Movement Analysis: The Frog Pinch

The frog pinch is a pretty specific move, so I thought it would make an excellent candidate for my next movement analysis. I set this move on accident a few times, but the first time I forced it was at the level 2 USAC clinic, with E-Grips' Myorcan Tufapinch. I was somewhat on the spot, since I was setting it specifically for Chris Danielson himself. However, I didn't struggle with it and actually found it fun and intriguing to set. Since then I've set the move a few times with increasing success. The first thing you need to know about this move is that unlike the last movement analysis, this move might be a bit unintuitive - it's more technique than power. Lots of climbers do not have the hip flexibility and lower body tension necessary to quickly grasp this move when they encounter it. That being said, it's most logical to set this move on a slightly harder route, where climbers are likely to see the move as a challenge instead of a frustration. Gym rats hate this move. Flexible strong females, techy people and Smith junkies will eat it alive.

Basic Summary

The gist of the frog-leg is a move where the climber has to create body tension by compressing their legs towards each other. This means a few things off the bat. First, the hand holds need to be poor enough that the climber will fall if their feet aren't secure. If the climber can dyno or campus past the move, it's a no go. Second, The number of feet available needs to be limited; actually, it needs to be one - the pinch. Third, that foot option needs to have zero upward foothold potential. If the climber can use the top of the foot even as a poor smear, they will drop their other leg and make the move without using the frog.

Black denotes the start holds and route trend.

Generally the move works best when the climber is traversing over the frog pinch footholds, because it's hard to generate upward momentum when your legs are both pinching. Since that upward motion would make the move a lot more upper-body dependent, it could ruin the equitability of the sequence. I have found the easiest way to set the Frog Pinch is by having the climber do a cross move from a wide open position. We're going to have them start on the big pinch and a small right hand crimp by hand foot matching their left heel on the pinch from the ground. This sets the climber up for the frog by having half of the body position implied by the time they get to the move.

Starting position.

After they pull on, they'll bump their left hand from the big pinch to the first left hand sloper (Hold 2.) At this point they are creating compression with the three holds.

The opening move, to the first sloper.

Moving their left hand to Hold 3 is not an option because of distance, so the climber knows they need to move their right hand. The logical option is to create compression to replace the right hand's tension by using their right leg - for some climbers this will mean automatically adopting the frog position.

Creating compression with the feet - the Frog Pinch.

Then the climber can cross through to hold 3. Optionally, an extra (very poor) hold can be added above hold 1 to help this body position transition.

Crossing over - not too much upward motion, mostly moving laterally.

The route can go lots of directions afterward, provided none of the holds used in later sequences are accessible from the opening moves.

Hold Considerations

Basically, we're talking about four holds. One big start pinch, one small start crimp, and two non-matchable directional slopers / sloper pinches.

The right hand starting hold, doesn't matter much, as long as it's poor enough to prevent moves from being skipped. Placing it facing straight up will make the opening move easiest; placing it horizontal to the right will make it quite hard. Straight down or left will make the move (almost) impossible.

Holds 2 and 3 should be semi directionals so they can be easily tweaked to make the move feel more natural. The fastest way to make the move harder is to make the holds face outwards more, making the climber more reliant on compression and less on being able to actually pull down against gravity. I've found the most natural way to set the move is to have Hold 2 be basically straight down or just a bit left (since the climber will be using it the most.) The optional bump hold should face gently right, so the climber will struggle to bump their left hand from the start hold to hold 3, making the intended sequence more obvious. Hold 3 can be oriented depending on your next sequence, but I try to have it face slightly rightward with a decent thumb catch and keep the route trending left. This also makes it harder to skip moves.

The frog-leg foothold is going to be the centerpiece of the route. I'll emphasize again that this pinch can't be smearable! The three holds I've set this move on are the E-Grips Bubble Wrap Pinch, the Tufapinch and the Atomik Granite Pinch. The granite pinch was the most smearable, but also the most comfortable heel hook for the start. The Tufapinch is quite hard on anything steeper than about 20 degrees. There are several other holds that could theoretically be used for this purpose.

