3 finger drag vs crimp. May 1, 2024 · The Three Types of Crimps.

3 finger drag vs crimp Instead, 3 finger open, and pinky+ring open when training on edges. Sep 11, 2023 · Open Hand vs. Too much chance for injury doing half crimp with only two fingers to stabilize. By using your pinky, you use most of the muscles in your 3 GRIP TYPE MINI TRICKS - Here's Tom Randall showing us a few variations on the standard grips that can make a big difference in your climbing. 4 finger open crimp. It is useful because holds are often caught in this hand position before being reeled into a four-finger position. First, we must understand that there are 3 different crimping positions: 1) the open crimp 2) closed hand crimp and 3) full crimp. Opinions please In a 20 mil one arm hang I can add roughly 25 lbs more to 3 finger drag than half crimp, so I have a weak half crimp compared to other grips, but I don't half crimp very much on the wall. boulders. Relax, allowing your fingers to gently rest on the hold again. I'm only trying to help you know where to start your journey. We practice half crimp to let our thumbs work independently on pinches, slopers and thumb catches AND as a less injury than full crimping all the time. Then you roll up into a more closed position which is a strength in and of itself too. I can full crimp front2 and middle2 on the small BM rungs, though, so I don't know what to think. That means: More force Longer time to apply force Mar 16, 2005 · I'm balanced between half crimp and full drag (3 fingers for me, due to short pinky), but cannot match that with full crimp: my index and middle do not extend much and the full crimp is the most painful prehension for me. Sep 27, 2024 · Open-hand crimp (AKA 3-finger drag) The open-hand crimp is used on slightly easier terrain when you want to conserve energy. Due to the higher forces put through the joints and pulleys it should be trained via climbing You’re right about 3 finger drag it does have slightly better reach. From what I can also tell dropping edge size also seems to make friction a more important factor, which is to be avoided. Personally I think the 3 finger open is the most important grip to train because you can use it instead of crimping in many cases and so avoid injury. (Photo: Tom Randall) How Many Fingers and Arms? Don't think it's a problem at all, just different tools in the box. This is the approach I have taken in the past year. especially when advice is often to be careful/appreciate the risk of full crimping, and don't go around full crimping everything, and be mindful and intentful Dec 24, 2012 · Just curious if folks hang 3 and 2 fingers half crimped, or if you guys switch over to open handed dragging for those. Aug 25, 2019 · Light high rep finger curls after climbing and/or light 3 finger drag; Mobility work in hot water bath or hot tub once a day; Extensor strengthening, if it helps; Massage, if it helps; Finger tip pushup supports hold (just holding the top position) with straight fingers. The most common grip is the open crimp, which you should use most often when climbing. Full Crimp. After doing the first set of five hangs, rest for 5 to 10 minutes before doing a second set of five hangs. I think this is impossible unless you have very long pinky. Jan 10, 2022 · Gentle rest your fingers on the hold and position them close to the form you will use (3 finger drag vs half crimp, for example). Pretty weird because I often use the full crimp, but it's always been like that. 5 strength to weight ratio meaning that you’re probably climbing at moderate grades and you have significant headroom for your finger strength to improve. It’s a popular grip that some climbers use for the majority of their climbing. . 14 votes, 24 comments. Mono & Two-Finger Pockets Often seen as the most advanced grip position, small pockets place incredibly high loads through the pulleys and tendons of the fingers. Repeat, 3-5 times. 1:03:28 – What Dan thinks I should focus on with my finger strength for sport climbing. Pinky is dragged. Getting your pinky on a hold forces your other fingers to bend more, so a 4 finger open hand is better described as an open crimp, somewhere in between a true open hand and a half crimp. Oct 31, 2019 · That's good to know. Crimp If you want more power on steep terrain, it’s not just about finger strength — it’s how you use your grip. Another reason to train the three-finger drag is that strength in this grip is a prerequisite for impressive sloper strength. This should last for only 2-3 seconds. 