I think V4 or V5 is a good goal. There's also plenty of good climbing youtubers out there so there might be some that are interested in helping if you want to progress further.
Mike, you've got a lot of strengths as a boulderer. Your grip strength is solid, body positioning is solid, endurance is solid, and you're doing very challenging climbs. Your main weakness is footwork. Climbing shoes are designed to get you to move on the toes, sometimes just the TIPS of your toes. Getting good at that will make a world of difference with time. Edit: I've been watching your videos for the longest time, so I'm super glad you're into climbing. Hope you continue to progress and have fun!!!
I think a good goal would be to aim for "all V4s" instead of like one V5 or V6 that really suits your body and style. Way more impressive to master all styles of climbing and being able to climb all boulders on a certain grade than it is to have done one V7 but still struggling with a lot of V5s.
Couldn't agree more. Branching out and working different styles will help one break out of the Grade ceiling. Also trying different betas on problems that you've already climbed is a great way to expand on the technique that you have available. I've climbed one V8, keep on sending mate!
Mike your foot placement was actually quite good. Certainly phenomenal for a beginner. You had good intuition as far as placing your feet to generate counter pressure and keep tension. You were smearing quite well and did some good footswaps. Of course it could have been more efficient, and switching from the sides of the foot to straight on toe placements comes with time.
Yep, just needs to switch onto his big toes in almost all situations and he'll find every grade feels a step easier. Beginners regularly try to make up for weak toes by using the balls of their feet instead, when actually consciously using & building up the strength in their toes will open up so many doors.
I was just about to comment about how I knew he'd start struggling around the v3 range just because of how he was using his feet, using your big toes/the tips of your feet rather than the side is something that the boulders teach YOU one way or another
Mike, in addition to aiming for a higher grade, you should also definitely look at aiming to complete lower grades that focus on styles and walls you are uncomfortable with. I noticed in the video you climbed almost no steep/overhanging terrain, in addition to shooting for ~V5 on the routes that suite you, you should also shoot for ~V3 on routes that you look at and think ‘there’s no damn way I can climb that overhanging wall!’. This will help so much with becoming a more well rounded climber, your technique, and with eventually moving into lead climbing. Most top rope focuses on mainly vertical walls so it makes sense that this translates to you being comfortable and quite good at vertical boulders.
You are 100% right, but also grades of climbs are not science and some climbs are just stright up hard or easy for their grade regardless of style of the climb.
One of my climbing mentors said "you don't have a style, you just suck at everything else", which I think is great motivation to become a well rounded climber
I have a weird experience with bouldering. When I was in the equivalent of middle school, we had a yearly "project week" where lessons stop and we could choose to do various activities spread over those five days instead. One year, there was the option to go bouldering with my chemistry teacher as the supervisor. Now, it seems incredibly obvious in hindsight, but it didn't occour to anyone that my chemistry teacher would participate, we just expected him to play babysitter, so we were all quite surprised when he flew up several walls. He was actually really skilled, he was probably better at bouldering than at teaching chemistry. Though to be clear, most of us thought he wasn't a very good teacher. He also once made us watch some random documentary and _fell asleep_ while it was playing.
If you find yourself scrolling through the comments looking for climbing tips, here's a few: 1. Don't be afraid to cross your arms! You will find very often that a "cross" makes the problem much easier. There were a few examples in this video. 2. Don't always try to go up the wall as directly as possible. Sometimes you need to stay low and move horizontally (traverse) to get to an easier way up. 3. Don't leave your feet behind. If you get too stretched out its much harder to generate leverage and pull your feet up. 4. As you know - feet are really important. You should honestly fuss MORE over foot placement than hand placement. Use your toes rather than your whole foot, so you can pivot side to side as you move across the wall. And drop your heels low so that your forefoot gets as much surface area in contact with the hold as possible. 5. Flag like your life depends on it. Use your free leg (if you have one) to stabalise yourself against the wall when you reach out for a hold. You should be thinking about doing this for almost every single move. In my experience this single technique is the biggest thing that separates beginners from intermediates. Happy climbing! :D
@@69PlzBitch Basically take the foot which isn't bearing weight and use it to counter-balance and/or position your body as you make a move. It can make a massive difference and is a good example where good technique can be more important than outright strength
These are some awesome tips! If I were to add anything, I’d emphasize the staying low part: aiming to keep your arms straight in between moves will almost always do you good. If you don’t, then you’ll be wasting a lot of muscle strength contracting your arms. As above, happy climbing y’all!
i think point 3 depends a lot on morphology and climbing style. learning to put tension on low feet is very important for overhang climbing. Low feet can turn an impossible hold into something that can be held marginally.
The biggest limiting factor here is footwork to me. I'm only climbing at V4 after half a year, and what everyone hammers home to you is TOES. Planting the side of your shoe feels "safe", but it locks you into a bad placement, while using your toe allows your to pivot into an ideal position that supports the rest of your movement. I'm sure you're well on your way to boosting past V5 or V6 with some research, and beyond with some coaching. So I really look forward to seeing your success :)
There are a other techniques to help you progress like dead pointing. Doing some basic exercises can also help A lot. You don't even need to do a heavy workout just a few reps of basic calisthenics excercises. I definitely recommend working on finger strength. Hang boarding is a good way to but you can also use one of those weird little hand squeezer thing. Something I'll do is just find a ledge and kind of pull on it to work out my fingers. Which you can do even without any equipment.
@@TheGumbyGuy if you're starting from zero hangboarding isn't really recommended until around 8-12 month mark, but it definitely depends how much/hard you do and how much research you've done about it, considering the risks of injury with it. As someone with height fright that's broken into V4 in 3,5 months, hangboarding really isn't necessary to achieve V4-V5, as long as you work on technique, preferably also watch technique videos if you don't have anyone to ask. But doing simple exercises like scapula raises and pullups on a bar or on the biggest holds on a campusboard, or jugs on hangboards does help both with strength and technique.
@@perdishaugen2974 I didn't start hangboarding until I was climbing V5s pretty comfortably. Even on crimpy V5s I've never had any finger injuries although I was aware of the risks and being mindful of how much crimping I was doing. At least for me personally I think around V6-7 the really crimpy stuff starts getting pretty painful, so I've started specifically training my fingers in the hopes that I can break into that range. That seems to be the level where finger training will start to become practically useful.
@@isaakvandaalen3899 yeah that sounds pretty sensible and accurate from my beginner standpoint, I'm still a long way from fingerboarding😅. Good luck with it man :)
Hey Mike, don't often leave comments but I just wanted to say your last climbing video had really inspired me to get back in shape by using bouldering as a medium (yes I know the last video was not bouldering). I have tried other methods to get in shape, but with bouldering I have really been having a blast these past couple weeks and ever so slowly getting a little more fit each day. Now I feel motivated to work out just so that I can do harder bouldering problems, it's an exciting cycle that I'm eager to continue, and I have you and Magnus to thank for that completely. Thanks for inspiring me to pick up this amazing sport!
I think you could make some really easy gains by using more of your toes rather than the whole foot, as particularly in bouldering, having good foot placement can make or break a route.
Yes, switching from using the sides of your foot to supporting yourself mainly on your toes although it might sound counter intuitive makes for more stable positions as it allows the foot to pivot as you're making moves, which can contribute way more than you'd imagine, also it can get easier to put more pressure there allowing you to take more weight of of your arm muscles
@@ctogive it wasn't 6c, more like a 6b, 6b+, but I agree that it took some exceptionally good footholds for that send. He is better at body positioning and deadpoints than I expected though!
+1. This will be really important along with flagging and smearing, especially as footholds get worse or non existent on more climbs as you progress past v3.
@@millacabral9475 Your comment gives "Pssh, that's a 7c? More like a 6a in my gym!" vibes -- no one cares. The gym said it was 6c, let it be 6c. Downgrading indoor top rope routes through a video comment is a bizarre move. Move over gumby, I'm bout to flash your proj in my approach shoes
I’ve been getting into climbing a ton recently and I’m so happy I can watch you as well, I’ve always loved your videos and your learning process so it’s always cool to watch you do something I love as well
I've been bouldering once a week for about a year and a bit- I did my first V5 a few months ago. I think you should aim for V5, would be a very impressive goal
@@victortripp4721 Yeah when I started bouldering, I did twice a week, and got to v4 in half a year, but the reason I said v5-v6 is because Mike has a lot more time since it's his "job" so he might get there a lot faster because of his dedication. So we'll see :D
@@8o8inSquares There's still a limit in just how much bouldering you can really do in a week, even if you have endless time to dedicate to it. Poor guy will have absolutely no skin left if he tries to spend 10+ hours per week bouldering right off the bat having not really done it before. Would also be really easy to end up with a pulley injury.
