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fskaterfirst
Jun 28, 2006, 7:43 PM
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hey,,,,just logged onto this site. i'm not new to climbing--sporadic for the last 12 years. it's not my first passion --i'm a figure skater.
wrong forum? well, not really. there's a lot that transfers over, especially regarding stretching, torso control and mental stability/confidence [ my weak point :x ].
i LOVE to travel.... laterally. i AM a pansy with heights...but i don't take myself too seriously about that.
my question HAS probably been asked somewhere down the line, but i haven't come across it.;; when doing heel hooks, how do you pull yourself up? ok, i know that's vague, but i'm looking for a variety of methods. i love doing them,,i can almost get into full splits, but then it seems as though i'm too spread out to get up!! :lol:
i'm short [5'2--about 107],, so i use my flexibilty to get a 'leg up'-- yeah that's lame.. :lol: ... ok, thanks for letting me ramble!! :)
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alpie
Jun 28, 2006, 8:24 PM
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Figure Skating huh??? that's a little far from climbing.......
Heres what I do on a Heel hook...
If it is a positive hold, like a ledge, i slap my heel up there, normally curse once or twice from the stretching of my groin... At this point I like to cry a little, and when sick of the pain burn down my leg I pull my knee in towards my foot, when I feel locked in a throw for the next hand hold fall off, then head off to the bar. :lol:
j.k
There is no real recipe that I have honed in, really comes down to pulling in on the foot...
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boku
Jun 28, 2006, 8:42 PM
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In my relatively narrow experience, heel hooks are usually used to pull you into the wall. Often, if you can use a foot to do that, it frees up a hand so you can reach towards another hold.
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fskaterfirst
Jun 28, 2006, 9:03 PM
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jeez alpie,, i 'feel' your fustration! :lol:
but ha,, see, figure skating gives you very supple, strong 'groin' [inner] muscles.... :lol: .... give it a shot!
anyhow,, one time, trying to pull myself up,, i over-torqued my leg by pointing my toe towards the rock [ with my leg fully extended--knee pointing in as well]. not the most pleasant method.... that's why i'm curious to see how others eek themselves up. :)
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wjca
Jun 28, 2006, 9:05 PM
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Toe pick.
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sidepull
Jun 28, 2006, 10:51 PM
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hmm, it's difficult for me to understand your question because i'm not sure i understand the position you're describing and because heel hooking has always felt very intuitive for me.
here are some thoughts that may or may not be helpful:
1) active or dynamic flexibility is better than passive. for instance, many people can do the splits by pushing their body into the ground but they can't do the splits by lifting their legs up. if you're the former then the flexibility might allow you to put your legs and feet in very extended positions but you're most likely not strong enough to use these positions. performance rock climbing offers some exercises for building dynamic flexibility.
2) spend some time watching others heel hook. note the advantages and disadvantages. for example, heel hooking with one leg often necessitates removing the other from the rock while you reach with your hand - some people aren't comfortable with only two points of contact so the block may be mental. heel hooks often require you to rotate your body and lock off with one arm, again this move can be intimidating because it generally puts your body in a horizontal position.
3) stay creative. i find myself throwing heel hooks just to throw them - however, because i have this habit i often see and use holds that others would not (note this is both a blessing and a curse because it isn't always super efficient). so, just because someone does a nice highstep or two daintly ballet moves doesn't mean you can't throw a mean heel hook above your hands.
good luck and don't climb with your ice skates - the french judges might give you a gold medal but you won't get up any routes. :roll:
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fskaterfirst
Jun 28, 2006, 11:36 PM
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ahh, you guys are funny.. :lol:
thanks 'sidepull' for that thorough info. i know what you mean about removing the other leg,, the two points of balance. I'm pretty comfortable with that part, i just don't yet have the strength to continue. i have been able to swing my leg up over my hands and get nice contact, but i always end up falling off........ i have WAY more endurance to hang there, than to decisively move on.
