Nordic Walking Training

Learn Nordic Walking

You only get the full benefits of Nordic Walking if you use the right technique. Our training is based on the International Nordic Walking Federation (INWA). Their ten step teaching method helps you develop a highly effective, sportive and safe walking style. We cover this curriculum in four hours of training - delivered in two courses (or you can take private lessons):

The Foundation course (2 hours) teaches posture, pole use and dynamic walking technique. This course is mandatory to join our group walks.
The Optimizer course (2 hours) helps you increase your speed and fitness impact.

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. When using poles as a beginner, it is easy to miss these great benefits and to build up bad habits, which may damage your health (for example, bent wrists or bad posture can lead to joint pain).

Everyday Pole Walking versus Nordic Walking

Nordic Walking is a sportive way of pushing yourself forwards with your poles, which gives you a great workout. However, you may have different needs for using poles: Achieving more safety when walking or shifting some weight off your hips and knees into your arms. We call this Everyday Pole Walking or Trekking.
If you have balance problem, are anxious about slippery terrain, or plan a mountain trip on steep, rough ground, you might want to use two poles. This is safer and healthier on the body than using one walking stick.
The way you use your poles in Trekking versus Nordic Walking is very different. We teach both styles, but for Trekking/Everyday Pole walking, we do not run courses (private lessons only).

Courses for Nordic Walking

Level One: Foundation Course

This 2-hours course introduces you to fitness walking and helps you prevent damaging your body through bad technique. The Foundation Course is mandatory if you like to join our Group Walks.

Content:

Basic information about Nordic Walking and different pole types.
Posture: Create an awareness of good posture and the ability to self-correct.
Walking technique: Practice the basic moves of Nordic Walking, with the correct arm and leg rhythm and upper body dynamics.
Foot-technique.
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:

Everybody, as long as you are able to stand/walk for two hours and swing your arms.
The course mostly consists of basic exercises, individual feedback and advice on how to improve. Then we go on a twenty minutes walk. We will take a sit-down break after about an hour.

Costs (from April 2024): £48 (pole-hire included). If you repeat the course (after a break) you only pay £35.
Meeting point: Studland Road/High Lane, Hanwell, West London - see map

Schedule Foundation Course (one session of 2 hours):

Saturday morning (9.30-11.30am):
7 Dec 2024, 11 and 25 January 2025
more dates for 2025 to be set soon.

Level Two: Optimizer Course

In additional 2 hours, you will fine-tune your Nordic Walking technique, so that you can achieve increased fitness benefits. You can choose after a few weeks of practice whether you like to join this course.

Content:

Revisit the Foundation Course basics and work on exercises to improve technique mistakes or weaknesses.
Advanced walking technique (arm-swing with full extension of the pole, active release of the pole at the end of the move).
Improved body dynamics with stronger lean and rotation techniques
Safe and smooth uphill and downhill techniques
Speed drills and agility. Breathing techniques for sportive walking.
Each participant will receive feedback and individual advice on how to improve.

Who can participate:

Walkers who have done our Foundation course, and practiced their walking for a while.
People who were trained by a different INWA instructor, but had to take a break and now need a refresher. People who come from other schools than INWA will have to take our Foundation Course first (some exceptions apply)

Costs: £48, pole-hire included. If you repeat the course (after a break) you only pay £35.
Meeting point: Studland Road/High Lane, Hanwell, West London - see map

Schedule Optimizer Course (one session of 2 hours).

Saturday morning (9.30-11.30am)
Not scheduled yet, contact us if you are interested.

Private Lessons for Nordic Walking

Regular Private Lessons

For people who cannot join our Group Walks and Courses based on scheduling issues - or because they would like additional walks to train harder.

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 help you develop any weak spots. After this you may want to schedule further lessons to improve your technique and avoid developing bad habits.
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 £130 in total.

After your you learned Nordic Walking through Private Lessons, you can come on Group Walks or book some Private Walks, where you can receive some feedback and suggestions.