Why is everyone talking about Magnus, did he specifically mention him or something? There are many more climbing youtubers besides Magnus, and some would be probably better suited for a colab like this (Louis Parkinson for example).
I love the fact that you've transitioned from this project-based skill acquiring to showing the journey of learning more advanced skills. I kinda liked your previous style but was rather entertaining for me than educational. I'll be here more often ; )
Pretty solid! Been bouldering for a bit and just wanna add that even falls from the top of the wall (usually about 3 meters or 10 to 12 feet) are completely safe on regulated crash pads. Part of bouldering is learning to fall, though if youre at the top of the wall its recommended to downclimb a bit and then drop. Dont lock your knees, keep your arms tucked in to avoid scraping the wall and give a light push off the wall. Land on your heels and crumple into the ground, rolling on to your back. Its perfectly painless and safe. (Of course, always look below to check if no ones there. There shouldnt be anyone walking underneath a climber for obvious reasons, but you never know)
This is seriously impressive. I do rock climbing and bouldering for general fitness reasons but it’s amazing how good you can get at something if you hone all focus on to it
@@rogerelzenga4465 Wow was that your first introduction to climbing? By building your own spray wall on your own during lockdown and going for it? Because if so that's freaking awesome wow.
@@Nightwishmaster My inspiration was a Doc/movie The Dawn Wall, for me that looked like the pinnacle of human excellence, the holds they use was mind blowing, the struggle they endured, it created a mind-bug, "how far could i go if i put my mind to it"... I had a hardly used basement, and with the lockdown i saw a way to make it...2 walls and the ceiling are filled with shaped wooden holds from small ass crimps to monkey bar jugs, held up with heavy dude construction kit (the ones that require you to be 400kg or more to pull it off) ive been training for 3 years on it now, never stepped a foot in a gym, i have NO IDEA about how grading works... so one day im just going to blow everyones mind ;)
This was awesome! As a boulderer, this was great to see! I was one of those commenting on the last video to push for bouldering, so to see you actually going ahead and doing it is great! In terms of any advice, in the off chance you're reading through these and looking for any tips, I'd say to practice some of the easier stuff, before pushing on. If you start climbing as a boulderer, rather than as a toprope climber, there are a different initial set of skills you learn, while still on walls that are easy enough to stop things from going too badly wrong. Things like being confident without a rope, landing on the mats (especially from a height), jumping down, downclimbing, and also a lot of different movement skills. Being a competent (ish :P) climber already means you can skip a lot of the easier climbs which help teach these things safely, and if you push it too hard, too fast, could result in you landing badly or something like that, or otherwise injuring yourself, and that's the last thing we want to see! And in terms of actual climbing, honestly the advice I'd give is fairly similar - spend more time on the wall. Which seems to be your plan anyway! A lot of things, from general confidence on the wall (one of the biggest things that holds new climbers, especially physically capable ones, back is this, as a former coach and long time boulderer), to learning to move your body in the more dynamic and complex ways that a bouldering wall often requires at a lower grade than its toprope equivalent. You do also seem to still be a bit... tight, and close-in on some climbs, but not on all of them, and that can be a bit problematic, especially when it causes you to feel off balance, or to rush moves. Remember to relax, and move comfortably, and not to completely lock up on yourself (most of the time, anyway, sometimes it IS needed! haha). Anyway, wish I was nearby to come in and check out that centre, it looks awesome! And I absolutely can't wait to see your bouldering journey! I hope it goes amazing, and I hope you have a great time doing it! It's always amazing to see new people get started in the sport, and to see them come to love it as much as we all do! Good luck mate! :D Edit: And I completely forgot about bouldering grade. V5 is definitely doable, I'd say, in 50 hours from where you are. But, if I were you, and wanting to set a proper goal, I'd set either a number of V5's as a goal (say, five), so that you can confidently climb that grade (and not just, for example, one super easy/your style climb of that grade), or maybe trying to push onto V6 if you hit V5 earlier than you expect! Hope it goes well!
Well done getting to V3 so quickly. In my opinion you should do a video every time you get comfortable at a grade. It could take 50 hours to get to the point where you are comfortable with the V4 grade and can do maybe one or two V5s. It would also be very interesting and you would learn a lot about footwork if you started seeing how well indoor grades translate to outdoor (plenty of amazing outdoor bouldering in Scotland)
Morning Mike, just some sort tips. 1. Really focus on your foot work, be like a ballerina, stay on your toes, right now you tend to like the inside of your foot or the outside, but not the toes. Get on your toes as much as possible will really help you pivot your weight when moving. 2. Learn to fall [Down climb if possible] so you are comfortable falling off the wall, makes uncertain moves easier. 3. Do some grip/finger strength exercises when you are going from V3-4, this can really help you :) 4. There are normally bigger leaps from grades which make that grading system kinda bad, having set 1,2,3,4+ is easier so focus less on the grade and more on the type of climb :) Was it foot focused? Slopers, crimps, jugs, some heel hooks? focus on which climbs you really suck at, then keep practices them
It would be really enjoyable to see you climb with some others that are slightly along in bouldering grades. There's a lot of things that I see (working out beta, foot placement, general movement) that I think is *really* hard to pin down and learn as a solo climber. Just having someone else to work through a problem with makes an absolutely huge bit of difference, even at the highest level of climbing.
Man for the past 3 years iv been saying i wanted to get into rock climbing, because of your video i went last weekend and have already been 3 times in the week since and gotten my own gear. You gave me that final push and im loving it
Hi Mike! Great job, looking very strong! Just a friendly tip from a guy who has been climbing for just about a year, I would recommend you focussing on footwork during your climbs. Try to place your toes on the footholds, no matter how big the hold is. This grants free turning of that foot and also better mobility in the hips, wich I think will spike your results whether you are bouldering, toproping or leadclimbing! I would love to see more climbing content in the future, its an amazing sprt after all. Thanks for everything!
Really nice to watch your journey through the sweet pains of climbing, you have the best approach, try really hard and have fun! You are also know where to improve, 10:00 onward placing just the toe and pushing is a tricky but important piece of foot tecnique that is painfully slow to unlock. Warming up by traversing on progressively smaller footholds sped up the process for me. Looking forward to see you crush!
as someone who's started with bouldering, I'd never have thought it would be much different to top rope climbing... loving the climbing vids, motivating me to get to my local gym, such a great, chilled out sport which I hope to improve in over the coming months :)
You're going to have to build up a lot of strength for the next tiers Mike, but absolutely amazing progress! It's honestly harder then you might think doing V3-V4. I really hope you go as far as you want to go.
As somebody who loves picking up new things but also really hates feeling like I've failed, I really appreciate that when editing you don't hide away or gloss over your frustration when you struggle with something but keep going. Also, this is putting my just about managing a V1 into some much-needed perspective! :D
Can't wait to see more climbing videos! I've been climbing for over 7 years and love seeing more people get into the sport. Someone else mentioned it but you should definitely have someone there who's a bit further along in their bouldering experience with you. They'll be able to help with beta and technique which will become incredibly important beyond V3. V1-V3 can be done with raw strength, anything past that requires solid technique foundations, especially with foot placement and body position. Good luck and happy climbs!
DEFINITELY aim for a V5-6! once you get small technique things like pivoting on your toe and flagging a foot out to shift your weight you'll find crimpy holds like that first orange climb become way easier. super cool content btw, Love it and we will watch your career with great interest
@@ScholarlyCynic No it is his footwork will probably gain him the most initially, pulling and locking off is only one of the ways to climb a boulder problem.
@@ScholarlyCynic Na, his biggest problem right now is his horrible footwork, he doesn’t even use the tip of the shoe most of the time. That’s why his feet slip so much, they should pretty much never slip
@@joarsund3855 There are so many small things that he doesn't do correctly and can be improved on, right now he just needs more time and experience to understand his body and how it can move on the wall. Grade chasing, although can be a good long term goal, is a terrible way to view climbing.
Awesome job!! It is worth mentioning that the color of the holds does not decide the grade, but rather the tape that is on the holds themselves. Keep up the great work!
Hey Mike, I've been following you for a very long time and i really enjoy your concept ! As a climber myself I love those Bouldering / climbing videos, keep practicing and enjoy it :) Just a quick thing, please be careful while climbing with a watch (or anything really like jewlery or else) your might damage your watch and/or the holds, but mostly you could get harmed pretty badly (especially with rings or necklace but still). Anyway keep it going and thanks a lot for all those years !
