Hello! Tomoa! Ikedai!
Ikedai: What's up today?
Tomoa: It's slab climbing!
Ikedai: Oh!? Tomoa: What??
Ikedai: Before I met you, I thought you were the master of dynamic and coordination moves.
Ikedai: Then, since I started to see you climbing closely, I found that your slab skills is way crazy.
Tomoa: Indeed. Actually...Akiyo used to say "Tomoa can only do coordination."
However, slab problems are always in competitions and you must do it. I practiced and I became pretty good. lol
Ikedai: In the world cups, what's the percentage of your slab tops?
Tomoa: As far as I remember, I did top 100%.
Ikedai: I can not stay normal because you are teaching me slab technics. Please.
Tomoa: This time, I'll teach you 5 points to be a better slab climber.
No.1
It's all about emotion.
Have a strong mind. Don't be afraid of falling down.
①Have a strong mind Ikedai: It's an abstract one.
Tomoa: It is an abstract.
Basically, a slab problem is on negative inclined wall,
so you put your weight forward when climbing.
But if you're scared, hips would get away from a wall. Then, you slip.
Tomoa: It is important to try many times and fall to be mentally strong little by little.
Ikedai: Have a strong heart. Tomoa: Yes. And you can enjoy.
No.2
Point No. 2 is concentration on sole.
②Concentration on Sole Tomoa: Let me explain, so come closer.
When you climb slab, you basically use this back area of shoe.
I see many people who are not good at standing on volumes. They are only touching small side part of shoe.
So that the most part of sole are not touched on volume.
Or using only tiny toe part of shoe.
Ikedai: Only small part is on.
Tomoa: I see it a lot.
Tomoa: When you stand on this kind of big volume, you basically need to use entire sole. As much as you can.
Tomoa: When you use enough area of sole, rubber grip gets stronger.
Tomoa: It’s totally different. I can even do handstand here.
Ikedai: You are pushing it down. Tomoa: Yes.
Tomoa: But if you're only using small part...See. You slip like this.
Ikedai: Grip is so different!
Tomoa: Yes. Again, I suggest you to use as many sole area as you can on volumes.
Tomoa: Next about tiny screwed hold.
For those it's not about using sole area.
It's about the position you step.
Tiny screwed hold is obviously "a point". If you step on it with big sole area, force on hold is dispersed.
Ikedai: Load force is dispersed.
Tomoa: Here when you are on those type of holds, you focus on thumb.
Tomoa: Around this part.
Tomoa: Then, you give load on it like this.
Next No.3
No. 3 is to consider the distance between you and wall.
To explain this, you should see me from the side.
Tomoa: The distance between you and wall.
Reason why we can stand on a wider volume is because
you can create space between you and wall.
Tomoa: Do you see? I got a triangle space here.
Ikedai: A head, toe and wall.
See a triangle image.
Tomoa: If I get closer to a wall, it is more difficult. Ikedai: The area of a triangle gets smaller.
Tomoa: So it is very hard to stand on this kind of small volumes.
Tomoa: It's always important to remember this logic.
Tomoa: If you are stepping on this wide volume, you should set your foot on the tip of it to make a bigger triangle.
You also need to care about a position of hips and chest.
When your hips and chest are closer to a wall, you can increase a load on feet.
But if only hips are close, your head goes like this way.
Ikedai: Only hips is not good. Tomoa: Yes. You fall backward.
Tomoa: On the other hand, if you only put a head and chest close, your hips get away from a wall.
Tomoa: You shall keep right distance between you and wall.
Ikedai: We should measure the distance while we are climbing. Tomoa: Yes. You will have many different situation. So practice hard!!
Ikedai: We do!!
No. 4
No.4 is whether a position of heel is down or not down.
Tomoa: Well...if you are living in a normal life, heel down may sound funny.
So let me explain what is "Heel down".
Tomoa: See me standing on this volume.
My heel is up like this.
Tomoa: And now I do heel down.
Tomoa: Obviously the area attaching to the volume is bigger.
Heel up and heel down.
Tomoa: Do you see more sole area is attached to the volume surface?
You get more grip and stabilized.
This volume is rather easy. Less inclined.
Tomoa: But as volume gets steep, you need to create more grip with sole on foot.
Ikedai: As much as you can put. Tomoa: Yes! See my foot on volume.
Ikedai: Heel down! Tomoa: Heel down. Not up like this, but down.
Tomoa: Especially American shoes maker such as my shoes "UNPARALLEL" and "FIVE TEN" are good to do "Heel down" I believe.
