Training for climbing by indoor bouldering can get tiring and uninspiring at times, especially if your indoor climbing facility isn’t changing the holds very often. Break out of the rut with some new inspiration taken from the four indoor bouldering games described below. From tried-‘n’-true, better-known climbing wall games to lesser-known bouldering training ideas, you’ll find ways for you and a partner (or even just you alone) to reinvigorate your passion for pulling on plastic.
The Old Standby Climbing Game — Add On
Number of players: 2 or more
Time of play: 5 minutes and up
Almost everyone who boulders indoors has probably played this game, but no article on fun climbing wall games would be complete without a nod to Add On. The rules are simple:
- The players decided how many moves each person will add on (usually one to three).
- The first climber starts by making his or her first move(s), and then jumps down off the wall.
- The next climber repeats those move(s), and then adds on another move(s).
- This continues with each player, until the problem is finished, usually at the top of the wall.
- If a player can’t complete a move added on by another player, he or she has the option of either substituting another (better) hold, continuing to try that move in sequence when his or her turn comes up, or dropping out of the rotation.
Create an Indoor Bouldering Competition
Number of players: 2 or more
Time of play: 2 hours or more
Rules of play:
- Each boulderer gets a sheet of paper and a pen. Players decide on a time period (15 to 30 minutes works well) to make up an agreed-upon number of new boulder problems using existing holds on the wall. These problems should be focused on what would be challenging for the other participants’ climbing level and areas of strengths/weaknesses.
- After making up problems and writing them down (naming holds according to shape, color, size, and area of gym as best as possible), climbers trade sheets of paper, each player receiving his or her own personal competition.
- The competition begins. Players try to complete the boulder problems on their sheet within the designated bouldering training session time period, much like in a typical ABS redpoint-format bouldering competition.
A Bouldering Training Game for Partners
Number of players: 2
Time of play: 5 minutes or more
Rules of play:
- Another popular indoor rock climbing game, this game is often called “stick.” You need a stick or a pointer in order to play it.
- Players decide together whether the feet will be open (meaning all holds are on) or tracking (meaning only holds that hands touch are on for the footholds).
- The first boulderer steps up to the wall and gets on handholds as directed by the second player.
- The player on the ground uses the stick to point to the boulderer’s next hold, and the boulderer attempts to reach it.
- This continues, with the ground player attempting to challenge and push the climber just to the brink of falling without actually making the moves too hard, until either the problem is complete or the climber falls off.
- The players switch places.
- This game can be used very effectively to train both power endurance and endurance if climbing partners know each other’s climbing abilities well enough to push one another effectively.
Build a Move Into a Boulder Problem
Number of players: 1 or more
Time of play: 5 minutes or more
Rules of play:
- This simple game is great for the bored boulderer training for climbing alone, as well as for partners.
- Start by thinking about a type of bouldering move that is always challenging or causes difficulties (dynos, crimpy moves on overhangs, and moves with poor footholds are a few common examples).
- Search the indoor bouldering wall for a place to create a problem with this move. Try to make the move challenging, but doable.
- Now, attempt to build that move into a boulder problem, adding challenging moves both before and after it.
- This bouldering game helps the climber to train “problem moves” in a sequence, teaching the climber the subtle nuances involved in setting up for the move by climbing into it, and also, how to recover from the challenging move afterward.
Use Fun Climbing Games for Better Indoor Bouldering Training
Incorporating fun indoor climbing wall games into your bouldering training can improve the quality and quantity of your training for climbing. Recruit a partner to try out one or all of the above bouldering games the next time you go to the gym for some indoor climbing. One last idea: If you’re training for bouldering alone or bouldering with a much weaker partner, try throwing on a weight vest to change things up from the boring old routine.
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