Nordic Walking Training

Scroll down to read about our Covid 19 measures. Walking with us is safe.

Nordic Walking: Training Courses and Private Lessons

Our training is based on the British Nordic Walking Association (10 steps teaching method, see below). We cover this curriculum in four hours of training - delivered in two courses: The Foundation course and the Optimizer course.
If you like to join our group walks, the Foundation course is mandatory: this will equip you with a safe and effective fitness-walking technique. After this course, you can practice by yourself or join our group walks, and then come back for the Optimizer course.

Why is it so important to learn Nordic Walking properly?

Nordic walking is a full body workout and has many well-documented health benefits. To get the full benefits, you need a good technique. This is different from walking with trekking sticks. You use the poles to propel yourself forward, engaging 90% of your muscles and burning up to 45% more calories than regular walking. It is easy to miss these great benefits and to build up bad habits, which may damage your health (bent wrists or bad posture can lead to joint pain).
The Foundation course teaches posture, pole use and dynamic walking technique. The Optimizer course helps you increase your speed and fitness impact.

Poles and Equipment: Nordic Walking Poles are special

Please contact us before you buy poles, so that you get the size and type right.

You will need dedicated Nordic Walking poles with the typical gloves/sleeves. These will enable the 'push-back' motions that give you a full-body workout. Trekking or Walking poles (with ribbons) can't be used for this sportive way of walking.
You can borrow poles for the course and your first few walks. After this, you will need to buy your own poles to join the group. We have Covid-19 measures in place to keep our poles clean and safe.

Eugene enjoys his new sportive poles: The excellent Gabel X5 with a Carbon content of 85%. The higher the carbon content, the better the pole. We can give you advice on what to choose based on your walking style and frequency.

What else you may need

Trainers or running/walking shoes (no hiking boots with hard soles, you need to be able to roll your feet).
Appropriate outdoor clothing (rain and sun protection, thin gloves in winter).
Some walkers like to bring a small backpack - shoulder bags won't work.

Level One: Foundation Course
Get started with fitness walking

In this 2-hours course, you will learn a walking style that helps you achieve solid fitness results, without damaging your body through bad technique. We focus on steps 1-5 of the INWA teaching method, and have a short look at steps 6-10. Details about the teaching method are at the end of the page. The Foundation Course is mandatory if you like to join our Group Walks.

Content:

Basic information about Nordic Walking and different poles
Posture: Create an awareness of good posture and enable you to self-correct
Walking technique: Practice the basic moves of Nordic Walking, with the correct arm and leg rhythm. Train your feet to create a rolling/pushing forward motion
Pole technique; place the poles correctly and at the right angle - propel the body forward with your arms
Trail etiquette and safety: how do deal with horses, dogs, bad weather, etc.

Who can participate:

You do not have to be fit to join the course, but you need to be able to stand for two hours and swing your arms.
The course does not contain two hours of walking. The greatest part of the course is basic exercises and feedback, and then we go on a ca. 20 min walk. We will take a sit-down break in the middle of the course.

Costs: £40 (pole-hire included). If you repeat the course (e.g. after a break to refresh your technique), you only pay £25.
Meeting point: Studland Road/High Lane, Hanwell, West London - see map

Dates of the Foundation course (2-hour session)

Saturday (1-3pm): 27 November 2021, 11 December 2021, 22 January 2022
More courses will be scheduled soon. We also offer private lessons, if these dates do not work.

Level Two: Optimizer Course
Fine-tune your technique

In additional 2 hours, you will fine-tune your Nordic Walking technique, so that you can achieve increased fitness benefits. We will focus on steps 6 to 10 of the INWA teaching method.

Content:

Advanced walking technique (arm-swing with full extension of the pole, release of the pole at the end of the move)
Improved body dynamics (appropriate body-rotation, leaning forward, etc)
Safe and smooth uphill and downhill techniques
Speed drills and agility
Each participant will receive feedback and individual advice on how to improve

Target group: This course is for you if

you have done our Foundation course, practiced your walking for a while, and now would like to improve your technique
you used to be an experienced Nordic Walker, but you have let things slip a bit. This is an ideal refresher course.

