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Rock climbing is a sport becoming even more popular in recent years, and it can be difficult to know where to start. Climbing, whether it be outdoors or indoors, bouldering or with ropes, has new challenges every time you climb. When you are just starting out, whether as a student learning for school, a teacher searching for inspiration for HPE courses, or someone with an interest in the sport and no idea where to go from here, the following tips are proven by time and experience to help you out.

Warm up properly – We’re starting at the very beginning! It is essential to warm up before climbing, as to not risk injury. It doesn’t need to be for long—only five to ten minutes—and although you don’t need to have a set routine, it can be simpler to create one. Ensure that you are warming up every muscle with some stretches, like arm and wrist circles, lunges, squats, and jumping jacks. Then, start on the easiest climbs in the gym before moving on to the hard stuff, even though they’re more fun!

Footwork – One of the biggest issues for climbers just starting out is footwork because you’re focusing on going up, not looking down. Use all parts of your foot, like the inside edge, outside edge, toe, and full foot, depending on the hold and what climb you’re doing. Try out some games to help with this, like the Sticky Feet drill. When you climb, try not to move your feet once you’ve placed them on a hold, unless you are moving to a new hold. And, of course, the best way to train is to keep climbing!

Practice falling – It’s scary, and it happens to the very best of climbers. It is important to know how to fall properly and safely before it happens for real. Whether you are bouldering, top-roping, or leading, falling is a part of climbing that new climbers often stress about. Knowing what to do takes away that fear.

Straight arms – When you are just starting out, the instinct is to hold yourself as close to the wall as possible, where you feel safer, but it is a lot easier to have straight arms when climbing. Instead of constantly being engaged, the muscles in your arms will have a chance to rest if you are simply hanging rather than pulling in close to the wall all the time, and conservation of energy is one of the most important parts of climbing.

Know your body – When climbing it is important to know your body. This means knowing your capabilities, but also being able to identify your centre of gravity, which is in the middle of your body. This lets you shift your weight to suit the holds, and helps you train for balance.

Push with your legs – Instead of exhausting yourself by pulling yourself up a climbing wall with your arms, push with your legs instead, like stepping up stairs. Keep your weight on your legs to conserve your energy.

Nutrition – Nutrition is vital in rock climbing. Ensure that you eat before, during, and after climbing sessions. One of the biggest reasons for exhaustion in climbing is a lack of proper nutrition. Before climbing, try out some slow-release carbohydrates and a variety of healthy fats like avocado and nuts to sustain you. Bring some protein or muesli bars to your climbing session to boost your energy. This also means drinking plenty of water, though when you’re sweating it out, you probably won’t forget that tip!

Technique, not speed – Worry about your technique while you climb instead of how fast you are getting up the route. Better yet, don’t worry at all. Speed is a major contributor to poor technique, and although more experienced climbers can do both, make sure to focus on all the above tips like footwork, straight arms, and body positioning, rather than being the fastest to make it up the climb.

Don’t go too hard, too fast – Rock climbing is an incredible sport, but it is important to remember not to get burnt out. Only do two to four sessions a week to allow your muscles time to heal, and only spend as much time climbing as you feel comfortable with. Rest between climbs to recover and take a break if you need it. There is no point in exhausting yourself early and making the next morning painful.

Positive self-talk – Climbing is meant to be fun, above all, but nobody is having fun when they’re putting themselves down. Practice encouraging self-talk and you will find yourself having more fun and completing more climbs. Many people try to climb with a partner to keep themselves motivated and positive.

Playing games not only makes climbing fun and interesting, but it can improve your climbing skills. Our favourite climbing wall games are included below. They are perfect for climbers of all ages trying to enhance their own training plans, coaches looking for ways to boost their climbing programs, and teachers looking for additional variety in their lesson plans.

Bouldering Wall Games

Add-On
You and your partner/s agree on an initial sequence of 3 – 5 moves. The first climber will do this sequence, then adds one more move to the end. The second will have to do this new sequence and then add a move of their own. This continues, with climbers switching back and forth until you can’t keep going. Variations include having a three-life system or choosing footholds to use instead of having open feet. Best played in a group of 2 – 4.

Benefits: Endurance, memorising sequences, planning ahead, teamwork.

