Good Technique

Some general points to ponder about good technique.

* Some climbers climb very slowly and methodically. At the other end of the scale we have dynamic styles such as that practised by Johnny Dawes. Both ends of this scale are recognised 'good techniques'.
* This means that technique is not about climbing a certain way, it is about adapting your climbing style to make use of your strengths. The slow move slowly because they all have enough stamina to hang on while they work out the best possible sequence of moves. If you, on the other hand, are best at sheer explosive strength it's probably better for you to power through your routes than take the slow approach.
* Don't do this forever though, because improving is about strengthening your weaknesses!

So how do you learn new techniques?

1. The best way to learn is to watch somebody good while you belay them. Notice how they approach the climb and try to imitate any clever moves they do. Or ask them to guide you through a particular sequence, such as rocking over.
2. Practise them yourself, repeatedly. At first, any new techniques will feel uncomfortable and you'll probably think they are not worth the effort but after a while you will get used to them and find more and more places where they are useful, and eventually some places where you couldn't have managed without.
3. For general training, climb when you are tired - too tired to simply power through a sequence of moves. Force yourself to move slowly and use your technique to conserve what's left of your energy (being tired helps as brute force is just not an option). Plan your moves in advance. Snatching for holds is not allowed: find a controlled way of doing it.

Finally a note on weak and strong points: You will get to know what yours are. Just be aware that on any day climbing, you have a choice to make: work on the weak points, which can be trying (but is in the long run essential to becoming a good climber), or just stick to your best type of route and cruise through it. It's up to you which.