The SCS National Championship was last weekend, and Momentum Video Magazine recently posted the highlight video. Even though the video was heavily edited for public entertainment, I was able to find technique differences which separated 2nd from 1st place.
Disclaimer : All the climbers in the finals are rad, super strong, and have great technique. This is a learning exercise, not a criticism.
The Finals Route started with a techy vertical section, which eliminated a couple of competitors, to all points dyno, which eliminated several competitors. The upper headwall separated the top competitors. Ethan Pringle, 3rd, fell a move below the one outlined below. There was not enough video to analyze his performance. However, there is enough video to breakdown the difference between 2nd place, Dave Graham, and 1st, Carlo Traversi.
Dave Graham, who is no slacker when it comes to onsighting, was less efficient throughout the headwall and made one critical mistake. Right before his fall, he grabbed the right hand hold and kept his right foot on the large foothold to make the move to the next bucket.
Overall, Carlo Traversi was much more efficient through out the headwall. Also, he made a better decision near the end. After he grabbed the right hand hold, he switched his feet on the large foothold to make the move to the next bucket. That one foot switch was the difference between 1st and 2nd place.
It is generally better to push with the left leg when reaching with the left arm. It allows the climber to turn-in more, keeping the center of gravity closer the wall. In addition, the right arm can remain straighter for longer. These factors transform the pull-up motion into a push-towards motion. The difference could be a National Chamionship!!
