Setting guide
The most useful climbing hold pattern for a training board is a symmetric, mirrored layout on a regular T-nut grid, with bigger holds low down, smaller holds higher up and a kickboard of footholds along the base. A spray wall works the other way: a dense, varied scatter of holds that lets climbers invent their own problems. On either wall, spread edges, slopers, pinches and footholds across the whole surface rather than grouping one hold type in one area.
Decide what the wall is for before placing a single hold. A training board is a fixed, repeatable layout: the holds stay put so climbers can log problems, repeat them and measure progress over months. A spray wall is a dense, freely set surface where climbers choose holds as they go, which favours creativity and movement variety over strict benchmarking. Many facilities run one of each.
| Feature | Training board | Spray wall |
|---|---|---|
| Layout | Regular grid, usually mirrored left to right | Dense, mostly asymmetric scatter |
| Hold changes | Rarely, so problems stay comparable | Partial swaps or rotations at regular intervals |
| Problems | Logged benchmarks and set circuits | Made up by climbers on the day |
| Best for | Finger strength, power, measurable progress | Movement variety, creativity, volume of climbing |
The T-nut grid sets the limits of every pattern you can create, so plan it first. Common practice on training walls is a closer, more regular grid than on a typical gym wall, because a board or spray wall carries far more holds per square metre. Offsetting alternate rows (a staggered or diamond pattern) gives more positions for the same number of T-nuts than a square grid, and puts holds at natural diagonal reaches.
When choosing a pitch, check that the largest hold you plan to use can sit on any T-nut without covering its neighbours. If you intend to mirror the layout, make the grid itself symmetric about the centre line so every position has a matching partner. Fit T-nuts into sound birch plywood, check each one before the panel goes up, and follow the substrate and bolt guidance in the fixing and installation guide.
Symmetric layouts help training because every move can be done with either hand. When a left-hand crimp in one column is mirrored by the same hold, in the same orientation, in the matching right-hand column, any problem can be climbed in its mirror image. That makes it easy to spot and correct a weaker side, and stops climbers from building strength in only their preferred direction of movement.
Asymmetric layouts suit spray walls and movement-focused boards. Without a mirror, setters can place holds wherever the terrain and angle make the best sequences, which produces more varied and less predictable climbing. A common compromise is a mirrored core on the main part of the board with a looser, asymmetric section near the edges or on any features.
Training walls are set more densely than standard gym walls, but there is a limit. A board needs enough holds that most moves have a credible alternative, so problems can be linked and varied. A spray wall usually goes further, with holds on most of the available T-nuts. The practical ceiling is reached when holds begin to block each other: a foot cannot be placed without touching a neighbouring hold, or a sloper loses its useful surface because an edge sits too close. Leave room around slopers and pinches, which need more space than small edges to be gripped properly.
Distribute every hold type across the whole wall rather than in blocks. If all the slopers sit in one corner, every sloper problem follows the same line. Spread edges of several depths, slopers, pinches and a small number of pockets through each zone, and set each type in more than one orientation: straight down-pulls, side-pulls, gastons and underclings. This trains a wider range of grip positions and body positions from the same set of holds.
Treat pockets with care on a training board. Single-finger and small two-finger pockets concentrate load on individual fingers, so they are better kept to a few well-chosen positions than used throughout. For the different hold categories and their roles, see choosing climbing holds.
Grading hold difficulty by height is the simplest way to make one board serve several abilities. Larger, more positive holds near the bottom make starts accessible; smaller and more technical holds higher up create the hard moves; a positive finishing hold at the top gives a clear end point. The table below is one way to describe a general-purpose layout.
| Zone | Hold types | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Kickboard | Small footholds and foot chips | Starting feet and options on steep moves |
| Lower board | Jugs, deep edges, positive pinches | Starts, warm-ups and easier problems |
| Middle board | Mixed edges, slopers, pinches, side-pulls, underclings | Core training moves and the widest choice of sequences |
| Upper board | Small edges, slopers, a few pockets | Hard finishing moves and finger strength |
| Top | Positive finishing holds | Clear, safe end point for every problem |
The steeper the wall, the more positive the holds need to be. A small edge that is reasonable on a near-vertical board can be unusable on a steep overhang, while a jug that feels trivial on a steep board may be the only sensible start on a slab. Choose the angle first, then select holds to suit it. Adjustable walls allow one climbing surface to serve several angles, so the same pattern can be made easier or harder without resetting any holds.
Steep angles also put more load on fixings. The fixing guide advises checking T-nuts more often on overhanging panels steeper than 30 degrees and considering backing plates where a large feature relies on a single area of panel.
Footholds decide how hard a training board really is, so plan them as carefully as handholds. A kickboard, a short, often less steep strip along the base of the wall, gives a dense band of small footholds for starting positions. Above it, scatter small footholds and foot chips through the main board so climbers have foot options on every move. Many boards use a rule that any foothold may be used for feet, which keeps the handhold pattern clean while making problems more accessible. Fewer and smaller footholds make the same hand sequence harder and more core-intensive.
Rotating holds is the cheapest way to make a familiar wall feel new. On a spray wall, swap or turn a section of holds at each refresh instead of resetting everything at once, so regular users always find something new. Turning a hold 90 or 180 degrees changes an edge into a side-pull or undercling and changes how a sloper or pinch can be held. Keep a simple record or photograph of the layout before each change.
On a benchmark training board, change as little as possible, and treat any change as a new version of the board, because logged problems stop being comparable once holds move. Whatever the approach, re-torque holds in heavily used training areas every 4–6 weeks, and brush board holds regularly, since training boards used by strong climbers build up rubber and chalk quickly. See hold care and maintenance for the cleaning process.
Rockcity supplies adjustable training walls and training boards alongside its holds, macros and plywood volumes. For an enquiry, include the available space, intended use and angle range, the user group, and whether the wall is commercial or private. Details are on the competition setting and wall systems page. Structural suitability and installation remain subject to the confirmed project specification and competent professional oversight.
A symmetric, mirrored layout on a regular T-nut grid is the most common choice for a training board, with larger holds near the bottom, harder holds higher up and a dedicated kickboard of footholds. It makes problems repeatable and lets climbers train both sides of the body equally.
For a fixed training board, yes in most cases. Mirroring each hold across the centre line means every problem can be climbed on both hands, which helps keep left and right strength in balance and makes progress easy to measure.
A spray wall is usually set much more densely than a gym wall, often with a hold on most of the available T-nuts, so climbers can link many different problems. Stop adding holds when they start to block each other's grip or foot placements.
Spread edges, slopers, pinches, a few pockets and plenty of small footholds across the whole surface rather than grouping one type in one area. Set each type in several orientations, including side-pulls and underclings, so the wall trains varied grip positions.
A benchmark training board is normally left unchanged so problems stay comparable, while a spray wall benefits from rotating or swapping a section of holds at regular intervals. Re-torque holds in heavily used training areas every 4–6 weeks whichever approach you take.
Rockcity's fixing guide recommends a minimum of 18 mm birch plywood for training walls and 21 mm or above for high-reset panels, with M10 stainless steel socket cap-head bolts. Standard holds are tightened to 20–25 Nm.
Featured holds and volumes in the catalog
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