ABSTRACT
This chapter summarises the current means to measure contact forces between hand or foot and a hold. So far, most studies instrumented just one to four holds in a climb. However, interpretation of contact forces measured at one single hand hold is limited as other supports and the movement sequence itself must be taken into account. Therefore, affordable instrumentations have been presented recently. For practitioners, this chapter also summarises studies on the metrics extracted from contact force-time curves. For instance, it has been shown that finger injuries are less likely when in a double-handed dyno the target hold is grasped before the dead point, and that chalk on hand or hold provides the highest coefficient of friction. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of various rope breaks and the functionality of rock protection devices are presented.
