What is Bouldering?

Bouldering is a form of rock climbing performed without ropes or harnesses on small rock formations or artificial walls, typically under 10 meters in height (although not always but highballs are scary). What sets bouldering apart from other climbing disciplines is its focus on powerful, technical movements and problem-solving skills. Each climbing route (called a "problem") requires a unique combination of strength, balance, and technique to complete. We have created this guide to focus on rock climbing basics, to get first time climbers started, the right way.

Essential Gear

Climbing Shoes

Any new climbers, climbing journey starts with the most important piece of climbing gear, a good pair of shoes. Climbing shoes should fit snugly but not painfully tight. For beginner climbers, choose shoes with:

• A neutral, flat sole for comfort and all-day wear

• Adequate toe room to prevent cramping

• Sturdy rubber for durability

• Hook-and-loop straps for easy on/off

• Avoid lace up shoes for bouldering, while they can be good for sport climbing, trad climbing, or lead climbing they become difficult and time consuming to use when bouldering where you are on and off the climbing wall so frequently

Chalk and Chalk Bag

Climbing is sweaty business, and any great climber will tell you, chalk is an important tool in your arsenal. It is a great way to keep your hands dry and grippy on hand holds when climbing. While finger strength is always the main factor in holding any hand hold, chalk keeps your hands dry and helps improves grip, increasing your chances of sending! Consider:

• A chalk bag with a wide opening for easy access

• Both loose chalk and chalk balls (Alot of indoor climbing gyms will stipulate no loose chalk)

• Liquid chalk for humid conditions or gym rules

• A brush to clean holds and remove excess chalk

Crash Pads

Essential safety equipment for outdoor bouldering:

• Look for pads at least 4 inches thick

• Consider a pad with multiple folding sections for easy transport

• Learn proper pad placement techniques for different terrain

• Always bring multiple pads when climbing outdoors

Fundamental Techniques

Body Position

The differences between a new climber and an experienced climber are countless. One key factor is body position. Knowing when to move this, where to move it to, and how to move it there can make the difference between sending and becoming more familiar with how gravity works. Master these basic positions:

• Square hips: Facing the wall with hips parallel

• Hip twist: Rotating hips to reach distant holds

• Flagging: Using a free leg as a counterbalance

• Drop knee: Turning your hip into the wall for stability

Still lost? Consider some Classes to get you pointed in the right direction from the start.

Movement Principles

The best way to work on body position is to play some simple and fun games that challenge your methods of movement. When indoor bouldering, pick a boulder problem that is mildly challenging for your current skill level and try one of the below fun games. If the game is too easy, try a harder boulder problem or choose some small holds to challenge your footwork / hand strength.

• Silent Feet

  • Place feet deliberately and quietly

  • Look at your target hold until contact

  • Practice on easy problems first

• Straight Arms

  • Keep arms straight when resting

  • Let your skeleton support your weight

  • Bend arms only when moving

• Center of Gravity

  • Keep your hips close to the wall

  • Move smoothly and deliberately

  • Think about weight distribution

The 3-Second Rule

This technique helps prevent over-analysis, conserve energy, and reduce lactic acid build up in the muslces and forearms in specfiic. One of the biggest problems any new climber will face is their complete lack of ability to read a boulder problem on the bouldering wall. This is normal and comes with experience and practice. One of the best ways to become more attuned with efficiency on the wall ensuring you focus on the next hold and not getting bogged down by overthinking. While this is a great tool one of the best bouldering tips, we can give you is that you should not rush your footwork, good foot placement is crucial when bouldering.

• Assess the next move within 3 seconds

• Commit to the movement or return to a rest position

• Avoid hanging on holds while planning

Grading Systems

Understanding problem difficulties is very useful when indoor bouldering on a bouldering wall. While we don't recommend focusing so hard on grades, especially for a complete beginner, grades do give you a good indicator of what you may or may not be able to climb. Higher grades will typically require not only increased strength, but increased knowledge of climbing techniques like heel hooks, toe hooks, flagging, back flagging, matching, jumping, drop kneeing, and etc. When climbing, it is important to be able to find good resting positions on the wall (not soooo helpful in bouldering admittedly, but still important). At Wall Walkers Bouldering, we use the V grade system combined with a colour range, you can find more details of our system on our website Here.

