Rope Climbing

[fantassin]

Any good ideas on ways and means to improve skills at rope climbing?

I am talking about 30 feet rope, no knot, to be climbed with hands and feet in PT gear.

What preparatory exercise should be the best bet? Pull ups, push ups, press ups ?

Royal, considering the Commando course in Lympstone, I am eagerly waiting for your input !

[digrar]

Upper body strength helps but a good technique is more important.

[GrimReaper]

Any good ideas on ways and means to improve skills at rope climbing?

I am talking about 30 feet rope, no knot, to be climbed with hands and feet in PT gear.

What preparatory exercise should be the best bet? Pull ups, push ups, press ups ?

Royal, considering the Commando course in Lympstone, I am eagerly waiting for your input !

I would have to say a certain technique using the legs, I'm pretty skinny and don't have a lot of upper body strength and we had to do it in the middle of obstacle course with full combat gear. Although I guess arm strength will help a lot too.

[IDFM203]

Any good ideas on ways and means to improve skills at rope climbing?

I am talking about 30 feet rope, no knot, to be climbed with hands and feet in PT gear.

What preparatory exercise should be the best bet? Pull ups, push ups, press ups ?

Royal, considering the Commando course in Lympstone, I am eagerly waiting for your input !

I would have to say a certain technique using the legs, I'm pretty skinny and don't have a lot of upper body strength and we had to do it in the middle of obstacle course with full combat gear. Although I guess arm strength will help a lot too.IMHO your right that indeed its all in the technique and indeed with a proper technique that uses the legs where the way you wrap the rope around it, where specifically you use one foot to wrap the rope around it and then you turn your foot sideways where you then can rest the other one on top of it and that enables the foot to be in that place and not slide downwards, and then from there you reach up higher and then let the foot drop the rope and then from the higher position wrap it again etc (sorry if its not that clear for its hard to describe in writting)…… and indeed if done right, there is basically almost no limit to how high you can climb and indeed even with full combat gear one can do it, as I as well had to do (and not just in “tironut” but also a bit in “emun” ;) ).


Upper body strength does help, but it’s all in the proper leg technique that is what really enables you to climb it and do it fast and high (heck I remember the first time in “basic” that I was taught how to do it and the “instructor” said if done right you can climb as high as “heaven”, and well after learning it and really getting the hang of it, he was right :D ).


I have to say it’s a very ingenious technique and I would be very surprised if its only being done in the IDF, for I would assume that it would be also used in other militaries, right? (this is addressed to all that has served in other militaries)


Shalom achi :D

[Jack Mehoff]

Lots of upper body strength and strong grip obviously.

[khukuri]

I second IDFM

I´m skinny too and would never made it in full Combat gear with only upperarms strength.

I learned to tehcnique in chool gymnastics. During obstacle course they didnt learn us anything speciual, they wanted it to be hard and difficult.

But later in NationalGuard they instructed in the right way when i put you feet the right way around the rope.

[IDFM203]

Lots of upper body strength and strong grip obviously.I take it you obviously don’t use the technique that we use then...............for like I said, with us, upper body strength is nice, but with the technique we use, its not the most important thing nor is it that necessary.........its all in the legs and the technique that we use with it.


Your way there seem like just a brute and simple way of doing it but if someone is not that strong, they would not be able to climb it, is that correct? also do you climb the rope with all your combat gear on?


Shalom :D

[IDFM203]

I second IDFM

I´m skinny too and would never made it in full Combat gear with only upperarms strength.

Wow we finley see eye to eye on something ;)

Anyways personally I should just say that I am not skinny, but I get your point that you understand the technique that I described and that you did as well :D


Shalom :D

[Magua]

Any good ideas on ways and means to improve skills at rope climbing?

I am talking about 30 feet rope, no knot, to be climbed with hands and feet in PT gear.

What preparatory exercise should be the best bet? Pull ups, push ups, press ups ?

Royal, considering the Commando course in Lympstone, I am eagerly waiting for your input !

I would have to say a certain technique using the legs, I'm pretty skinny and don't have a lot of upper body strength and we had to do it in the middle of obstacle course with full combat gear. Although I guess arm strength will help a lot too.IMHO your right that indeed its all in the technique and indeed with a proper technique that uses the legs where the way you wrap the rope around it, where specifically you use one foot to wrap the rope around it and then you turn your foot sideways where you then can rest the other one on top of it and that enables the foot to be in that place and not slide downwards, and then from there you reach up higher and then let the foot drop the rope and then from the higher position wrap it again etc (sorry if its not that clear for its hard to describe in writting)…… and indeed if done right, there is basically almost no limit to how high you can climb and indeed even with full combat gear one can do it, as I as well had to do (and not just in “tironut” but also a bit in “emun” ;) ).


Upper body strength does help, but it’s all in the proper leg technique that is what really enables you to climb it and do it fast and high (heck I remember the first time in “basic” that I was taught how to do it and the “instructor” said if done right you can climb as high as “heaven”, and well after learning it and really getting the hang of it, he was right :D ).


I have to say it’s a very ingenious technique and I would be very surprised if its only being done in the IDF, for I would assume that it would be also used in other militaries, right? (this is addressed to all that has served in other militaries)


Shalom achi :D

We also learn this in the Marines. The final obstacle in our o-course is a rope. At OCS, I was taught three different variations the wraparound, the s-method, and I think it was called the British Commando(?) method.

[khukuri]

I second IDFM

I´m skinny too and would never made it in full Combat gear with only upperarms strength.

Wow we finley see eye to eye on something ;)

Anyways personally I should just say that I am not skinny, but I get your point that you understand the technique that I described and that you did as well :D


Shalom :D

:D shalom!