Cost per Private Lesson (1 hour, pole-hire included): £65. If you cannot work-out for a full hour, we can offer some shorter lessons, however, this only applies to people with specific health issues, such as Parkinsons or similar.
If you bring along a second person, this person pays £25 (per hour), after this every additional person pays £15, up to 4 people.
Offer for Families: 2 adults and up to 3 kids (age 10-16): £140 for a private 2-hour session (covering the Foundation course)

Private Walks

We offer Private Walks for people who have done our Foundation Course (or the equivalent training through Private Lessons).
This is for people who prefer to walk at a different time than the Group Walks, or would like to intensify their training.
Private Walks have a different structure from Private Lessons. They are really a guided walk. You will still receive some feedback and advice on how to improve, but the focus is on the walk:

£45 per hour (shorter walks are possible for people with health issues).
Share your Walking time: And additional person on your private walk only pays £10 (or £12 with pole hire). They must have taken our Foundation course or Private lessons to join

We also can arrange half day or all day countryside walks - please inquire for pricing.

Private Lessons for Health Goals

For people who would like to use Nordic Walking to support them with a health challenge, such as illnesses, surgery or rehab.

Nordic Walking is excellent for people who live with chronic illnesses (such as Parkinson's, MS, Long Covid, Musculoskeletal disorders), as it allows them to keep walking, work with their bodies in a positive way and be in nature.
It also has proven mental health benefits for people who live with cancer, and it can support people who go through chemotherapy or recover from breast cancer surgery.
Many people also use Nordic Walking after accidents, surgery or illness, or to support them during weight loss or rehab programs.

Andrea has a wealth of experience teaching people with specific goals or health issues. She has undergone continuous professional development to provide Nordic Walking training to people living with Parkinson's disease. As an experienced life coach and Tai Chi teacher, she can also support her clients with mental coaching, breathing exercises and meditation practices.

Once we understand your needs, we will suggest how we can work together (private lessons, private walks, possibly additional simple tai chi exercises or mind-body coaching).
Carers are always welcome to participate in our private lessons free of charge.

Trekking Style pole walking

These special private lessons are for you if you are not keen on Nordic Walking as a sport, but would like to learn pole walking to:

make your everyday walking easier and saver (for example if you have balance problems)
replace your crutches with poles after a leg-injury (this will help you gain more agility and relax your upper body, but it is only possible once you can bear weight on the injured leg)
plan to go on a mountain trip.

You will learn the Trekking pole technique (poles are mostly in front of your body), as opposed to the Nordic Walking technique (poles are behind your back and serve to propel yourself forward). Trekking can usually be learned in one lesson.

Poles and Equipment:
Nordic Walking Poles are special - don't buy poles before the course!

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 are different (heavier handles with ribbons) and cannot be used for our 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.

Other equipment/clothing:

Trainers, running shoes or light walking boots (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).

Our Teaching Method: Step by Step

Basic walking technique
1. Posture, Upper Body Dynamics and Footwork

Keeping your body in alignment.
Posture: Straight back, squared but relaxed shoulders, chin level, chest out, stomach in, lengthened spine.

Dynamic Walking: Lean forwards and rotate slightly. Roll your feet from heel to toe.

2. Walk with correct Arm-swing: Create the basic movement for Nordic walking:

Swing your arms from the shoulder joint (not from the elbow).
Coordinate your arm and leg rhythm.
Learn the correct angle of the pole (roughly 45degrees).

Basic pole technique
3. 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.

4. Push

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

5. Swing forward

Swing the pole forward clean and crisp, avoiding pole bouncing, dragging or double planting.
Keep your knuckles pointing down towards the ground.
Reach forwards as if to make a low handshake.

Foundation Course:
We focus on the first 5 steps. If you are able to do these, you are Nordic walking in a high impact and safe way, and you may 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.

Advanced Pole technique (high speed/sportive walking)
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 a continuation of the arm, parallel to your back leg.

7. Release actively

Release your grip and let go of the pole-handle.
Press the heel of your hand against the strap.
Learn how to open and close your hand with the right timing.

Advanced Foot work and Upper Body Dynamics
8. Optimize your footwork

Coordinate the push of your foot with the final push-back of the pole.

9. Intensify your Lean and utilise your Shoulder Rotation

Create more forward momentum and increase your speed
Lean from your ankles, not your waist – keep your chest open, work with your belly muscles.
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.

10. Breathing technique

Keep your breathing down in your lower belly area, even if you work out hard; no shallow breathing .
Find a breathing rhythm that supports your walking speed.

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.