Half crimp training

Hey all, I have been climbing about 6 years and have only recently realized that I hardly every close or half crimp smaller holds. I nearly always open hand the crap out of smaller holds.

What are some training routines to train half crimps? My problem is every time I half crimp a hold, my hand slowly opens up into an open-handed crimp.

Cheers

Not sure what you mean by "opens up into a full crimp".

LIkely we can offer better help if you first carefully define what you mean by "full" and "half" and "open".

Different authorities have different definitions -- so best to link to some photos.

Ken

kenr wrote: Not sure what you mean by "opens up into a full crimp".

LIkely we can offer better help if you first carefully define what you mean by "full" and "half" and "open".

Different authorities have different definitions -- so best to link to some photos.

Ken

I was unaware there was different definitions of each...

a.) open
b.) half
c.) full

get on a hangboard and train in a 1/2 crimp. If you release it into an open hand you're either on too small of a hold or have too much weight on.

Train 4-6 sets of 10 second max hangs.

Your crimp strength will improve

Have you used a hangboard before? Not just for a couple seconds when you walk by it in the gym but an actual hangboard program.

If you've never hangboarded before going straight to max hangs for a hand position you're not familiar with might be dangerous.  I'd never recommend the five minute fingers for people who have experience hangboarding (unless they can't stick to any other hangboard program) but in this case it would allow you to work on the hand position without much investment in time but enough to begin to feel how to engage the fingers in a half crimp position.  Otherwise a basic repeater in the half crimp position would work.

MrZ wrote:

I was unaware there was different definitions of each...

a.) open
b.) half
c.) full

This is a good picture, but I believe that in b) they bent the thumb down to show the position of other fingers, but it't not the actual half crimp. If you extend the thumb up, without changing the bend angle of the other fingers, it would naturally rest on the SIDE of the index finger. Not on top, as in the full crimp, but still it wouldn't normally be hanging down the way it is shown in the picture, because why? It's a crimp, not a pocket.

For me personally the squeeze of the index and thumb together, as if you are pinching a sheet of paper, is a key to the half crimp.

Lena chita wrote:

For me personally the squeeze of the index and thumb together, as if you are pinching a sheet of paper, is a key to the half crimp.

It really depends on the length of your fingers. You must have long thumbs, because my thumbs are nowhere near my index finger when I'm in a half crimp position. My half crimp looks exactly like the picture, with my thumb tucked on the side. But my open doesn't look like the picture, because my little fingers are too short so there is no way I can engage my little fingers on a hold without a 90-degree bend in the DIP joints on my middle and ring fingers. So for me to do a true open hand, it's essentially the same grip as a three finger pocket.

 I think the defining characteristics of a half crimp is the PIP joints of all four fingers (IMRL) are at roughly 90 degrees, and the DIP joints are either straight or slightly hyperextended. Open hand is where the DIP and PIP joints on all four fingers are bending at roughly 45 degrees (adds up to 90).

aikibujin wrote:

It really depends on the length of your fingers. You must have long thumbs, because my thumbs are nowhere near my index finger when I'm in a half crimp position. My half crimp looks exactly like the picture, with my thumb tucked on the side. But my open doesn't look like the picture, because my little fingers are too short so there is no way I can engage my little fingers on a hold without a 90-degree bend in the DIP joints on my middle and ring fingers. So for me to do a true open hand, it's essentially the same grip as a three finger pocket.

 I think the defining characteristics of a half crimp is the DIP joints of all four fingers (IMRL) are at roughly 90 degrees, and the PIP joints are either straight or slightly hyperextended. Open hand is where the DIP and PIP joints on all four fingers are bending at roughly 45 degrees (adds up to 90).

Interesting. I always thought that I had short stubby fingers. And for me the open hand crimp feels a lot like a 3 finger pocket, too,

I think in the last paragraph you have the PIP and DIP mixed up?

The MCP is where fingers join the hand/palm. Moving out from the hand to fingertips, the next joint is PIP (proximal), and the last one is DIP ( distal).

So in Open crimp PIP and DIP are at 135 degrees each, (obtuse, more open than 90, I think that's what you mean by 45 degrees) roughly, adding up to 270, which is to say, 90
In half crimp PIP is at 90 degrees and DIP is straight.
And in full crimp PIP is slightly less than 90, and DIP is overextended to past straight line, and again they add up to 90.

Edit to add a picture of what I mean by my thumb reaching the side of my index finger in half crimp. Yes, I climbed this past weekend. Yes, it is cold here... 

Lena chita wrote:

I think in the last paragraph you have the PIP and DIP mixed up?

The MCP is where fingers join the hand/palm. Moving out from the hand to fingertips, the next joint is PIP (proximal), and the last one is DIP ( distal).

So in Open crimp PIP and DIP are at 135 degrees each, (obtuse, more open than 90, I think that's what you mean by 45 degrees) roughly, adding up to 270, which is to say, 90
In half crimp PIP is at 90 degrees and DIP is straight.
And in full crimp PIP is slightly less than 90, and DIP is overextended to past straight line, and again they add up to 90.

You're absolutely right. I always get those two mixed up... not good with acronyms! I'll go edit my post now...

The only thing that makes me feel better is that you do have freakishly long thumbs!  

Here's my half crimp. I don't usually keep my thumb straight, but did so in the photo to show how short it is...

Slim Vincent wrote: Have you used a hangboard before? Not just for a couple seconds when you walk by it in the gym but an actual hangboard program.

I have done repeaters but always with an open hand/chisel grip. My issue is that it hardly trained my pinky finger, and definitely would like to increase my half crimp/full crimp strength as they are the strongest positions, no?

training the full crimp and half crimp is fine. If you can't deadhang in a half crimp without having your hand open up then take weight off with a pulley so you can stay in the position and train it. Same with full crimp, deadhang some full crimps for max hangs, if you can't do it with bodyweight, take some weight off.

Trying to remember this shit isn't rocket surgery! :D