4 finger full crimp To comment on them and share my thoughts: The most open grip type but excludes the pinky. I’m interested in the usefulness of training 3 finger drag vs just training a 4 finger open position and a more strict half crimp. Also Dave Mac is Dave Mac so. Oft When it comes to fingerboard training for climbing, there are many tools and methods at our disposal! If anyone has watched our channels over the years or fo Lastly, strengthening the 3-finger drag for climbing will reduce the risk of injuries associated with the pinky finger slipping off and overloading the other fingers. This oil is especially made for climbers and should be applied several times a day in case of pain, particularly after a climbing session. 4 finger "open hand" (for people where the pinky finger is significantly shorter) arent actually very open handed as in order to get the pinky on the first 3 must be bent (for me it's basically 1/2 crimp). I'm thinking 3 fingers - good to work both positions, especially for front 3. Apr 13, 2025 · The openness of a crimp grip refers to where our thumb is while crimping, and the angle our fingers and knuckles make while we crimp. Yesterday when I did max hang, on the 3/4 inch edge of beastmaker 1000 I was able to pull 80-85% body weight with one hand either chisel or 3-finger drag, but I could barely hang on the same edges with both hands in the half-crimp position. Full crimp: Good for small edges. 3 finger drag (or open hand) is a pretty common open hand technique since the pinky is too short. Dec 14, 2016 · It definitely has the open-hand feel with the finger pads being peeled and the weight bearing on the A1 tendon rather than the A3 and forearms. Open-Hand Crimp: (AKA “3-finger drag”) The open-hand crimp is used on slightly easier terrain when you want to conserve energy. 2 fingers - for non-wads probably just open hand. Sep 22, 2022 · From a biomechanics perspective, half crimp will be weaker than full crimp or drag because full crimp includes direct force from the thumb and open includes passive tension/friction over the edge. All three are important in climbing, and if you want to be a good climber, you shouldn't neglect any of them. Feels safer and more stable and less injury prone than half crimp! Much stronger back 3 than front 3 (half and full crimp). Hi there, I'm pretty new to climbing, I've been at it for a few months, mostly bouldering in the V3-4 neighbourhood of difficulty. These are kind of your 3 basic grips without dropping fingers or adding in pinches/slopers. That means: More force Longer time to apply force Feb 11, 2021 · Half Crimp on 14-millimetre edge: 3 sets of 10 seconds on, 50 seconds off; Engage about 80% of the weight it would take to lift off the ground; Three-finger drag on large edge: 3 sets of 10 seconds on, 50 seconds off; Engage about 80% of the weight required to pull off of the ground; Middle-and-ring finger open-pocket position: Apr 18, 2025 · 3,041 likes, 10 comments - latticetraining on April 17, 2025: "Power on steep terrain: Drag vs. Full crimp can be used of course, but definitely don’t use it as your main grip type. Initially focus on training the half-crimp and open-crimp grip—one set of each. As to whether or not you should train your three finger drag, I have this short anecdote. I'm thinking this is less physical stress than 1 because even though it's less open, the extra finger means less load per finger, for LOVES fully closed, fully cranked crimp. 3 finger fatigues me less and feels safer half crimp is usually better on sloped crimps or very small crimps Jan 4, 2024 · There are three basic types: the open crimp, the full crimp, and the three-finger grip. Advanced climbers can do one or two additional sets that target three-finger drag and the various one- and two-finger pocket grips. One piece of advice I give to climbers starting to work on their crimps is to use the open grip more often than the full crimp grip. About 4kg difference (one handed, incut BM2k crimp) with 3 finger drag being stronger. Front 3 half crimp: Good for big moves (pinkie doesn’t catch) and smaller width edges. Apr 18, 2025 · 3,041 likes, 10 comments - latticetraining on April 17, 2025: "Power on steep terrain: Drag vs. The pinky on "open" really ends up with a much more acute angle in my middle fingers PIP joint, far closer to a half crimp, and a lot more strain on the A2. Same thing with front 3 vs back 3. You are right that its almost impossible to 3 finger open hold most indoor tiny crimps. Jede dieser Griffvarianten fühlt sich anders an und im Eifer des Gefechtes benutzen Boulderer:innen die Begriffe oftmals etwas salopp. I believe Aidan Roberts is somewhat similar in that he is fairly weak on a hangboard in half crimp, but very strong with a flexed pinky. A pulley Injury will have: The most pain while loading in the full crimp and half crimp positions. This post could have been written by me a few years ago. Very good for sloper strength and not tough on the tendons