Heel hooks, toe hooks and the bicycle, decoded

Watch a strong climber on a steep boulder and you will notice their feet doing things that look more like a gymnastics routine than walking. A heel clamped over a hold, a toe hooked behind a volume, both feet pinching a single rib of rock. To a newer climber it can look like showing off. It is actually the opposite. These tricks are how good climbers stop themselves from swinging off steep ground, and they save an enormous amount of arm strength. Here is what the three big ones are and when to reach for them.

Why your feet matter most on steep ground

On a slab or a vertical wall, your feet mostly hold your weight and your hands keep you balanced. Tip the wall back past vertical and everything changes. Now gravity is trying to peel you off the rock and swing your hips out into space. Your arms can fight that, but arms tire fast. Your feet, used cleverly, can hold you in without you noticing the effort.

That is the whole point of heel hooks, toe hooks and the bicycle. They are not flashy extras, they are the difference between staying on the wall in control and barn-dooring off it. If you are still getting comfortable on overhangs, our piece on toe hooks for steep climbing pairs nicely with this one.

On steep ground your feet are not just for standing on. They are anchors, and a good hook does the work that would otherwise blow up your arms.

The heel hook

A heel hook is exactly what it sounds like. You place your heel on top of, or to the side of, a hold and pull with it, almost like a third hand. The power comes from your hamstring and your whole leg, which is far stronger than your fingers.

When to use one:

• To pull yourself into the wall on a steep move so your hips stay close to the rock.
• To take weight off your arms while you reach for the next hold, especially on a long move.
• To stop a swing when one hand comes off, by anchoring the heel out to the side.
• To rock up onto a high foot when there is nothing to push off below.

The common mistake is being timid with it. A heel hook only works if you commit and actually pull with the leg, engaging your hamstring rather than just resting the heel there. Place the heel precisely, point your toes the way that loads the hook, and pull as if your leg is an arm. There is more on this in heel hooks, when to use them and how.

The toe hook

If a heel hook pulls down and in, a toe hook pulls the opposite way. You hook the top of your toes, the laces side of your shoe, behind or under a hold and pull towards yourself. It uses the front of your shin and the top of your foot, and it is the move that keeps you from swinging out on a roof.

Toe hooks shine on the steepest ground. On a roof or a big overhang, a toe hook on a distant hold or volume stops your lower half from cutting loose and penduluming off into space. They are also brilliant in combination with a heel hook on the other foot, where one foot pulls one way and one pulls the other, locking your body in place.

The trick with toe hooks is rubber and tension. You need the top of your shoe pressed actively against the rock and your core switched on to keep the pull alive. A floppy, half-hearted toe hook does nothing.

The bicycle

The bicycle is the clever one, and it confuses people the first time they hear the name. It is a toe hook and a foot press working together on the same hold or the same pair of holds, with one foot pushing and the other pulling, like a foot clamp.

Picture a single foothold sticking out from a steep wall. One foot toe-hooks the underside and pulls up, while the other foot presses down on the top. The two forces pinch the hold between them, and suddenly a foot that would have skated off is locked solid. It feels strange the first few times, almost like your feet are doing a handshake, but once it clicks it unlocks moves that felt impossible.

Practising the three

You will not learn these by reading about them, only by drilling them on easy ground where the stakes are low.

• Find a steep board or overhanging panel and pick moves well below your limit.
• Deliberately use a heel hook even where you would not need one, just to feel it bite.
• Hunt out toe hooks on volumes and practise keeping your foot pressed hard.
• Try a bicycle on any foothold that sticks out, even if the move does not demand it.

Doing easy moves with deliberate, fussy footwork teaches your body the positions, so when a hard problem forces one on you, it does not feel alien.

Let your feet do the talking

The fastest way to climb harder on steep ground is rarely more finger strength. It is learning to trust your feet. A confident heel hook, a switched-on toe hook and a well-timed bicycle take huge amounts of load off your arms and let you climb things that would otherwise spit you off. So next time you are on an overhang and your arms are screaming, look down. The hold that saves you is probably under your feet, waiting for you to use it properly.