What

Types

of

Climbing

&

Bouldering

Holds

Are

There?

The Changing Wall: A Look Back at Climbing Hold History

Step into any climbing gym and you're instantly surrounded by tons of colorful holds mapping out routes to the top. But just like climbing itself, holds have evolved big time. Back in the day, it was all about copying real rock – holds were supposed to feel exactly like what you'd find outside, bringing that outdoor vibe indoors and recreating classic sequences. Now it's a whole different game – especially in bouldering where hold shapes have gotten way more creative and wild. Instead of just mimicking nature, they've become their own thing, pushing you to move in totally new ways and making climbing feel fresh every session.

Boulder & Climbing Hold Types Overview

Climbing and bouldering walls come alive through their variety of holds: different shapes, sizes, and textures that challenge not just your strength, but also your technique, coordination, and movement flow. Here's what hold types you can expect – and the right way to grab and hold on to them:

Hold Surfaces and Their Features

It's not just the shape – the surface texture of holds also affects how well you can stick to them. There are three main texture types:

• Textured Holds: These have a rough surface that gives you solid friction, allowing for a better grip – perfect when technique and control matter most.

• Smooth Holds: These are slick with no texture. They offer minimal friction, demanding precise finger placement and solid body tension. Common on harder routes.

• Dual Texture Holds: A mix of smooth and textured areas combined in one hold. The grippy part is intentionally limited while the rest stays slick. This amps up the challenge since you have to be very precise and targeted when using the hold.

Jugs (Handles)

Jugs, also called buckets or handles, are the most popular and beginner-friendly holds – you'll find them mainly on easier routes in the gym or nicely placed on overhangs. In gyms, jugs are usually made from tough plastic (polyurethane or polyethylene), fiberglass, or wood. Outdoors you'll find jugs as limestone, granite, or sandstone formations.

Since they're easy to grab thanks to their shape, and usually have a textured surface, they make perfect rest spots. On harder routes they're mostly just start or finish holds. In bouldering they're often used to set up for dynos. The technique is intuitive: wrap your open hand around it to create lots of contact area, hook your fingers, and pull yourself up.

Crimps (Edges)

Crimps are narrow holds that offer very little surface area for placing your fingers – often just enough for the fingertips of two to four fingers. Unlike big jugs where you can comfortably hang out, crimps demand way more precision, control, and especially finger strength. Since the hold is minimal, you also need body tension and precise footwork to optimally distribute your weight. Artificial crimps are made from plastic or wood and usually have a rough surface for better grip. In outdoor climbing, crimps are very common since natural rock faces often feature similar hold types.

For crimp technique, you've got three options:

• Open Hand: Fingertips lie flat on the edge, with the finger joints barely bent. This technique is easier on your joints, but requires lots of body tension.

• Half Crimp: Fingers are slightly bent with the middle joint raised while the last joint stays relatively flat. Your thumb usually stays uninvolved on the side.

• Full Crimp: Fingers are severely bent, with the last joint hyperextended downward – your fingers "claw" into the edge. Often your thumb goes over your index finger. Full crimping gives you more power, but it's the most taxing technique for tendons, joints, and ligaments.

Slopers

Slopers are rounded, curved holds without defined edges – usually made from plastic or wood with a smooth surface. In nature, these rounded rock formations result from erosion. This hold type is especially common in bouldering. The trick with slopers: you can't really grip them. Instead, you work with friction by placing your entire palm against them and actively pressing toward the wall. The more pressure you create, the better your grip. Maintaining your body tension and positioning your body as close to the wall as possible are crucial to get a favorable pulling angle. Extra hold comes from counter movements – like pressing hard down on a foothold.

Pinches

Pinches are holds that get squeezed between your thumb and fingers. Since they require tons of grip strength – especially from your thumb – they're a common challenge in demanding boulder problems. This hold type also heavily works your forearms and hand muscles. Difficulty varies with pinch size: wide, bulky pinches are hard to wrap around completely and require serious power, while narrow, elongated pinches demand more precise finger positioning. In gyms, these holds are shaped from smooth or textured plastic, fiberglass, or wood, while on rock you'll find them as natural formations or edges.

Volumes

In bouldering gyms you'll recognize volumes by their large, geometric shapes – often designed as triangles, blocks, or rounded elements. Indoors they're made from large wood or thermoplastic elements with textured surfaces, while outdoors they correspond to prominent rock features. They're used to increase route complexity and make for creative movement challenges. Unlike classic jugs or crimps, they don't offer clearly defined hold points, but mainly surfaces where you need to push off, support yourself, or jam yourself against them. However you end up using them, volumes actively support creative climbing – sometimes in pretty challenging ways.

Pockets

Anyone looking for a real challenge will definitely find it with pockets. This hold type describes small, round openings in holds (often shaped from grippy plastic, fiberglass, or wood) or outside in rock faces, where usually only a few fingers fit – the fewer fingers, the harder it gets. In natural rock, pockets form through erosion. To safely master pockets, technique, precision, and enduring finger strength are essential since your hand has very little room to work. Proper finger positioning is especially important: your fingers should stay as neutral as possible, neither hyperextended nor severely angled – which is key to preventing injuries.

Underclings

Underclings are especially common in natural rock formations and also in bouldering gyms. Instead of gripping from above, you slide your fingers underneath and pull upward. Your palm faces up, almost like you're opening a drawer. With underclings, your footwork is crucial: you need high, stable footholds to apply downward pressure – that's how you can pull yourself up using the hold while maintaining body tension.

Flakes

A flake is a protruding rock scale or slab that has partially separated from the main rock, leaving a visible crack. This special rock formation develops through natural erosion processes and appears in outdoor climbing. Flakes offer an unusual but versatile grip option: you can jam your fingers or hands into the crack for hold, or wrap both hands around the slab and stabilize yourself by actively pushing with your body. Depending on the flake's orientation, both strength and technique come into play.

Chalk & Co. – Your Little Helpers for Maximum Grip

For perfect grip on rock, chalk  is key – it soaks up hand sweat and gives you way better friction , which will be an absolute lifesaver on tough moves. When you're heading to the gym, always pack  a brush too: That way you can clean gunked-up holds to give yourself a solid grip again and focus on actually climbing instead of fighting slippery holds.

Your Way to the Top – Hold by Hold

Once you embrace the different hold types and use them right, climbing and bouldering gets way more fun, and you'll see serious improvement in your training. But climbing isn't just about technique – having the right gear matters just as much! Check out our ultimate climbing gear checklist  or our guide on what to wear for gym climbing sessions . And if you want to keep training at home, our home climbing workout guide  has you covered. Time to crush your next wall session in style!