Flagging Balance / Monkeytail

Problem selection:

Select problems of the difficulty indicated on your plan, or make up problems of that difficulty on a wall of 20-40 degrees. Start with good hands and feet and increase the difficulty of the holds and distance of the movements as you progress.

Focus:

On each hand move, you should have one foot on a foothold. Let the other foot come off of the wall and find an appropriate balance point for the next move. Let the foot “wag” freely like a monkey’s tail. Generally you should be keeping the same side hand & foot on while moving the opposite hand, e.g. keeping a left hand and foot while moving the right hand. (See below for the alternate variation which is much less common.)

It’s fine if the foot snaps or wiggles around as you make movements. Try to keep it smooth and not jerky. The focus should stay on the flagging leg. Try to pick the other foot’s foothold to provide a stable base.

After you are used to the drill, use the “monkeytail” foot to swing your center of gravity upwards, inwards, or to the sides to generate momentum towards target handholds.

Combination:

This is a general session and can be combined with any session. Perform after warming up and before any conditioning.

Variation:

You can also play with using the opposite side hand/foot, but this is generally a bit more awkward.