Troubleshooting hold choices:

• Thumb catches can generate a lot more compression than you might think. Consider using holds with no or poor thumb catches.
• If the climber can't pull off the ground, try moving your centerpiece pinch hold down (or in) a bit, or making your right hand starting hold better by rotation or hold change.
• If the climber can smear on top of the centerpiece hold, either it's too low or too good, hold 2 and 3 are too good, or your terrain isn't steep enough.
• If the frog-leg is uncomfortable, watch someone climb it and try to rotate the frog pinch so it points directly at their ideal center of gravity during the move. Just rotate it for fun if nothing else - a five degree shift makes the move completely different. Experiment. Rotating the pinch hold has been the final step of tweaking the move every single time I've set it.

Terrain Considerations

This move works on just about any terrain, but it's easiest to keep the climber from smearing on top of the pinch hold on a wall at least 20 degrees overhanging. Slabs and vertical faces it's just too easy for the climber to forego compression in favor of balance. On a steep enough wall, the hold has to better than the ones I outlined - Lapis volumes are a fun alternative, if you have them; although the move at that point is less like a frog pinch and more like stock gymnastic roof climbing. In fact, I think doing the move on a gently overhanging wall where it feels new and foreign is what makes the move so interesting to set and climb.



Possibly the best place to set this move is on a staggered overhang, if you have one near the ground. In this scenario you can move the entire setup up and down until you find the appropriate average angle to make the move "go." I didn't figure this technique out until I had set the move several times - it's much easier on this type of terrain, so it's a good place to start.

What do you get a routesetter for Christmas?

Warning: This post contains opinions. If you're allergic to these, proceed at your own discretion.

Well I haven't done it yet, so I figured I'd do a post on holds. Since it's the holidays anyways, I figured I might as well do a "fun" post. These are some of my favorites/obsessions right now. I am not sponsored or paid by any hold companies and profit from mentioning them in no way whatsoever. But if you're looking to spend a bit of cash on your setters this holiday season, here's some good bets in my opinion. I tried to pick at least one set out of every major hold style.

Supervillains (Mega Jugs) (Teknik)

(no direct link available)

Comfort: Very good. The texture isn't super grainy, but it's got enough bite to keep you on there if you're setting a move that requires contacting an air traffic controller prior to takeoff. The edges of the jug are perfectly rounded, and despite climbing on these things all the time, I'm yet to grab one in a way that annoys my fingers (a problem I find a lot of mega jugs suffer from - the lip isn't rounded in an ergonomic way.)
Aesthetics: They are capital-b Big. About a foot by a foot. Their biggest downside is they're wall hogs. They come in a variety of (usually bright) colors and with their size they really stick out from the crowd.
Setting factors: For their size, they are super light and pretty easy to set with. The washers are low profile and don't require any special bolts or consideration. Very low-maintenance holds. Because they're so drastically incut, they do tend to collect chalk at an extremely fast rate when placed with the jug facing up.

I love love LOVE this set! I am yet to find a jug this amazingly good on any angle. They feel great, they're ultra light for their size, and they're just super comfy.

Idea: Set a sideways dyno to the supervillain with a jug on both sides. (It's shaped like an H, where the top and bottom are the jug parts. The two in the top left of the picture.) On a steep wall, this move can be set so that both hands have to make contact and compress to hold the swing. Cool.

Right now, they aren't on the web order sheet. However, I've seen them in several different gyms, so I know they're available. Maybe someone from Teknik can clear this up..?

Limestone Roof Jugs - Jugs (Atomik)

Comfort: These are extremely comfortable and that's why I love setting with them. They seem to be the right depth that they never catch my fingers in between joints. Most of them have a comfortable thumb position/catch.
Aesthetics: The dimples look pretty good. Most of the ones I've seen come in relatively basic primary colors.
Setting Factors: For the most part they have good directionality for hands, and there's at least one with two directions for easy forced matching. The amount of featuring gives the holds low directionality for foot placements.

Jugs are a pretty basic building block of routes, so what else can I really say? I love setting with these, and they just seem to stick out of a pile of holds to me, so I picked them.

