Latest Climbing Research

Research > Latest Research

The following is a list of recent climbing research I hope to update at least once a month. I use the Beta-Angel PubMed search strategy (link), with database-specific adaptations for Scopus and SPORTDiscus.

This list begins in August of 2026. For historical climbing research by category and accompanied by summaries, click on the inventory links to the left.

The Latest Climbing Research section is not a replacement for the research inventory (see menu on left). Instead, it is a way to keep up with new climbing research as it is published — even when I don’t have time to read and summarize every new paper.

September 2026 (Last updated 9/30)

Chronic Overuse Injuries in Young Athletes-Upper Extremity

Hangboard Training as a Preventive Strategy for Upper Extremity Pathologies in Rock Climbers

Quantification of Incomplete A2 Pulley Ruptures and the Question of Coexistent A3 Pulley Ruptures in Sport Climbers

Associations between time-series features of training-load monitoring indicators and relative composite performance in elite speed climbers: a GEE and quantile regression study

Physeal stress injury in youth athletes: upper extremity imaging findings

The validity and utility of the all-out test for forearm flexor critical force

Sex differences in climbing endurance emerge from combined physiological adaptation and neural strategies

Kinematic determinants of the Tomoa skip starting in elite male speed climbing athletes

“Leaving the Door Open”: Using Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy With Sport Climbers Who Experience Fear

Education Beyond Barriers: Instructor Approaches in the Context of Paraclimbing

Calibration of a novel instrumented mounting screw for monitoring sport climbing on artificial climbing walls

Exploring consumer preferences in indoor climbing gyms: a survey on boulder design

Climbing Beyond Leisure: A Netnographic Approach to Positioning Indoor Climbing Gyms in Indonesia as Emerging Urban Sport Tourism Attractions

Research on Rock Climbing Motion Evaluation System Based on Deep Learning and Pose Estimation

Temporal complementarity in lower-limb neuromuscular control and kinetic asymmetries: implications for elite speed-climbing performance

Toward a terminological consensus in rock climbing

A Markerless Motion Measurement Method for Sport Climbing Using a Single RGB-D Camera and ICP-Based Model Fitting

Bouldering Psychotherapy for Mental Health in Brazil: Preliminary Evidence from a Mixed-Methods Controlled Study

August 2026 (Last updated 8/31)

The Effects of Plyometric Training on Selected Neuromuscular Outcomes in Trained-to-Highly Trained Male Boulder Climbers: A Preliminary Exploratory Trial

Nutrition prescription for climbing athletes on rock or artificial surfaces: are we guessing?

Three-Dimensional Motion Analysis of Finger in Sport Climbing in Different Age Groups

The relationship between mental toughness, stress, and mindfulness in climbers

Underfueled and overloaded: association between low energy availability symptoms and current self-reported injury status in climbers

Multisensory integration in action: Improving goal-directed movement in children with motor impairments

Climbing the wall to success: how parkour experience shapes athletic performance capacities

Clinical assessment of nail and skin lesions in indoor climbers: A clinic-based cross-sectional study

To Climb or Not to Climb: A Cross-Sectional Investigation of Risks and Benefits During Pregnancy and Postpartum

Static and Dynamic Balance of Competitive Sport Climbers Compared to Controls

Low-Load Blood-Flow Restricted Resistance Training Improves Finger Flexor Muscle Function in Experienced Climbers: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Quantifying climbing potential: a multivariate model of finger flexor readiness for performance progression.

The priming Effect and its impact on sport performance and difficulty judgment: Evidence from Olympic Bouldering

Bouldering-related trauma: Injury patterns and operative burden over 10 years at a UK major trauma centre

Optimizing Pre-Competition Taper Strategies in Speed Climbing Athletes Using Session-RPE and Countermovement Jump: A Banister Impulse-Response Model Approach