Speed climbing training

In this series of posts I will analyze a purely competitive climbing discipline: speed.

This discipline is growing in the competitive world, and is one of that is in the sight to be the representative in the Olympic Games.

According to speed climbing rules two formats are possible, record format and classic format. In the latter the athlete climbs two routes in each of the series of the same height and similar profile and difficulty, whereas in the record format (15 or 10 meters standard wall with standardized holds located in a precise position) the climber climbs once in each of the series. This videos are an example of both formats.

Record format

Classic Format

The speed implies the velocity with which a body does a displacement in the space. So the speed is the resultant the space crossed by the time used.

From a sports point of view the speed represents the capacity of a subject to realize motor actions in a minimum of time and with the maximum of efficiency. Therefore to demonstrate speed we must known which are the determining factors. The speed is a hybrid quality that is determined by all other qualities: strength, endurance, and especially by technique.

Speed must be learned and trained always by specific exercises, and these exercises must be realized at high speed, so by this way we will assure ourselves fast movement paths.

Speed training has two manifestations:

QUICKNESS: all the isolated actions that are constituted by one movement. 

SPEED: linking movements in a given sport action

This way we see that we can improve the quickness of each move, and then link them. If we use the record format, where all is standardized, the training would consist of maximizing the quickness of the individual movements of then link with speed.

The training objectives are:

· Treduce reaction time

· Maximize the acceleration of the displacements

· Increase the speed of each move

· Achieve major moves frequency

· Reduce the contact time on each hold

· Reduce the speed loss

Reaction time:

It is the time between the beginning of a stimulus and the beginning of the response. This stimulus in case of the speed climbing is a simple stimulus: the judge order.

Consist of 5 phases:

· t1: the interval of time that elapses while the climber detects the sensory input from the starting order

· t2: the length of time needed to acknowledge and correlate the array of sensations discovered in t1

· t3: the total time required to organize a response

· t4: time required to the stimulus to arrive to the muscle motor plate

· t5: time required to initiate and complete a specific movement

This area is one of the most difficult to train and obtain improvements since we are speaking of miliseconds. In the following table, I present the reaction times (RT) of the 100 meters flat races 5 best times.

It is well-known that less than 150 milliseconds it is the time of reaction to execute the first movement. If one delays it or gives an advantage from a slow start it can be the difference in the classification. There is not enough information on speed climbing reaction time, but this training area can offer to us valuable milliseconds in a speed competition.

The methodology to train the reaction time has some requirements

· Start from simple conditions of execution.

· Go on to changeable conditions.

· Low volume of work and exercises

· Exercise them in the first part of the training session

· Improve visual and propioceptive feedback mechanisms

We will always try to begin the reaction time training without previous fatigue, and with simple execution drills.

The idea is always to vary the stimuli to which the climber must react. The stimuli can be tactile, auditory, visual.

But looking for specificity, at the end of the reaction time session we will focus on specific starts, doing only the first one or two moves.

The work volume must be low, since it can generate sensorial or physical a fatigue that it will prevent to react quickly generating slow motor pattern.

Normally with 15 or 20 minutes of reaction time at the beginning of the training session we will have a suitable stimulus.

The following post will be dedicated to analyze the moves of the upper and lower body in the format record, and later we will see the training methods to improve the quickness and the speed..

Prof. Juan Martin Miranda