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etmorchicn
Jan 8, 2009, 6:40 AM
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i've been playing around with my gym's crack feature here lately, and have got to the point where i can layback it all the way up.
every joe blow there can layback the thing, and i'm wondering if you fellas have any hints or tips on how to improve my jamming. i've been working to the point that i would call myself medeocre at best, but i'm not good enough to climb the crack without laybacking.
the crack itself is part of a nicros (i think) texture wall, mimicking granite, that changes from hand-width to off-width to semi-chimney-thingy up top.
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asiaclimber
Jan 8, 2009, 7:43 AM
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go climb outside
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gunkiemike
Jan 8, 2009, 11:01 AM
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Step 1. Stop laybacking.
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pendereki
Jan 8, 2009, 12:05 PM
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Step 2. Start Jamming.
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dingus
Jan 8, 2009, 12:16 PM
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Can't speak to your gym mate but the ones I been in - they don't offer beginner cracks for the most part.
The ones they do offer are slick slided and are designed to throw a lot of differernt jams at you all in the space of a few feet.
There are reams 'how to' books that illustrate crack climbing techniques. You can probably goggle up some drawings on the net.
Study them.
A couple of pointers -
1. Jams are all about subtly and feel, believe it or not. You don't slap your hand in there like a chunk of rump roast. Rather you carefull feel for the best opportunity and as you make the jam you do small adjustments to keep it from cutting/hurting. A lot of noobs get this image that the you hang from jams....
2. and sometimes you might. But for the most parth the hands (vert to less than vert) are more for balance than upward momentum. Your legs climb the crack.
3. because your legs climb the cracks, understanding footjams is key. In general (in general!) you put your tip/toe/foot in the crack with your pinkie toe pointing down to the floor - vertically as it were. You stick that puppy in there, again, searching for the right constriction to offer security and minimize pain. To do this you're going to need to rotate your knee to the outside, well out of line with your body. Once you think you have the foot in the crack, you rotate that knee back in line with your body - presto, quicko, you have a foot jam. The torque of your shoe, leveraged by your knee, creates friction. Stand up on that.
4. Put the other foot in the crack, crank it. Readjust the hands for balance (pinkie down whenever possible (not always possible)), stand up again (using leg muscles)
5 Wash rince repeat.
Don't beat yourself up over gym cracks though. Go out and caress the real thing.
Cheers
DMT
(This post was edited by dingus on Jan 8, 2009, 12:17 PM)
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Lazlo
Jan 8, 2009, 1:50 PM
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dingus wrote: Can't speak to your gym mate but the ones I been in - they don't offer beginner cracks for the most part. The ones they do offer are slick slided and are designed to throw a lot of differernt jams at you all in the space of a few feet. There are reams 'how to' books that illustrate crack climbing techniques. You can probably goggle up some drawings on the net. Study them. A couple of pointers - 1. Jams are all about subtly and feel, believe it or not. You don't slap your hand in there like a chunk of rump roast. Rather you carefull feel for the best opportunity and as you make the jam you do small adjustments to keep it from cutting/hurting. A lot of noobs get this image that the you hang from jams.... 2. and sometimes you might. But for the most parth the hands (vert to less than vert) are more for balance than upward momentum. Your legs climb the crack. 3. because your legs climb the cracks, understanding footjams is key. In general (in general!) you put your tip/toe/foot in the crack with your pinkie toe pointing down to the floor - vertically as it were. You stick that puppy in there, again, searching for the right constriction to offer security and minimize pain. To do this you're going to need to rotate your knee to the outside, well out of line with your body. Once you think you have the foot in the crack, you rotate that knee back in line with your body - presto, quicko, you have a foot jam. The torque of your shoe, leveraged by your knee, creates friction. Stand up on that. 4. Put the other foot in the crack, crank it. Readjust the hands for balance (pinkie down whenever possible (not always possible)), stand up again (using leg muscles) 5 Wash rince repeat. Don't beat yourself up over gym cracks though. Go out and caress the real thing. Cheers DMT
Thanks Dingus! I just learned a few things.