Eliminate
To play, find a route within all climbers’ skill levels. Each person must climb the route through once, then the first will choose a hold to eliminate. The next climber must then climb the route without using this hold. They then choose another hold to eliminate, and the next person climbs without both of these holds and then eliminates another hold. This continues until no player can complete the climb or all holds have been eliminated. Best played in a group of 1 – 4 people.

Benefits: Dynamic movements, problem-solving, perseverance.

Shark attack
Shark attack is the climbers’ version of musical chairs. The players begin in an inwards-facing circle. When the teacher or group leader yells out, “shark attack”, everyone must get on the wall as quickly as possible. The last person on the wall is eliminated. Variations include not using legs or arms or eliminating only a body part instead of the person. Best played in a large group. This game is perfect for physical education classes.

Benefits: A fun and competitive exercise which can be upgraded to involve elements of balance or strength.

Memory
The first person creates a route by pointing out holds to the others—no taping or chalking allowed—and each subsequent player must climb the problem from memory, exactly as pointed out. Best played in a group of 2 – 4.

Benefits: Memory, improves the transition from preview to climbing.

Lemon and Lime
Choose a problem within each player’s skill level. The lemon section of the game begins by making one move of the problem, then going back to the start without coming off the wall. Then go back up the climb, this time making two moves before reversing back down to the start holds. Continue like this until you reach the top of the problem.

The lime portion is very similar to the lemon, except that it is the reverse exercise. Down climb a move, then go back to the top. Then down climb two moves before going back to the top. Repeat until you reach the bottom of the climb. To make it easier, exclude the lime section of the game. Best played in a group of 1 – 3.

Benefits: Endurance, power, footwork.

Traverse Climbing Wall Games

No Hands
A simple but challenging game in which climbers pick a climb within their skill level and use no hands to climb the route. This is easier on traverse walls but can also be played on bouldering walls. Best played in a group of 1 or more.

Benefits: Footwork, balance, perseverance.

Pointer

The first climber gets on the wall and the other player/s point to the next hold they must move to. As the climber moves, point out their next hold. This continues until the climber falls off the wall, at which point they swap places. This can also be played on a bouldering wall. Best played in a group of 2 – 3.

Benefits: Endurance, on-sight skills, developing beta

Roped Climbing Wall Games

Laps

A player will climb to the top of a climb, then down again without being lowered off. The difficulty can be decreased by only climbing halfway up a climb or increased by doing more laps. This can also be played on a bouldering or traverse wall. Best played in a group of 2.

Benefits: Endurance, stamina, footwork.

Spider-Man
Once safely tied in, one person climbs partway up the wall, picks a hold far enough away that they cannot reach it and yells, “I’m Spider-Man!” Once the belayer confirms that the rope is locked off, the climber will then try to jump to this hold. If they catch it, they can try again. If they don’t, they two people swap. Best played in a group of 2.

Benefits: Committing to moves, dynamic movements, ability to judge distance

Taps
Climb like normal, but the climber must tap their foot to each hold before grabbing it with their hand. This can also be played on a bouldering or traverse wall. Best played in a group of 2 – 3.

Benefits: Flexibility, planning ahead, strength, endurance.

These climbing wall games are fun ways to bolster your training programs and make climbing sessions more varied. We are always happy to talk if you need more information, so give us a call today with your inquiries and ideas.

Sport climbing has been launched into the spotlight since its Olympic debut in 2020, and it isn’t hard to figure out why it has boomed in popularity amongst the youth of Australia. Rock climbing not only challenges you physically but provides a fun and exciting way to challenge yourself mentally with problem-solving and puzzles. This makes it the ideal addition to any HPE or PDHPE program.

Health and Physical Education is a subject compulsory in the Australian curriculum, from Prep to Grade 10, and is a popular choice in electives during senior years. HPE aims to teach students how to be healthy, safe, and active in a supportive and warm environment. Rock climbing hits every point of the HPE curriculum checklist.

Rock climbing is a full-body exercise, and students will easily achieve the physical activity portion of HPE. Additionally, the fun aspects of bouldering and sport climbing will entice those who find traditional sports less fulfilling. The problem-solving aspects of climbing make it the ideal sport to involve creative and critical thinking in movement.

