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Campus and accuracy

Original Post
Pablo Camacho · · Margalef · Joined Mar 2014 · Points: 20

Hi

I have noticed that sometimes I have poor accuracy on dynamic moves; deadpoints when climbing and specially campusing highlight that problem. I have done campus workout a few times and last time, when trying to do basic ladders on the medium rungs, something I had never been able to do, I spent a few minutes before starting repeating with my hands the motion of latching the rungs, just on the first two rungs which I was able to reach from the ground without hanging at all. I did that thinking it might help my muscle memory "learn" how it feels to latch the rung, how deep my fingers could go into the rung before hitting the board, etc.

Has anyone done that before? Does it make any sense? And if it does make sense, can this principle be extended to train accuracy more broadly with target practice? (Say quickly pushing a small button that's 20 inches away)

Thanks!

kenr · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 16,608
Pablo Camacho wrote:I did that thinking it might help my muscle memory "learn" how it feels to latch the rung, how deep my fingers could go into the rung before hitting the board, etc.
Yes I think "making friends" with the hold first does help, before trying to latch it with a dynamic move.

Pablo Camacho wrote:... train accuracy more broadly with target practice? (Say quickly pushing a small button that's 20 inches away)
I guess there's a small benefit to "general" eye-arm-finger muscle accuracy -- but much more benefit to very specific accuracy.

The Self-Coached Climber book has two exercises for training specific accuracy -- performed integrated with whatever climbing you're doing anyway. Strikes me that's a less boring and more specific way to train accuracy than pressing a button.

I'd think the best way to train accuracy for some kind of deadpoint dynamic move is to just do lots of similar deadpoint moves. That way I'm at the same time also training the neural perception + coordination for latching, and stimulating hypertrophy of finger-forearm muscles+tendons.

A basic problem with training by pushing a button is that missing by going 1 cm high has the same result as missing 1 cm low. But in most actual climbing moves, going 1 cm higher still gives the chance of successful latch, but 1 cm too low does not.

For non-dynamic accuracy, I'd think the main benefit for climbing is speed. And in strenuous sequences, speed between rest positions is critical to success. So I'd guess that a more interesting way to train non-dynamic accuracy is while timing myself through some section of a route.

Training accuracy while standing on the ground is like a rest position on the rock -- seems to me like the least relevant kind of eye-arm-finger accuracy to be training - for any actual climbing.

Ken
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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