Learn downclimbing in bouldering: plan your exit, climb down on all holds and downclimbers, and land only from jump-down height. With DAV landing technique.
Downclimbing means you climb the boulder or wall back down instead of jumping. The honest answer to "Why downclimb when the mat is soft?": because the mat is harder than you think, and because the jump is the moment in which most boulderers get injured. The German Alpine Club (DAV) says it bluntly in its bouldering badge booklet: climbing down is always safer than jumping down [1].
The numbers say the same. In the DAV climbing gym accident statistics 2025 there were 174 bouldering accidents with a rescue service call-out or at least moderately severe injuries, 155 of them (89 percent) falls onto the mat. The DAV concludes that where possible, downclimbing should be preferred to jumping off [2]. In a prospective study of 507 boulderers, 44 percent got injured within twelve months. Lower-limb injuries made up 23 percent, but they were more often serious and more often caused by falling and jumping off [3]. Of 245 boulderers with a fall injury, 85 percent said they fell involuntarily and 74 percent landed on their feet first [4].
Expect it to take a few sessions until you automatically think about the descent first (an experience value, not a measurement).
Entry criteria (practice standard):
The DAV recommends discussing everything important with your boulder buddy before bouldering: where you boulder, where the hard spots are, and how you get back down [1]. This is not pedantry, it is the most important step.
Milestone: For five boulders you name the descent before starting.
For downclimbing you may use all holds and footholds, including those of other routes. Downclimbers are usually gray and always shaped the same [1].
Milestone: You downclimb an easy boulder completely without jumping.
Climb down as far as possible and check that the landing area is clear and safe [1]. The deeper you fall, the more likely you are to get hurt [1]. Practice from knee to hip height.
Milestone: You jump down from hip height under control after checking the landing zone.
The DAV teaches the landing like this: legs hip to shoulder width, bend your knees as if sitting down, roll back, arms bent close to the body, hands in fists [1]. It is best to have a coach show you the technique.
Milestone: Five controlled, supervised landings from knee to hip height.
Don't rest at the top and jump; look for the way back right away. According to the DAV checklist you only climb up to the top hold, unless a topout is allowed [1].
Milestone: You climb an easy boulder to the top and back down on the holds.
This is a safety-critical guide. The typical outcomes of a mat fall are clearly visible in the data: in 21- to 40-year-olds, twisting an ankle with a lower-limb injury dominates [2], and falls from low height onto crashpads lead to elbow dislocations. In a Munich hospital cohort of 30 patients, exactly this fall was the most common mechanism, and the authors warn of a false sense of security with this type of accident [5]. Spotting is not a substitute for downclimbing either: the DAV writes that in the gym a person should land safely on the mat and that you cannot catch a falling person. Spotting means watching that they land feet first, and proper spotting is something for experienced people and matters most outdoors on rock [1].
This guide explains and motivates but does not replace supervised training. Have a coach show you falling technique, landing and mat rules, especially if you accompany children.
Take downclimbing along as foot training: when you see every foothold on the way down and place it precisely, you train exactly the field of view you lack when climbing up, because your body hides the footholds. This is practical experience and not proven, but it is a bonus you get for free.
If possible, downclimb. The DAV writes that downclimbing is always safer than jumping because the mat is harder than you think [1]. Jump only when downclimbing isn't possible, and then from as low a height as possible.
Land on both feet, legs hip to shoulder width, bend your knees as if sitting down, roll back, arms bent close to the body, hands in fists. The DAV calls this technique the "baby boxer" [1].
Downclimbers are usually gray holds used for climbing down in the gym, always shaped the same [1]. For downclimbing you can also use all other holds and footholds on the wall.
Start with easy routes. The DAV recommends going all the way up only on easy boulders at the beginning, and climbing back down if a hard spot waits at the top [1]. Only jump from heights where you land safely.
Crossover: Reaching Over and Under the Holding Arm