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etmorchicn
Jan 8, 2009, 5:13 PM
Post #7 of 19
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thanks a lot dingus. i'll try and work on those things next time i'm in the gym
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rockforlife
Jan 8, 2009, 6:00 PM
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etmorchicn wrote: thanks a lot dingus. i'll try and work on those things next time i'm in the gym outside |
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pendereki
Jan 8, 2009, 6:15 PM
Post #9 of 19
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Darn you Dingus, now I feel guilty for being smart-assy. That was a great explanation of jamming! You just helped my climbing. The next time I post I am going to offer someone some real help.
Chad
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knieveltech
Jan 8, 2009, 6:32 PM
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etmorchicn wrote: i've been playing around with my gym's crack feature here lately, and have got to the point where i can layback it all the way up. every joe blow there can layback the thing, and i'm wondering if you fellas have any hints or tips on how to improve my jamming. i've been working to the point that i would call myself medeocre at best, but i'm not good enough to climb the crack without laybacking. the crack itself is part of a nicros (i think) texture wall, mimicking granite, that changes from hand-width to off-width to semi-chimney-thingy up top.
Everything you ever wanted to know about jamming, and then some:
http://www.widefetish.com/pages/how_to.html
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petsfed
Jan 8, 2009, 6:48 PM
Post #11 of 19
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Registered: Sep 25, 2002
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You know the real key to effective crack climbing?
Mileage.
When are you due out this direction again?
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knieveltech
Jan 8, 2009, 6:56 PM
Post #12 of 19
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Registered: Dec 2, 2006
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petsfed wrote: You know the real key to effective crack climbing? Mileage. When are you due out this direction again?
Damn if that isn't the truth. When I get back out that way is highly dependent upon what happens in the next couple months. If I end up catching a layoff then I just might be in the Front Range area for most of next season. If I end up taking a new position in the next month, it might only be a week in August or September. Working for a living blows.
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gogounou
Jan 8, 2009, 9:15 PM
Post #13 of 19
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Registered: Jul 20, 2006
Posts: 542
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dingus wrote: Can't speak to your gym mate but the ones I been in - they don't offer beginner cracks for the most part. The ones they do offer are slick slided and are designed to throw a lot of differernt jams at you all in the space of a few feet. There are reams 'how to' books that illustrate crack climbing techniques. You can probably goggle up some drawings on the net. Study them. A couple of pointers - 1. Jams are all about subtly and feel, believe it or not. You don't slap your hand in there like a chunk of rump roast. Rather you carefull feel for the best opportunity and as you make the jam you do small adjustments to keep it from cutting/hurting. A lot of noobs get this image that the you hang from jams.... 2. and sometimes you might. But for the most parth the hands (vert to less than vert) are more for balance than upward momentum. Your legs climb the crack. 3. because your legs climb the cracks, understanding footjams is key. In general (in general!) you put your tip/toe/foot in the crack with your pinkie toe pointing down to the floor - vertically as it were. You stick that puppy in there, again, searching for the right constriction to offer security and minimize pain. To do this you're going to need to rotate your knee to the outside, well out of line with your body. Once you think you have the foot in the crack, you rotate that knee back in line with your body - presto, quicko, you have a foot jam. The torque of your shoe, leveraged by your knee, creates friction. Stand up on that. 4. Put the other foot in the crack, crank it. Readjust the hands for balance (pinkie down whenever possible (not always possible)), stand up again (using leg muscles) 5 Wash rince repeat. Don't beat yourself up over gym cracks though. Go out and caress the real thing. Cheers DMT
Dingus,
This was a great post. Thanks for the description.
