In today's physical education classes the sport of bouldering and rock climbing are becoming increasingly popular. It is an activity that can be done with elementary, middle, and high school aged students. As a physical education teacher, I enjoy teaching my bouldering wall unit for a variety of reasons which include:
It's not a team sport:
Don't get me wrong I think team sports like basketball, volleyball or soccer are great and most definitely belong in any physical education program, but bouldering or rock climbing offer a different variety of challenges as well as skills. Many students are not as interested in team games, and excel when activities like bouldering and rock climbing occur.
Students must work together:
What I mean by this is that whenever students are bouldering or climbing you should always have a climber and spotter or belayer, sometimes even a back-up belayer. These individuals must always work together to be successful. One aspect I try and stress with my students during this unit is that they need to be clear communicators as well as trust in each other.
Adresses National Standards for P.E.:
During a rock climbing or bouldering wall unit, you can easily address many of the national or state standards which are required for physical education. Looking at the social aspect, students are continuously working together and relying on one another. As with the cognitive domain, student must plan specific climbs, as well as continuously make decisions and problem solve. It is easy to see the psychomotor domains that go along with climbing, it takes a great amount of balance as well as lower and upper body strength to maneuver around a wall.
It's challenging:
One aspect I really enjoy while teaching my bouldering wall unit is the excitement I see in students when they complete a climb or challenge that they initially did not think they could. It builds there own self-esteem and confidence up and will likely boost others in their class as they see the success of other students.
What is the difference between Bouldering and Rock Climbing?
There are a few different types of climbing (Bouldering, Top-Roping, and Lead Climbing).
Bouldering:
Bouldering occurs when individuals climb while they are low to the ground. No ropes or harnesses are required for this activity. Generally individuals who climb regularly will practice bouldering to improve on their climbing moves and body strength. Individuals also move more horizontally as opposed to vertically. Bouldering is very common in elementary physical education classes since it is easier for a single teacher to teach students specifica aspects of climbing without the use of ropes, harnesses or belay devices.
Top Roping:
Top roping occurs when an individual wears a harness that has a belay rope attached to it. The rope from the climber runs up through a top-rope running anchor, which is located at the top of a climbing route, then back down and is attached to the belayer (Steihl, J. & Ramsey, T. Climbing Walls. 2005, Champaign, IL). Top-roping allows individuals to climb at a much higher vertical height than bouldering. It is very important that climber and belayer clearly communicate with each other to prevent serious injury.
Lead Climbing:
Lead climbing, which is similar to top-roping requires a series of protection anchors vertically spaced at proper intervals going up the wall. A climber clips his/her belay rope into the non-locking carabiner as he/she reaches each anchor point. This continues until the climber reaches the top of the route, at which point they must attache their belay rope to be lowered back down (Steihl, J. & Ramsey, T. Climbing Walls. 2005, pg.13 Champaign, IL).
Interested in finding more out about climbing, below is a list of online sites that will provide you with up to date information on climbing as well as give you more information if you have an interest in building a wall for your school. A great book to have if you are interested in building a climbing wall or already have a wall, but are new to climbing is also suggested.
Climbing Wall Association (CWA)
Indoor Climbing
Books
Climbing Walls: A Complete Guide by Jim Stiehl and Tim B. Ramsey
It's not a team sport:
Don't get me wrong I think team sports like basketball, volleyball or soccer are great and most definitely belong in any physical education program, but bouldering or rock climbing offer a different variety of challenges as well as skills. Many students are not as interested in team games, and excel when activities like bouldering and rock climbing occur.
Students must work together:
What I mean by this is that whenever students are bouldering or climbing you should always have a climber and spotter or belayer, sometimes even a back-up belayer. These individuals must always work together to be successful. One aspect I try and stress with my students during this unit is that they need to be clear communicators as well as trust in each other.
Adresses National Standards for P.E.:
During a rock climbing or bouldering wall unit, you can easily address many of the national or state standards which are required for physical education. Looking at the social aspect, students are continuously working together and relying on one another. As with the cognitive domain, student must plan specific climbs, as well as continuously make decisions and problem solve. It is easy to see the psychomotor domains that go along with climbing, it takes a great amount of balance as well as lower and upper body strength to maneuver around a wall.
It's challenging:
One aspect I really enjoy while teaching my bouldering wall unit is the excitement I see in students when they complete a climb or challenge that they initially did not think they could. It builds there own self-esteem and confidence up and will likely boost others in their class as they see the success of other students.
What is the difference between Bouldering and Rock Climbing?
There are a few different types of climbing (Bouldering, Top-Roping, and Lead Climbing).
Bouldering:
Bouldering occurs when individuals climb while they are low to the ground. No ropes or harnesses are required for this activity. Generally individuals who climb regularly will practice bouldering to improve on their climbing moves and body strength. Individuals also move more horizontally as opposed to vertically. Bouldering is very common in elementary physical education classes since it is easier for a single teacher to teach students specifica aspects of climbing without the use of ropes, harnesses or belay devices.
Top Roping:
Top roping occurs when an individual wears a harness that has a belay rope attached to it. The rope from the climber runs up through a top-rope running anchor, which is located at the top of a climbing route, then back down and is attached to the belayer (Steihl, J. & Ramsey, T. Climbing Walls. 2005, Champaign, IL). Top-roping allows individuals to climb at a much higher vertical height than bouldering. It is very important that climber and belayer clearly communicate with each other to prevent serious injury.
Lead Climbing:
Lead climbing, which is similar to top-roping requires a series of protection anchors vertically spaced at proper intervals going up the wall. A climber clips his/her belay rope into the non-locking carabiner as he/she reaches each anchor point. This continues until the climber reaches the top of the route, at which point they must attache their belay rope to be lowered back down (Steihl, J. & Ramsey, T. Climbing Walls. 2005, pg.13 Champaign, IL).
Interested in finding more out about climbing, below is a list of online sites that will provide you with up to date information on climbing as well as give you more information if you have an interest in building a wall for your school. A great book to have if you are interested in building a climbing wall or already have a wall, but are new to climbing is also suggested.
Climbing Wall Association (CWA)
Indoor Climbing
Books
Climbing Walls: A Complete Guide by Jim Stiehl and Tim B. Ramsey
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