Tutorials
Climbing
Traversing
Lesson Level : 2
Bent Arm Cat
lesson
3m 33s
Video Details

The discussion centers around the techniques for traversing while climbing, focusing specifically on arm positioning and body placement against the climbing surface. There are two primary methods for hanging off a wall: the straight arm position and the bent arm position. The straight arm is often initially preferred due to comfort, but it presents limitations as fatigue sets in, leaving climbers with no effective way to relieve the strain on their arms.

In contrast, the bent arm position is recommended as a more sustainable technique for climbing. When in this position, climbers can gradually transition between the bent and straight arm positions, allowing for better endurance as they ascend. Key aspects of the bent arm position include maintaining a firm grip with the whole hand on the edge and correctly positioning the legs—one high and one low—to maintain stability against the wall.

The essential takeaways emphasize the importance of practicing the bent arm technique for improved climbing efficiency. Proper hand placement and leg position are critical in creating a stable stance that counters backward forces. Ultimately, developing the strength to hold a bent arm position will facilitate longer and more effective climbs, allowing climbers to traverse more comfortably.

Key points:

  1. The bent arm position is preferable for climbing, as it allows for better endurance and transitioning between positions.
  2. Proper hand and leg positioning are crucial for maintaining stability and controlling movements while climbing.
  3. Developing strength in the bent arm position requires practice, ultimately leading to more effective climbing techniques.
Note: This video summary is generated by AI from the video transcript and may not always be accurate.
The Lesson

Demonstrate a bent-arm cat-leap / arm-jump hang position on the side of a wall. Wall can be any height that is comfortable.

Knees should be bent, one leg higher than the other. One at hip-height, and underneath you.

Arms must be bent at ninety degrees or less (chin closer to hands). Full finger length over the top. No over-grip onto the back edge of the wall - must be on the front edge corner of the wall.

Hold for 20 seconds.

Repeat once on each leg being high, the other low.

Challenge Details
Guidelines to successfully accomplish the challenge.
sides.
You must complete and demonstrate on Left then Right Sides
Details
Both sides must be performed. Right leg high with left leg low, then Left leg high with right leg low.
repetitions.
You must complete 2 repetitions
+ / -
You can repeat more than specified.
Details
Two repetitions in total.
duration.
The duration must be 00:00:20
+ / -
The duration can be more than specified.
Details
Hold for 20 seconds
hands.
The hands must be Hands on front edge of wall
Details
Hands must be on front edge of the wall.
Transcript
																									

														
5.799

														
traversing let's start with body

													

																									

														
9.32

														
position when you are on the side of the

													

																									

														
11.719

														
war there's generally two different

													

																									

														
14.839

														
methods of hanging off the side of the

													

																									

														
17.32

														
wall one is straight arm one is bent arm

													

																									

														
21.439

														
so the straight arm one is what tends to

													

																									

														
25.24

														
be most people's preferred position

													

																									

														
27.92

														
because you're kind of hanging on the

													

																									

														
29.4

														
limbs

													

																									

														
30.64

														
um sorry your limbs your ligaments of

													

																									

														
32.64

														
your shoulders and it becomes quite

													

																									

														
36.92

														
comfortable in this position now the

													

																									

														
39.48

														
problem with that is when you are

													

																									

														
41.719

														
hanging in that straight arm position

													

																									

														
44.6

														
you've got nowhere to

													

																									

														
46.28

														
go as your hands get tired as your arms

													

																									

														
49.28

														
get tired the it's just coming off that

													

																									

														
53.079

														
that's literally all that's going to

													

																									

														
54.199

														
happen so really you want to get used to

													

																									

														
57.84

														
being in the bent arm position position

													

																									

														
60.399

														
so as you get tired your arms can slowly

													

																									

														
64.76

														
descend back into the straight armed

													

																									

														
67.28

														
position um and will then be able to

													

																									

														
70.68

														
Traverse in those positions

													

																									

														
73.96

														
so bent arm is really the one that you

													

																									

														
76.68

														
want to work on first when you do this

													

																									

