Now that you have started rock climbing, you will regularly encounter challenges that require you to do more than move across the walls from left to right or utilise your limbs in a regular order (like climbing a ladder). Frequently, you will find yourself needing to change your direction of travel, adjust your body position, and switching your pivoting foot from one side to another. You might have heard rock climbers talk about "matching" your feet or "sharing" your footholds and handholds.
In this guide, we dive deeper into this fundamental skill, when to apply it, and how to apply it correctly.
Learning To Share
Rock climbing and bouldering thrive on challenges. One common form of this challenge is to make climbing movements despite limited foothold options.
This challenge can feel difficult for new climbers if it is accompanied by a need to change their body position and direction of travel too.
While a good sense of balance and positioning skills will be helpful here, an ability to share footholds will enable you to overcome the challenges and progress in your climb efficiently.
When you can share footholds confidently, you will be able to change the foot you use for pivoting and supporting movements easily, allowing you to modify your body position and movement direction with ease.
Sharing A Foothold = Matching Your Feet
This is the basic concept behind sharing footholds and matching your feet.
Before you move on to another foothold, visually divide the destination foothold into two equal parts - one for each foot.
Place your leading foot on one-half of the foothold so that your other foot can occupy the other half. It is important to ensure that your you are using the toe point of your climbing shoes instead of placing your entire foot flat on the foothold.
As you match your feet together, you would have the opportunity to decide which foot you want to move next, instead of following an obligatory or assumed sequence.
E.g. instead of moving your right foot multiple times in the same direction, in an unnatural order, you can match your feet on a foothold along the way. This allows you to move your left foot into a more comfortable supporting position before moving your right foot again.
You can match your feet on smaller or more restricted footholds too! Yes, even the small knobbly ones that can barely fit a single foot.
Doing so will naturally be more challenging, but certainly not impossible. A useful extension of the basic foothold match is the "rolling match" skill below.
With some practice, you will be able to match your feet on large and small footholds alike, and move freely on them!
A "Rolling Match" On Small Footholds
The key to matching your feet on small footholds is to utilise your ankle's natural ability to roll your foot from side to side, allowing you to make small but significant adjustments with your body position while balancing on your toes.
To match your feet on a small foothold, approach with the intent to visually divide the destination foothold into two parts.
Because of the size of the foothold, you should expect your first foot to occupy up to two-thirds of the foothold surface. In this example, we start the movement with our right foot.
To initiate matching, roll your right foot a little to the right while balancing on your toes. This movement is best performed while leaning your body gently to the right. This shifts your body's balance point closer on to your right foot, allowing your left foot to move onto the foothold more easily.
Place your left foot onto the foot hold, starting from the outside edge, then "rolling your left ankles to gradually place your left toe point onto the foothold.
As your left foot rolls in to occupy the foothold, your right foot will be leaving the foothold by rolling further to the right.
As your left foot rolls in, your right foot rolls out to make room for it.
Once you are able to balance on your left foot, your right foot is now free to move on and you have successfully matched your feet!
Matching for Movements
The ultimate goal of the sharing footholds is to enable you to change your pivoting foot and move freely. When we use the matching skill during a traversal climbing movement on the wall, you will empower yourself with the ability to choose your next movement instead of simply reacting to the challenges you face.
Whenever you wish to change the sequence of your footwork, or move a foot again without feeling stretched out, you can match your feet.
Here is how the matching skill looks like in action.
There you have it! Another new skill to try out and practice on the walls on your next gym visit.
Matching feet and sharing footholds can work on all types of climbing terrain, regardless of angle. With regular practice, you can master these movements and empower yourself to explore more climbing movements too.
Stay tuned for our next Guide on other essential rock climbing skills and techniques.
We look forward to seeing you on the walls and learning with you!