either. Crimp 💥 If you want more power on steep terrain, it’s not just about finger strength — it’s how you use your grip. The document has moved here. I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice regarding the 3 above grip types (full crimp, half crimp, open hand), and most importantly, how they differentiate in terms of stressing the tendons/pulleys in the hand/fingers. I've always assumed three finger drag was open and have never really thought about an open crimp with four fingers. Hannah Toward (9 years old at the time) relies on the 3-finger drag whilst climbing Free and Even Easier 7a+ at Malham. Should I restore my crimp strength or only open hand? I think I need to restore crimp strength. I’m not sure how much you weigh but for most adults your numbers here are going to be less than 1. Like I said: Google it. My half crimp is only slightly stronger than my 2-finger drag. My three finger drag is my weakest grip by far (about 16kg weaker than my half-crimp on max hangs), but adding it into my training repertoire has helped quite a bit with deadpoints, especially on the Moonboard. You will injure yourself eventually guaranteed. Quite a bit weaker (relative to most) when pinky comes off-- in drag, crimp, whatever. Closed Crimp vs. Nov 9, 2021 · Dave Mac says that you should train both half crimp and the 3-finger drag (and I guess the 4-finger drag) on the fingerboard. Jul 26, 2021 · Moderate pain with resisted flexion at the PIP joint while loading only 1 finger and no pain when loading all fingers (open hand) No pain while loading in the half or full crimp position. Sep 19, 2022 · 0:59:23 – Three finger drag, wrist movement, and different grip positions for different rock types and routes vs. Compounding on that, it's pretty likely that you favor your strong grip while actually climbing, so despite the recent 7 months of stimulus, your 3 finger drag could simply be 4 finger open =/= 4 finger drag (4finger drag beeing 3 finger drag + pinky in drag position) 4 finger open is for me having 4 fingers on with my Index finger beeing open (not 90 degree). true. Rest for 3-5 minutes between Sep 12, 2024 · The 3 finger drag is an open hand position that excludes use of the pinky. If I keep my fingers in the open crimp position (ie, PIP joint of the index finger is straight), my pinky is not long enough to reach the crimp, turning my "open crimp" into a 3-finger drag. We Power on steep terrain: Drag vs. Mar 27, 2019 · Junior climbers are prone to over-using the 3-finger drag on edges because they feel weak at half-crimping and hence a key coaching tip is to encourage them to use their little finger and maintain a half-crimp. But look, this is very often the case: Can crimp with all 4 fingers on no pain + three finger drag (bonus points with dropping of the pinky towards palm) causes lotta pain = (at least, but not necessarily limited to) lumbrical injury (of some kind/degree). Beginners will want to start with open positions such as this three-finger “drag,” and minimize time on the smallest holds and limit using the “full crimp,” which increases strain on the fingers. Moving my pinky up onto the crimp seems to inevitably move me into a half crimp finger position. Just train half crimp, 3 finger drag (you actually don’t have to crimp at all, Dave Macleod uses 3 finger drag as his main grip for example and he climbs really hard), or both. 3 finger open feels safer to me so if I really need to crank and the hold allows for it I will 3 finger. If you do a 3 finger drag, it's possible to have completely straight PIP joints on at least 2 of the fingers. It allows for imprecision and requires very little energy. The thumb either rests next to the index finger or nestles into the side of the hold, if possible. It didn't occur to me that there was anything different about 4 fingers drag on a hold and 3 finger open and that held my recovery back for a long time. So much of sloper strength is core/shoulder strength, as well as open hand strength. 1:04:29 – Summary of the takeaways from my finger testing, and Dan’s guesses about my climbing based on the numbers This makes more sense to me than calling 3 an aggressive half crimp or something, because it's the hyperextension that creates the stress on the pulleys and thus risk for finger injury. So more powerful than 3 finger drag but slightly less efficient. May 10, 2022 · The half crimp is the grip with the broadest range of applications in climbing, yet many are uncertain exactly how to perform it. Nov 10, 2024 · Crimping was one of my major strengths, let me get my fingers on something i could pull through on a half crimp now I can’t even hold my body weight on half crimp but I can do 5 pull ups on 3 finger drag. I would assume it happened over the span