Footwork, while seemingly rudimentary since it’s one of the first skills we learn as climbers, is also one of the most complex. Footwork allows the strongest, most stable part of our body—our legs—to carry our weight and guide our center of gravity into the most natural, energy-efficient positions. This allows us to conserve the energy in our arms for when it’s most needed. Proper footwork will move us through the easiest sections of a climb with efficiency and open up new beta possibilities in crux zones. In this section, we’ll cover the major benefits of precision footwork and why it’s so im...