I saw your last video on rock climbing and it reminded me how much I used to love it, since then I have started going to the rock climbing gym and watching a lot of rock climbing videos. Thank you.
I went climbing for the first time with two of my friends last Sunday. We were there for 3 and half hours, and had completely used up all our energy. I'm still sore, but it was definitely not the last time. Thanks for getting me into this sport.
You seemed to end up at the grade I expected with some prior top rope climbing. I only go bouldering a handful of times per year, but my climbing friends always show me how small body position tweaks with hips and waist movement can sometimes be the key to completing a problem or not. I’m excited to see how you progress in this type of climbing. Once you get some more experience I’d like to see you try some real outdoor bouldering where you bring your own pad that folds onto a backpack. I’ve been once with my climbing friend to Castlerock state park in Northern California and it’s very different from indoor bouldering/climbing. I bet there are some spots up where you are, or over in France.
That footplacement gives me a headache but other than that goof job, I love your static and controlled climbing style. Also the Boulders look insanely hard for their grades
You definitely progressed a bunch man!! The more you boulder, and climb in general, the more confident you’ll become in yourself and you’re body positioning.
Didn't see anyone else mention this but I would definitely work and practice on falls and falling technique. I used to work at a rock gym and have seen some gnarly injuries from people hesitant or uncomfortable falling. Don't just practice to failure, practice FOR FAILURE. An injury will set you back more than anything else. It'll make you more comfortable and focused going for the tough moves if you k iw you can fall and not get hurt. Climbing is definitely part a mental game.
Your top rope effort has translated well. The toughest sections of a 6c will clock in around V3 so you're pretty spot on. Bouldering is certainly a different beast though. Take your time and remember, down climbing is cool!
This is kinda amazing because I saw your pull video in like 2018, and it kinda inspired me to rock climb up until now. So to you you climb is kinda funny
Great vid! It’s really cool to see newer climbers in their journey. My biggest tips would be: 1. You are a slow and methodical climber, which is good, generally you want to think through the climb. Deliberate placement on each hold will use/build more muscle and more importantly good habits. However, there are times to abuse momentum, and to make bigger leaps. Sometimes you should push off with your legs rather than trying to painfully reach up with your arms. Try swinging up to holes a little more. 2. As you noted, hip rotation and foot placement. With that orange V3 you couldn’t complete the secret is to keep your hips close and flat against the wall. And on those tiny footholds it’s best to use the big toe rather than the flat of your foot. 3. You mentioned the holds being quite slippery a couple times. That’s the beauty of chalk! If you’re sweaty that is. Some holds are slippery because the rough surfaces are filled and smoothed over by chalk, which is where all that brushing from the intro comes into play. Overall you look great up there and I can’t wait to see your progress in the next video!
And learn how to fall properly by rolling backwards. Everybody falls and NEEDS to learn how to safely fall. Land on your feet and roll backwards in a smooth motion that distributes energy across you body and over a period of time. It will save your knees, ankles, wrists, and spine in the long run.
I am incredibly excited about this series!! I've been watching your channel for years and I will continue to do so, especially if you keep uploading climbing-related stuff!!!!!
It's so weird to be reminded of the very beginner's (the first few courses of the video) problems in bouldering, because i'm so used to just jumping of 6 m slopes by now that i completely forgot how confused i was at the start.
This is really interesting to watch. As a V7/8 boulderer, I've only ever climbed 7b top rope and usually only get 7a/7a+. The fact that you've done 6c shows just how different the disciplines are!
Coming from 13+ years of competitive climbing/bouldering experience, I have some advice for Mike. 1. The MOST IMPORTANT without a doubt is injury prevention. More specifically your finger pulleys. If you feel any pain/soreness in fingers a day after a bouldering session, which worsens when you apply pressure on the palm side of the fingers, your finger pulleys are likely injured and you NEED TO REST at least 4-5 days. This gives the ligament time to heal and strengthen similar to muscles. This is especially true for bouldering due to its intense nature, and I cannot tell you the number of people who have partially torn their pulleys just because they couldn't wait a few days to rest. I know you have a upload schedule to meet but resting for a few days beats being injured and unable to climb for weeks or even months. 2. Experiment with chalk and different shoes. Softer/stiffer shoes benefit you in different ways and your problem with smaller footholds may be due to having shoes that are too soft. (Not accounting for proper technique and foot placement). If you can bear with the discomfort, try and size down your shoes also as they allow you to generate more force when stepping on smaller footholds. On the other hand softer shoes lets you achieve more friction which is useful for smearing on walls and big holds. For chalk, different chalks suits different people depending on your skin type and amount of palm sweat generated. Play around with different chalks and shoes and you might find that you can climb a full grade higher because of it. :) 3. Learn proper techniques and foot placements. There are countless videos online that teaches you the fundamental of climbing within minutes and they would benefit you greatly especially when your goal is to try and improve as fast as you can. Proper hip, shoulder, foot and hand placements can determine whether you finish a boulder and not being able to even start it. I hope you see this and good luck with your journey! I hope to see you achieve a V5-6 when your video comes out :)
I really agree. It's great to push grades and see how far you can get and how fast you can do it (and it makes good videos). But try to stay safe and work on the basic techniques. Nothing is worse than getting injured, and good technique makes climbing not only easier, but also more fun
Watching you try this climbing style, it was obvious to me what the first 100 hours have done for your stamina, your core strength and muscle development. Your arms under stress look like Bruce Lee in fighting mode! 💪
Tips: There's this one habit that you have to get out of, dont stop yourself from climbing routes because of the grade, if you see a fun or intresting route go for it. And yes you will struggle but thats why its called a boulder *problem* you have to figure it out. You limmet yourself a lot when your mind keeps telling you, you can't climb that because of the grade, so dont even look at the climb what like of want to climb 😊
Man I've been climbing for a while (not nearly enough to brag about it tbh) and I clicked on this video with a bit of a gatekeep mindset, but was really rooting for you by the 10 minute mark. New climbers are a great thing to see I'm stoked to see the mental and physical journey everyone (including myself) has to go through,. While I didn't learn anything technical from the video it did make me empathize with all the peeps beginning to climb. Thanks for that, and good luck to all new climbers on the block! See you all on the rocks,and remember that your technique and positioning matter three times as much as your strength! That's why the skinny girl climbs 6 grades above you hahaha
Was in Dundee and popped in to Block10 for a bit. Thanks for the recommendation. Also, thanks for the motivation to send that yellow you'd tried. I got there eventually!
First learn to fall (and share what you learn with us so everyone can learn), then aim for V6. You'll need to learn lots of technique to finish V6, so I think it'd be good to show that process
I agree that he does need to learn to fall, and get very comfortable with it. Its super easy, sharing his process would be good for those who havent climbed, but his climbing down is the absolute right thing to do. If you can climb down do, saves your joints.
Im mildly supprissed if the gym didn't teach him how to fall. (Maybe because he has climbing experience from top rope it was shluffed off) Every bouldering gym I've been to, if it your first bouldering session with them, runs you through the orientation: basics on etiquette in their gym and checking if you know how to fall correctly.
I was surprised nobody in this gym taught him how to fall. The gym I go to require you to sign a discharge, and they always teach newcomers how you should always try to land on your feet with bent legs then roll on your back in a single move.
I'm really curious to know/see what Magnus Mitbo could coach you too, or help improve you with. he's done plenty of collab climbs with people you wouldn't expect to be climbing as of late, and your learning progression system might be some interesting content for the both of you.
Awesome, well done! I'm happy that at some point someone told you about downclimbing jugs :D Bouldering will definitely improve you climbing massively!
Always great to see people get envolved and enjoy a sport I have been doing for over 13 years now. Really great effort for your first time bouldering! Like you say there are completely different techniqes needed compared to top rope.
Hey Mike! Super awesome to see you getting into climbing. I definitely remember when I first got hooked. For bouldering grades, I'd say for a beginner a v5-ish climb would be a great benchmark (depending on what gym you're going to- some grade harder and some grade easier.) v5 was definitely a landmark for me when I first started, as it was proof that I had gotten a good handle on climbing techniques. Most levels after this point really rely on the increase of strength (whether that be forearm/bicep or finger,) and less so on critical fundamental climbing techniques. Seriously though, it's so wonderful seeing someone get addicted to climbing. It's a wonderful way of getting a full-body exercise, and I've always found it much more satisfying than typical exercise, such as weight lifting- especially when you finally complete an incredibly hard project you've been working on for a while. Wishing you all the best from Texas, Miles
V6 is the point where climbing starts to get very demanding on technique and strength (at least for me). It would be amazing to see you achieve this grade, but you would likely have to get some dedicated coaching to do it in a reasonable timeframe.
