The first time I tried climbing overhangs I was like a deer in headlights: I understood nothing. I felt like a beginner all over again, because, let’s face it: overhang requires a different bouldering technique.
This article addresses those climbers who are keen to learn some new bouldering techniques that will not only help them improve at climbing overhangs but it will also make them more seasoned climbers. Are you ready to take on a new challenge?
Essential techniques for climbing overhangs
The most known ones, amongst others, are the straight arms, knee drops, kneebars, toe-hooks, bicycle, heel-hook, and mantle.
Not necessarily a technique but something important you want to pay attention to is becoming aware of your gravity center.
Learning to keep your hips close to the wall will likely feel easier on vertical walls, but I know how challenging it can get when we are introduced to overhanging boulders.
Therefore, this brings me to my first bouldering technique:
Egyptian or the drop knee
Keeping your hips open in the overhang is not exactly a piece of cake and because is strength-consuming you want to use this often in steeper walls.
The secret is to press on one foot while you twist and turn your knees inwards.
Using knee drops will allow you to use the force you have in your toes and that will help propel your body to the next hold.
Upper body strength
Easily overlooked, shoulders are very important for a climber especially when it comes to steeper climbing. Help your body to stick to the wall and avoid injury altogether by strengthening your shoulders.
It is worth integrating this practice into your climbing routine as it will serve you not only in climbing but it will also keep your shoulders healthy.
If you want to know more about that make sure to check our Bouldeeflash guide on Climbing shoulder injuries: How to prevent and recover from them.
All things core
Based on my personal experience and on my shoulder SLAP partial tear, I would suggest that before you start climbing overhangs you start building your core and upper body strength first.
A powerful pelvis and hips as well as stable and strong shoulders are an essential base especially when you climb in steep terrain. Not to mention they keep you safe from injuries.
Keeping your body tension while climbing in overhang is the key to sticking to the wall.
Trust me, I tried and no amount of bicep will help you progress in a route without it. But if you are new to climbing you probably don’t have such a strong core.
When it comes to climbing, I suggest building it slowly before you engage yourself in big overhangs which might feel scary, hard, and not to mention not safe for your shoulders.
Amongst other Boulderflash guides, we also wrote Best Core Exercises for Climbers so make sure to have a look at it if you want to know more on the subject!
Also, keep in mind that learning how to engage your core can also take time.
Breathing
Do you know how you sometimes watch other climbers cruise it “easily” on a route? Trust me, among other things they breathe!
You might say “D’ooooh” ?! But you can’t imagine how often I notice climbers stop breathing when the going gets rough, overhang or not.
Learning how to stay aware of your breathing will increase your oxygen supply to the muscles therefore your energy production.
Shake ya hands
Getting used to shaking one hand at a time while climbing will help with reducing that lactic acid and it will keep you more in the game.
Try to actively think about it while you climb and I promise you’ll notice the difference.
Straight arms
Keeping your arms straight while resting and alternating them slowly, taking your time to breathe, will take off some pressure and release the lactic acid.
The knee bar
Nature (or gyms) made roofs and the God of climbing invented kneebars. Whether you use them to rest in a roof, for progression in a tufa route, or clip in an overhang, is very important to master kneebars.
Heels/Toe and hooks
Some climbers joke about how heel hooks and toe hooks are often used by less strong climbers. In truth, I think a good climber climbs as efficiently as possible and uses energy as little as possible.
Therefore, heel hooks and toe hooks are my favorite moves, and I find them especially useful as a short climber: I use them on every occasion I get because every inch counts! I like them because they allow you to pull in and up, they keep your body close to the wall.
When it comes to heel hooks beware though and make sure you warm up your knees and hips so you avoid muscle strains and knee injuries.
The bicycle
Whether indoors or outdoors, focusing on footwork can win you points when bouldering overhangs too.
The bicycle method means to apply simultaneous and opposing pressure on holds while one foot pushes down and the other is pulling up.
Even easier: is basically doing compression with your feet while toe hooking with one foot and pushing with the other
The mantle
This one is a bit more advanced since it requires body coordination, heel hooking, and mastering the momentum in climbing. However, it is a lifesaver when it comes to finishing a boulder problem and exiting an overhang.
It consists of pulling with your heel while you also pull with your arms to get high enough to be able to press against the palm of your hands in order to top out a boulder.
Here’s a good example of it:
Tips and tricks to make your life easier in climbing overhangs
Step up your dynamic game
Being dynamic in overhangs is as important as having a good balance and coordination. While vertical climbing is not really imposing on dynamism, overhangs don’t forgive.
Therefore, learning to climb dynamically will not only help you reach the next hold faster (strength economy) but it will also give you a bouldering flow so you’ll last longer in your climb.
Momentum
Imagine you are climbing and you are enjoying your flow as you are getting closer to a tricky dynamic move. You look at it, you wanna grab it, and all of a sudden something makes you hesitate a fraction of a second before you actually reach the next hold. And you try it anyway but you fall.
If you feel disconnected and you wonder why you stopped midway while reaching on to the next hold in the first place. That is an example of you having the momentum and not using it.
Momentum is a precious skill in climbing, maybe the most important in the long term. It is basically that moment when your body acts in perfect synchronicity with your brain and uses that as an advantage to make the next climbing move.
Here are a few ways to practice momentum in climbing so that next time you are prepared to give it all on your try: no hesitation!
Rhythm
A strategy could mean for you to find the most efficient way to climb your project – be it a sports route or a boulder and identify which sections are to be climbed fast and where you can take a rest and breathe for a while.
In climbing, that is called pacing and is a game changer I learned from more seasoned climbers.
On an ending note…
Improving at climbing overhangs takes time, volume, and skill training but once bouldering techniques get wired into our brains it will become easier for the brain to travel down these paths and apply momentum and any other new technique.
However, keep in mind there is no magical way a climber simply becomes good in overhang bouldering.
A more relaxed climber is either one with tons of experience or one who has done his homework before he starts climbing.
That being said, the way you show up in front of your bouldering project is also important.
Be it indoors or outdoors should be similar to the ideal way you should present yourself for a job interview: confident, relaxed, and considerate towards yourself and your abilities. And most importantly, do not overdo it.
What bouldering techniques have you found useful for climbing overhangs?
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