hmmmm, maybe that's the real question. maybe it's a mental issue. :P
anyhow,, i HAVE tried to use my skates for climbing, but you know,,, those damn leather boots are so thick and unforgiving. they just don't lend themselves to cracks or faces,,, although the friction i can get with those toe picks [ on slabs] is remarkable!! :lol:
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jt512
Jun 28, 2006, 11:42 PM
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In reply to: hey,,,,just logged onto this site. i'm not new to climbing--sporadic for the last 12 years. it's not my first passion --i'm a figure skater. wrong forum? well, not really. there's a lot that transfers over, especially regarding stretching, torso control and mental stability/confidence [ my weak point :x ]. i LOVE to travel.... laterally. i AM a pansy with heights...but i don't take myself too seriously about that. my question HAS probably been asked somewhere down the line, but i haven't come across it.;; when doing heel hooks, how do you pull yourself up? ok, i know that's vague, but i'm looking for a variety of methods. i love doing them,,i can almost get into full splits, but then it seems as though i'm too spread out to get up!! :lol: i'm short [5'2--about 107],, so i use my flexibilty to get a 'leg up'-- yeah that's lame.. :lol: ... ok, thanks for letting me ramble!! :)
To pull yourself up using the heel-hooked leg, you have to be able to pull with the hamstrings to flex the knee. This is not always possible; it depends on the position of the leg and how good the hold is. However, the heel hook can also be used to hold you in position in order to free the hand on the same side of the body to reach to the next handhold.
Jay
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hellsbellsrn
Jun 29, 2006, 12:58 AM
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Ahh...well being a dancer before a climber I just have some words of caution for you....
it is great being very flexible and getting into positions as such (stemming is a personal favorite) but watch out, if you stretch out to much, you can't put strength behind your move
when you heel hook you should be able to flex your leg, thus pulling you up and into the rock, if you can't pull in with your leg, then most likely your heel hook is out of the functional range for you
the best place to mess around with the heel hook is bouldering
keep at it~
heth
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noshoesnoshirt
Jun 29, 2006, 1:38 AM
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In reply to: see, figure skating gives you very supple, strong 'groin' [inner] muscles....
Yowzah!!
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fskaterfirst
Jun 30, 2006, 3:53 PM
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--if you stretch out to much, you can't put strength behind your move --
.....yeah, i think you're right. stretching out helps me get hold to hold, but then most of my energy is used keeping myself there,, not moving on.
i've also been upping my deadlifts.. [any of you do this for heel-hooks?]
ok, maybe this is another thread,, but what other hamstring moves help? right now,, i do the deadlifts with my toes elevated and lift 80 lbs.... oddly, my hams are weak with regards to being able to flex my knee in this position.
Yowzah!!-------enough said :lol:
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aikibujin
Jun 30, 2006, 5:17 PM
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Of course you already realized that heel hook is a move that can be utilized in many different ways. I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "pull myself up" with a heel hook, do you mean to stand up on the hold you were heel hooking on?
In reply to: anyhow,, one time, trying to pull myself up,, i over-torqued my leg by pointing my toe towards the rock [ with my leg fully extended--knee pointing in as well]
That doesn't sound like any heel hook I know, it sounds more like the "humping" technique I sometimes... I mean, my friends sometimes use to get on top of a sloppy boulder problem. Anyway, assuming you're talking about standing up on the hold you were heel hooking on, the leg you are heel hooking with should not be fully extended, otherwise you can't rock on to that leg. You need to get your center of gravity (your pelvis) close to the rock, on vertical or overhanging face, that means the knee on your heel hooking leg should be turned out, pointing away from your body. Your other leg is not doing nothing, it's often pressed against the rock to stabilize yourself (especially on overhangs), so you actually have three points of contact with the rock, not two. You need to engage your hamstring and pull your heel toward your butt, but if you want to stand up on that heel hook, at some point you need to get your center of gravity higher than that heel hook, otherwise no amount of pulling with your hamstring can get you up. And here is my guess why you have problem "pulling up", you can't get your center of gravity higher than your heel hook. Whether it's a strength thing or a mental thing, or both, I won't know without watching how you climb. But I would say doing deadlifts will not help you in this. Of course it is only my opinion, but if it's a strength thing, then I think it's more likely that you lack the arm strength to lock-off with one arm and reach with the other (on a face climb), or to mantle (toping out).
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