Pure Slap Slopers - Slopers (E-Grips)

Comfort: Seeing as how you're always open handing them, they're pretty fun to snag. The texture can definitely be quite grainy for dynamic/slappy moves, but sometimes that's the only thing that makes the move go!
Aesthetics: These things are super flush on a smooth wall and can be quite intimidating to the climber. An entire route of these (maybe combined with some other "blob" holds) looks quite good.
Setting Factors: On a textured wall, they stick out and create crimps. In some gyms, it's almost impossible to find a placement for these that doesn't create unintentional gaps. Which sucks.

These have been one of my favorite hold sets to work with this year. They're absolutely fantastic for slabs and almost any arete / dihedral terrain. They make great palm-smears, technical feet and are really good for "I need that hold that's just barely enough..." moves.

Idea: Set a span move to a blunt arete. Place one of these pancake bad boys just around the arete, spaced so that as the climber bumps from the arete to it, their other hand comes off. (See The Groove in Progression for an idea of this move.)

Myorcan Tufa-Pinch - Pinches (E-Grips)

(see also: Mini Myorcan Tufas)

Comfort: These are quite comfortable for multiple grips per hand. In some cases the grains going against your fingers can be somewhat rough texturewise.
Aesthetics: Can be combined with the Myorcan slopers, Myorcan rail, etc and produce some really awesome looking "wrinkly" theme routes.
Setting Factors: The biggest one is about a foot and a half long or so, and definitely requires a stopper screw/hold. The smaller ones should be fine. Directionality is .. well, they're pinches. You know.

Setting this hold was a great experience - It performed very intuitively. At my USAC level 2 clinic, I was given the big Myorcan pinch and had to frog-leg hug it as a forced movement challenge. If you're looking for a fun move, that one was great, and this was the perfect hold for it. (I might write a movement analysis on that move in the future.)

Limestone Crimps - Crimps (Climbit)

(see also: Limestone Set B)

Comfort: For crimps, damn comfortable. Even hard crimping the smallest ones has never bugged me. I don't know if it's the texture or the shaping, but they just work.
Aesthetics: They're pretty small, so it means a bit less, but I think they look nice. The texture of these things is very recognizable hold to hold, so thematically they work very well.
Setting Factors: Some of them have great directionality, but others have thumb catches / two grips. A few of them have stellar directionality for both hands and feet. Additionally, they are pretty thin and I have seen them crack and break, but it took quite a while (and I'm not sure if Climb-it's material has changed since.)

As anyone who knows me (or climbs my routes) knows, I love Climb-it crimps. I think they make the best crimps on the market. I love all their crimp sets, but I think the limestone ones are a cut above.

Idea: Mess around with different levels of incut on an overhang. The directionality of some of these crimps allows you to really get a feeling for how much "give" the climber gets from different orientations and bite amounts. I think this is a really good set for that type of experiment.

Bubble Wrap Ledge Feature - Full set (E-Grips)

(see also: Bubble Wrap Pinches, Bubble Wrap Ledges 2)

Comfort: These holds climb like a dream. My only niggle is that the edge on the more positive ledges can be a bit sharp on vert. (Easily remedied by not setting with them on vert!)
Aesthetics: A bubble wrap themed route is pretty easy given the number of sets available. I think there's two features, pinches, two sets of ledges, and one or two sets of feet. They look great and just feel right when combined.
Setting Factors: The two big features are definite candidates for irritating spin issues, so if you don't use screws, you will have to occupy some wall space for two stopper holds.

Love 'em. A brilliant idea well executed.

Idea: Once you tire of the fun aspect of the bubble wrap, if you want to get really devious, start setting with the ledges and big ledge turned backwards on a vert arete compression problem. That big ledge turned backwards makes an eeeeevil sloper! (You do have to worry about the bolt hole, though.)

Pinchtite - Feature (Teknik)

(No direct link)

Comfort: Good! Some bugle positions can be problematic on the wrists, but it can be avoided.
Aesthetics: This thing looks neat hanging out of a roof, and it feels very natural to occupy as much surface area as possible on it with your hands.
Setting Factors: Let's be honest, it's a huge pain in the ass. The bolt is friggin' enormous, and in some cases requires a hex bolt. It also really requires a set screw. I think it's worth it.

This thing is great fun to set with. Like some of Teknik's other shapes, it's extremely imaginative. It has very low directionality but is unique enough to still create some very interesting movement. I can think of few other holds as good for giving the climber a bicycle.