Another key point of HPE studies is movement concepts and strategies. This is a section easily employed by rock climbing. Strategy and problem-solving is an essential part of rock climbing, from the basics of where to put your hands to the complex body movements that come with more complex climbs. Planning is an integral part of this sport, and again involves the mental aspects of a school curriculum with the fun and health of movement.

The other side of HPE is in health education, which focuses on contributing to healthy and active communities and making safe choices, among other features. This aspect is supported by rock climbing, which encourages teamwork, personal improvement, and risk-taking in a secure environment. Sport climbing teaches children how to make educated decisions about their own safety and when to (or when to not) send it. It helps students overcome their fears, whether this be about heights, their abilities, or their self-confidence. Be sure to read our great article about how climbing builds confident children.

Additionally, sport climbing is a rare sport in that it is conducive to both healthy competition and a friendly spirit. Instead of competing against others, one competes against oneself—there are no losers in rock climbing. This makes it the perfect sport for a school environment, where competition can make some unmotivated and others encouraged. Rock climbing is an easy sport to tailor to each individual’s needs and preferences.

There are many ways to rock climb, from rope climbing to bouldering. Automatic belays are perfect in places where there aren’t enough teachers or qualified students to belay. Instead of sticking to bouldering, automatic belays allow one to climb without a partner, getting kids off the ground and engaging healthy risk-taking behaviour in a safe environment.

Not only is rock climbing an excellent addition to any HPE program, but a rock climbing wall can also be used across the entire school. Many schools use rock climbing walls in cross-curricular activities, especially in primary schools. In Maths classes, teachers place answers on the wall and ask sums. In English, parts of speech. Movement has long been proven to improve learning and memory, and this utilisation of ingrained human skills is perfect for the classroom.

A quick go on the wall is also perfect for brain breaks. It is essential to have periodic breaks throughout the learning day, and popping out to the wall to give students a climb or two is the perfect way to burn off any extra energy from sitting in the classroom and reengage them with learning. This outdoor time has been proven to be beneficial in schools for productivity in students, and it boosts the connection of students with the teacher and classmates in a 15-minute bonding exercise each day.

Skill in rock climbing isn’t only beneficial for HPE. As many more schools are installing rock climbing walls and incorporating all types of climbing into their sports programs, inter-school rock climbing competitions have become a fun way to socialise and bring home another trophy for the case.

Rock climbing, in all its forms, is the perfect sport for schools. The training at Discovery Climbing makes getting a rock climbing wall perfect for your school and specifications even easier. This fun and exciting sport provides a safe space for learning about safe choices and healthy risk-taking and aligns with every requirement set by the Australian HPE curriculum.

At Discovery Climbing our passion is getting kids climbing; however, we understand how overwhelming the prospect of introducing a climbing wall in your school can be. To help answer all the questions related to climbing wall safety requirements we’ve compiled a guide to help you take the first steps to understand what staff training requirements need to be met to ensure the safety of your students. We invite you to have a read of the information below and to reach out to one of our friendly team members for a chat about how we can best support you in starting your school’s climbing wall journey.

Depending on what type of wall you would like in your school, we can assist you in meeting the safety standards and recommendations to help kids try climbing in a fun and encouraging environment, whilst also allowing for the best use of your chosen climbing wall.

Manual Belay Climbing Walls:

Manual belay climbing walls currently require staff members involved to complete the nationally recognised SISOCLM008 training unit. Discovery Climbing recommends that for initial budgeting purposes schools should allocate approximately $1,500 inc GST for each staff member being trained. These units can be completed as a 4-day training course, and here at Discovery Climbing, we have specialist training crews who travel around Australia to conduct this training on a regular basis. If you would like to find out more about the safety requirements for a manual belay climbing wall or find out more about the comprehensive training courses that we provide, please contact one of our friendly team members who would love to help.

Automatic Belay Climbing Walls:

Currently, there are no formal training requirements for a staff member to operate an automatic belay. However, why not organise a staff outing to a local climbing gym to allow staff members the opportunity to experience climbing firsthand and build an awareness of the basics of the sport. Rock Climbing can be a great team-building activity and is not just fun for children, but adults too!

You can find information on your local climbing gym here: https://www.mountainproject.com/gyms/australia

Bouldering and Traverse Climbing Walls:

Staff do not need to hold an official qualification to supervise the use of a bouldering or traverse climbing walls, just a proactive attitude and ability to be actively involved in supervising student participation. As with all playground equipment, supervision and active risk reduction will ensure the best use for all pupils involved.