Costs: £30, pole-hire included. If you repeat the course (e.g. after a break to revisit your technique), you only pay £25.

Optimizer Course (Two hours course - in one session, small group size)

Saturday Courses (9.30-11.30am): 11 December 2021, 22 January 2022
We will schedule more courses in 2022.

Meeting point: Studland Road/High Lane, Hanwell, West London - see map

Private Lessons - customised to your needs

We offer private lessons to get you started with Nordic Walking or to improve your technique:

Cost per private lesson (1 hour, pole-hire included): £40.
For beginners we recommend 2-4 lessons, based on your learning style. To cover the teachings of the initial Foundation course, you will need at least two lessons (in one or two sessions), which will cost £80 in total.
For people with Nordic Walking experience who have done a course with an INWA associated teacher before, we recommend an initial lessons to assess your technique and develop any weak spots. After this you may want to schedule further lessons to improve your technique and avoid developing bad habits.

We also offer private walks - click here for more info.

The 10 steps Teaching Method
of the International Nordic Walking Federation (INWA)

1. Posture

Keeping your body in alignment
Feet forward, straight back, squared but relaxed shoulders, chin level, chest out, stomach in, lengthened spine

2. Walk

Create the basic movement for Nordic walking
Maintain good posture whilst walking
Swing your arms from the shoulder joint (not from the elbow)
Roll your feet; from heel to toe

3. Drag (this is just an exercise; we don't do it when we are walking)

Coordinate your arm and leg rhythm
Learn the correct angle of the pole (roughly 45degrees)

4. Place

Find the right position for your pole (roughly by your back foot, pole is at 45degree angle)
Practice the right grip of the pole: Close your hand softly around the pole handle – use the pressure of a friendly handshake

5. Push

Propel the body forward by pushing down/back into the strap
Use a smooth, steady pressure, with a progressively relaxing hand
The more firmly you can push the pole, the faster you will go

Foundation Course:
We focus on the first 5 steps. If you put them together, you are Nordic walking and can join our walks. You will have found a smooth, relaxed way to propel yourself forward, using most of your muscle, while avoiding straining your joints.
We also take a glance at the other steps, specially step 8: the swing forward and step 10: body rotation.

6. Extend fully

Push further behind you; Keep the tip of the pole in touch with the ground as long as possible
Push your hand past the pelvis – ultimately, you have a straight line from the shoulder to the tip of the pole. The pole is like a continuation of the arm – parallel to your back leg

7. Release actively

Release your grip and let go of the handle
Press the heel of your hand against the strap – and push off with your foot at the same time

8. Swing forward

Swing the pole forward clean and crisp, avoiding pole bouncing, dragging or double planting
Learn how to open and close your hand with the right timing
Keep your knuckles pointing down towards the ground
Reach forwards as if to make a low handshake

9. Lean

Create more forward momentum and increase your speed
Lean from your ankles, not your waist – keep your chest open

10. Rotate

Integrate movement of the upper and lower body; allow your torso to gently rotate as you push the pole backwards
Enables you to go faster, as you can extend/push your poles even harder

Optimizer Course:
We revisit the first 5 steps, and then work on steps 6-10. When you use these advanced methods of Nordic walking, you engage more muscles. This burns more calories and kick-starts your metabolism. It also opens your chest and boosts the circulation the whole way down your spine, bringing oxygen and nutrients to the discs and vertebrae.

Covid-19

There are currently no Covid 19 restrictions any more regarding Nordic Walking.
Walking outdoors is very safe.
We always make sure that everybody feels safe and welcome in our group. If you: If you like to keep a certain social distance while walking, please let us know. Also, you may wear a mask, if you like (this is not mandatory).