Every gym has its protocol for climbing routes and problems. Here is ours (ffc’s) with regard to Bouldering Starts and Finishes:
The Rule of Starts is this: The starting handhold/handholds are yours; do with them what you will. But you may not touch any subsequent handholds until your body is completely off the ground. And the “send” requires a mando two-hand “controlled” finish.
These are the Rules as defined at fp/ffc. We state these Rules when asked. We try to be consistant in stating them. Instructors specifically announce them when we introduce Beginners to bouldering in their Week 6 intro to bouldering classes.
A more stringent set of Rules seems to circulate in some gyms and should not be applied to ours—unless you prefer to apply it personally. It goes something like this: Two-hold starts require one hand on each hold and all body parts off the ground before one may move on to higher handholds. One-hold starts required a hand-match start.
Disregard these more stringent rules at your pleasure. Adhere to these more stringent Rules at your peril. They impose a higher standard of conformity, and they restrict the natural creativity of the boulderer to find his/her way to climb.
The Official Rule that I have outline at the top of the page is one that I inherited from fp climbers 7 years ago and that I have always been able to work with. In allowing climbers to find their individual ways up problems it forces routesetters who want to force specific moves to be most alert and to think through every technique, angle and sequence imaginable before they put their name and a rating on a route.
How about a mando “top out” and descent to signify the finish? Oh right…you might need to modify the wall there at Fitplex.