Foot Jam Agony

Hi all. So I’m (pretty obviously) a new trad climber, and am quickly becoming hopelessly addicted to cracks. I have been primarily working on hand jam sized cracks and have been living it and feeling solid with the hands, but have been really struggling with my foot jams. I know it’s likely my form and it seems like I’m probably over torquing my feet but I’m not really sure how not to do that when standing up on jams. I built a crack trainer in my room so that I can work on technique, but it only has helped so much. Anyway was mostly just wondering what y’all think about when jamming and if y’all have any tips for making foot jams as secure as people say they should be. Thanks!

Do you have the right shoes? Your toes should be flat (not curled or knuckled), also shoes with velcro are a PITA in cracks. Try slippers or laces. I also prefer shoes with a full, stiff last like Katanas, but it completely depends on the type of crack you are trying to do.

Try wearing bigger shoes with socks.

I’m using BD aspects where my toes are up against the end but not curled at all.

Until you get used to foot jamming, you might try taking OTC pain medicine before practicing.

 I didn't do that when I first started as a young person, but after I went for 20+ years with almost no climbing and then returned to some of the same old cracks, I needed the pain meds. After doing regular jamming for a month or so after that, I didn't need the meds.

I remember being pretty sore when I first started off. All those foot and ankle ligaments/tendons are being stretched in ways they’ve never been before. It’ll get better with more mileage. 

Moccs, and using as little torque as possible worked for me.  I think of it as smearing one side of the crack rather than torquing my foot so hard it fuses to both sides, you want juuuuust enough force to get the rubber to stick.  Also, move your heel up or down to avoid putting pressure on any pain points in your foot - for me, heel down a little is best such that I have my big toe smearing one side and flat area behind the little toe pushing on the other side.

A stiff shoe with lots of protection, like a TC pro, will work too for hand sizes.  Personally I like Moccs for anything hand crack related due to sticker rubber and more feel, but different strokes.  As said above, you really don't want curled toes either way, jamming like that freaking hurts.

Zach Jones wrote:

I’m using BD aspects where my toes are up against the end but not curled at all.

Hmm, I haven't personally worn Aspects but that should be pretty ideal shoe wise.

BD does say the rubber is edging-biased (rather than super grippy but soft like a Mocc) so that might make a difference - I feel like my Moccs just stick to the crack edge while jamming, while the TCs take more torque.  They have a similar stiff rubber that's more for edging than smearing.  I can jam hand sizes in either without pain, of course.

Nathan reminded me of another exercise you can try. Get all 4 appendages in the crack, loosen the jams in varying combinations to get a feel for how much you actually have to torque/jam. This applies to feet and hands. Then try it with 2 hands in, 1 foot in/2 feet in 1 hand in, etc. Play around with the torque and orientation: angle of the ankle, rotation of the forearms, alignment of the elbows to the crack both in plane and orthogonally to the crack, etc. Doing this a bunch will help you dial in technique and figure out lighter but effective jams. Each of the combinations of appendages and body orientation will work a different set of muscles and ligaments which will make jamming less painful. (Imagine if you were to climb a sport climb with the exact same repetitive movement to the same holds and distances. Your arms would be shot if you didn't add variety!)

Thank you guys for all the advice currently on my way to the crag to try it out :)

Jon Nelson wrote:

Until you get used to foot jamming, you might try taking OTC pain medicine before practicing.

That strikes me as a terrible idea.

Just work on technique. Don't over jam, or jam at all. Usually you can just step on the crack unless its slick, rotten, or severely overhung.

It isn't clear from your post, but based on the title I'm assuming you are saying that the pain of the foot jam is so extreme that it prevents you from getting a secure jam. I certainly had the same experience when I started out crack climbing. I have learned that you need to drop your heel to adjust the angle of the jam. You want the camming action of the foot jam to squeeze across the toes instead of the knuckles. Dropping your heel helps by adjusting the orientation of the jam. Squeezing hard across the knuckles of your hands or feet hurts like hell and if it hurts that much then you are doing it wrong.

When I was first jamming hand cracks I found it most comfortable to stick my foot in as far as I could.  I think this puts more pressure on the meatier part of the foot, and less on the boney balls area.  Also you barely have to torque at all because your foot is just wedged into the crack.  But it will get stuck sometimes.

Don’t use drugs, even otc, to manage pain. That’s got to be the worst advice I’ve seen given in a while. You’re learning a new skill. Just keep working on your technique. It will get better.