The role of a teacher

Teachers have a very important role because they influence other people: those who teach poorly become responsible for and cause a chain of errors. Consequently, a good teacher will strive to undergo training to minimize defects and gaps, at least in the specific area of what they teach. Errors are like viruses: the more the instructor has, the more they transmit.

This does not mean that a teacher can be perfect and omniscient, perfection is not of this world, but what makes the difference is the willingness to embark on a path towards improvement. This is also the most important goal of any true sporting and educational activity. Consequently, a good teacher will strive to “clean” their teaching from errors, defects, and subjective interpretations. The content to be transmitted, in our case climbing technique, should be objective, valid for everyone, and should not be based on subjective views and the partial and limited beliefs of a single teacher.

An often overlooked but highly regarded aspect by good teachers is the safeguarding of the students’ health. It practically involves knowing the connection between correct movement, which is the object of the technique, and the prevention of injuries and overall health. Technique thus has multiple values: it not only identifies and studies the best movements for effectiveness and naturalness but is also fundamental in avoiding those incorrect and dysfunctional movements that have health repercussions.

In general, all movements characterized by excessive joint angles or fully extended joint heads are potentially at risk. For example, overdoing finger holds or wide steps where the knees are heavily strained, or overloading the joints, such as when grabbing a hold after a jump and landing with the entire body weight on a fully extended arm, causes progressive wear and tear. Often, in fact, joint stress is not immediately noticed but only later when it manifests as an injury. Therefore, such movements are defined as “wearing.”

The most harmful effect occurs when significant flexion of the joint heads is combined with a twist. It’s a bit like trying to break a chicken leg. The lolotte is perhaps the most striking example in this sense. This position, which is a variant of the lateral posture, corresponds to the fifth position in frontal progression. These are body postures that should be used only when more advantageous and natural positions are not possible, and generally, they do not need to be taught: in fact, they are the ones automatically used when the technique is not known. For example, the fifth position, although the most disadvantageous, is the one most frequently used by beginners who do not know other solutions. In conclusion, the knowledge of technique aims to minimize unfavorable positions that are also the most wearing, that is, they will be used only when no better alternatives exist.