An undercling is a hold gripped from underneath, palm up, that you pull up and out on while pushing with your feet to create opposing tension. Underclings feel powerful once you get your body above them and are common under flakes, roofs, and bulges where the rock faces downward.
A pinch is a climbing hold you grip by squeezing between your thumb on one side and your fingers on the other, like pinching a block. Pinches demand thumb and grip strength and range from wide, hard-to-span shapes to narrow ones. Body position that keeps the pinch loaded straight down makes it more secure.
A sidepull is a vertically oriented hold that you pull on sideways, toward your body, leaning away from it to create the opposing force that keeps you on. Sidepulls reward good body positioning — getting your weight on the opposite side of the hold — and are the natural counterpart to the outward-pushing gaston.
An edge is a climbing hold with a defined, flat lip that you grip with your fingertips or stand on with the edge of your shoe. Edges range from generous to razor-thin — where they become crimps — and they are the most common hold type on technical face climbs, rewarding precise edging footwork.
A volume is a large, hollow geometric shape bolted onto an indoor climbing wall, over which smaller holds can be mounted. Volumes change the wall's angle and shape, adding three-dimensional, often slopey climbing that demands body tension and creative footwork. They are a defining feature of modern competition and gym bouldering.
A flake is a thin slab of rock partly detached from the main face, creating an edge or crack a climber can pull, pinch, or layback. Flakes range from solid, useful holds to loose, dangerous blocks, so testing a flake before fully weighting it is an important safety habit.
A pocket is a hole or recess in a climbing hold that fits only one, two, or three fingers, requiring precise placement and finger strength. Pockets are common on limestone and on moulded gym holds, and the number of usable fingers — a one-finger pocket is a 'mono' — defines how hard it is and how much it stresses the tendons.
A jug, also called a bucket, is a large, easy-to-grip climbing hold with a deep, positive edge you can wrap your whole hand around. Jugs are the most secure and beginner-friendly holds, often marking rests or the start of a route, and let climbers hang comfortably even when tired.
Climbing holds are the features — natural on rock or moulded on a wall — that climbers grip with their hands or stand on with their feet. They come in distinct types, from big friendly jugs to tiny crimps and rounded slopers, and each is gripped with a specific technique. Recognising hold types is fundamental to reading and climbing a route.
A gaston is a grip where you push outward (sideways, away from your body) on a hold with the thumb pointing down and the elbow out, as if prying open elevator doors. It lets you use vertically oriented holds that face the wrong way for a normal pull, but is shoulder-intensive.