If you have been climbing for a while, learning the common lingo makes it a lot easier to talk shop with the people you climb with. Knowing your hold types matters, especially when you are shouting beta (beta is the climbing term for the moves that get you through a route). One of the holds you will run into most often, indoors and outdoors, is the undercling. Undercling climbing holds are the ones people either lean on to rest or curse under their breath, and once you know how to use them you will stop dreading them.
Undercling climbing holds are any hold you grip from underneath with your palms facing up. That grip works best when you are pulling up and your center of gravity sits right next to the hold, so a good rule of thumb is to match your feet a couple of feet below it and stand up until the hold is about waist height. If you want the bigger picture on how underclings fit alongside crimps, jugs, and slopers, our guide to how to use climbing holds walks through all of them.
The Best Way to Use Undercling Climbing Holds
Used right, an undercling can move you up a route in a hurry. The trick is to pull up on it like an upside down jug and put your weight into your legs. To do that you have to get your center of gravity level with or above the hold. The easiest way is to plant your feet squarely below the undercling, get one or two hands on it (how many depends on the size of the hold and the angle of the wall), and pull with your arms while you push down through your legs. If there are no footholds under the hold, try smearing.
Once you are set, keep your arms straight and press down on your feet. The more you press through your feet, the less weight your arms and fingers have to hold. It feels a lot like a deadlift. Solid feet make or break the move, so if your footwork feels sloppy here, a few reps from our footwork drills for climbing will pay off fast.
Additional tip: Move your center of gravity up or down relative to the hold to shift where your weight lands. When your center of gravity is level with the hold, most of your weight sits below your waist. When it climbs above the hold, you will feel more of the load in your lower back.
3 Reasons to Love Undercling Climbing Holds
Underclings are pretty simple once you get the hang of them, but they can wreck a beginner. Depending on the size and where the hold sits on the route, they can challenge climbers at every level, and that is exactly why so many of us have a love-hate thing going with them.
- They are easy to hang onto once you are above the hold. Most underclings are basically upside down jugs, so there is plenty of grip and leverage to pull on, but only when your center of gravity is level with or above the hold.
- They are easy to read and they hint at your next move. Because you know you have to get your center of gravity level with or above the hold, you already know roughly where your feet need to be before you grab it, so the move is easier to read (reading a route means looking it over and working out what beta to use). Once you have set up and pulled through the undercling, you will also notice your next handhold is usually higher than a normal reach, since your waist and shoulders are already up high. If reading sequences is where you get stuck, our roundup of the top climbing techniques and how to do them is a good place to sharpen up.
- They often double as a rest or recovery hold. With your center of gravity so close to the hold, an undercling can be an easy spot to shake out. Some are even big enough to drop a knee into and use as a kneebar (a kneebar wedges your weight onto your knee so your hands can rest or reach without loading your arms).
3 Reasons to Hate Undercling Climbing Holds
- They can sit in awkward spots that burn a ton of energy. If there is no clear place for your feet, or nothing to help you get your center of gravity above the hold, the undercling starts behaving more like a pinch and eats way more energy than it should.
- They can be a distraction and make the route harder. Just because a climb has an undercling does not mean you should use it. Sometimes an undercling pulls you off the intended line and actually makes things harder. Other times it sits right below a mantle where you cannot get your center of gravity above it, so it is better to skip it altogether.
- With bad footholds, they are brutal. Underclings live and die by how hard you can push through your feet, so your footholds matter a lot. If you are smearing or there is nothing good to stand on, an undercling can take everything you have got and still feel impossible. This is one more reason strong footwork is worth the practice.
Conclusion
There are a lot of climbing holds out there, and the undercling is one of the most common. It is any hold you grip with your palms facing up, and unlike most holds you will be pulling up on it instead of down. Drive through your legs like a deadlift, get good pressure on your feet, and it can turn into a great place to rest and recover. Start by putting your center of gravity level with the hold, then test whether you like it a little higher or lower. Once you know what feels right, you can carry that feeling onto all kinds of climbs. Underclings pair well with moves like the gaston and the crimp, so the more hold types you get comfortable with, the more routes open up.
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Frequently asked questions
What is an undercling climbing hold?
An undercling is any hold you grip from underneath with your palms facing up. Instead of pulling down like you would on most holds, you pull up on it while driving through your legs, usually with your center of gravity level with or above the hold.
How do you use an undercling hold?
Plant your feet below the hold, grab it with one or two hands, keep your arms straight, and push down through your feet while you pull up. The harder you press with your legs, the less your arms and fingers have to hold. It should feel a lot like a deadlift.
Why do climbers love and hate underclings?
Climbers love them because they read clearly, give good leverage once you are above the hold, and often work as a rest or kneebar spot. They hate them when the footholds are bad or the hold sits in an awkward position, because then it burns energy and can feel almost impossible.
Are undercling holds good for resting?
Often yes. Because your center of gravity sits close to the hold, an undercling can be an easy place to shake out. If it is big enough, you can even drop a knee in and use it as a kneebar so your hands get a break.
Why are underclings so hard with bad footholds?
Underclings depend on pushing hard through your feet. If you are smearing or there is nothing solid to stand on, you cannot generate that upward pressure, so the hold starts acting like a pinch and takes far more strength to hold.