I suppose American shoes are relatively have more grip. And rigidity is weak.
Ikeda: You mean it's softer? Tomoa: Yes. So it is suitable to do heel down move.
Tomoa: Let's be careful when you step on tiny screwed holds. You should not heel down.
You need to use thumb part as I said.
Like this. It means that you press a toe only.
Tomoa: If you down a heel here, then your toe position would rise up.
Eventually you cannot stay there any longer.
Ikedai: I see. Tomoa: Toe's up.
Tomoa: On this tiny hold, you must keep your heel up like this.
No. 5
No. 5 is to be conscious of toe and knee position and angles when you make moves.
It should be hard to understand by my words, so let me show you my climbing.
It's like...
As you just see, my toe and knee were rotating many times.
A reason why you do that is to make pelvis in a parallel position to ground as much as you can.
Tomoa: Please take a look from the side.
From this position, I want to get a black hold.
Look my foot position.
In this position, my left pelvis is away from a wall. A bit rotated.
Ikedai: I see.
Tomoa: Here if I rotate my right foot like this, my pelvis would get closer to a wall.
Then, my pelvis is parallel to the ground, so it's more stable to get a black hold.
On this volume, my right toe is facing toward left side. And left foot position is like this.
After you get a black hold, you need to shift body balance on to left side. But again my pelvis is open.
Tomoa: With this pelvis position, you cannot put a weight on the left foot.
In such a situation, you should rotate your right foot like this way.
Tomoa: By doing that, your pelvis would be parallel.
See this again. From this position to here. You're stable now.
Tomoa: See this. The left knee is facing left.
My pelvis is away from a wall.
Tomoa: If I rotate my left foot like this, my left pelvis is close to a wall. Then, you can easily bring up right foot.
Now you want to step up, but the left pelvis is too close to a wall, so move your leg like this and go!
Ikedai: Wow! This is obviously an expert move. Tomoa: A little complicated.
Tomoa: This is what you must do!
⑤Be conscious of toe and knee position
Tomoa: Rotate foot.
Rotate again.
Stand up!
Tomoa: I rotate pelvis at the end too. Ikedai: I see.
Ikedai: Wonderful.
Tomoa: This time, I showed 5 points to be a better slab climber.
Did you get all?
Tomoa: Are you alright? Ikedai: Off course.
Tomoa: One another advise. If you did 5 points and still not becoming better.
Please try different shoes.
For slab, I suggest you "A separate type shoes". Can you see?
Tomoa: Sole parts are separated.
It is flexible, so you can easily stand on volumes.
On the other hand, here I got one piece type. See this.
Even with this type of shoes, you can grab volumes by selecting non-down-toe one with a flat sole.
Tomoa: This one is a little down-toe one, but it is good because of flexibilty.
Tomoa: To conclude, let's call Ikedai and study 5 points again.
Tomoa: Now you're got ya T-shirt. Ikedai: My bad...
Tomoa: No.1!! Ikedai: Have a strong mind. Don't be afraid of falling down.
Tomoa: If you are scared of slab, you lose a foot feeling. So let's get over and enjoy.
Tomoa: No.2!!
Ikedai: No. 2 is concentration on a sole. Tomoa: Yes!
Tomoa: For volumes, use back area of shoe as much as you can.
For tiny screwed holds, focus on thumb area to concentrate pressure.
Tomoa: No. 3!!
Ikedai: No. 3 is to consider the distance between you and wall.
Tomoa: Distance between you and a wall is so important. Please practice a lot to understand own feeling.
Tomoa: No. 4 !!
Ikedai: No.4 is whether a position of heel is up or down. Tomoa: Down or not down.
Tomoa: Normally you are climbing, you may not make your heel down.
But for a slab problems especially with volumes, you can stand on them easier with your heel down to make attached rubber area bigger.
Tomoa: With a small screwed holds, you should focus to keep heel up.
Tomoa: No. 5!! The last one.
Ikedai: Be conscious of toe and knee.......(Ikedai's gesturing)
Tomoa: Yes. Yes. Yes. lol
Tomoa: I suppose this is very difficult tips. Ikedai: I agree.
To understand your best position and rotational feeling, you need many practice. Please watch my video and learn.
Ikedai: You can climb and find the way it is. Today a new world.
Tomoa: Please try! Ikedai: Yes!
Tomoa: This time I taught you my original 5 points to be a better slab climber.
5 points shall be pretty enough, so climb many many times and get them please.
Ikedai: Please subscribe and like us if you learned something.
See you again!
Thank you!!
English subtitle by FreiHeit
I love slab.