As with all school related activities in which there is a degree of risk involved, it is also strongly recommended that all staff members hold an up to date First-aid and CPR training certification.

It is also worth noting that individual states hold their own specific policies and guidelines surrounding the regulations needed to safely facilitate climbing activities, each states detailed Climbing Wall Safety Requirements can be found below:

Queensland:
https://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/stages-of-schooling/CARA/activity-guidelines/climbing-abseiling-artificial-surfaces

New South Wales:
http://www.paci.com.au/downloads_public/codes/03_Code_Artificial_NSW.pdf

Victoria:
https://outdoorsvictoria.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/AAS_Edition2_Artificial_Climbing_Structures.pdf

South Australia:     
https://outdoorssa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Artificial-Climbing-and-Abseiling-Structures.pdf

Tasmania, Western Australia and Northern Territory:
https://australianaas.org.au/wp-content/uploads/Abseiling-and-Climbing-GPG-v1.0.pdf

We need only take a moment to consider the consequential benefits that arise with confidence to understand why it is an essential tool in helping students to thrive and flourish both inside and out of the classroom. With direct links to improved academic achievements, social relationships, and overall wellbeing, encouraging confidence in the classroom seems to be a no-brainer.

Climbing has long held many benefits when it comes to increasing confidence both in adolescents and adults. The very nature of climbing relies on equal parts of physical and mental ability, proving to boost and increase the overall self-esteem and confidence of those who participate in the sport. This is due to several aspects, some of which are explored below.

Learning to not fear falling or failing

Climbing is a sport in which the individual’s main opposition is themselves. Each climb presents an opportunity for the climber to set clear goals which, when fulfilled, facilitates an overall boost in confidence and clear feeling of accomplishment. This is not to say that there won’t be times in which certain goals are not met, or a climb is left unfinished, rather that these opportunities present themselves as moments in which a climber can reflect and learn from their mistakes, encouraging a growth mindset. In essence, they grow by learning not to fear “falling” or “failing”, but rather see them as tools of development and improvement.

Social connections increase student confidence

At its core, climbing is a social sport, the benefits of which lend themselves to promoting confidence in students and individuals of all ages. Community, communication, and comradery are all essential to success within the sport of climbing, and allow for all individuals to feel part of a team. Where students find belonging, they find connection, which needless to say, lends itself to boosting the overall self-esteem and confidence of the child.

Learning to take Risks (in a controlled environment)

Climbing presents a perfect opportunity for students to explore their individual physical and psychological boundaries. Risk-taking is a natural part of adolescent development and climbing provides an excellent opportunity for this, with the benefit of it being in a controlled and safe environment. As students become more confident in their ability to assess and take well considered risks, they will become more confident in all aspects of life, from approaching new social situations to feeling assured enough to ask questions and engage in classroom activities.

With benefits such as these, there seems to be no question as to if we should allow opportunities for confidence building and considered risk-taking on the playground, but rather the best way in which to do so (a climbing wall being an excellent way to go).

Additional Resources:
https://positivepsychology.com/self-esteem-for-children/
https://www.trainingbeta.com/whitney-boland-fear-and-confidence-in-climbing/

The recent boom in rock climbing’s popularity has been great for both the general strength and well-being of Australia’s casual climbers, and also for more serious participants. The decision to have climbing included as an event in the Tokyo Olympic Games was evidence of rock climbing’s growing popularity. What often tends to go unnoticed, however, is just how beneficial climbing can be as a sensory or rehabilitation exercise for those suffering from injuries or disabilities. Discovery Climbing has set itself the goal of not only bringing to light the benefits of rock climbing for those with disabilities but also to develop and distribute small-scale rock walls at manageable price points.

In addition to building or rebuilding strength and coordination, small-scale climbing walls can have significant benefits on sensory development. Occupation therapist Claire Heffron even incorporates rock climbing into her therapy regime for children, due to its benefits to cognition, coordination, and even sensory processing. “When it comes to the development and integration of the sensory systems, rock climbing is pretty much an occupational therapist’s dream come true,” she said. “Kids get great proprioceptive input (sensory input to the muscles and joints) as they hoist themselves from hold to hold, and then there’s the vestibular (movement-based) experience of gliding back down to the floor.”

