Will Gadd – Athlete, Speaker, Guide     Athlete   •   Speaker   •   Guide    
Instagram   Twitter   Facebook   YouTube

Grip, swing

Date: 8th December 2010

A few people emailed to say that my text explanation for how to grip and swing an ice tool wasn’t super clear. Here’s a fast video shot in my back yard about 30 minutes ago that might help explain the two different grips used to swing and then hang onto an ice tool.

A few additional notes on hanging on and swinging:
-My hand rotates from the “Swing” to the “Grip” position every single time I get a placement and then hang off the tool. Easier than it sounds.
-The tool rotates around my pinky finger pretty much, the middle and index fingers are relaxed.
-The same rules as ever still apply for an overall good swing–elbow at or above the shoulder,fingers, wrist, lower arm, humerus all aligned, look before you swing.
-I underestimated the amount of rotation around the ice tool that my fingers go through. It’s not 20 degrees, it’s closer to 45 degrees from the “grip” to the “swing” position and then back. I got that wrong in the video.
I shot this right after a training session involving the “splice,” or steep plice plus ring dips and deadlifts, and I’m a bit hammered. Thanks to Keith for the help.
Edit a little later–and the reason for the leash on my left hand is that my left middle finger is broken, a leash makes it easier for me to hang on during the training sessions.

Posted in: Blog

Comments

  1. Pat   December 8, 2010 10:25 pm

    Awesome, Really clarified things. I hope I wasn't the only one sitting in public watching this and trying to grip an imaginary ice tool.

  2. Anonymous   December 8, 2010 10:47 pm

    a bit challenging with wet or/and frozend gloves on though…

  3. Will Gadd   December 8, 2010 11:15 pm

    Anon–carry lots of thin gloves and switch as needed, I have never had a problem doing this due to wet/cold/frozen gloves.

  4. Kim Graves   December 9, 2010 12:52 am

    Damn Dude, that great. Crystal clear. I've been using video a lot recently to communicate with the contractors working on the house. IT WORKS. They suddenly get it. I'm using it to get bids even. The dumb ones can replay – that's me. So keep it up. Thx. K

  5. Jake   December 9, 2010 3:13 am

    This swing reminds me of an old friend from many years ago, Thrasher, a 32 oz framing hammer. Didn't realize it then but framing turned out to be solid training for swinging a light weight ice tool all day. Walking 2×4's walls 20 feet up probably helped with balance. I didn't start this till the beard turned gray, but I sure do like Ice! I find that plice is a very good thing for squat, stand, place. Good posts. Thanks

  6. Anonymous   December 9, 2010 7:19 am

    Picture speaks a thousand words. Thanks for the vid. Makes WAY more sense now.

  7. Scott   December 11, 2010 4:27 am

    Great video, I wish there was more of this sort of stuff on ice climbing as the movement(s) can be pretty intricate. For tools with ergonomic grips with bumps for each finger (Grivel X Monster for example) would you recommend the same method? I tend to swing the same way with the X Monster but I hold on with the bumps pushing into the first knuckle (so there is very little swivel in the hand).

  8. Will Gadd   December 11, 2010 6:39 am

    Scott, not sure on the pick angle or the shaft geometry of the Monster, but like the old fusion maybe the pivot point is around the index finger. In my experience if you're not getting a good high-speed wrist flick you're not going to get very good speed and momentum on the head of the tool, both of which you'll need for a solid placement. Need to do a full DVD on this, which I've actually shot with Pat Morrow, just need to finish my edit!!!

Add a comment

I'm more than happy to hear your thoughts on what I've written. Please note that all comments will be moderated before publishing. Thank you for joining the conversation.

Partners

Red BullArc'teryxBlack DiamondScarpa