Doncaster station was busy first thing this morning. The pa system announced that my train was standing room only so I resolved to catch a later one, but I'd have a look for a seat first. The main bit of the train was indeed busy, but not first class, oh no, first class was full of big comfy seats which I took full advantage of. Why did I buy a firstclass ticket? I didn't, but work did. One of todays objectives was to test and get screenshots of the free gner wifi service (also the reason for going from doncaster, sheffield is midland mainline) and that's only in first class, hence the blag. So anyway, I am in london all day today. Currently on the underground trying to get to lancaster gate.
Last night should have been a training night at the board, but school virgins dylan and lucy joined me. I never can resist a tour of the classics so I climbed instead. James and nige joined us later. I campussed like a donkey but climbed ok, only feeling that I could have done with something to eat as I felt a bit empty. Did some good problems, woodology, pure wood, basic jez, basic ben, pego goes, the school boy and very nearly mr blobby, falling off past the crux.
Dylan and lucy looked to enjoy. James climbed much better than last time, but nige was tearing the campus board from its fixings - I was (am) impressed. He did 158! Waddage. Apparently I have dodgy campus technique, which is something I need to clarify. I don't mind, but if I'm missing something it would be good to understand it.
7 comments:
I would just like to say that I have always known about Nige's campussing skills. How it's taken him quite this long to do 1-5-8 I don't know. He crushes it. Not only technically able, but strong. Oh how we love you Nige!
Hope to see you up at the board sometime. It looks like I'm not "doing" saturday, so if I don't see you, good luck.
thanks dude. Feel quite chilled out about it to be honest.
Just like to point out I'm not a school virgin. Just shit (this is dylan btw)
Pastacalories, I am blushing so hard I'm bursting blood vessels in my cheeks. How very kind of you. You're not weak yourself you know. Right, we'll leave the backslapping there for now! I am sick of apologising for length, so on this occasion I won't. Absorb beasts!
On the subject of campus technique, here is my take. Campussing is a party piece trick that is of little direct use to climbing. Case in point - Irish was lapping 1-5-8 at a time when his hardest problem on the 50 board was one 7c (and probably Schoolboy, so 7b+. Its hardly Basic Ben is it?). Me and Doyle were climbing at the same level, but our best was 1-4-5! (Then Si went into the stratosphere, but that's another story. About eggs). Obviously the climbing technique element is low, but also, it doesn’t necessarily equate to climbing strength as you might expect. Cos the holds are so big! (yes even the little rungs – c.f. holds on Uncle Crimpy Guts). However it is fucking good fun, so here are my tips for the top…..
There are two equally important elements to campussing - strength and technique. To illustrate, Danny Cattell can do a one-arm on an edge, and did 1-5-8 by doing just that (100% strength, 0% technique). Conversely, Ben Pritchard pissed 1-4-7 and nearly did 1-5-8 on the same day he failed in a protracted siege on Hard Banisters due to his immaculate campussing technique. To improve at it then both should be worked.
Strength: This is fairly obvious. Keep working towards the elusive one-arm on an edge (OK, not you Keith). If you can do this you’re sound. Because then you just one-arm the rung of your choice. Easy. If you can’t do this (everyone except Keith) then it is useful to add a workout for the triceps, pecs, and lats. These are all crucial to the “pushing” involved in good campus technique. Ben, with the amount of rings you do, you shouldn’t be lacking here!
N.B. For 1-5-anything hopefuls make sure you are working on the extremities of the one-arm, i.e. pulling from full (or very close to full) extension, to your chin above the bar. Don’t just copy Simpson doing his 30 degree R.O.M. “one-arms” on Doyle’s video. Its impressive but it won’t help! If (hypothetically) you were forced to choose you should ditch this bit in favour of extremity work anyway, as this middle portion is where you have the most mechanical advantage, so its easier.
N.B. No.2. For arm strength I recommend staying around 1-2 reps. Certainly no more than 3. The amount of people I see doing 5 reps with about 20kg counterweight on a pulley makes me weep. This is no more than a very offset two arm pull/up, usually incorporating an element of mantelling the assisting arm in the last few reps! You’re far better off doing one solitary slow controlled negative through the full range of motion than this nonsense.
Technique: This is for you Dobster! I won’t go into the slap from 1-4 or 1-5, that’s obvious. It’s the next part that’s tricky. You need to co-ordinate a pulling from your leading arm with a pushing from your trailing arm. The best way to practice this is to do it slowly, i.e. get 1-4/5 and pull/push upwards until your lead arm is locked to your shoulder. You should be using your pushing arm a lot in this motion. Watch Jerry bachar laddering on The Real Thing for a visual. Now, this is most useful from a push/pull at the same time co-ordination point of view, but things are slightly different when you’re actually campussing dynamically…..
……The reason for this is because of the twist. When practicing the movement static your body tends to stay open and close to the board, and your leading arm levers upwards parallel to the board (as if you were doing a straight lat pull down). You shouldn’t be campussing like this. Many do and do very well but they are all overpowering it (like young Mr Cattell). To get the highest up the board, and lets face it that’s what its all about, you should be twisting.
The difference here is that you need to leave space between yourself and the board to allow your torso on the trailing arm side to twist inwards. To visualise this, lock an imaginary rung level with your left arm pit, sit with square shoulders, and extend your right arm above your head. This is your reach if you stay open. In fact its generally worse than this since many people begin slapping up to 7/8/9 when the shoulder of their slapping arm is still lower than that of the leading arm! Now, in the same position, twist you torso from right to left and your right shoulder will rise upwards, thus gaining you a good few inches reach. This is the position you should be aiming to release from.
To allow space for your torso to twist inwards, you need to pull up a different way. Put simply, you need to lever your lead arm upwards perpendicular to the board rather than parallel. To illustrate, if you looked side-on at this technique your body would describe a curve moving out from the board then back in, rather than staying flat to the board throughout the motion.
The reason I think that most people don’t do this (and I don’t think you do Dobs) is that most can reach 1-4-7 easily enough with bad technique (i.e. shoulders level or worse), and have practiced by doing 1-3-6 which is nigh on impossible to do with a twist!
Other tips: Don’t pause or settle or re-adjust halfway. Do everything as one motion.
If you hit a plateau (i.e. 1-4-6 and 1-3-6 easy, aim of 1-4-7) which goes on for a while, stop campussing and do two weeks of basic strength work. Done properly this should see you right.
nice answer nige.
nice answer,
very useful also in letting me know im overpowering my campussing asweel. no twisting here, but that was one thing i noticed when seeing masters do 159. they do twist, and will i.
race is on.
Nibile.
I'll put Nige in charge of my training.
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