[Jack Mehoff]

Lots of upper body strength and strong grip obviously.I take it you obviously don’t use the technique that we use then...............for like I said, with us, upper body strength is nice, but with the technique we use, its not the most important thing nor is it that necessary.........its all in the legs and the technique that we use with it.


Your way there seem like just a brute and simple way of doing it but if someone is not that strong, they would not be able to climb it, is that correct? also do you climb the rope with all your combat gear on?


Shalom :D

I find it much faster to get up there if I don't use my legs.

And yes, we do climb up the rope with full battle rattles....sometimes.

[IDFM203]

Lots of upper body strength and strong grip obviously.I take it you obviously don’t use the technique that we use then...............for like I said, with us, upper body strength is nice, but with the technique we use, its not the most important thing nor is it that necessary.........its all in the legs and the technique that we use with it.


Your way there seem like just a brute and simple way of doing it but if someone is not that strong, they would not be able to climb it, is that correct? also do you climb the rope with all your combat gear on?


Shalom :D

I find it much faster to get up there if I don't use my legs.

Perhaps, though if practiced well, the technique that we use can be very fast as well.

Anyway just using only upper body strength is good ONLY if you have a lot of upper body strength, however if you don’t or if your just not that strong, well you will have difficulties making it to the top, and that is NOT the case with "our" technique.

Secondly, even if you are strong, with full combat gear on, well IMHO, its a whole lot easier not to mention defiantly very doable, for anyone, even one that isn’t very strong, to climb to the top, that’s not something you can say with the brute and simple method you just described.

Btw I also have climbed it your way, though that was before I learned this great technique ;)


Shalom :D

[gilgoul]

Lots of upper body strength and strong grip obviously.I take it you obviously don’t use the technique that we use then...............for like I said, with us, upper body strength is nice, but with the technique we use, its not the most important thing nor is it that necessary.........its all in the legs and the technique that we use with it.


Your way there seem like just a brute and simple way of doing it but if someone is not that strong, they would not be able to climb it, is that correct? also do you climb the rope with all your combat gear on?


Shalom :D



I find it much faster to get up there if I don't use my legs.

Perhaps, though if practiced well, the technique that we use can be very fast as well.

Anyway just using only upper body strength is good ONLY if you have a lot of upper body strength, however if you don’t or if your just not that strong, well you will have difficulties making it to the top, and that is NOT the case with "our" technique.

Secondly, even if you are strong, with full combat gear on, well IMHO, its a whole lot easier not to mention defiantly very doable, for anyone, even one that isn’t very strong, to climb to the top, that’s not something you can say with the brute and simple method you just described.

Btw I also have climbed it your way, though that was before I learned this great technique ;)


Shalom :D
I have to back you here, while rope climbing was a nighmare to me, since i learnerd in bach lachish, I`m doing it for fun :D

[digrar]

Core body strength is probably the most important, so you can swing your legs up and take a bigger bite with your legs. The fewer bites taken the less energy used to get up the rope.
Good description IDF ;) .

[IDFM203]

Gilgoul,

Man you need to properly quote things for I had a hard time finding your comments there ;) :D


Core body strength is probably the most important, so you can swing your legs up and take a bigger bite with your legs. The fewer bites taken the less energy used to get up the rope.
Good description IDF ;) .Well thanks, though in truth I looked it over and well if you haven’t done it before, I don’t think you can fully grasp the technique simply based on the simple way I tried to describe it before ;)


Anyway on what you said here, I must say that I disagree with you just a bit (and key word here is a bit for I don’t really disagree with you ;) ), for indeed I hold that its BETTER to have core body strength and indeed I would say also its better to have a strong upper body strength as well and all that can enable one to climb a bit faster and higher, however IMHO the most important thing is getting the proper leg technique down pat and its in there that if one truly masters it, one can climb to almost any height and also even with much weaker upper body strength or core body strength as other rope climbing techniques require.

On second thought, maybee we are talking about two different rope climbing techniques?


Lastly (and if its the same one ;) )I would just add that since we are now talking of quicker ways to use it, well I would just add (and I think it should be very obvious) that a good running start and then jumping on the rope at a higher position then if you would just walk up to it and reach it from the ground, will enable you to climb it faster, for once you touch the rope you are already in the midst of a energy surge that will just propel you faster and higher, certainly more quicker then if you just walk up to the rope and start from the very bottom.


Anyways I am no rope expert here, just merely going on what I experienced and as such I would as well love to hear from a lot others here on the techniques that they used in their militaries.


Shalom :D

[Royal]

Fantassin, IDFM203 has it down as well as I can explain it. I'll make no claims to it being 'the Royal Marine' method, but it's certainly how it's taught at CTC.


IMHO your right that indeed its all in the technique and indeed with a proper technique that uses the legs where the way you wrap the rope around it, where specifically you use one foot to wrap the rope around it and then you turn your foot sideways where you then can rest the other one on top of it and that enables the foot to be in that place and not slide downwards, and then from there you reach up higher and then let the foot drop the rope and then from the higher position wrap it again etc (sorry if its not that clear for its hard to describe in writting)…… and indeed if done right, there is basically almost no limit to how high you can climb and indeed even with full combat gear one can do it, as I as well had to do (and not just in “tironut” but also a bit in “emun” ;) ).

I'd disagree with Jack. Strength will get you up the first few times with CBA and a GPMG. Technique will keep getting you up there. The leg muscles are far bigger, so fatigue much slower. Use them ;)

[digrar]

I think anyone in the miliitary has (or should have) the ability to squat their own body weight (plus webbing and rifle) ten or fifteen times, which is all the leg strength you really need.
Hanging on to the rope and swinging your body up would be the harder part of the equation IMO. p-)