System Boards

If you don't have easy access to different climbing areas, a System Board is a great way to vary your climbing experiences at home.

The majority of what I have read regarding System Boards/Walls suggests that they should be used for interval training or for forearm strength gains, but I propose that System Boards have a greater potential for skill training and schema development. The standard System Board has holds (usually system holds[a hold with multiple edges so the climber can use various types of grips]) placed in a symmetrical pattern and the climber climbs up and down using the same style of hold, but to me the climber might as well perform pull-ups on a hang board. I suggest that the configuration of the holds look more like this:

The hexagons would be the system holds and the squares would be the footholds. If you remember from the previous blog post, when we are developing schemas we want to change only one aspect of the skill at a time.

Distance Drill
So if we are developing a distance schema we want to keep the hold type, size (if you aren't using a system holds), angle of the wall, and foot placement the same throughout the drill.

• The climber starts with both hands on the yellow system hold
• Moves their right hand to red system hold directly above the start hold and then back to the start hold
• Moves their right hand to the blue system hold directly above the start hold and then back to the start hold
• Moves their right hand to the blue system hold at the top of the wall and then back to the start hold
• The climber repeats the same sequence but now grabs(with their right hand) the holds that were to the right of the main holds.
• The climber repeats the same sequence but now grabs(with their right hand) the holds that were to the left of the main holds.
• The climber repeats this entire sequence but now with the left hand moving.

Sequence for the Right Hand

Sequence for the Left Hand

Other Drills
Use the same sequence but use a different type of hold, switch foot placement after each sequence, or if at all possible change the angle of the wall.
Several different hold companies sell their own versions of a system hold, here are just a few E-grips, Atomik, Revolution, and Pusher