Really enjoyed this one. I started bouldering a little over a year ago and has been a very fulfilling hobby. Nice job on those V3’s. Flagging and drop-knee become very helpful at this stage.
Awesome video, I'm looking forward to part 2! There's so much overlap with bouldering grades so don't be put off from trying harder grades. You'll find some V5's easier than some V3's so just try whatever you think looks cool and don't be put off by high grade numbers (:
Hi! I’ve been a fan for a while and it’s great to see you doing some climbing, it’s great fun isn’t it!! I’d say getting to a point where you can flash most V4 would be fantastic! It’s really great to have a more rounded skillset while bouldering-much better than being really good at just one thing. Although less beneficial for general climbing improvement it can feel really great and motivate you further if you find a V5/6/7 that suits you especially well which you can project! The feeling of getting your first V7 is honestly amazing, especially if you’ve worked really hard on it.
Hi Mike! First of all welcome to bouldering, we are excited to see you grow! In relation to your request for us to tell you what grade to aim for, we can definitely make suggestions (My personal opinion is that you at least TRY a V6 and aim to send a handful of V5's) But my other point I would like to make is that Climbing Grades are really not that important in my opinion. They do indeed serve as a general benchmark but as you have seen, there are SO many styles of routes thanks to excellent route setting and a huge variation of holds. As someone who has been bouldering for years, there is an understanding that you cannot outclimb bad technique. What I would LOVE to see is you spending time with someone in your next video who can coach you through important techniques that are going to UNLOCK potential you never knew you had! We wanna see heelhooks, toehooks, dynos, better footwork and learning to read routes! Many people have listed Magnus Midtbø as some to collab with, especially since climbing popularity has exploded since 2020, however time with any seasoned coach/climber would be great too. We also look forward to perhaps your first ever lead climbing experience video, which takes the cake for probably the most difficult form of climbing (subjectively) on the planet aside from free soloing. Do check out Adam Ondra's RUclips channel, he is widely known as the best lead/outdoor climber on the planet and the video production that goes into his work on his channel is industry leading. I also recommend you check out his video of "Silence" which is the hardest graded lead climb on the planet at 9C+, just to truly get a sense of what very few people on the planet are capable of. All the best!
IM SMILING SO MUCH! I LOVE BOULDERING ITS MY CHILDHOOD. I haven't been able to since I moved this year which makes me really sad so seeing somebody else learning and enjoying and scared of the falls. Keep it hope I hope you love it as much as I do.
I just recently got into climbing, watched your earlier video where after one session you were obsessed that was exactly me, went one time and now I am totally totally obsessed
Welcome to bouldering! It’s awesome. Looking forward to seeing your progress. Also don’t get too wrapped up in grades, they are important but also very subjective. Also don’t get discouraged if your journey through the grades slows down. From personal experience it is way harder to go from V4 to V6 than V1-V3, and I’ve spent the better part of the last 5 years to go from V7-V10. The gap between grades gets larger the higher you go, but it’s so rewarding! Looking forward to more videos 👊
I finded your test really cool to see, reminding me how cool it was to learn a new sport, be scared and wanting to surpass myself ! In 15 months i went from beginner to V8 and i still love to fail and improve on the walls :) If u put a lot of training and hours trying to think before running on the wall, u can do pretty much anything ! Great vid, keep it up
Great video. I have been bouldering for about a year and have reached the grade of v6 looking to get my first v7 soon. You are progressing fast and can't wait to see you rise up the grades. I saw the video of the muscle up so you have good strength in the arms for climbing. If you want to get serious training fingers (or just climbing alot) will make you better. Cheers!
Honestly bouldering is so great because it also helps you improve at rope climbing. You gain a lot more technique, you improve your dynamic movement, and increase your max strength. Improving your max strength leads to more stamina on rope climbs because every move will only take 30% of your max strength instead of 70% for example. Great start and glad you caught the climbing bug. Excited to see more!
After the bouldering video, I would love to see a short go at some system boards! They’re really hard to get into, but incredibly satisfying and rewarding once you get used to it!
I think the most comparable indoor benchmarks are on the Moonboard or the Kilter Board. You could see if your Bouldering Gym got one of those, they work a little like spray walls with light indicators for which hold you are supposed to use in which route. Then you select a set of holds for a route in the app on your smartphone and the holds get marked on the wall. There is a wide selection of routes in the app and the ones with many reviews are pretty accurate in terms of Grades compared to outdoor Bouldering, which imo is the purest and (dont quote me on that) original form of Bouldering. Although the style is very limited (mosty big dynamic moves in a big overhang and really tough on the fingers). Anyways, love your climbing and bouldering content, been doing both for years and enjoy seeing the process of starting from scratch immensly. Excuse my english, I think there are some mistakes here and there, stoked to see where your climbing journey is headed!
"Where competitors race to see who can clean the holds the fastest" I feel called out right now. I'm the one who gives my climbing buddy crap about his brushing technique all the time too.
Hey Mike, i was excited to see you start to climb. I've been an on and off climber for ~10 years now. The "off" usually as a result of injuries or being too busy at work. At my peak I was climbing V6+ and 5.12+ - not great, but nothing to sneeze at. Climbing is about not only muscle strength, but tendon and ligament strength. Building your ligament strength takes SERIOUS time - years, not months. Understand that damaging your soft tissue results in SERIOUS down time, as well. If your gym has coaches, i'd strongly recommend talking to them. Progressing quickly seems like a fun task, but please be smart about it! No one wants to see you injuring yourself! The higher grades typically require VERY strong hands (muscle AND ligament strength). Reach out to the Wide Boyz! they're a wealth of knowledge and have a kickass channel!
Anyone who climbs for 100 hrs should be proud of themselves. After that amount of time on the wall, the change in your coordination is really impressive.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
What bouldering grade should I aim for? My plan is to do an additional 50 hours of practice at the bouldering gym. V4? V5? V6?!
i'm not sure mike
V5
I think V4 or V5 is a good goal. There's also plenty of good climbing youtubers out there so there might be some that are interested in helping if you want to progress further.
International Championship level ;)
v6 all or nothing
This is awesome Mike! Do I smell a Magnus Midtbø collab coming? 👀 H.
One can only hope :)
Hopefully he can teach him to calk uo before climbing
Didn't expect to see you here. What a surprise.
Yes pleaaaase
a nerdforge comment about magnus mitbo on mike body channel, I have to admit that's not a crossover I could have imagined hahaha
Mike, you've got a lot of strengths as a boulderer. Your grip strength is solid, body positioning is solid, endurance is solid, and you're doing very challenging climbs. Your main weakness is footwork. Climbing shoes are designed to get you to move on the toes, sometimes just the TIPS of your toes. Getting good at that will make a world of difference with time.
Edit: I've been watching your videos for the longest time, so I'm super glad you're into climbing. Hope you continue to progress and have fun!!!
couldnt have said it better
I was about to comment that but here it is!
I imagine about 6000 people already left this comment on the first climbing video, lol
i absolutly agree
looked like he was just doing the super straight forward slab, was hoping he'd vary on a 45 or underhang
I think a good goal would be to aim for "all V4s" instead of like one V5 or V6 that really suits your body and style. Way more impressive to master all styles of climbing and being able to climb all boulders on a certain grade than it is to have done one V7 but still struggling with a lot of V5s.
Couldn't agree more. Branching out and working different styles will help one break out of the Grade ceiling. Also trying different betas on problems that you've already climbed is a great way to expand on the technique that you have available. I've climbed one V8, keep on sending mate!
Tell that to Dwoods when he fails V6 Comp slab hahaha
100%
Totally agree
Maybe flash 3 v4s
As a fellow boulderer here, my fingers cry when seeing your foot placement hahaha, hope you enjoyed! Looking forward to your improvments :)
Shut up
Mike your foot placement was actually quite good. Certainly phenomenal for a beginner. You had good intuition as far as placing your feet to generate counter pressure and keep tension. You were smearing quite well and did some good footswaps. Of course it could have been more efficient, and switching from the sides of the foot to straight on toe placements comes with time.
Yep, just needs to switch onto his big toes in almost all situations and he'll find every grade feels a step easier. Beginners regularly try to make up for weak toes by using the balls of their feet instead, when actually consciously using & building up the strength in their toes will open up so many doors.
On that orange boulder I was desperate. Climbing shoes are so not made for stepping sideways. Using your toes is pretty natural.
