The Effect of Pull Up Training On Speed In The Speed WR Category of Sport Climbing

Abstract

Sport climbing, particularly the Speed WR event, requires athletes to combine explosive upper-body strength, rapid movement coordination, grip control, and efficient body transfer to achieve optimal climbing time. In Makassar City, several sport climbing athletes still experience performance limitations due to insufficient structured physical conditioning, especially in exercises that support arm strength and pulling capacity. This study aimed to determine the effect of pull-up training on speed performance in the Speed WR event among sport climbing athletes of Makassar City. This research used a quantitative experimental method with a one-group pretest–posttest design. The sample consisted of 17 athletes selected through purposive sampling based on active participation, physical readiness, and involvement in climbing training. Data were collected using a speed climbing performance test, in which athletes started from the standard starting position and the time was recorded from the start movement until the athlete touched the finish pad. The data were analyzed descriptively and inferentially through normality, homogeneity, and paired sample t-test procedures. The descriptive results showed that the pretest mean score was 14.47 with a standard deviation of 3.134, while the posttest mean score decreased to 14.32 with a standard deviation of 3.183. The mean difference was 0.146, indicating an improvement in climbing speed after the pull-up training intervention. The paired sample t-test showed a t-count value of 5.237, which was higher than the t-table value of 1.740, with a significance value of p < .001. Therefore, pull-up training had a significant effect on improving Speed WR climbing performance. This study concludes that pull-up training can be used as a specific conditioning method to improve upper-body strength, pulling efficiency, and speed performance in sport climbing athletes.