of 11 years. When using a closed grip (half crimp/full crimp), your elbow can travel higher (increased angle) without losing contact. Only mild pain with resisted flexion at the PIP joint. Using your pinkie engages more muscles in your forearm and back, so this grip type uses less energy and is great for long endurance climbs. Sloper strength is one of the weirdest things to train. Everything I've researched has seemed to back that up. Wrist engagement is the secret sauce. I almost mentioned 3 finger drag, but figured it would complicate matters for OP/discussion. Moved Permanently. Half Crimp vs. That said, the three-finger drag can be a strong grip if you train it. Nov 10, 2022 · Vary your finger positions and hold size to reduce the chance of injury. Has anybody seen gains focusing on 3 finger drag? Feb 9, 2020 · In this video, we are going to discuss if crimping is safe, we are going to break down the crimp position, and we will discuss proper training and management of crimping. In addition, if you are certain the only way to hold something is with a super powerful full crimp, consider making adjustments to your feet and body position to make climbing holds feel better instead of always resulting to full crimping. Even more complicated is I have come across some discussion (via some of the Lattice folks) about training front/back 3 (in half crimp I believe) translating well to pockets of the 1 and 2 finger variety. Maybe that's why I crimp everything so hard. Half crimp grip and open hand grip were allowed without the use of the climber's thumb and Jul 13, 2021 · To help your fingers recover quicker from crimping, you can use crimp oil to give them a nice massage, which will help relax your muscles, tendons, and prevent injuries, too. May 1, 2024 · The Three Types of Crimps. Because of the different lenght of my fingers my middle and ring fingers are about 90 degree in this position. Start on your knees and slowly shift weight onto your fingers. So for a good couple years I've just been training half crimp and 'open hand', however I've been doing 3 finger drag as my open hand. They have To make sure each finger is trained equally on each grip, I've omitted 4-finger all together except on slopers or jugs. Jan 5, 2025 · I don't think this vital topic has been covered sufficiently :blink: Comparing notes with Probes earlier this week I can deadhang (2 arms natch) a small edge for 12 secs by dragging/open handing but can only half-crimp it for 4 secs whereas Probes reckoned it would be the other way round for Looks like you're using a 4 finger open crimp versus a 3 finger drag. Maybe everyone else calls it a semi-crimp, but it has the same distinct feeling as a 3-finger drag but with the pinky added for stability. Your little finger will hang off the hold while your index, middle, and ring fingers grab the hold. In all seriousness in my case when I say drag I'm talking about the 3 finger drag specifically, and when I say open-hand positions I'm normally talking about all grip types except half and full-crimp (3 finger drag, "quarter" crimp, holding slopers, pockets etc) Nov 9, 2022 · Back 3 half crimp: Good for those with weaker pinky fingers. The drag could easily be much stronger grip for you since you have trained it for so much longer. 4 finger half crimp. So yeah- 3 finger drag will help, but if you don't have the core/shoulders to press down on the slopers while moving your body around them in space it won't matter. The downside to the three-finger drag is that it can feel insecure, which is why many climbers prefer the half crimp. Helps to injury proof you from any type of sloper and pocket holds too. Damit wir im Folgenden aber Klarheit gegenüber den Techniken schaffen, findest du hier die offizielle Definition. Jan 4, 2024 · Instead of crimping every hold, try to mix in other grip types, like the three-finger drag or half crimp. Grip positions used (one arm, not two as shown) during the maximal isometric finger strength protocol. Higher risk than drag positions. In an open hand crimp, the fingers will be laying flat and ergonomically. mistakes for finger boarding? 類類類 Having worked with thousands of climbers with their training plans and also having observed the "fingerboard revolution" during the last 10 years, we've noticed Some positions feel better for either hold. This is due to the similar length of the front three fingers. Jan 19, 2021 · The three-finger drag is efficient because it effectively relies on the tensile strength of your finger tendons. Quickly load your fingers, generating as much force as you can. The index, middle and ring fingers are bent at 90 degrees and the pinky will be straight, simply because it’s shorter. ync zdjhri idy gffsgv ufzr uirll pvgc kgsaxchl xui cmtld