Tech Tip - Bouldering - Spot On!

3. Spotter’s Stance.

“I’ve got that person’s life in my hands,” says Dwan of his spottee. “I’m God.” With that mindset, start with the correct stance: stand closely behind your climber with your elbows crooked and hands by his waist. Put your dominant foot forward and slightly bend your knees. Discern where the climber might fall — especially with an uneven LZ — and be ready to move quickly. Also, focus — don’t Beta-soak when you should be spotting. (A good rule of thumb is to train your eyes on a point high on the back of your climber’s shirt.)

4. Size Doesn’t Matter.

Being taller than and/or outweighing your climber, says Dwan, is not mandatory. In most cases, your goal is simply to steer the falling climber onto a pad. Do this, from your active stance (see No. 3), by pushing the climber’s center of gravity — hips for gals, waist for boys — pad-ward while also protecting his neck and head.

5. Thumbs In or Out?

Debates rage over whether spotting with your thumbs in (folded palmward) or out is safer. Dwan prefers thumbs out, despite the risk of breakage. “You don’t catch someone with a goddamn parade wave,” he says.

6. Spotting ≠ Resting.

During the filming of Free Hueco, Dwan spotted 24/7, shock-loading his elbows so often they eventually blew out. “Don’t spot on your rest days,” says Dwan. “You’re doing worse than climbing — you’re catching people.” Dwan also recommends warming up with a few climbs before spotting.

Ninja Spottery

Once you master the basics, try these two tips/tactics for more technical situations:

1. Pad-Fu.

One padding technique for superhighballs involves holding up a second pad, a la an old-time fire crew. First, layer your base pads in the drop zone. Then, alone or with a partner, hold another pad level at waist height. The trick is to release this floating pad just as the climber makes contact, to absorb impact. If the situation calls for deflecting a climber from dangerous objects — e.g., a corridor wall or tree — you can hold the pad like a riot shield and bodycheck your climber into the ground padding.

2. Love Taps.

Not to be confused with the spotter dab, love taps are light brushes that don’t take weight — psychological assists that let your climber know you’re there. (This technique is best used while a climber works a problem, not during the send.) A well-timed love tap can free your climber from fear of any back-smackers, giving him the confidence to send, so ignore the cries of “chronic ‘dab’ callers,” says Dwan. Of course, if you’re spotting a stranger, be forewarned — some view the slightest touch as a dab invalidation.

Contributing Editor Abbey Smith is always in need of a good catch. She credits her greatest sends to spotters like Corey Dwan.