Idea: Combine with other protuding holds (such as the giant crystals - who makes those again?) in a roof to create insane knee bar, bicycle and cam action. This type of route is just a standby for me, as it's always unique and interesting to take the holds away from the climber and just give them a few huge things to work with.

Halo - Huge hold (Climb-it)

Comfort: It's there. The thing is huge and flat/neutralish, so you'd be hard pressed to find a really tweaky finger position. Heel cams in the halo can be alarmingly bomber.
Aesthetics: Like all massive holds, it sticks out, but this one has always had a special effect on me. It helps that routesetters seem to go unusually far out of their way to set dynamic movement to it.
Setting factors: Yup, it's effin huge. And it's heavy. And even if it's set with the bolt at the top it usually needs a stopper. (It's also a bit of a bank-breaker.)

This thing is just a show stopper. It was awesome in Battle in the Bubble, and it's equally awesome on just about every route it winds up on (of any grade.) There's just something fascinating about it.

Pockets
I .. don't really have any favorites. I have some favorite huecos, and some favorite mega jug sinker pockets, but as far as 2 and 3 finger pockets, I'm yet to be truly impressed. It's not a style thing, I love climbing on pockets.. I'm just waiting for the perfect set. (Hold companies: sure, that's a challenge.)

Runner-ups / honorable mentions:

Voodoo Scoops Yummy dual tex slopers. Dual tex done right.

So Ill "The Growth" Are you friggin' kidding me? This thing is nuts. haven't had a chance to set with it yet, it's just impressive.

Project Landslide 7XL Intimidating and perplexing on steep walls.

Project Hurricane - one of my favorite pinch holds - can you use all 3 pinches on one route?

Teknik Fatty Long Fat pinches - so damn comfortable! Some of my favorite pinches ever. They make great theme routes.

So.. what would you guys want from your gyms this season? Have you enjoyed the shapes this year, or do you want to double up some of your old standbys?

Movement Analysis: The Drive By

(While I finish up some posts in progress about the "routesetting biz", here's a post I wrote this summer. An ode to a move..)

I've been thinking a lot about the drive-by. It's been popular lately on the competition circuit:

Battle in the Bubble (3:30)
Teva Games 2009 (0:28 / deeplinked)
World Cup Vail 2010 (4:45)

Recently, I set a route up the front 45' of our boulder that featured a big drive-by lunge at a jug. It was a fun experiment at setting that move. First, I'll talk about the technical, boring aspects of the move. So if you're just interesting in learning how to set it quickly, head on down for the skinny.

Much like a standard dyno, the gist of the move is basically two steps: one, to force the climber to create momentum in one direction, and then two, to have them cancel it out when they hit the target hold (i.e. hold the swing.) What separates a drive-by from a stock one handed dyno is the momentum goes in stages: first one direction, then upward, then arcing back in the other direction as the climber hits the apex of their move. In other words, their free hand will look sort of like a clock hand swinging around from 6 to 12. The more momentum created, the bigger the clock face, the harder the move.

Basically, you can start with a sidepull lockoff, with the other hand around center mass (i.e. not very good to pull with) and good feet directly under the climber. Then, move the target hold high enough that the climber has to release body tension and perform a bit of a pop to snag the hold. This is closer to a stand-up than a drive-by, but I think it meets the technical qualifications.

Making the sidepull (the launch hold) a worse hold, or pivoting it downwards, will increase the difficulty of the second part of the move, and make the move feel more dynamic. Because they will have less purchase on the launch hold to control their body position once they start generating momentum, they will have to rely on the target hold to regain stable positioning.

Let's say you're using a left hand side pull, to the left of the body. Moving the feet to the left and keeping them low will make the move a simple "pop" with no drive-by element. Moving the feet further to the right can make the move very desperate very fast. The climber will use their poor right hand hold to rock over their footholds, then jump straight up. Their body will naturally curve left, hopefully snagging the target hold near the apex of the jump. With a sufficiently poor launch hold, this effect can make the move more of a drive-by dyno.

By altering the other hold, the one that will be released to grab the target hold, we can also dramatically change the body type of the move. As it moves past the climber's center of mass and closer to the launch hold, it becomes harder to rock over the feet and push off to begin the move. Moving it too far the other direction makes the swinging/rotating element of the move much less significant.