I was just about to comment about how I knew he'd start struggling around the v3 range just because of how he was using his feet, using your big toes/the tips of your feet rather than the side is something that the boulders teach YOU one way or another
Mike, in addition to aiming for a higher grade, you should also definitely look at aiming to complete lower grades that focus on styles and walls you are uncomfortable with. I noticed in the video you climbed almost no steep/overhanging terrain, in addition to shooting for ~V5 on the routes that suite you, you should also shoot for ~V3 on routes that you look at and think ‘there’s no damn way I can climb that overhanging wall!’. This will help so much with becoming a more well rounded climber, your technique, and with eventually moving into lead climbing. Most top rope focuses on mainly vertical walls so it makes sense that this translates to you being comfortable and quite good at vertical boulders.
Do all of the climbs at lower grades to find out your weakness and then work on the weaknesses
You are 100% right, but also grades of climbs are not science and some climbs are just stright up hard or easy for their grade regardless of style of the climb.
One of my climbing mentors said "you don't have a style, you just suck at everything else", which I think is great motivation to become a well rounded climber
Agreed, that is the video I'd want to see.
I have a weird experience with bouldering. When I was in the equivalent of middle school, we had a yearly "project week" where lessons stop and we could choose to do various activities spread over those five days instead. One year, there was the option to go bouldering with my chemistry teacher as the supervisor.
Now, it seems incredibly obvious in hindsight, but it didn't occour to anyone that my chemistry teacher would participate, we just expected him to play babysitter, so we were all quite surprised when he flew up several walls. He was actually really skilled, he was probably better at bouldering than at teaching chemistry.
Though to be clear, most of us thought he wasn't a very good teacher. He also once made us watch some random documentary and _fell asleep_ while it was playing.
...you later discover that this teacher was Chris Sharma on break from Yosemite.
The classic "i teach so i can put in the most minimal amount of time into a job, so i can focus on my hobby" approach
Teachers that put on random documentaries and leave the room or fall asleep are the best though
do you genuinely think that? @@hypnogri5457
If you find yourself scrolling through the comments looking for climbing tips, here's a few:
1. Don't be afraid to cross your arms! You will find very often that a "cross" makes the problem much easier. There were a few examples in this video.
2. Don't always try to go up the wall as directly as possible. Sometimes you need to stay low and move horizontally (traverse) to get to an easier way up.
3. Don't leave your feet behind. If you get too stretched out its much harder to generate leverage and pull your feet up.
4. As you know - feet are really important. You should honestly fuss MORE over foot placement than hand placement. Use your toes rather than your whole foot, so you can pivot side to side as you move across the wall. And drop your heels low so that your forefoot gets as much surface area in contact with the hold as possible.
5. Flag like your life depends on it. Use your free leg (if you have one) to stabalise yourself against the wall when you reach out for a hold. You should be thinking about doing this for almost every single move. In my experience this single technique is the biggest thing that separates beginners from intermediates.
Happy climbing! :D
Thanks for the tips! What do you mean with 'flag'?
Falling is a huge technique to bouldering… every climber should know how fall properly for a long life in climbing.
@@69PlzBitch Basically take the foot which isn't bearing weight and use it to counter-balance and/or position your body as you make a move. It can make a massive difference and is a good example where good technique can be more important than outright strength
These are some awesome tips! If I were to add anything, I’d emphasize the staying low part: aiming to keep your arms straight in between moves will almost always do you good. If you don’t, then you’ll be wasting a lot of muscle strength contracting your arms. As above, happy climbing y’all!
i think point 3 depends a lot on morphology and climbing style. learning to put tension on low feet is very important for overhang climbing. Low feet can turn an impossible hold into something that can be held marginally.
Honestly you are so lucky to have Kim, she is so supportive with every video you make! And always there!!!
Mike should now do 100 hours of jumping from high places😂❤
AKA Parkour.
Rip knees
The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖
A FELLOW DRIP ENTHUSIAST
also yes
Or just from 3 feet
The biggest limiting factor here is footwork to me. I'm only climbing at V4 after half a year, and what everyone hammers home to you is TOES. Planting the side of your shoe feels "safe", but it locks you into a bad placement, while using your toe allows your to pivot into an ideal position that supports the rest of your movement.
I'm sure you're well on your way to boosting past V5 or V6 with some research, and beyond with some coaching. So I really look forward to seeing your success :)
There are a other techniques to help you progress like dead pointing. Doing some basic exercises can also help A lot. You don't even need to do a heavy workout just a few reps of basic calisthenics excercises. I definitely recommend working on finger strength. Hang boarding is a good way to but you can also use one of those weird little hand squeezer thing. Something I'll do is just find a ledge and kind of pull on it to work out my fingers. Which you can do even without any equipment.
@@TheGumbyGuy if you're starting from zero hangboarding isn't really recommended until around 8-12 month mark, but it definitely depends how much/hard you do and how much research you've done about it, considering the risks of injury with it. As someone with height fright that's broken into V4 in 3,5 months, hangboarding really isn't necessary to achieve V4-V5, as long as you work on technique, preferably also watch technique videos if you don't have anyone to ask. But doing simple exercises like scapula raises and pullups on a bar or on the biggest holds on a campusboard, or jugs on hangboards does help both with strength and technique.
@@perdishaugen2974 I didn't start hangboarding until I was climbing V5s pretty comfortably.
Even on crimpy V5s I've never had any finger injuries although I was aware of the risks and being mindful of how much crimping I was doing.
At least for me personally I think around V6-7 the really crimpy stuff starts getting pretty painful, so I've started specifically training my fingers in the hopes that I can break into that range. That seems to be the level where finger training will start to become practically useful.
@@isaakvandaalen3899 yeah that sounds pretty sensible and accurate from my beginner standpoint, I'm still a long way from fingerboarding😅. Good luck with it man :)
Hey Mike, don't often leave comments but I just wanted to say your last climbing video had really inspired me to get back in shape by using bouldering as a medium (yes I know the last video was not bouldering). I have tried other methods to get in shape, but with bouldering I have really been having a blast these past couple weeks and ever so slowly getting a little more fit each day. Now I feel motivated to work out just so that I can do harder bouldering problems, it's an exciting cycle that I'm eager to continue, and I have you and Magnus to thank for that completely. Thanks for inspiring me to pick up this amazing sport!
I think you could make some really easy gains by using more of your toes rather than the whole foot, as particularly in bouldering, having good foot placement can make or break a route.
it's kind of crazy that he managed to climb 6c with that footwork
Yes, switching from using the sides of your foot to supporting yourself mainly on your toes although it might sound counter intuitive makes for more stable positions as it allows the foot to pivot as you're making moves, which can contribute way more than you'd imagine, also it can get easier to put more pressure there allowing you to take more weight of of your arm muscles
@@ctogive it wasn't 6c, more like a 6b, 6b+, but I agree that it took some exceptionally good footholds for that send. He is better at body positioning and deadpoints than I expected though!
+1. This will be really important along with flagging and smearing, especially as footholds get worse or non existent on more climbs as you progress past v3.
@@millacabral9475 Your comment gives "Pssh, that's a 7c? More like a 6a in my gym!" vibes -- no one cares. The gym said it was 6c, let it be 6c. Downgrading indoor top rope routes through a video comment is a bizarre move. Move over gumby, I'm bout to flash your proj in my approach shoes
I’ve been getting into climbing a ton recently and I’m so happy I can watch you as well, I’ve always loved your videos and your learning process so it’s always cool to watch you do something I love as well
This is amazing, can't wait to see a collab with Magnus some day.
I would say V5-V6 would be definitely very impressive
I've been bouldering once a week for about a year and a bit- I did my first V5 a few months ago. I think you should aim for V5, would be a very impressive goal
@@victortripp4721 Yeah when I started bouldering, I did twice a week, and got to v4 in half a year, but the reason I said v5-v6 is because Mike has a lot more time since it's his "job" so he might get there a lot faster because of his dedication. So we'll see :D
@@8o8inSquares There's still a limit in just how much bouldering you can really do in a week, even if you have endless time to dedicate to it. Poor guy will have absolutely no skin left if he tries to spend 10+ hours per week bouldering right off the bat having not really done it before. Would also be really easy to end up with a pulley injury.
Why is everyone talking about Magnus, did he specifically mention him or something?
There are many more climbing youtubers besides Magnus, and some would be probably better suited for a colab like this (Louis Parkinson for example).
Impressive but not realistic, unless its a very soft v5
I love the fact that you've transitioned from this project-based skill acquiring to showing the journey of learning more advanced skills. I kinda liked your previous style but was rather entertaining for me than educational. I'll be here more often ; )
You are an icon. You push yourself to do the best you can in everything you try and I appreciate it so much. What an inspiration!
