Core Tension for Climbing: Lessons from a 4-Year-Old
After much planning and a few days of hard work, my father and I secured the final panel onto the climbing wall in our attic. Stepping back to view our handiwork, I smiled as the evening light reflected off the freshly varnished 40-degree overhanging surface. For the first time in my life, I had a training board in my own house.
Just then, my 4-year-old daughter, Madeleine, called up from the bottom of the stairs.
“Is it time to make the climbs?” she asked excitedly.
“It certainly is,” I replied, sharing in her excitement.
Madeleine quickly climbed up the stairs. She had already set aside a large pink starting hold, a series of green mini-jugs, and several terribly slopey wooden feet.
“I think you’ll need better footholds,” I suggested, rummaging through the box of holds.
“No thanks,” she declared without hesitation. “I like these.”
I decided not to argue with my determined 4-year-old. Madeleine grabbed a handful of screws and reached for the drill.
“Can I put them on myself?” she requested.
“I think I should help,” I replied. Over the next few minutes, she decided where she wanted her holds. I held the drill in position, and she pressed the trigger.
“Oh, this looks great!” she exclaimed, her eyes shining with pride.
I couldn’t help but smile. The wall was steep, and her chosen footholds were rounded and glassy, challenging even for me.
“Do you want to put these on instead?” I asked again, holding up some bigger resin footholds. Madeleine was too busy putting on her climbing shoes to respond.
She grabbed the pink starting hold with both hands, placed her right foot onto the lowest slopey wooden foothold, and pulled on. Her tiny shoe slipped off, and she stumbled back onto the bouldering pad.
Unfazed, she stood up and tried again. This time, her foot stayed locked onto the foothold. Shuffling her hips from side to side, she stabilized her body and reached the next handhold.
The Learning Process
A few tries later, much to my amazement, Madeleine linked a series of insecure foot movements and climbed up the boulder problem. She matched the top hold, swung her feet off the wall, and dropped to the pad, grinning joyfully.
Within 5 minutes, she repeated the climb three more times, using slightly different foot sequences each time, without falling off again. Watching her, I was amazed at how she seemed to learn and adapt with each attempt without giving it any thought.
Perception-Action Coupling
This brought to mind the ideas of James Gibson, an influential American psychologist who first suggested in the mid-20th century that our sensory and motor systems are intrinsically connected—a concept he called perception-action coupling.
Gibson’s dynamic theory contrasts with the brain-dominant approach of cognitive psychology, which involves processing large amounts of information before planning and executing an action. Instead, Gibson proposed that our perceptions and actions are tightly coupled into a continuous search, guiding our movements through our environment.
Our brain is involved, but rather than storing and delivering complex plans, it focuses on our desired outcome, the task.
“We perceive in order to move, and we move in order to perceive.”
Applying Gibson's Theory
As I watched Madeleine, it was clear she wasn’t consciously thinking about each movement but was instead focused on the task of getting to the top of the climb. Her body was engaging in what Gibson described as a perceptual-motor search, attuning to sensory information in her environment.
Without any core training or specific cues, Madeleine was creating perfect body tension on slopey footholds. She had designed the ideal challenge for her learning, adapting through trial and error to make the climb possible.
This successful climb not only added to her sense of accomplishment but also laid another important brick in the foundation of her climbing coordination skills. Right in front of me, she was mastering the skill of body tension.
Practical Applications for Climbers
This experience with Madeleine made me think about how climbers can incorporate these ideas into their training. Often, climbers ask which drill is best to improve body tension or which core exercise is best for climbing.
Watching Madeleine reminded me that the key lies in creating contextual learning opportunities.
Recently, I climbed with my friend Michael at Fairhead, Ireland. With his strong upper body, Michael often struggles to keep his feet on small, awkward footholds on steep terrain. On the crux move of a steep technical arete, his foot unintentionally lifted off the foothold. He hadn’t even noticed, successfully climbing to the top of the boulder. This moment presented a perfect learning opportunity.
“Climbing strength and climbing skill are two sides of the same coin”
The Secret to Body Tension
I suggested he try the climb again, this time adjusting his desired outcome. Instead of having a primary goal of reaching the top of the climb, his task was to keep his foot secured onto the crux foothold.
After several attempts, without any discussion about HOW he should do the move, he succeeded. With a tiny shift in perspective, we can create powerful and contextual learning experiences, which are more valuable than contrived drills or non-contextual core exercises.
Next time you unintentionally cut your feet while climbing, see it as a perfect opportunity to improve your movement skills and develop better body tension. Notice these opportunities, and you’ll develop a mindset and workflow for constant growth in your climbing journey.
Thanks for reading.
- Simon
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Some references from this post
Bosch, F., 2015. Strength Training and Coordination: An Integrative Approach. 2nd ed. 20/10 Uitgevers
Gibson, J.J., 1979. The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception. Boston: Houghton Mifflin
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