When lead belaying on a sport climb outside, it is important to know that part of keeping your climber safe is anticipating what will happen at any given moment if your climber were to fall. Your job as a belayer is not only to feed rope and catch falls; it is also to do so in a way that will be less dangerous or harmful to your climber. Their life is in your hands, literally. Knowing what to do in any given situation takes practice and experience and there is no one answer that will work in every situation. These are meant to serve as definitions only, not to replace instruction.
Dynamic Belay:
A dynamic belay is where the belayer uses a technique to gradually slow the descent of the climber’s fall close to the end of the fall. Some belayers do a well-timed jump at that point, acting as a counter-weight, and lifting themselves off the ground. Others will leverage control of the belay device to slow the descent. Others still will use a combination. In any case, it’s likely that there will be some sudden movements in the area of the belayer, and best to stay clear! This method should only be used on overhanging terrain where there is no possibility of a ground fall.
In the case of a lighter belay and heavier climber a dynamic belay is almost automatic.
Running Belay:
This technique is the polar opposite of the Dynamic Belay. When the climber falls on lead, the belayer takes off running through the woods at break neck speed with the intention of shortening the climbers fall as much as possible. This is necessary in cases where a ground fall is imminent.
Static Belay:
Static Belay is where you don’t jump or run you simply lock off and catch the fall. This is only possible if the belayer is heavier than the climber or the belayer is anchored.
gjclimbing 
Posted on August 23, 2012
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