Pretty solid! Been bouldering for a bit and just wanna add that even falls from the top of the wall (usually about 3 meters or 10 to 12 feet) are completely safe on regulated crash pads. Part of bouldering is learning to fall, though if youre at the top of the wall its recommended to downclimb a bit and then drop. Dont lock your knees, keep your arms tucked in to avoid scraping the wall and give a light push off the wall. Land on your heels and crumple into the ground, rolling on to your back. Its perfectly painless and safe. (Of course, always look below to check if no ones there. There shouldnt be anyone walking underneath a climber for obvious reasons, but you never know)
This is seriously impressive. I do rock climbing and bouldering for general fitness reasons but it’s amazing how good you can get at something if you hone all focus on to it
Same! started during covid, build my own chaos wall/ceiling in my basement!
@@rogerelzenga4465 wow . Haven’t gone that far but good for you man 😂
@@ebs2883 Its ghetto af but i love it :D also i think im overtraining myself... because im slowly becoming spiderman >.>
@@rogerelzenga4465 Wow was that your first introduction to climbing? By building your own spray wall on your own during lockdown and going for it? Because if so that's freaking awesome wow.
@@Nightwishmaster My inspiration was a Doc/movie The Dawn Wall, for me that looked like the pinnacle of human excellence, the holds they use was mind blowing, the struggle they endured, it created a mind-bug, "how far could i go if i put my mind to it"...
I had a hardly used basement, and with the lockdown i saw a way to make it...2 walls and the ceiling are filled with shaped wooden holds from small ass crimps to monkey bar jugs, held up with heavy dude construction kit (the ones that require you to be 400kg or more to pull it off)
ive been training for 3 years on it now, never stepped a foot in a gym, i have NO IDEA about how grading works... so one day im just going to blow everyones mind ;)
This was awesome! As a boulderer, this was great to see! I was one of those commenting on the last video to push for bouldering, so to see you actually going ahead and doing it is great!
In terms of any advice, in the off chance you're reading through these and looking for any tips, I'd say to practice some of the easier stuff, before pushing on. If you start climbing as a boulderer, rather than as a toprope climber, there are a different initial set of skills you learn, while still on walls that are easy enough to stop things from going too badly wrong. Things like being confident without a rope, landing on the mats (especially from a height), jumping down, downclimbing, and also a lot of different movement skills. Being a competent (ish :P) climber already means you can skip a lot of the easier climbs which help teach these things safely, and if you push it too hard, too fast, could result in you landing badly or something like that, or otherwise injuring yourself, and that's the last thing we want to see!
And in terms of actual climbing, honestly the advice I'd give is fairly similar - spend more time on the wall. Which seems to be your plan anyway! A lot of things, from general confidence on the wall (one of the biggest things that holds new climbers, especially physically capable ones, back is this, as a former coach and long time boulderer), to learning to move your body in the more dynamic and complex ways that a bouldering wall often requires at a lower grade than its toprope equivalent. You do also seem to still be a bit... tight, and close-in on some climbs, but not on all of them, and that can be a bit problematic, especially when it causes you to feel off balance, or to rush moves. Remember to relax, and move comfortably, and not to completely lock up on yourself (most of the time, anyway, sometimes it IS needed! haha).
Anyway, wish I was nearby to come in and check out that centre, it looks awesome! And I absolutely can't wait to see your bouldering journey! I hope it goes amazing, and I hope you have a great time doing it! It's always amazing to see new people get started in the sport, and to see them come to love it as much as we all do! Good luck mate! :D
Edit: And I completely forgot about bouldering grade. V5 is definitely doable, I'd say, in 50 hours from where you are. But, if I were you, and wanting to set a proper goal, I'd set either a number of V5's as a goal (say, five), so that you can confidently climb that grade (and not just, for example, one super easy/your style climb of that grade), or maybe trying to push onto V6 if you hit V5 earlier than you expect! Hope it goes well!
Well done getting to V3 so quickly. In my opinion you should do a video every time you get comfortable at a grade. It could take 50 hours to get to the point where you are comfortable with the V4 grade and can do maybe one or two V5s.
It would also be very interesting and you would learn a lot about footwork if you started seeing how well indoor grades translate to outdoor (plenty of amazing outdoor bouldering in Scotland)
Morning Mike, just some sort tips.
1. Really focus on your foot work, be like a ballerina, stay on your toes, right now you tend to like the inside of your foot or the outside, but not the toes. Get on your toes as much as possible will really help you pivot your weight when moving.
2. Learn to fall [Down climb if possible] so you are comfortable falling off the wall, makes uncertain moves easier.
3. Do some grip/finger strength exercises when you are going from V3-4, this can really help you :)
4. There are normally bigger leaps from grades which make that grading system kinda bad, having set 1,2,3,4+ is easier so focus less on the grade and more on the type of climb :) Was it foot focused? Slopers, crimps, jugs, some heel hooks? focus on which climbs you really suck at, then keep practices them
It would be really enjoyable to see you climb with some others that are slightly along in bouldering grades. There's a lot of things that I see (working out beta, foot placement, general movement) that I think is *really* hard to pin down and learn as a solo climber. Just having someone else to work through a problem with makes an absolutely huge bit of difference, even at the highest level of climbing.
5:28 now let’s play the “is this audio from bouldering or their first time” game
Man for the past 3 years iv been saying i wanted to get into rock climbing, because of your video i went last weekend and have already been 3 times in the week since and gotten my own gear. You gave me that final push and im loving it
Hi Mike! Great job, looking very strong! Just a friendly tip from a guy who has been climbing for just about a year, I would recommend you focussing on footwork during your climbs. Try to place your toes on the footholds, no matter how big the hold is. This grants free turning of that foot and also better mobility in the hips, wich I think will spike your results whether you are bouldering, toproping or leadclimbing! I would love to see more climbing content in the future, its an amazing sprt after all. Thanks for everything!
your first vid on climbing got me into bouldering, this is perfect motivation!
Same here
Really nice to watch your journey through the sweet pains of climbing, you have the best approach, try really hard and have fun! You are also know where to improve, 10:00 onward placing just the toe and pushing is a tricky but important piece of foot tecnique that is painfully slow to unlock. Warming up by traversing on progressively smaller footholds sped up the process for me. Looking forward to see you crush!
I love when people talk with a drink in their Hand. Somehow, it makes them seem super relaxed yet super professional at the same time. Just me?
as someone who's started with bouldering, I'd never have thought it would be much different to top rope climbing... loving the climbing vids, motivating me to get to my local gym, such a great, chilled out sport which I hope to improve in over the coming months :)
You're going to have to build up a lot of strength for the next tiers Mike, but absolutely amazing progress! It's honestly harder then you might think doing V3-V4. I really hope you go as far as you want to go.
its really fun to see him accomplish a boulder when you can see he's trying his hardest
As somebody who loves picking up new things but also really hates feeling like I've failed, I really appreciate that when editing you don't hide away or gloss over your frustration when you struggle with something but keep going. Also, this is putting my just about managing a V1 into some much-needed perspective! :D
Can't wait to see more climbing videos! I've been climbing for over 7 years and love seeing more people get into the sport. Someone else mentioned it but you should definitely have someone there who's a bit further along in their bouldering experience with you. They'll be able to help with beta and technique which will become incredibly important beyond V3. V1-V3 can be done with raw strength, anything past that requires solid technique foundations, especially with foot placement and body position. Good luck and happy climbs!
DEFINITELY aim for a V5-6!
once you get small technique things like pivoting on your toe and flagging a foot out to shift your weight you'll find crimpy holds like that first orange climb become way easier.
super cool content btw, Love it and we will watch your career with great interest
That’s not his problem. He just doesn’t have enough strength to pull himself up to some of these holds.
@@ScholarlyCynic No it is his footwork will probably gain him the most initially, pulling and locking off is only one of the ways to climb a boulder problem.
@@ScholarlyCynic Na, his biggest problem right now is his horrible footwork, he doesn’t even use the tip of the shoe most of the time. That’s why his feet slip so much, they should pretty much never slip
@@joarsund3855 There are so many small things that he doesn't do correctly and can be improved on, right now he just needs more time and experience to understand his body and how it can move on the wall. Grade chasing, although can be a good long term goal, is a terrible way to view climbing.
man that gym grades harshly even a v3 will be a struggle
Awesome job!! It is worth mentioning that the color of the holds does not decide the grade, but rather the tape that is on the holds themselves. Keep up the great work!
Hey Mike, I've been following you for a very long time and i really enjoy your concept !