														
80.119

														
again there's a few Concepts to keep in

													

																									

														
82.64

														
mind a few techniques your hand is bent

													

																									

														
87.28

														
at the knuckle so you don't want to get

													

																									

														
89

														
the fingers over over the top so you you

													

																									

														
92

														
don't want to be so just the ends of

													

																									

														
94.119

														
your fingers you want to be so the whole

													

																									

														
96.28

														
hand as much as of your hand is over the

													

																									

														
98.6

														
top Edge as you possibly can

													

																									

														
101.96

														
so the other part is one leg needs to be

													

																									

														
105.92

														
high one leg needs to be low the top leg

													

																									

														
109.52

														
is sort of pushing you back so it's kind

													

																									

														
112.68

														
of pushing you away from the wall and

													

																									

														
115.2

														
the bottom leg is stopping you from

													

																									

														
117.759

														
going backwards the top leg is kind of

													

																									

														
120.759

														
also pushing in and downward so it's

													

																									

														
123.96

														
what keeps you stuck um on the wall and

													

																									

														
127.2

														
it should be about hip height and the

													

																									

														
129.56

														
bottom leg Yeah is stopping you from

													

																									

														
131.28

														
tipping back so that sort of like

													

																									

														
133.72

														
counteracts um that backwards

													

																									

														
137

														
position arms bent as much as you can

													

																									

														
140.48

														
and you want to get the chin or the eyes

													

																									

														
142.959

														
at the height of the top Edge so let's

													

																									

														
146.319

														
give that a go I'm going to just jump up

													

																									

														
148.519

														
one leg is going to be high one leg's

													

																									

														
150.4

														
going to be low so come up

													

																									

														
153.36

														
here and this is where you want to be

													

																									

														
156.4

														
okay arms are bent my ey line is at the

													

																									

														
158.8

														
top I'm working harder my top foot

													

																									

														
163.599

														
should be about hip height lower leg is

													

																									

														
167.08

														
stopping me going backwards but if this

													

																									

														
170

														
wasn't here I would start going

													

																									

														
171.599

														
backwards the whole hand is over the

													

																									

														
173.36

														
edge and this is a good stable position

													

																									

														
176.12

														
as I get tired I can then come down and

													

																									

														
179.92

														
now I've got more time to be on the wall

													

																									

														
183.08

														
okay and but if I was just to go in that

													

																									

														
186.08

														
straight arm position yeah I wouldn't be

													

																									

														
188.799

														
able to hold on for as

													

																									

														
190.76

														
long this is more a strength

													

																									

														
193.799

														
exercise keeping that arm bent uh just

													

																									

														
197.319

														
takes time and practice uh for longer

													

																									

														
200.239

														
periods of time and then once you're

													

																									

														
202.959

														
comfortable you can then work on the

													

																									

														
205.239

														
Traverse
Subtitles (SRT) 
1
00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:10,000
traversing let's start with body

2
00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:14,000
position when you are on the side of the

3
00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:16,000
war there's generally two different

4
00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:20,000
methods of hanging off the side of the

5
00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:24,000
wall one is straight arm one is bent arm

6
00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:27,000
so the straight arm one is what tends to

7
00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:29,000
be most people's preferred position

8
00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:29,000
because you're kind of hanging on the

9
00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:32,000
limbs

10
00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:36,000
um sorry your limbs your ligaments of

11
00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:38,000
your shoulders and it becomes quite

12
00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:40,000
comfortable in this position now the

13
00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:44,000
problem with that is when you are

14
00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:45,000
hanging in that straight arm position

15
00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:48,000
you've got nowhere to

16
00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:52,000
go as your hands get tired as your arms

17
00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:53,000
get tired the it's just coming off that

18
00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:57,000
that's literally all that's going to

19
00:00:54,000 --> 00:01:00,000
happen so really you want to get used to

20
00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:03,000
being in the bent arm position position

