Palming: how to push when there is nothing to pull

The hold that is not a hold

Most of climbing is pulling. You find an edge, a pocket or a sloper and you hang off it. So when a problem asks you to put your hand somewhere with nothing to grab, the instinct is to keep looking for something to pull on, or to slap at the rock and hope.

Palming is the answer to that. You press an open hand flat against a surface and let the pressure hold you there. No grip, no edge, just friction and the direction you push in. It feels insecure the first few times, and then one day it clicks and whole problems start to make sense.

What palming actually is

A palm is any open-hand press. The heel of the hand and the flat of the palm do most of the work, with the fingers spread to add a little more contact. Instead of pulling a hold towards you, you push into it.

It works because friction depends on how hard you press and what you press on. A flat hand on rough rock, loaded in the right direction, will stay put on a surface you could never pull on. It is the same idea as smearing with your feet, only with your hands.

Where it turns up

Slabs. On a low-angle slab there are often no holds worth pulling. You keep your hands low and press on the rock to stay balanced while your feet do the climbing. How to climb slabs covers the feet side of it.

Corners and grooves. Bridged between two walls, one hand pushing on each side, you can rest or move your feet up with nothing in your hands at all. More in stemming.

Aretes. One hand slaps the edge, the other palms flat on the face beside it, and the two push against each other. See how to climb an arete.

Volumes. Big blank volumes in the gym are often set to be palmed, especially the top of one as you step up onto it. How to climb volumes goes through them.

Topping out. The last move of most outdoor boulders is a press. Hands flat on the lip, arms straightening, weight over the top. That is a palm, and it is the core of a mantle.

How to do it

Point the fingers the right way. The direction your fingers point changes how the hand loads. On a slab or a mantle, fingers usually point sideways or down so you can press down on the heel of the hand. Fingers pointing straight up turns the palm into a weak, slippery push.

Push in the direction that holds you. A palm only works if you push into the surface, not along it. On a corner that means pushing out to the side. On a slab it means pushing down and slightly into the rock.

Straight arm where you can. Pressing with a bent arm turns it into a tricep workout and gets tiring quickly. A straighter arm locks the joint and lets your body weight do the pressing.

Get your weight over the hand. The closer your body is to sitting on top of the palm, the more pressure goes through it and the better it sticks. Hips moving towards the hand is often what makes it hold.

Spread the fingers and keep contact. More skin on the rock means more friction. Keep the whole hand flat rather than resting on the fingertips or the heel alone.

Then move the feet. A palm is usually a way to free up a foot or let you stand up. Once it is set, trust it and move. Fidgeting with the hand is how it skates off.

When it goes wrong

The hand slides. You are pushing along the surface, not into it. Change the angle of your hand or move your hips so the push goes into the rock.

It holds, then lets go as you move. Your weight is drifting away from the hand. Keep the hips over it until the next hold or foot is in place.

Your arm burns out. Too much bend in the elbow. Straighten it and let the bones take the load.

It feels pointless. Often the palm is not meant to hold your full weight, it is there to keep you in balance while your feet push. A little pressure in the right place is enough.

Drills that make it stick

Hands-free slab traverse. On an easy slab or low-angle wall, traverse using only palms for your hands. No pulling on holds allowed. It teaches you how little a palm needs to do when the feet are good.

Corner rest. Find a corner or a pair of volumes you can bridge across. Get into position with a palm on each side, take your hands off the holds and stay there for ten seconds. Then try moving a foot up.

Mantle reps. On a low boulder or the top of a gym block, practise pressing out the top with both palms, again and again. The aim is a smooth press with straight arms, not a scramble.

Finger direction test. On any palming move, try it once with your fingers pointing up and once with them pointing sideways. Feel the difference. It is one of the quickest ways to learn what a good palm feels like.

Look after your wrists

Palming loads the wrist in extension, often a long way back. If your wrists are stiff, warm them up before a slab session with some gentle circles and presses on the floor. Ease into steep mantles, and stop if a wrist starts to ache rather than pushing through it. On cold autumn days the rock is grippier, which helps palms stick, but cold hands lose feel quickly between goes.

The short version

Palming means pressing an open hand into a surface so friction holds you. Point the fingers so you can press with the heel of the hand, push into the rock rather than along it, keep the arm straight and your weight over the hand, then trust it and move your feet. Practise on easy slabs, corners and mantles until it stops feeling like a guess.

A palm that works on one go and skates on the next is usually down to the angle of the hand. Sendit lets you keep beta notes and video with each attempt, so you can see which hand position stuck and use it again next session.