Dynos

There comes a point when the next hold is too far away to reach. Or when the in-between holds would be too tiring to use. This is where we do a 'dyno'.

The concept is simple - jump!

The technique is harder, and takes confidence. The easiest way to learn is on an indoor bouldering wall with large handholds and a big, soft mat to land on.

• First, focus on the target hold, just like a tennis player focuses on the ball. Watch it like a hawk (because hawks are obsessed with handholds). Plan how, and with which hand, you will grab it.
• As always, the power comes from the legs.
• As always, if possible, KEEP YOUR ARMS STRAIGHT!

Some further notes on keeping your arms straight. First bend the knees, with straight arms above you. Then straighten the knees (hard!), swing out from the cliff (because your arms are straight) and then you will be pulled back in by your (straight) arms as you gain height. So you move in a circle with your hands in the middle:

The tricky part is choosing the right moment - just at the peak of your jump - to let go of the lower holds and grab the higher ones. A common mistake is to do this too early, just at the outside of your circular path, because then your arms will not pull you back to the wall and you will fly off at a tangent. Of course letting go too late is also bad. You just have to learn by experimenting.