Rock Climbing Techniques

Smear
Use your feet flat on the rock, stick out your backside and keep your legs straight, using friction instead of footholds, to hold you on the rock.

Crimp
Using your fingertips on small holds. Keep your fingers close together and you can lock your thumb over the top of your fingers to hold them in position.

Hand Jam
Put your closed fist into a crack and turn it sidewards, so it becomes stuck inside the crack.

Layback
While climbing up a crack or corner, put your hands into the crack, turn your body sidewards, so you are pulling sidewards away from the crack. Move your feet as high up the rock as possible, keeping straight legs. Walk your hands and feet up the crack.

Bridging
While climbing up a corner, put your legs apart, one foot on either wall and push off each wall to get friction.

Mantelshelf
As you come up onto a ledge, reach up, put your hands onto the ledge and do a push up, pushing your body upwards, so you can climb onto the ledge.