21
00:00:60,000 --> 00:01:06,000
so as you get tired your arms can slowly

22
00:00:64,000 --> 00:01:09,000
descend back into the straight armed

23
00:00:67,000 --> 00:01:13,000
position um and will then be able to

24
00:00:70,000 --> 00:01:16,000
Traverse in those positions

25
00:00:73,000 --> 00:01:19,000
so bent arm is really the one that you

26
00:00:76,000 --> 00:01:21,000
want to work on first when you do this

27
00:00:80,000 --> 00:01:27,000
again there's a few Concepts to keep in

28
00:00:82,000 --> 00:01:28,000
mind a few techniques your hand is bent

29
00:00:87,000 --> 00:01:31,000
at the knuckle so you don't want to get

30
00:00:89,000 --> 00:01:34,000
the fingers over over the top so you you

31
00:00:92,000 --> 00:01:36,000
don't want to be so just the ends of

32
00:00:94,000 --> 00:01:38,000
your fingers you want to be so the whole

33
00:00:96,000 --> 00:01:41,000
hand as much as of your hand is over the

34
00:00:98,000 --> 00:01:45,000
top Edge as you possibly can

35
00:00:101,000 --> 00:01:48,000
so the other part is one leg needs to be

36
00:00:105,000 --> 00:01:51,000
high one leg needs to be low the top leg

37
00:00:109,000 --> 00:01:54,000
is sort of pushing you back so it's kind

38
00:00:112,000 --> 00:01:57,000
of pushing you away from the wall and

39
00:00:115,000 --> 00:01:60,000
the bottom leg is stopping you from

40
00:00:117,000 --> 00:01:63,000
going backwards the top leg is kind of

41
00:00:120,000 --> 00:01:66,000
also pushing in and downward so it's

42
00:00:123,000 --> 00:01:68,000
what keeps you stuck um on the wall and

43
00:00:127,000 --> 00:01:71,000
it should be about hip height and the

44
00:00:129,000 --> 00:01:73,000
bottom leg Yeah is stopping you from

45
00:00:131,000 --> 00:01:76,000
tipping back so that sort of like

46
00:00:133,000 --> 00:01:79,000
counteracts um that backwards

47
00:00:137,000 --> 00:01:82,000
position arms bent as much as you can

48
00:00:140,000 --> 00:01:85,000
and you want to get the chin or the eyes

49
00:00:142,000 --> 00:01:87,000
at the height of the top Edge so let's

50
00:00:146,000 --> 00:01:90,000
give that a go I'm going to just jump up

51
00:00:148,000 --> 00:01:92,000
one leg is going to be high one leg's

52
00:00:150,000 --> 00:01:96,000
going to be low so come up

53
00:00:153,000 --> 00:01:98,000
here and this is where you want to be

54
00:00:156,000 --> 00:01:103,000
okay arms are bent my ey line is at the

55
00:00:158,000 --> 00:01:106,000
top I'm working harder my top foot

56
00:00:163,000 --> 00:01:109,000
should be about hip height lower leg is

57
00:00:167,000 --> 00:01:111,000
stopping me going backwards but if this

58
00:00:170,000 --> 00:01:113,000
wasn't here I would start going

59
00:00:171,000 --> 00:01:115,000
backwards the whole hand is over the

60
00:00:173,000 --> 00:01:119,000
edge and this is a good stable position

61
00:00:176,000 --> 00:01:122,000
as I get tired I can then come down and

62
00:00:179,000 --> 00:01:125,000
now I've got more time to be on the wall

63
00:00:183,000 --> 00:01:128,000
okay and but if I was just to go in that

64
00:00:186,000 --> 00:01:130,000
straight arm position yeah I wouldn't be

65
00:00:188,000 --> 00:01:133,000
able to hold on for as

66
00:00:190,000 --> 00:01:136,000
long this is more a strength

67
00:00:193,000 --> 00:01:139,000
exercise keeping that arm bent uh just

68
00:00:197,000 --> 00:01:142,000
takes time and practice uh for longer

69
00:00:200,000 --> 00:01:145,000
periods of time and then once you're

70
00:00:202,000 --> 00:01:147,000
comfortable you can then work on the

71
00:00:205,000 --> 00:01:148,000
Traverse