As a climber myself I love those Bouldering / climbing videos, keep practicing and enjoy it :)
Just a quick thing, please be careful while climbing with a watch (or anything really like jewlery or else) your might damage your watch and/or the holds, but mostly you could get harmed pretty badly (especially with rings or necklace but still).
Anyway keep it going and thanks a lot for all those years !
I saw your last video on rock climbing and it reminded me how much I used to love it, since then I have started going to the rock climbing gym and watching a lot of rock climbing videos. Thank you.
this and your last video have totally inspired me to try out climbing! cant’t wait to hit the walls next weekend!
climbing is great! let us know how your first session went!
I went climbing for the first time with two of my friends last Sunday. We were there for 3 and half hours, and had completely used up all our energy. I'm still sore, but it was definitely not the last time. Thanks for getting me into this sport.
You seemed to end up at the grade I expected with some prior top rope climbing. I only go bouldering a handful of times per year, but my climbing friends always show me how small body position tweaks with hips and waist movement can sometimes be the key to completing a problem or not. I’m excited to see how you progress in this type of climbing. Once you get some more experience I’d like to see you try some real outdoor bouldering where you bring your own pad that folds onto a backpack. I’ve been once with my climbing friend to Castlerock state park in Northern California and it’s very different from indoor bouldering/climbing. I bet there are some spots up where you are, or over in France.
Lookin good! With over 10 years experience and having done v11, all I can say is be careful and don’t get chronically injured!
That footplacement gives me a headache but other than that goof job, I love your static and controlled climbing style. Also the Boulders look insanely hard for their grades
Was looking for this. my exact thought, it looks super sandbagged
You definitely progressed a bunch man!! The more you boulder, and climb in general, the more confident you’ll become in yourself and you’re body positioning.
Didn't see anyone else mention this but I would definitely work and practice on falls and falling technique. I used to work at a rock gym and have seen some gnarly injuries from people hesitant or uncomfortable falling. Don't just practice to failure, practice FOR FAILURE. An injury will set you back more than anything else. It'll make you more comfortable and focused going for the tough moves if you k iw you can fall and not get hurt. Climbing is definitely part a mental game.
Your top rope effort has translated well. The toughest sections of a 6c will clock in around V3 so you're pretty spot on. Bouldering is certainly a different beast though. Take your time and remember, down climbing is cool!
If your channel became a climbing channel I wouldn't even be mad
This is kinda amazing because I saw your pull video in like 2018, and it kinda inspired me to rock climb up until now. So to you you climb is kinda funny
Great vid! It’s really cool to see newer climbers in their journey. My biggest tips would be:
1. You are a slow and methodical climber, which is good, generally you want to think through the climb. Deliberate placement on each hold will use/build more muscle and more importantly good habits. However, there are times to abuse momentum, and to make bigger leaps. Sometimes you should push off with your legs rather than trying to painfully reach up with your arms. Try swinging up to holes a little more.
2. As you noted, hip rotation and foot placement. With that orange V3 you couldn’t complete the secret is to keep your hips close and flat against the wall. And on those tiny footholds it’s best to use the big toe rather than the flat of your foot.
3. You mentioned the holds being quite slippery a couple times. That’s the beauty of chalk! If you’re sweaty that is. Some holds are slippery because the rough surfaces are filled and smoothed over by chalk, which is where all that brushing from the intro comes into play.
Overall you look great up there and I can’t wait to see your progress in the next video!
And learn how to fall properly by rolling backwards. Everybody falls and NEEDS to learn how to safely fall. Land on your feet and roll backwards in a smooth motion that distributes energy across you body and over a period of time. It will save your knees, ankles, wrists, and spine in the long run.
I am incredibly excited about this series!! I've been watching your channel for years and I will continue to do so, especially if you keep uploading climbing-related stuff!!!!!
It's so weird to be reminded of the very beginner's (the first few courses of the video) problems in bouldering, because i'm so used to just jumping of 6 m slopes by now that i completely forgot how confused i was at the start.
This is really interesting to watch. As a V7/8 boulderer, I've only ever climbed 7b top rope and usually only get 7a/7a+. The fact that you've done 6c shows just how different the disciplines are!
Coming from 13+ years of competitive climbing/bouldering experience, I have some advice for Mike.
1. The MOST IMPORTANT without a doubt is injury prevention. More specifically your finger pulleys. If you feel any pain/soreness in fingers a day after a bouldering session, which worsens when you apply pressure on the palm side of the fingers, your finger pulleys are likely injured and you NEED TO REST at least 4-5 days. This gives the ligament time to heal and strengthen similar to muscles. This is especially true for bouldering due to its intense nature, and I cannot tell you the number of people who have partially torn their pulleys just because they couldn't wait a few days to rest. I know you have a upload schedule to meet but resting for a few days beats being injured and unable to climb for weeks or even months.
2. Experiment with chalk and different shoes. Softer/stiffer shoes benefit you in different ways and your problem with smaller footholds may be due to having shoes that are too soft. (Not accounting for proper technique and foot placement). If you can bear with the discomfort, try and size down your shoes also as they allow you to generate more force when stepping on smaller footholds. On the other hand softer shoes lets you achieve more friction which is useful for smearing on walls and big holds. For chalk, different chalks suits different people depending on your skin type and amount of palm sweat generated. Play around with different chalks and shoes and you might find that you can climb a full grade higher because of it. :)
3. Learn proper techniques and foot placements. There are countless videos online that teaches you the fundamental of climbing within minutes and they would benefit you greatly especially when your goal is to try and improve as fast as you can. Proper hip, shoulder, foot and hand placements can determine whether you finish a boulder and not being able to even start it.
I hope you see this and good luck with your journey! I hope to see you achieve a V5-6 when your video comes out :)
I really agree. It's great to push grades and see how far you can get and how fast you can do it (and it makes good videos). But try to stay safe and work on the basic techniques. Nothing is worse than getting injured, and good technique makes climbing not only easier, but also more fun
On the orange at 10 minutes in your shoes look to be folding back at the end which could mean they're too big
I'm so glad you are making bouldering videos!
Watching you try this climbing style, it was obvious to me what the first 100 hours have done for your stamina, your core strength and muscle development. Your arms under stress look like Bruce Lee in fighting mode! 💪
This is just amazing. I love climbing and seeing all this new people inmersing themselves in such an awesome sport, it just makes my day
Tips: There's this one habit that you have to get out of, dont stop yourself from climbing routes because of the grade, if you see a fun or intresting route go for it. And yes you will struggle but thats why its called a boulder *problem* you have to figure it out. You limmet yourself a lot when your mind keeps telling you, you can't climb that because of the grade, so dont even look at the climb what like of want to climb 😊
Man I've been climbing for a while (not nearly enough to brag about it tbh) and I clicked on this video with a bit of a gatekeep mindset, but was really rooting for you by the 10 minute mark. New climbers are a great thing to see I'm stoked to see the mental and physical journey everyone (including myself) has to go through,. While I didn't learn anything technical from the video it did make me empathize with all the peeps beginning to climb. Thanks for that, and good luck to all new climbers on the block! See you all on the rocks,and remember that your technique and positioning matter three times as much as your strength! That's why the skinny girl climbs 6 grades above you hahaha
Bouldering is my primary hobby. HECK YES to the brushing joke. 😂😂
This video helped inspire me to go bouldering for the first time! Had my first go yesterday and I can’t wait to head back again!!!
Mike’s terminology
jugs=big bouldery things
Sloppers = slippery blobby ball things
Crimps= microscopic things
A Gaston= MEGA PULL
Was in Dundee and popped in to Block10 for a bit. Thanks for the recommendation.
Also, thanks for the motivation to send that yellow you'd tried. I got there eventually!
First learn to fall (and share what you learn with us so everyone can learn), then aim for V6. You'll need to learn lots of technique to finish V6, so I think it'd be good to show that process
I agree that he does need to learn to fall, and get very comfortable with it. Its super easy, sharing his process would be good for those who havent climbed, but his climbing down is the absolute right thing to do. If you can climb down do, saves your joints.
Im mildly supprissed if the gym didn't teach him how to fall. (Maybe because he has climbing experience from top rope it was shluffed off) Every bouldering gym I've been to, if it your first bouldering session with them, runs you through the orientation: basics on etiquette in their gym and checking if you know how to fall correctly.
I was surprised nobody in this gym taught him how to fall. The gym I go to require you to sign a discharge, and they always teach newcomers how you should always try to land on your feet with bent legs then roll on your back in a single move.
