You hold one arm bent with the shoulder pulled down while the other hand lets go and reaches slowly to the next hold. You catch it without a swing.
Grade From about V3, slow reaches to small holds need it where you can’t turn in. Baker says lock-off strength matters more on steeper, harder climbs [19].
Getting stuck in tight, bent-arm positions. They feel secure but cut your reach [151].
Tall climbers. You can often reach from a half lock where shorter climbers need a full one. Extra reach usually comes from rolling your shoulders, not from locking harder [138].
Small climbers. On a big reach you may need your holding hand below your shoulder, at or even below your chest, which is harder than a lock beside your shoulder. One coach under 5 ft suggests trying these deeper locks on climbs at your warm-up grade [63]. Add a few at a time, because they load your elbow and shoulder (judgement).
