How I train for the footlock.

sohner

sohner

Location
Northern California
When getting in to condition for the TCC I work at getting the rhythm right. Personally I like to climb on a fixed rope single or double. One method I use is to work with a Double sheave pulley. On the one side I attach a climbing rope that has had a figure eight knot put in the middle of the rope. The loop of rope is placed in the pulley with a five to one ratio for the bend in the pulley. The second line is a belay line that is run through the other side of the pulley. The anchor point for the belay is run through a Prusik minding pulley with a Prusik back up for fall protection.

The double sheave pulley is anchored to the base of the tree by a method that can easily be converted to a lowering point if needed. Figure eight or a gri-gri.

I find that the gri-gri is not as easy as it looks to operate for the beginers and the rusty folks. As a result the line gets tangled in the bite of my feet. The pulley and the prusik knot seem to work just fine.

More likely what I would use in the field when foot lock climbing. Forget the prusik for attaching to the line. Use it instead at the base of the tree as a back up system for fall protection.
 

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interesting approach sohner, ill have to give it a shot, ive been practicing my footlocking for contest climbing this year, so far its going okay, but im having a hard time shaving seconds off, i guess if i keep at it

by the way, is that charles bukowski as your avatar? if not it sure does look like him, but with less facial scarring (he had acne real bad as a kid)
 
Merle Haggard.

I was front row last night at Konocti Harbor and Spa in Kelseyville ,Calif.

Merle is with Willie Nelson tonight in Reno ,Nev. Sold out otherwise road trip...

Got to love the old guys..
 
haha, either way, both are pretty damn ugly, hope the concert went well

any suggestions on how to trim off some time on my footlocking?

i was practicing at my future inlaws house, was gettin 30ft in 11seconds, but, i wasnt wearing a harness nor was i tending a hitch, just freeclimbing, i added a saddle a couple of days later and..... lets just say it wasnt a 11second climb
 
Family Tree:
Comp. footlock is around 50' as i'm sure you know. What i do to prepare for the event is footlock 60 or 70 feet reps as many times as i can. This way when you go back to 50 feet it will seam easy. I also hang as much gear as i can off my saddle. Nothing too extreme, but enough to add a few pounds. I will do this for a few weeks even a month, then i add a 120' rope to my back, in a buckingham rope bag. (Back-pack style)
I try to think of it as muscle memory, and try to footlock as many times as i can over and over again, sometimes being so tired i only make it 20 feet,
This has worked for me as i have shaved alomst 15 seconds off my footlock, Now I'm not Mark C. but you gotta start somewhere.
 
good point royce, didnt think about adding weight, and i thought the comp footlock was 40 feet, now im a bit discouraged, i was so proud of my 30foot time too, ha, i gotta get back at it then,

ive seen a couple of vids showing guys using ascenders during their footlock, am i wrong when thinking you have to use a prusik?
 
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I try to think of it as muscle memory, and try to footlock as many times as i can over and over again

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that was my approach too. when i climbed in my first comp my time to 40 ft was like 50 seconds - pathetic. for the next comp i footlocked 200 ft (5 40 ft) every day, for 3 months. do anything long enough (splitting firewood for example) and your body will figure out the smartest most efficient way to do it. i cut my time in half in like 6 months. my sensei (aikido) calls it putting in reps - the more your body does a movement the more it gets into muscle memory, and then your feet "remember" how to get a lock w/o so much mental focus.

good tips above too, point your toes and focus on form and precision rather than speed. speed will come.

oh yeah, and don't expect it to be easy, or fun.
grin.gif
 
That's great Kathy!! Your right on about putting in the reps. The more i do it the easier it gets, both for rec- and for work.
Family Tree, i know in New England it is 50 feet, and also internationally. Don't get discouraged, just take it foot, by foot, and day by day.
 
sohner, that is a very nice, compact setup. However, I find it is better to have the belay point slightly offset so the safety doesn't interfere with the access line. Maybe this hasn't been a problem for you? Just seems that the belay would have to be kept awfully tight to avoid sagging into your way.
 
I have a 50 ft false crotch semi permanently installed in a pine behind the house. Throwline stays in place so I can get going in only a minute it takes to thread my rope and put on a harness. I too, do repetitions till I cant do another lock. I bought some ankle weights that strap on for ballast but havent used them yet. Hopefully snow shovelling and Xcountry skiing is good training as thats the only work ive done lately.
 
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