One of the most important aspects for any climber is to be able to rely on their foot positioning. When climbing, you’ll often need to find a steady ledge to support your weight for a few seconds, sometimes more, so knowing where to place your feet can make a huge difference.

Many climbers practice the same techniques as other sports use to improve their footing, such as boxing and ballet. The main thing that you’ll need to do is to work on improving the strength of the ligaments within your feet. This includes the tendons that run at the rear of your heel, the tendons that can be seen along the top of your toes.

To strengthen your tendons, it’s important to stretch them a little further every time. This doesn’t have to be painful and you can do so by simply curling your toes backwards and forwards. As your tendons stretch and grow, they’ll be able to cope with more pressure which will help immensely when it comes to finding your footing on a tight ledge.

Another technique is to lean on your toes as you walk for several minutes a day. This trains your tendons as if they were muscles, so they’ll learn to carry your mass, while strengthening from the inside out. Don’t overwork your tendons and muscles though; too much strain can cause damage. Go until you’ve had enough and then stop.