I easily see you becoming a consistent V5 climber. Your technique is good and you’re strong man 💪🏼 good luck!!
I'm really curious to know/see what Magnus Mitbo could coach you too, or help improve you with. he's done plenty of collab climbs with people you wouldn't expect to be climbing as of late, and your learning progression system might be some interesting content for the both of you.
Awesome, well done! I'm happy that at some point someone told you about downclimbing jugs :D Bouldering will definitely improve you climbing massively!
your unwillingness to jump 6 feet down to a soft mat is hilarious
That shits terrifying! You don't want to roll an ankle. And down climbing is good for finger strength
Always great to see people get envolved and enjoy a sport I have been doing for over 13 years now. Really great effort for your first time bouldering! Like you say there are completely different techniqes needed compared to top rope.
It’s kinda weird seeing the red x on the screen whenever he falls, because as a boulder we falling is just so normal, and I don’t see it as a failure.
Hey Mike! Super awesome to see you getting into climbing. I definitely remember when I first got hooked.
For bouldering grades, I'd say for a beginner a v5-ish climb would be a great benchmark (depending on what gym you're going to- some grade harder and some grade easier.) v5 was definitely a landmark for me when I first started, as it was proof that I had gotten a good handle on climbing techniques.
Most levels after this point really rely on the increase of strength (whether that be forearm/bicep or finger,) and less so on critical fundamental climbing techniques.
Seriously though, it's so wonderful seeing someone get addicted to climbing. It's a wonderful way of getting a full-body exercise, and I've always found it much more satisfying than typical exercise, such as weight lifting- especially when you finally complete an incredibly hard project you've been working on for a while.
Wishing you all the best from Texas,
Miles
V6 is the point where climbing starts to get very demanding on technique and strength (at least for me). It would be amazing to see you achieve this grade, but you would likely have to get some dedicated coaching to do it in a reasonable timeframe.
This was really cool man, just got in to bouldering a little over a month ago and loving it. Keen to see you progress 😎
You should definitely learn how to fall first.
Really enjoyed this one. I started bouldering a little over a year ago and has been a very fulfilling hobby. Nice job on those V3’s. Flagging and drop-knee become very helpful at this stage.
Awesome video, I'm looking forward to part 2! There's so much overlap with bouldering grades so don't be put off from trying harder grades. You'll find some V5's easier than some V3's so just try whatever you think looks cool and don't be put off by high grade numbers (:
Hi! I’ve been a fan for a while and it’s great to see you doing some climbing, it’s great fun isn’t it!! I’d say getting to a point where you can flash most V4 would be fantastic! It’s really great to have a more rounded skillset while bouldering-much better than being really good at just one thing. Although less beneficial for general climbing improvement it can feel really great and motivate you further if you find a V5/6/7 that suits you especially well which you can project! The feeling of getting your first V7 is honestly amazing, especially if you’ve worked really hard on it.
Hi Mike! First of all welcome to bouldering, we are excited to see you grow!
In relation to your request for us to tell you what grade to aim for, we can definitely make suggestions (My personal opinion is that you at least TRY a V6 and aim to send a handful of V5's)
But my other point I would like to make is that Climbing Grades are really not that important in my opinion. They do indeed serve as a general benchmark but as you have seen, there are SO many styles of routes thanks to excellent route setting and a huge variation of holds.
As someone who has been bouldering for years, there is an understanding that you cannot outclimb bad technique. What I would LOVE to see is you spending time with someone in your next video who can coach you through important techniques that are going to UNLOCK potential you never knew you had! We wanna see heelhooks, toehooks, dynos, better footwork and learning to read routes!
Many people have listed Magnus Midtbø as some to collab with, especially since climbing popularity has exploded since 2020, however time with any seasoned coach/climber would be great too.
We also look forward to perhaps your first ever lead climbing experience video, which takes the cake for probably the most difficult form of climbing (subjectively) on the planet aside from free soloing.
Do check out Adam Ondra's RUclips channel, he is widely known as the best lead/outdoor climber on the planet and the video production that goes into his work on his channel is industry leading.
I also recommend you check out his video of "Silence" which is the hardest graded lead climb on the planet at 9C+, just to truly get a sense of what very few people on the planet are capable of.
All the best!
IM SMILING SO MUCH! I LOVE BOULDERING ITS MY CHILDHOOD. I haven't been able to since I moved this year which makes me really sad so seeing somebody else learning and enjoying and scared of the falls. Keep it hope I hope you love it as much as I do.
I just recently got into climbing, watched your earlier video where after one session you were obsessed that was exactly me, went one time and now I am totally totally obsessed
keep up the grind it keeps getting harder and feeling better
Welcome to bouldering! It’s awesome. Looking forward to seeing your progress. Also don’t get too wrapped up in grades, they are important but also very subjective.
Also don’t get discouraged if your journey through the grades slows down. From personal experience it is way harder to go from V4 to V6 than V1-V3, and I’ve spent the better part of the last 5 years to go from V7-V10. The gap between grades gets larger the higher you go, but it’s so rewarding!
Looking forward to more videos 👊
I finded your test really cool to see, reminding me how cool it was to learn a new sport, be scared and wanting to surpass myself ! In 15 months i went from beginner to V8 and i still love to fail and improve on the walls :) If u put a lot of training and hours trying to think before running on the wall, u can do pretty much anything ! Great vid, keep it up
you look good man, the training is paying off. keep at it
Love this, it's easier to know what's going on with the shorter route and front camera view keep it up 😄
Just realized that my local bouldering place sucks. This gym looks amazing!
Looking forward to the upcoming video, Mike.
Great video. I have been bouldering for about a year and have reached the grade of v6 looking to get my first v7 soon. You are progressing fast and can't wait to see you rise up the grades. I saw the video of the muscle up so you have good strength in the arms for climbing. If you want to get serious training fingers (or just climbing alot) will make you better. Cheers!
Honestly bouldering is so great because it also helps you improve at rope climbing. You gain a lot more technique, you improve your dynamic movement, and increase your max strength. Improving your max strength leads to more stamina on rope climbs because every move will only take 30% of your max strength instead of 70% for example.
Great start and glad you caught the climbing bug. Excited to see more!
I love how more youtubers are getting into rock climbing, it's awsome
I love this video series. Keep it up. I can’t wait to see more!!!
3M subs, congratulations to you man!
After the bouldering video, I would love to see a short go at some system boards! They’re really hard to get into, but incredibly satisfying and rewarding once you get used to it!
great to see you make a bouldering video, keep up the good work. :)
I think the most comparable indoor benchmarks are on the Moonboard or the Kilter Board. You could see if your Bouldering Gym got one of those, they work a little like spray walls with light indicators for which hold you are supposed to use in which route. Then you select a set of holds for a route in the app on your smartphone and the holds get marked on the wall.
There is a wide selection of routes in the app and the ones with many reviews are pretty accurate in terms of Grades compared to outdoor Bouldering, which imo is the purest and (dont quote me on that) original form of Bouldering.
Although the style is very limited (mosty big dynamic moves in a big overhang and really tough on the fingers).
Anyways, love your climbing and bouldering content, been doing both for years and enjoy seeing the process of starting from scratch immensly.
Excuse my english, I think there are some mistakes here and there, stoked to see where your climbing journey is headed!
I was yelling "hell yeah dude!" while you sent the first yellow route. Great sends!
Lookin good!!! The black holds near every bouldering route are down climbs so you can more easily get most of the way back down!
This video is gold! Amazing production and mega effort. Looking forward to more climbing content!🎉
more pls youre pretty good for a "starter " i can defenitively see youre gifted at learning very quick as in youre other vidoes aswell good luck
"Where competitors race to see who can clean the holds the fastest"
I feel called out right now.
I'm the one who gives my climbing buddy crap about his brushing technique all the time too.
Hey Mike, i was excited to see you start to climb. I've been an on and off climber for ~10 years now. The "off" usually as a result of injuries or being too busy at work. At my peak I was climbing V6+ and 5.12+ - not great, but nothing to sneeze at.
Climbing is about not only muscle strength, but tendon and ligament strength. Building your ligament strength takes SERIOUS time - years, not months. Understand that damaging your soft tissue results in SERIOUS down time, as well.
If your gym has coaches, i'd strongly recommend talking to them. Progressing quickly seems like a fun task, but please be smart about it! No one wants to see you injuring yourself! The higher grades typically require VERY strong hands (muscle AND ligament strength).
Reach out to the Wide Boyz! they're a wealth of knowledge and have a kickass channel!
Anyone who climbs for 100 hrs should be proud of themselves. After that amount of time on the wall, the change in your coordination is really impressive.