The mental benefits are also significant. A study published by Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, titled Effect of indoor wall climbing on self-efficacy and self-perceptions of children with special needs, highlighted how large an impact climbing can have for young, differently abled people. After six weeks of climbing, the children’s self-efficacy – that is, their judgment of well they can handle situations based on their own abilities – improved dramatically.

As for cognitive disabilities, a blog published by School Specialty in the US outlined how useful indoor rock climbing can be for perception and discernment. Action concepts, such as on and off, up and down, go and stop, are all naturally incorporated into rock climbing and are experienced both verbally and kinesthetically. Moreover, the problem-solving and decision-making inherent to rock climbing serve to further develop the cognitive function. Such skills have also been found to translate well into more academic settings, too. 

There are also a number of potential cross-curricular activities that can be included with rock climbing. For example, if the holds were marked with numbers, children could be tasked with only using those marked with prime numbers or odd numbers. Additionally, there are ways to incorporate communicative exercises too, such as having the child’s peers announce which holds the climber can or cannot use while trying to reach their goal. Activities such as this serve to exacerbate the already-prevalent mental and cognitive development that rock climbing delivers.

But despite the effectiveness of rock climbing for physical and neurodevelopment and rehabilitation, a major barrier to entry for clinics and educational centres is the typical size – and associated costs– of rock climbing walls. Discovery Climbing is committed to bringing climbing to all who can benefit from it, no matter how small the wall may be. For this reason, we are able to provide just a small number of holds and crashmats and install them on a temporary wall or even an existing structural
wall – all for as close to cost price as possible. 

If you are building a therapy space with a sensorimotor gym and are wanting to install a rock climbing wall for sensory development or rehabilitation, we would love to help.

Enjoyment

For many, the sheer enjoyment of climbing is enough to get them back on the wall day after day. But besides being endlessly fun, climbing brings with it a whole host of other benefits – many of which are especially important for the growth and development of school children.

Social benefits

While climbing can be a competitive sport, it is first and foremost a recreational activity done amongst friends. Climbing in a group brings a level of co-operation and mutual achievement not found in many other sports. Participants work together to overcome particularly tricky climbs, and motivate one another to keep pushing themselves to achieve more difficult challenges.

This kind of co-operative activity has been found to improve and develop children’s communication, empathy, trust, and conflict resolution.^[1]

Physiological benefits

Few can doubt the importance of physical activity for children, both for the health benefits it provides and for the development of motor skills (or physical literacy). Between cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, dexterity, muscle strength, and endurance, it’s difficult to encourage children to participate in a wide enough array of activities to ensure they’re becoming proficient in all aspects of physical literacy. The beauty of climbing is that it’s one of the few activities that can be considered a true full-body workout.^[2]

Climbing improves a child’s upper and lower body strength, cardiovascular fitness and endurance, muscle endurance, and balance, making it the ideal sport for physical development during crucial periods of growth.

Cognitive benefits

A full-body workout should never exclude the most vital body part we have: the brain. Climbing is a physical sport, but it isn’t the strongest climbers who are necessarily the best; it’s those most capable of thinking their way through unique challenges posed by the rock wall. At its core, rock-climbing is an exercise in problem solving.^[3] Problem-solving skills help to improve a child’s confidence, creativity, independence, and critical thinking.^[4]

Beyond that, climbing has been found to bring a whole host of other cognitive benefits. These include improved brain function and memory, a reduction in stress, and even decreased symptoms of ADHD.^[5]

While these many physical, emotional and psychological benefits for school children make climbing one of the best hobbies they could pick up, they aren’t the reason children will want to get involved. Parents and guardians can be satisfied knowing their children are developing such vital skills, but for the children themselves it’s the sheer enjoyment of climbing the wall and overcoming challenges that will always have them coming back for more.

[1] What Is Cooperative Play? Definition, Examples, and Benefits (healthline.com)
[2] Why Rock Climbing and Bouldering May Be the Best Full-Body Workouts | Time
[3] Solving problems. Every rock climber is un-knowingly an… | by Marc Rollin | Medium
[4] Importance of Problem Solving Skills in your Child | (theearlychildhooduniversity.com)
[5] How Rock Climbing Does Your Mind — And Body — Good | HuffPost Australia Wellness (huffingtonpost.com.au)