J
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shimanilami
Jan 8, 2009, 9:52 PM
Post #14 of 19
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Registered: Jul 24, 2006
Posts: 2043
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The only real way to learn jamming technique is through trial and error. Someone might be able to show you what a ring lock, or stacked hands, or other method looks like, but until you've put these into practice, you just won't understand how to make them work for you.
You should also keep in mind that jamming usually hurts until you've mastered the technique, or killed the nerves in your fingers and hands, or some combination of the two. Pain is a good teacher, except that you've got to suffer through it in order to learn your lessons. As long as you're willing to accept this fact and perservere through your training, you'll eventually figure out how it all goes.
And believe me, it's worth it. Crack climbing is the bomb.
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borntorocku
Jan 8, 2009, 9:59 PM
Post #15 of 19
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Registered: Mar 12, 2003
Posts: 88
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Another way to think about jamming, for both hands and feet, is that something has fill the space in the crack. There are two ends of the spectrum. On one end, place your foot/hand above a constriction and slid it down. This is simpler, more secure, and uses less energy but is not always available. On the other end, you place your feet/hand and turn them to fill the space. This is almost always available but requires more energy. For example in a thumb-up hand jam, I use my thumb as spacer, place my fingers above it, and wedge my fingers down against my thumb. Another example is stacked fists, one fist is a spacer and the other fist is above wedging it in place. I hope this makes sense.
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pylonhead
Jan 8, 2009, 10:35 PM
Post #16 of 19
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Registered: Jan 9, 2004
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They really need to bring back the trophy system.
Until they do, I hereby award a virtual trophy for Dingus's post.
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etmorchicn
Jan 9, 2009, 1:29 AM
Post #17 of 19
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Registered: Nov 14, 2008
Posts: 15
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seeing as i am a broke college kid taking 20 hours this semester, i'm not going anywhere anytime soon, except a little bouldering. maybe. it sucks, but that's why i said gym instead of outside. obviously it's not the best option, but i gotta make due with what i have
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jsj7051
Jan 9, 2009, 2:31 AM
Post #18 of 19
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Registered: May 31, 2007
Posts: 114
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dingus wrote: Can't speak to your gym mate but the ones I been in - they don't offer beginner cracks for the most part. The ones they do offer are slick slided and are designed to throw a lot of differernt jams at you all in the space of a few feet. There are reams 'how to' books that illustrate crack climbing techniques. You can probably goggle up some drawings on the net. Study them. A couple of pointers - 1. Jams are all about subtly and feel, believe it or not. You don't slap your hand in there like a chunk of rump roast. Rather you carefull feel for the best opportunity and as you make the jam you do small adjustments to keep it from cutting/hurting. A lot of noobs get this image that the you hang from jams.... 2. and sometimes you might. But for the most parth the hands (vert to less than vert) are more for balance than upward momentum. Your legs climb the crack. 3. because your legs climb the cracks, understanding footjams is key. In general (in general!) you put your tip/toe/foot in the crack with your pinkie toe pointing down to the floor - vertically as it were. You stick that puppy in there, again, searching for the right constriction to offer security and minimize pain. To do this you're going to need to rotate your knee to the outside, well out of line with your body. Once you think you have the foot in the crack, you rotate that knee back in line with your body - presto, quicko, you have a foot jam. The torque of your shoe, leveraged by your knee, creates friction. Stand up on that. 4. Put the other foot in the crack, crank it. Readjust the hands for balance (pinkie down whenever possible (not always possible)), stand up again (using leg muscles) 5 Wash rince repeat. Don't beat yourself up over gym cracks though. Go out and caress the real thing. Cheers DMT
Dang .... the part about hands for balance ... is great, I thought I had to pull up on those jambs .... Thanks Dingus 
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dingus
Jan 9, 2009, 2:36 AM
Post #19 of 19
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The steeper it is the more weight you have to put on your hands to be sure. But make those legs do the work - its no different than face cllimbing in that respect. Arms straight, bring the feet up, stand up, THEN reset the hands, then bring the feet up yada yada
DMT
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