One of the keys of truly forcing the move is the directional nature of the off hold. Pivoting the launch hold affects the body positions created after the move has started, but pivoting the other hold (the hand you're reaching with) has drastic effects on the "setup" body position. Making the off-hold an undercling or opposing sidepull will give the climber a multitude of body position options, and maybe even let them attempt the move with their other hand. If you make that hold a gaston, they are forced to lay back on the launch hold and their body positions are constrained.

Finally, you can alter the target jug's position to change the amount of swing. Moving the target jug just a few T-nuts horizontally past the launch hold's vertical position can often change the move from a compressed, tight foot-cut with a bit of 'oomf' to a massive screaming-banshee 90-degree one-arm swing.

Sample layout

Here's a super simple example of forcing a drive by on a semi-steep to steep wall. In this case, you climb into the move from the right. It doesn't matter what the start is, so long as the holds are either necessary feet for the drive by move, or unusable for the drive by move. Remember, you want to limit the climber's options.


(Directionality indicated by the curved side of the hold.)

Hold analysis:

- In this case, hold A is a huge jug facing right. It's crucial that hold A is a great hold, but it should be low profile - very difficult to heel hook. For instance, the top hold in this set by Voodoo. Another great candidate would be the E-grips wonder hole.

- Hold B is a shallow edge or pinch, and shouldn't have a lot of bite to it. If it's too incut, the climber will be able to get opposition purchase for a heel hook. The lunar flats by E-Grips might be a good choice. A small thumb catch on hold B helps a lot with being able to hold the swing on the big move - alternatively, leave it off if you want to force them to cut the off hand and move into a one hand swing.

- Hold C can be anything you want. Just to figure the move out, I suggest a massive jug. My favorite jugs right now are the Teknik Supervillains.

Sample movement


Movement analysis:

#1. Left hand comes in to hold A as a gaston. Feet are on start holds or around terrain.

#2. Right hand matches into hold A.

(Left foot steps high onto the right foothold.)

#3. Left hand moves to hold B.

(Swap feet and move left foot to left foothold.)

#4. ("the" move)
- Keeping the left hand/arm extended for as long as possible, the climber rocks their body over the footholds by locking off the hold A jug, creating rightward momentum.

- When they reach the apex of the rockover, the climber straightens their legs, creating upward momentum.

- Right hand departs hold A. As it extends to grab hold C, the left hand's grip on hold B is holding them into the wall, causing their momentum to shift back left.

- The right hand latches hold C and the opposition between hold B and C is used to cancel out any remaining leftward momentum.

As you can see, one single move can require several body positions to set up. In this case, you could replace hold A with a smaller hold, make the feet into crimps that were start holds, and you'd have essentially the same move. The gaston/match is just to break up potential left-right-left monotony.

Need to switch this to a traditional one-handed swing drive by? It takes about two minutes. Just use this variation on a theme:


Variation on a theme:
-Move hold A further to the right, so it's not directly over the feet anymore. This will make it hard to generate upward momentum, and easier to generate rightward momentum with a natural barn door.
-Rotate hold B to be more of a gaston. It's crucial that hold B can not be used to pull directly downwards.
-Now, move hold C right a few feet, and maybe down a bit.
-Optionally, start the problem from the left to reduce the chances of skippage.

Now, when the climber sets up, they're going to naturally want to go with their left hand, the hold that was on hold B. If hold C is further to the right than hold A, the move will most likely require a wild one handed swing.

Suggestions for playing with drive-bys:
- Move the feet and watch as the climber's amount of swing varies drastically.
- Tweak the angle of your launch and off holds, even if you like the move the way it is. The body position difference / amount of "try hard" required when you pivot your off hold 10 degrees can be quite a learning experience..
- Want to scare the crap out of your climbers? Drive by around an arete to a jug that can't be seen from the launch position!
- Mega-slow balance drive by on a slab. You definitely see the "clock hand" move if this is set correctly.

Happy setting!

If you guys like this style of post (analyzing a single move) let me know - it feels kind of dense, but I write a lot of these just for posterity and I'd be happy to post them more often.