No speed wall nearby? Sprint, jump and base-technique training that gets you race-ready anyway, until a certified wall is within reach.
The honest answer first: you don't have to wait for a speed wall to start training. Speed climbing is still a young field in Germany – the discipline has a long tradition mainly in Eastern Europe – but the number of climbing gyms with a standardized speed route is growing noticeably right now.
One detail surprises many newcomers: at UIAA grade 7, the speed competition route sits only in the moderate range – roughly the level many recreational climbers are already at in the gym anyway. That means your limiting factor is rarely grip strength, but pace, automaticity and explosive power – and those can be trained without a certified speed wall too.
So you can start long before you even need a wall: sprint and jump drills, the kind that also show up in pro athletic training – uphill sprints, drop jumps, one-arm ladder climbing (more in the athletic-training guide) – can be practiced in any bouldering room or even outdoors. In parallel, it's worth actively searching for a real speed wall: regional platforms specifically list gyms with speed-training options in Germany – often found faster than you'd think.
Train Smart. Play Hard. – here that means: lay the foundations now, so you're ready the moment the next speed wall comes within reach.
Because the speed route is only moderately hard at UIAA grade 7, you build the necessary climbing foundation in any regular gym – focus especially on clean foot technique, which matters disproportionately in speed climbing (details in the injury guide).
Short, maximal sprints over 10 to 20 meters train exactly the anaerobic system a speed run demands almost entirely. Two to three sets with full recovery in between are enough to start.
Step off a low step, land on both feet and jump straight back up explosively – this trains exactly the ability the Reactive Strength Index measures (see the athletic-training guide). Start low, and only raise the height once landing technique is clean.
One-arm ladder climbing or assisted one-arm hangs on a bar build exactly the asymmetric pulling strength needed at the speed start, when one hand alone holds weight while the other reaches for the next hold.
Once the basics sit, actively searching for a certified speed wall via regional platforms and federations pays off. Also ask directly at your home gym – many are planning expansions without actively advertising it.
Sprint and jump training without a wall feels harmless but loads tendons and joints about as much as the speed wall itself does. Warm up thoroughly before every session, especially the Achilles tendon, calf and knee, and raise volume and intensity only slowly. Train on flat, non-slip ground to keep injury risk low during the fast direction changes.
Film your sprint and jump drills just as consistently as you'll later film your runs at the speed wall. The movement patterns – explosive launch, short ground contact, clean landing – are almost identical, and whoever films and corrects them before the first wall contact saves themselves weeks at the real wall later.
The basics, yes: climbing technique in any gym, sprint and jump training outdoors or in a fitness room. For the actual, fixed standard route, though, you'll eventually need access to a certified wall.
Regional directories specifically list gyms with speed-training options. It's also worth asking directly at regional federations and your own home gym, since many don't actively advertise their expansion.
At UIAA grade 7 it sits in the moderate range – the difficulty in speed climbing isn't in the climbing itself, but in executing a known movement as fast and automated as possible.
Short, maximal sprints, drop jumps for explosive power, and one-arm pulling training – all three build the athletic base that later makes the difference at the real speed wall (details in the athletic-training guide).
Speed Climbing: Getting Started and Overview