Deadpoints: how to catch a hold at the top of the move

The reach that is not quite too far

Every climber has a move like this. The next hold is a few centimetres beyond where a static reach runs out. You lock off, stretch, brush it with your fingertips, and peel off. Then someone of the same height walks up and does it in one easy, fluid movement.

Nine times out of ten the difference is a deadpoint. They are not reaching further. They are moving their whole body up for a split second and catching the hold at the exact moment they stop rising.

It is one of the most useful moves in bouldering and one of the least explained. Most people learn it by accident. Learning it on purpose is quicker.

What a deadpoint actually is

Throw a ball straight up and it slows, stops for an instant at the top, then falls. That instant is the dead point. Nothing is moving.

On the wall, you create the same moment with your body. You push through your legs and pull with the arm you are holding on with, your body rises, and for a fraction of a second at the top you are almost weightless. If your hand arrives on the next hold at that moment, it lands on a hold that is not yet carrying any load. You get a split second to settle your grip before your weight comes back on.

Catch it early, while you are still rising, and the hand has to fight the upward momentum. Catch it late, once you have started to drop, and you are already falling off.

Deadpoint or dyno

They are related, and the line between them is blurry, but the usual distinction is simple.

A deadpoint keeps at least one hand and usually both feet on. It is a quick, controlled reach. You could almost do it statically if you were a bit stronger or a bit taller.

A dyno leaves the wall. Both hands, often the feet too. You are jumping. We covered those in dynos: how to commit to a move you have to jump for.

Most climbers need many more deadpoints than dynos. They turn up on almost every problem from about V2 upwards, often without anyone calling them that.

How to do one

Get your feet right first. Both feet on, weighted, and roughly underneath you. A deadpoint is driven by the legs. If the feet are high and wide, you have nothing to push with.

Sink before you go. Drop your hips slightly and let the holding arm straighten. This is the wind-up. It gives you room to accelerate upwards.

Drive with the legs, guide with the arm. Push through your feet and pull with the holding arm at the same time, so the whole body moves up towards the hold. The arm is steering as much as pulling.

Hips in. Bring your hips towards the wall as you rise. Hips that drift out pull you off backwards at exactly the wrong moment.

Eyes on the hold. Look at the exact spot you want your fingers to land, not just the hold in general. Keep looking until your hand is on it.

Catch, then lock. Fingers land at the top of the movement. Squeeze as you feel your weight return, and keep the core tight so your feet stay where they are.

When it goes wrong

You get there but bounce off. You are arriving on the way up. Start the move a touch smaller and let the hand reach the hold just as you slow down.

You fall short every time. Not enough leg. Sink lower first and push harder through the feet, rather than yanking with the arm.

Your feet cut loose on the catch. Hips are coming away from the wall, or the core is switching off. Think about pulling your toes into the footholds as you land the hand. If they still swing off, see cutting loose.

You catch it, then barn door. The body swings sideways as the weight comes on. Usually a flag or a different foot will fix it. Flagging covers the options.

It feels violent. A good deadpoint is quiet. If you are slapping the hold, you are moving too fast or too late. Slow it down and focus on the timing, not the power.

Drills that make it stick

Easy wall, small moves. On a vertical wall with big holds, do every hand move as a tiny deadpoint, even ones you could reach statically. You are practising the timing, not the distance.

Touch, do not grab. Pick a hold just out of static reach. Deadpoint to it and only tap it with your fingers, then return to the start. Ten taps, then try catching it.

Silent catches. Same move, but the aim is for the hand to land without any noise. Silent means you arrived at the dead point.

Board warm-ups. Moves on a board are often a fraction too long to do statically, which makes them a good place to learn. Keep it to easy problems and short sessions, because dynamic moves on small holds are harder on fingers.

Look after your fingers

Catching a hold dynamically puts a sudden load through the fingers, especially on crimps and pockets. Warm up properly before you try hard deadpoints, practise them on bigger holds first, and stop for the day if a finger starts to feel sore. Cold autumn sessions make this more important, not less, since fingers cool quickly between goes.

The short version

A deadpoint is a quick reach where your hand meets the next hold at the top of your body's movement, the moment you are weightless. Feet on, sink first, drive with the legs, hips in, eyes on the exact spot, and catch as you stop rising. Practise the timing on easy moves until the catch is quiet, then take it to the move you keep missing.

Timing is easier to fix when you can see it. Sendit lets you film a go and keep it with your attempts and beta notes, so you can compare the catch that stuck with the ones that did not.