The One Rock Climbing Mistake That Almost Guarantees An Injury
Rock climbing is a wonderful outdoor sport for all ages and many accessibilities. But there are techniques to help both your climbs — and falls — succeed.
Woman practicing rock climbing - zhukovvvlad/Shutterstock If you are into thrill-seeking outdoor adventures , odds are you may be interested in rock climbing. However, this is a sport that, whether practiced indoors or outdoors, is considered dangerous. After all, there are inherent risks in elevating yourself off the ground and relying on your grip and maybe a rope to maintain your position.
This is especially true over hard surfaces, like rocks. Any mistakes made by the climber only serve to heighten this risk. That said, whether you are just getting started in the sport or already have some climbs under your belt, there is one rock climbing mistake that almost guarantees you'll end up with an injury, and it has more to do with falling than climbing – or, more specifically, how you land when you fall.
In this sport, landing on your feet isn't necessarily a good thing. Very often, when less experienced climbers fall, they land with their legs relatively straight underneath them. This is particularly true when bouldering.
The problem with this position — even on a rope, and even just a few feet off the ground — is that the force you receive upon impact is being completely absorbed by your body. This puts tremendous strain on bones, joints, tendons, ligaments, and muscles. It's one of the main reasons knee injuries are so common among climbers.