How many times have we said, or heard, that communication in climbing is important, even fundamental? Of course, effective communication makes everything easier, increases safety and mutual attention between the climber and the belayer: but there are moments when we don't even have the strength to warn that we're about to fall.
However, there are some unmistakable signals that from the ground we can decipher and translate just like a "be careful", "I'm spent" and similar, so as not to be caught off guard in the event of an imminent fall. We provide you with a small list, probably not exhaustive but that includes some of the most common signals.
Chicken Wings
This is probably one of the less known signs of fatigue among climbers, but there is no doubt: if you see that your partner begins to proceed always keeping their elbows high, with their arms bent at the level of their ears, it means they're about to give in. It's an instinctive gesture that leads us to find a less "painful" angle between elbows and flexors of the fingers, aligning wrists and elbows (source: The Climbing Bible). The signal is very clear: the climber is about to fall.
Shaking Leg
It will have happened more or less to everyone to find themselves at a certain point on the rock face with the calf starting to tremble uncontrollably: in addition to being an index of fear, it can also be a sign of muscular fatigue. It often happens on vertical walls, when we spend a lot of time on the tips of our toes without being accustomed to this type of muscular effort. And one thing is certain: even if we still have enough energy to continue, a shaking leg is a very high distracting factor.
Fast Breathing
When the sense of agitation takes over a climber, the first sign is an acceleration of breathing. Whether it's a purely psychological factor or real physical exhaustion in a resistance climb, it's difficult to get out of the loop: "the more the breath accelerates, the less I'm focused". The only salvation could be good rest, or preparing to "take" the fall.
Head Back
The gesture of the "head back" is always a sign of "extreme effort". Of course, it's completely involuntary: you take a hold, perhaps distant or small, and you squeeze your whole body in a movement of total tension to hold on to it. Those who are watching count to three before understanding if you managed to hold on to the hold or if in the meantime you have fallen a few meters lower.
Staying Too Closed on a Hold
Do you know when in climbing we talk about "flow", that burst of grace and lightness that makes you pass from one hold to another without feeling gravity? Well, its opposite is getting stuck with the four points of contact, unable to detach even a half of them. And not in a situation of rest obviously, but of closure, or blocking, one of those positions that - after about five seconds - cooks your muscles from the flexors of your fingers to the trapezius behind your back. So, if you see that your partner is completely stuck on a movement, start "welcoming" their fall in the best possible way