• V Scale (USA): V0-V16, with V0 being beginner-friendly

• Font Scale (Europe): 3-8c+

• Coloured holds in gyms (varies by facility)

Safety Practices

Spotting

While bouldering is great exercise it is important to know how to spot your climbing partner. This is more important when bouldering outdoors, however, it can also be useful in an indoor bouldering gym. Short routes and very physical activity can often leave climbers with little ability control their falls, and a good spotter can be the difference between a good landing and a bad landing for new climbers and experienced climbers alike.

• Keep arms up and ready, but slightly bent at the elbow

• Focus on protecting the climber's head and upper back

• Communicate clearly with your climbing partner

• Never stand directly under a climber

Fall Technique

Falling in a safe manner is essential knowledge and while this is not a complete guide on how to fall it is a great start. While this may sound counter intuitive it is advisable for new climbers (especially people who are afraid of heights) to practice safe falling in an incremental manner. First climb a little way up the wall and follow the falling process shown to you by your gym, then when comfortable add a bit of height and repeat. At Wall Walkers Bouldering we advise all new climbers to the gym on proper falling technique and provide a safety demonstration to ensure understanding.

• Land on both feet

• Bend knees to absorb impact

• Roll backward so as not to attempt simply landing on your feet

• Never try to catch yourself with your arms

Injury Prevention

New climbers will struggle with a number of very normal pains and sprains when starting out with their indoor climber career. This is normal for any sport but can be slightly more confusing with climbers. For example, why do my toes hurt so much, or why is my elbow killing me sound familiar? Warmups are one of the bouldering essentials (just like any sport), it is important to focus on your fingers and shoulders, but you should generally aim to get all the major muscle groups moving before attempting any difficult problems. You do not need to spend a long time on your warmup, just 15 - 20 minutes.

Warm-up Routine (15-20 minutes)

• Light cardio (5 minutes)

  • Jumping jacks

  • Light jogging

  • Jump rope

• Dynamic stretches (5-10 minutes)

  • Arm circles

  • Shoulder rolls

  • Hip rotations

  • Ankle circles

• Easy climbing (5-10 minutes)

  • Start with very easy problems

  • Focus on smooth movement

  • Gradually increase difficulty

Conditioning Exercises

Incorporate these body weight exercises into your training is a great thing to do when aiming to get all your body parts moving. When combined with a proper training plan, weight training / strength training, and stretching, conditioning exercises will see your climbing performance at the intermediate stage faster than you can blink while reducing your risk of injury on hard moves or more dynamic movements:

• Dead hangs for grip strength

• Core exercises (planks, hollow body holds)

• Antagonist training (push-ups, reverse wrist curls)

• Flexibility work (hip openers, shoulder mobility)

• Pull-ups (for obvious upper body strengthening reasons)

Common Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

• Over-gripping holds

• Climbing with bent arms

• Ignoring footwork

• Attempting problems beyond your level

• Skipping warm-ups

• Not resting between attempts

Progress Tracking

Keep a climbing journal to record:

• Problems completed

• Areas for improvement

• Projects you're working on

• Recovery and rest days

When to Rest

Listen to your body and take rest days. This advice is especially important when you start doing more intense and specific workouts like repeaters on a hangboard, or campus board training:

• Allow at least 48 hours between hard sessions

• Take longer breaks if experiencing pain

• Focus on technique on lighter days

• Use rest days for antagonist training

Remember: progression in bouldering comes from consistent, mindful practice. Focus on mastering the basics before pushing into harder grades, and always prioritize safety and proper technique over quick advancement. Otherwise, other good beat is taking a deep breath and just send it!