Mastering Dynamic Moves: A Guide to Explosive Climbing Techniques

There’s something electrifying about launching yourself through the air, grabbing for that next hold like your life depends on it. If you’ve ever watched someone stick a huge dyno and land it with style, you know it looks almost unreal, like gravity took a lunch break for a moment.

Learning dynamic moves isn’t just about looking cool. It’s about unlocking a whole new level of climbing that’s fast, bold, and wildly fun once you get the hang of it. Chalk up, shake out your arms, and let’s break down how you can start pulling off explosive climbing techniques without flailing through space like a confused penguin.

Why Static Strength Won’t Always Save You

You can have perfect tension, flawless technique, and biceps that look like they’ve been chiseled out of granite—and still get completely wrecked by a dynamic move.

Static climbing is all about control and slow, deliberate shifts in balance. Dynamic climbing laughs at that. It demands power, commitment, and a split-second willingness to throw yourself into the unknown.

The sooner you accept that you can’t muscle your way through every dynamic problem, the faster you’ll learn to move like someone who owns the wall instead of negotiating with it.

At Approach Climbing Gym, dynamic climbing problems are part of the fun. You’ll find routes that challenge your power and timing, not just your brute strength.

Dial In Your Launch: It’s All About the Setup

Mastering explosive movements starts way before you leave the ground—or the last hold. It’s born in the setup.

You need to coil your body like a spring. That means loading your legs, engaging your core, and compressing into a position where you feel like you might snap upward if you even breathe wrong. This isn’t a casual squat—it’s a loaded gun.

The secret is in timing the push with the release of your grip. Get lazy on your takeoff, and you’ll float like a sad balloon. Hit it just right, and you’ll fly.

Drills like "pop tests" on jug holds can help you get used to that explosive feeling without full commitment at first—something our coaches can help you fine-tune.

Eyes on the Prize

You’re not just aiming in the general direction of the next hold. Your brain needs a laser-focused target if you want to catch it midair.

Pick a tiny spot on the hold you want to grab. Focus on it like you’re trying to burn a hole through it with sheer willpower. Your body follows your eyes more than you realize, and if your gaze is loose, your trajectory will be too.

Commit to the spot. Trust your eyes to guide the rest of you. It’s one of those invisible secrets that separates a chaotic fall from a clean stick.

Commitment and Why Half Measures Will Betray You

Dynamic moves do not reward hesitation—They punish it. If you throw yourself half-heartedly at a dyno, two things are likely to happen: you’ll miss, and you’ll look dramatically ridiculous doing it.

You have to commit with your whole body. Push hard. Throw your chest toward the wall. Reach with everything you’ve got. If you’re going for it, go for it. Half-effort moves are where injuries and bruised egos are born.

Practicing commitment in small, lower-risk settings (like Approach’s beginner routes) builds the confidence you’ll need to stick the bigger, badder moves later.

Learn to Fall Without Freaking Out

Falling off a dynamic move isn’t just possible—it’s guaranteed. At least at first.

The trick is getting comfortable with missing. Fall cleanly—let go early if you know you’re not going to make it instead of desperately clinging to the air.

Land with bent knees, roll if you have to, and keep your ego tucked somewhere safe. Every miss teaches you something about timing, direction, or body position. Laugh it off, reset, and treat it like free coaching from the universe.

Pro Tip: Practice falling intentionally during your warmups. Getting comfortable with bailing out safely is a skill, just like anything else.

Master Midair Movement with Body Tension

You don’t have to flail like a ragdoll just because you’re moving dynamically. The best dynos look clean because the climber holds tension through their core, arms, and even toes while in the air. It’s like staying tight in a cannonball instead of unraveling like a puppet with broken strings.

Practice keeping your body engaged even after you leave the starting holds. It’ll make catching that finish hold easier, and it’ll make you look way cooler doing it.

Tight core = cleaner flight = more reliable catches.

Master Baby Dynos and “Controlled Throws”

You don’t have to start with full “gap across the gym” launches—baby steps will save your sanity.

Look for problems that ask you to pop to a nearby hold, not leap across a canyon. Practice mini-jumps that build up your sense of timing and power. Think of them as dynamic moves with training wheels.

Controlled throws, where you jump but stay connected with at least one foot, are great stepping stones, too. They’ll teach you to trust your takeoff without sending you into full send mode immediately.

You’ll find plenty of these in our beginner and intermediate routes at Approach Climbing Gym—perfect for leveling up.

Final Beta Before You Go Full Send

Dynamic climbing isn't reserved for superhumans or professional crushers. It's a skill you can learn, step by step, jump by jump.

Some days you’ll feel like you’re flying. The other day, you’ll feel like a windmill caught in a hurricane.

Either way, every attempt makes you stronger, smarter, and closer to that moment where you stick a move and hear the whole gym gasp.

When you’re ready to practice, Approach Climbing Gym has the walls, coaching, and community to help you nail it—and have a blast doing it.

So chalk up. Trust the launch. Send it.

Approach Climbing Gym

Premier Indoor Climbing Gym in Omaha, NE

Looking for the best indoor rock climbing experience in Omaha? Approach Climbing Gym is a full-service climbing facility offering bouldering, top rope, lead climbing, and classes for all skill levels. We provide expert instruction, group events, and youth programs. Contact us.