Sport climbing

Sport climbing on rock is an exciting and challenging sport that generates an explosion of adrenaline in the sportsmen and women who practice it. Combining physical strength with mental focus, climbers study the routes, decode the movements as they advance and then, use the power, flexibility and agility of their bodies to conquer heights. This type of sport is also being widely exploited internationally as countries around the world are drawn to climb mountains and rock walls.

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What is sport climbing?

Sport climbing is a sport that consists of climbing rock walls, slopes or mountains that are characterized by their verticality by means of equipment previously insured.

About sport climbing

Sports climbing consists of climbing or walking on different slopes or walls, in the artificial case, which are full of rocks. These walls must have protection and security equipment to safeguard the life of the climbers. Climbing must be done using the natural relief of the walls to reach the top without falling or slipping. It also consists of giving maximum effort through difficult movements for which prior preparation has been made. When a route is found, the climber must first cross it using special equipment and then climb depending on the level of difficulty granted. The difficulties will depend on the inclination of the wall, size, shape of the grips, the resting point and the total movements.

History of sport climbing

The earliest evidence of rock climbing comes from paintings dating back to 200 B.C. and made by a group of Chinese climbers. Sport climbing spread throughout Europe as part of mountaineering, but it was not until 1880 that rock climbing became a sport as such. Today, rock climbing is used in everything from film acrobatics to emergency rescue work and has a variety of international competition scenes representing each of the sport’s different disciplines.

Technique

The foot technique is the most useful tool and the idea is to keep the weight on the feet. An upright, athletic, balanced posture is the key to success in this sport. You should start by practicing lifting your weight with your lower body. Any point of support you find requires precision. It’s best to practice on easy routes, but always strive to place your feet precisely and in a coordinated manner.

The athlete should focus on his or her feet and body, and not on his or her hands in order to place the feet in the right position to be able to progress. Once your feet are in the correct position, you should concentrate on placing your toes at the point of contact and your ankles in the best position for your foot to avoid friction.

Training

People who are starting this sport have to pay too much attention to their hands while ignoring their feet. It should be remembered that the feet support most of the body weight in sport climbing. They should concentrate on being in constant motion and having their feet high enough to support their body weight.

Climbing exhausts the forearms, so it is good to shake the arms to balance the lactic acid that takes away strength and endurance. Find a position on the wall where you can place all your body weight on it, release one hand first to give it rest. When the strength recovers, it repeats itself again. Look in your routes for resting positions where you can shake before continuing.

Security

Some of the rules that the climber must follow before starting the climbing are the following:

• Take out the rope and pass it through your hands, you do not start climbing if you have not felt it before.
• Once the harness and helmet are on, the first thing to do is to tie the rope to the harness with a knot, preferably in eight knots, which is the best type of knot because if the main knot is badly made, the climber or companions have time to notice if there is something out of the normal.
• A safety carabiner should be used in the first anchorage or express safety tape. Always wear a safety helmet and gloves.

Equipment

The materials used in sport climbing are:

• Climbing shoes, feet of cat.
• The powder Magnesium, the white powder that helps keep hands dry.
• Harness that is comfortable and appropriate to the size.
• Rope.
• ATC and carabiner with lock.
• Helmet.
• Express ribbons.

Benefits of sport climbing

The main benefits of the sports scale are:

• You burn calories, approximately between 1,000 and 1,500 calories per hour.
• You learn to work your whole body in a single session.
• You gain a great deal of muscular endurance, giving the muscles definition and health.
• Toxins are eliminated from the body.
• Helps to improve concentration and attention.
• Posture and balance are strengthened.
• It’s an excellent way to combat stress.

Sport climbing in wall

It is an activity that brings great benefits to the body. It presents a high degree of difficulty, but its benefits are many. It needs concentration and can be practiced by people of different ages, but it should be avoided by those who have cardiovascular disease or have some type of injury to their body. You need a protective helmet, a harness, special shoes and magnesia.