Spotting and Safe Falling on the Boulder Wall
A hands-on lesson in groups of three to learn how to fall safely from a low height and how to spot a partner on the bouldering wall. Students practice injury prevention, responsibility for a partner and confidence to climb.
How to play
- Start on the mats away from the wall (4 minutes): from standing, practice falling with bent knees and arms forward, then rolling back onto your seat without reaching back with your hands.
- Repeat the fall from a low bench or from the first hold on the wall, with feet about 1 foot off the ground.
- Teach the spotting position: feet apart, knees bent, hands cupped like spoons at the climber's hip height, without grabbing.
- In groups of three (climber, spotter and observer), the climber goes up two holds and lets go on the call "Falling." The spotter guides the hips toward the mat.
- The observer uses a three-point checklist: bent legs, no hands behind, alert spotter. Rotate every 2 minutes for about 9 minutes.
- Finish with a short traverse where every climber calls their fall and the spotter guides it.
Rules
- No one lets go without calling it out loud and hearing "Got you" from the spotter.
- The climber's feet stay below 3 feet off the ground.
- The spotter never grabs the climber's arms or tries to catch them.
- When falling, do not reach back with your hands, to protect wrists and elbows.
Variations
Easier
Practice falls only from standing and from a low bench.
Standard
Practice falls from two holds up with spotting in groups of three.
Harder
Add falls from a sideways position or with a twist, always with a spotter.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: practice spotting and observing, or seated falls from the edge of a mat.
- Anxiety or fear: the student starts with standing falls and decides when to go higher.
- Sensitive joints or past injuries: cap falls at 1 foot and double up the mats.
Learning goals
- Perform a safe fall from a low height.
- Spot a partner correctly on the wall.
- Commit to personal and group safety.
Equipment for a class of 25
- bouldering wall: 1
- mats: 10
Teacher tip
Teach this lesson before any bouldering unit. Always correct reaching back with the hands when falling: it is the most common cause of wrist injuries in school climbing.
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