Benefits of Youth Climbing Programs
As a parent, it seems like you have endless options when it comes to sports, classes, programs, & other activities for your kids. With expert opinions stating why you should do this, or why you should do that. It can be overwhelming. Gymnastics for body awareness and coordination or swimming for safety.
What about Rock Climbing? Living in Fargo Moorhead, Rock Climbing and Bouldering isn’t usually what comes to mind when we think of programs and activities for kids. We live in one of the flattest, if not flattest part of the country. But rock climbing is a great way to keep your kids not only physically engaged, but mentally engaged as well. So what makes climbing so great? Why give bouldering a chance when they can do baseball, football, gymnastics, swimming, ninja, trampoline parks, or just play outside? Let us explain why!
Phsyically engaging - Climbing is a great full body work out. It works grip strength, arm strength, core strength, and leg strength. You have to utilize your whole body to make it to the top of the wall. When the climbing wall gets steeper, it requires even more strength. Not only does it require strength, but it takes coordination. Your whole body working together to achieve success.
Mentally Engaging- Climbing is like a puzzle. While some climbs can be straightforward and easy to understand, like climbing up a ladder. A lot of climbs require a certain sequence, a specific pattern of moves choreographed and executed perfectly to succeed. This isn’t straightforward, so it requires a lot of problem solving and working through failure to understand the movement correctly. When practiced, this skill allows you to more quickly figure problems out and succeed faster.
Progression- Fargo Climbing offers nearly 100 unique climbs, that range in difficulty from extremely easy to extremely difficult. So no matter where you start, you can succeed and learn, and progress your skills and strength beyond where you started. New routes are set weekly which means there is always something new to try.
Failure- Climbing and bouldering offers your child the ability to see their efforts pay off. In climbing we can see our hardwork and dedication pay off. Climbs go from feeling impossible to easy when we sit and break down what went wrong. We can work hard and master the climb move by move, and work it until the climb feels easy. It teaches us that success might be completing the climb, but mastery comes from learning and repeating the climb until it finds easy.
Team & Solo Activity- Like swimming, your success and failure is yours, but at the same time you get to be a part of something bigger. Our Youth Team competes as a team but you also get to see your own success. Push your own boundaries while also adding to the team effort.
Socialization- As stated above, when we climb we are “alone” on the wall, trying to send for ourselves. The amazing thing about bouldering and climbing is how social it is. It becomes a team effort, it doesn’t feel like you against the other climbers, it feels like you and the other climbers against the climb. Everyone works together toward a common goal, succesfully sending (climbing) the climb. We share information on holds, discuss movement, and share ideas on what to do or not do.
At Fargo Climbing we have catered our youth programs around the idea of progression. So whether you are coming in with no experience or a seasoned climber, or maybe you love climbing trees and monkeying around on the playground, there is a path for you. Our Climbing 101 class is an excellent intro to the climbing experience and our facility. Kids will learn the basics of climbing in our facility as our teachers guide them on different boulders and start building the basic foundations and techniques. Once you have graduated from 101, Climbing 201 aims to progress your children to harder climbs, learning more advanced techniques, and how to project climbs and apply their strength and technique. If your child is interested in competing and taking their skills to the next level our Youth Team is focused on mastery to taking their skills beyond our gym to the competition circuit and the outdoors.
