Technique Hack from Offwidthing in Australia

Mastering the Double Fist Stack on Fight Club

As you might guess from the name, Fight Club is an offwidth—and a burly one at that. It slopes and bulges in the most awkward ways imaginable and demands a full horizontal grovel. It isn't the longest offwidth pitch ever, but what's there really packs a punch, working everything from your ankles to your abs.

To climb it successfully, you need two core skills: chicken wings and double fist stacks.

Today, we’re focusing on double fist stacks. Why? Because Fight Club forced me to rely on multiple double fist stacks in quick succession, which was a great reminder of how subtle hand positioning makes or breaks this jam.

Hand Positioning & Wrist Orientation

From years of testing, training, and watching others, I’ve found that hand positioning and wrist orientation are the absolute keys to making double fist stacks feel secure.

There are four main variations for setting up a double fist stack:

1. Fists uncrossed, both thumbs touching.
2. Fists crossed, pinkie fingers touching.
3. Fists crossed, thumb of one fist touching the pinkie of the other.
4. Fists uncrossed, thumb of one fist touching the pinkie of the other.

While all four have their place, options 3 and 4 (where the thumb side of one fist meets the pinkie side of the other) account for roughly 95% of the double fist stacks I use.

Here is why: when you place the thumb side of one fist against the pinkie side of the other, the pinkie naturally nestles into the anatomical indentation of the opposite hand. Double fist stacks can feel notoriously wobbly, so ensuring the hands nestle together snugly is essential for stability. That key interlocking fit only happens when pinkie meets thumb.

Crossed vs. Uncrossed Wrists

Whether you cross your wrists or keep them uncrossed comes down to your body position and the move leading into the jam:

• Uncrossed Wrists: Ideal when you are hanging inverted or below the jam. On Fight Club, I was hanging upside-down underneath the double fist stack, so an uncrossed setup was the natural position.
  
  
• Crossed Wrists: Ideal on vertical or near-vertical ground. Crossing your wrists allows you to pull your body weight in toward the crack far more effectively, without the outer rock edges blocking your wrists.

The other variations (thumbs-to-thumbs or pinkies-to-pinkies) do have niche applications, but they account for maybe 5% of scenarios when specific featured shapes force your hands into that position.

So, next time you find yourself double-fisting a wide crack, focus on nestling that thumb and pinkie together to lock in maximum stability.

Happy jamming,

Pete