A comprehensive list and definitions of climbing moves, please select a letter from below.
Backstep: Placing a foot behind the body with the foot on its outside edge allowing the hip to roll inward, closer to the wall.
Barn Door: Horrible moment when the body swings away from the rock, often in a sideways motion leaving two points of contact on the wall, usually one hand and one foot, due to the angle. To the onlooker it’s a moment of comedy. To the climber it usually results in fall as it is very hard to come back from.
Bump: To use an intermediate handhold to transition to a higher hold without shifting body position.
Campus: To climb using only the arms. A training method to increase finger, hand, arm and shoulder strength.
Crimp: A small delicate hold that requires a skilful and strong grip, named because it requires the fingers to crimp the hold and sometimes load the thumb over the top of the fingers for added strength.
Cross-Over: Bring one arm across the other as you reach for a new hold.
Drop Knee: Similar to the backstep, but the knee is rotated inside and downward allowing the foot to push sideways or toe hook on a hold that is too high to backstep.
Dyno: the art of pulling down very hard on a hand hold or feature to launch the climber upwards to grab at another hold. Often done by show offs at climbing walls to impress girls/boys/themselves.
Egyptian: A technique that puts both feet in line with each other either on a lip or large foot hold reminiscent of characters depicted in Egyptian art.
Flag: An extended leg that counterbalances the body and prevents the climber from barn dooring and coming off the rock face.
Frog Step: A frontal body position in which both legs are extended simultaneously to reach higher handholds.
Gaston: A hold that requires herculean strength to execute. Requires the hands to be pulling at the hold in opposing directions to keep you stable.
Hand-Foot Match: To place a hand and a foot in the same hold.
Heel Hook: Putting the heel on a hold
in an attempt to distribute the climbers weight through three points of
contact. Often used to get over ledges, shelfs and overhangs.
High Step - Lift up a leg to reach a high foot hold.
Hip Roll: Rotating the hips from a frontal position to face sideways bringing the hip closer to the wall to give more hold options.
Knee-Bar: A rest position that can be useful when climbing steep or overhanging terrain, achieved by camming the upper thigh and foot against two holds.
Latch: Successfully grip a hold, a skill that is dependent on contact strength, accuracy and timing. Slap - To touch a handhold but fail to latch it.
Lay Back: Often executed when climbing a long vertical crack. Requires both hands and feet to be on the same hold and the body then lying away at arm length, so the arms are not bent. The arms pull at the hold and the feet and legs push at the hold to achieve an almost walking move.
Lock Off: Grip a single hand hold with enough strength to allow the other hand to transition to a new hand hold or to reach for protection or the chalk bag.
Mantle: The hand is pressed down on top of a shelf or overhang and the arm pushes the body weight until a leg or foot can be brought onto the shelf as well. It’s the same move a swimmer uses to get out of the pool.
Match: Bring both hands to the same handhold such as a jug or large crack.
Rock On: To shift body weight from one foot to the other.
Side Pull: A hold that requires a pull in a sideways direction in an attempt to keep the body close to the rock face. A side pull cannot give any downward pressure to raise the climber.
Smear: A small friction hold, usually a foothold where by the sole of the climbing shoe is pressed against the face of the rock with great pressure to allow friction to make the hold.
Stem: To support the body using opposition created by pressing the hands and or feet outward in opposite directions.
Step-Through: Commonly used when traversing a route by crossing one leg around the back or in front of the leg that is taking the body weight on a foot hold.
Swap Feet: Literally to swap feet on the same foot hold in an effort to get a better body position or to rest a tired leg or foot.
Turnout: To extend the hips and draw the body closer to the rock in a frontal position.
Twist Lock: A transitional movement in which the body is twisted towards the hold being locked off allowing the locking off arm to straighten and bringing the reaching shoulder higher and closer to the wall extending its reach.
Undercling: An elusive hold which requires grasping a rock, crack, or surface which is hidden underneath a protrusion.
