hard I could send.

Arguably, climbing everything statically requires more strength and flexibility. Once I developed more confidence in my climbing and falling ability, I could push myself to try new things. I knew that if I fell, I could orient my body to fall properly and minimize injuries.

So, are you ready to dyno like a pro?

Dyno’s popularity

The best dyno-ers in the world are professional competition climbers, and they even flail around on the wall! If you watch the bouldering World Cup or the Olympics, you’ll notice that dynoing is simply part of climbing now. As a spectator, they’re more interesting to watch. Plus, a coordination move is a great way to separate the top-tier climbers in the world.

Since dynos have infiltrated everything in climbing, it’s time you joined the movement and started flying. Indoor climbing isn’t the only place where dynos exist, though. Some famous outdoor climbs requiring a dyno involve Rainbow Rocket in Fontainebleau or Kevin Jorgeson’s jump on the Dawn Wall with Tommy Caldwell.

Check out this video of Alex Honnold doing the famous dyno on Rainbow Rocket with the Bouldering Bobat:

YouTube video

If you’ve ever climbed in a gym, you’ve likely seen somebody jumping through the air. Instead of avoiding the parkour-esk new style of climbing, let’s learn how you can practice and master it.

What is a dyno?

A dyno is a climbing move where you leave the wall and jump to a hold or holds. They require coordination, confidence, and accuracy to perform correctly and efficiently. Here’s a look at the different types of dynos:

Single-hand dyno

When you jump and catch the next hold with just one hand.

Double dyno

When you jump and catch the next hold with both hands.

Here is a great example of a single-hand and double dyno comparison video:

YouTube video

Paddle dyno

When you jump to an intermediate hold, usually not good enough to stop on, then immediately swing to another one.

Paddling is a highly advanced technique; watch Tomoa Narasaki performing a paddle here:

YouTube video

When to dyno

This will ultimately depend on your height and reach. A taller climber may be able to stick many large moves statically. If you’re height-challenged, you may need to climb more dynamically.

But don’t get discouraged; even tall climbers need to dyno occasionally!

How to dyno

Trusting yourself to let go of the wall, jump, and grab back on requires much practice. You’re a step ahead of the game if you’re confident in your ability to fall correctly.

Some gyms have a dynoing section set up to help climbers practice. If your gym doesn’t, don’t worry; you can make do with a regular bouldering wall. Just find some large holds to jump to and from. You don’t have to use a set boulder problem to practice dynoing.

To set up for a dyno, keep your arms straight and knees bent low near the ground, like a squat. When you’re ready to perform, pull yourself with your arms while pushing with your legs.

Pull yourself close to the wall, then explode through your legs for the jump. Once your arms are below your chest, you can also use your hands to push up. Once your legs explode, let go of your hand hold(s) and reach for the next hold(s).

Try to catch a dyno with bent elbows to minimise the shock of the catch and help stabilise yourself more easily. Dynoing is simple in theory, but I understand how hard it can be to let go of those holds and leave the wall.

This video from Bouldering Bobat is definitely worth a watch:

YouTube video

Training for dynos

Instead of blindly starting to dyno, you should first mess around on the wall. To help, I’ve included some drills that you can practice to build confidence.

Release and catch

The first drill is about trusting yourself to let go of the wall and grabbing back on. Find a slab or vertical section of the climbing gym with plenty of big holds. Stand on the wall and grab two large holds. In a fluid motion, pull yourself close to the wall and let go, then quickly grab a different set of holds.

This exercise helps you train your quick-twitch muscles to react to letting go and wire your muscle memory to catch back onto the wall. To make this exercise more difficult, you can choose worse holds to use or progress to a more overhung wall.

Step and tap

This next drill is essential for improving your confidence and practicing the motion of a dyno. Find some large holds on a vertical to slightly overhung wall. Pull into your dyno and step through your legs, then tap the wall as high as possible without jumping. You can aim near a specific hold, but focus on getting some height right now. It would be best to practice jumping out to the side during this drill, too, since not all dynos are straight up.

This drill will help you build confidence in your dynamic movement and develop muscle memory so you won’t hesitate when jumping. To take this drill further, jump off the footholds to see how high you can tap the wall.

Jump off

This drill will help you get comfortable jumping off your feet to reach the next hold. Simply jump off and away from the wall! Find a suitable section of the bouldering area with some large holds. Pull into your dyno and jump backward, away from the wall. (Make sure there isn’t anybody behind you!)

Jumping off the wall will help you get comfortable leaving your feet. When doing this, you can land on your feet on the mats or practice your falling technique.

Check out this instructional video by Rachel Carr for an example of some of these drills:

YouTube video

Once you’ve mastered these drills, you’re ready to start dynoing! However, there’s more to dynos, so check out the additional tips below.

Dyno tips

Dynoing requires a ton of practice! Don’t rush into jumping off the wall if you’re not sure exactly what you’re doing; you can get hurt. Instead, practice smaller dynos until you’re ready to hurl through the air.

  1. Analyse the whole boulder problem. What kind of holds are you jumping to and from? Are you jumping straight up or out to the side? How will your body be positioned? Also, look at the holds after the dyno so you know how to move after you catch it!
  2. If you have a higher foot, shift your weight onto it before exploding off the wall. Not every dyno will include feet of the same height. Plus, you’ll have to jump mostly off one foot if you’re jumping sideways. Try to generate all your power to the closest foot you’ll launch off.
  3. Remember to catch a dyno with your arms bent. This will allow you to control your swing better and help absorb some of the shock.
  4. Jump to the position that you want to land in. This tip is coupled with catching with bent arms. Instead of jumping to a hold and swinging wildly, jump with your body in the position to control your swing.
  5. Stay close to the wall when jumping. I know that this seems scary; nobody wants to jump and scrape up the wall. But the closer you are to the wall, the less energy it will take to grab the next hold. Landing further from the wall requires more energy to stay on.

Boulder Movement has a great video about what a dyno is and some examples of what they look like:

YouTube video

Improve at dynos with these exercises

Your fast-twitch and explosive muscles are what you should improve if you want to dyno easier. Perform these two exercises to help you jump further and grab quicker:

Box jumps

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, lower your legs into a squat-like position, and jump onto the box. Swing your arms and extend through your hips as you jump to create more power.

Try to land on the box on the balls of your feet, but quietly, without moving. Think of performing a difficult gymnastics routine where your landing needs to be flawless.

Perform three sets of five jumps, resting three minutes between each set. If that’s too easy, jump on a higher box or add ankle weights!

Fast-twitch pull-ups

Grab a bar and pull up into a 90° position with your elbows bent. Perform three pull-ups as quickly as you can without lowering your elbows past 90°.

Rest for three minutes, then perform four more sets.

The goal is to complete fifteen fast-twitch pull-ups in total. If you find these too easy, increase your weight!

Now it’s time to dyno!

Dynoing is a great tool to have in your bag of climbing tricks. With the popularity of parkour-like movements infiltrating the climbing gym, it’s good to be prepared. Plus, you never know when you’ll find an outdoor climb that requires you to jump!

Building your confidence is the best way to start dynoing. Without confidence that you’ll reach or be able to hang onto the next hold, you put yourself at a disadvantage. Practice getting comfortable leaving the wall before you start throwing yourself around the boulders.

Do you like to dyno? Let us know in the comments if you prefer to climb statically or dynamically!

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