u/Firm-Clock-7368

I've run into a biomechanics problem with my climbing. For all my life, I've been extremely duckfooted. When my knees point forward, my feet point outward (probably about 15-20° on the left and 25-30° on the right). I have virtually zero visible arch unless I am consciously activating/flexing it, and when relaxed my feet are extremely pronated. Additionally, my ROM in ankle inversion is extremely limited and I have basically no capacity for internal rotation. It generally doesn't have much of an impact on other areas of my life: I can walk or run long distances without pain, can comfortably do heavy barbell squats, etc. With climbing, however, I've hit some roadblocks. I'm able to find workarounds for most situations, typically favoring lots of heelhooks and being an extremely inside edge dominant climber. Where I tend to run out of tricks is on steeper terrain. "Toe-in" moves, where you typically have to rotate your foot internally to claw into a directional foothold that is out to the side, usually feel completely impossible, because in order to get my foot in a position to use the hold, my knee is now pushing my center of mass away from the wall since it can't rock over without rotating my foot off the hold. Even just keeping toe tension through a move can feel impossible in positions that should be "typical" for steep climbing. Basically, my question is whether anyone has suggestions for solutions, or if anyone who has experienced something similar found a workaround that suited their biomechanics I could try. I am actively in the process of trying to improve my ankle mobility, so any success stories there would also be much appreciated, but I recognize that it is completely possible I will never see meaningful progress with that due to genetics and the nature of my biomechanics. Thanks!

TLDR: Duckfooted climber repeatedly humbled by the TB2 seeks solace

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u/Firm-Clock-7368 — 24 days ago