Current Nordic Walking offers

Private Lessons and Walks during Lockdown

Reflecting the new government regulations we will offer Private Lessons and Walks again - with a limited group-size only. We will fully conform to the social distancing rule of walking at least two meters apart.

Group Walks:
I keep these small for the moment with only up to three walkers at a time. So please sign-up for every walk, first comes first serves (you can join our dedicated Whatsapp Group for easy sign-up).

Tuesdays and Thursday mornings, 9.30-10.30am.
More walks will be scheduled if there is an interest
Cost: £8 per walk with your own poles (buy 6 walks for £40).
Pre-requisite: You must have taken our Foundation course (or private lessons) to join the Group Walks
If you don't have poles, do get in touch and we find a solution.

Private Walks:
If you rather walk with Andrea only, please get in touch for scheduling. We will choose a route that serves your fitness levels/needs, and you will get some technical feedback and suggestions on how to improve.

Cost: £12. You can buy 4 walks for £40, pay-in-advance.

Private Lessons for New Walkers:

You can take two private lessons of one hour to cover the Foundation training (content see below). You can decide after a bit of practice whether you would also like to take the Advanced training.
Cost: £40 per hour.

Technical Refresher for Existing Walkers

This is an intense lesson where we review the basics, look at your development areas and then address these with customised drills and exercises. We will work in the training field - or a park near you - only (no walk along the paths)
Cost: sliding scale; £20-35 per hour (based on income; offer valid during Lockdown only).

Notes to poles / equipment

Please contact us before you buy poles (you need the right size and type).
You will need dedicated Nordic Walking poles with the typical gloves/sleeves. Trekking or Walking poles (with ribbons) won't work for this sportive way of walking. Nordic Walking poles will enable the 'push-back' motion that gives you the full body workout.
You do not need any other special equipment than trainers, running shoes or walking shoes (no hard soles, so that you can roll your foot) and appropriate outdoor clothing (rain and sun protection).

How we will keep it safe

No group walks, only one Walker at a time
You need your own poles (if you don't have poles, please contact us, we have a few for sale or can advice you what to buy)
Social distancing between Walker and Instructor at all times (Two-meter rule, we can walk further apart it it makes you feel safer)
Flawless trail-etiquette (we will review how to yield/social distance when encountering other members of the public).
Payment per BAC or paypal only, nor cash or cheques

Guided Nature Walks

If you do not wish to learn/use the Nordic Walking technique, but still would like to go out for guided walks in nature, please contact us. We can lead you on safe, interesting paths and show you some wildflowers and birds. For these walks, Trekking poles or Walking sticks are just fine (you don't need poles for these walks, just in case you like to use them for your safety).

Meeting Points

Meeting point for Group walks:

Brent Valley Golf Club parking (unless announced otherwise)

For private walks and lessons:

Brent Valley Golf Club, or - if you do not have a car/bike - we can choose a place near you, so that you do not have to ride public transport.

Private Lessons: What you will learn

Our basic training to get you started is based on the British Nordic Walking Association's curriculum, and it consists of four hours in total (Foundation training and Advanced training).
The Foundation training (2 hours) is mandatory for all our Walkers: it will equip you with a safe and effective technique. You then can practice by yourself and/or join our walks, and then come back for the Advanced training after a few weeks, if you like.

Why is it so important to learn Nordic Walking properly?

Nordic walking is a full body workout and has many well-documented health benefits. It is very different from trekking with poles or regular walking. To get the full benefits, you need a good technique; the poles are not here to support you (giving you 'four legs'), but to propel yourself forward, engaging 90% of your muscles and burning up to 46% more calories than regular walking... It is easy to miss these great benefits and to build up bad habits, which may damage your health (e.g. bent wrists or bad posture can lead to joint pain).
The Foundation course teaches posture, pole technique (placement, push-back, release) and walking technique (foot placement, body dynamics). The Advanced course will help you increase your speed and achieve full-body engagement when walking.

Part One (2 hours):
Foundation Training - Get started!

In this private lesson (or course), you will create a solid, good foundation for your Nordic Walking technique, so that you can walk in a safe manner (without damaging your body through bad technique) and get your best fitness/health results out of each walk. We focus on step 1-5 of the INWA teaching method, and have a short look at step 6-10 as well (scroll down for info).

Content:

Basic information about the Nordic Walking and poles (using the sleeves, different tips, etc.)
Posture: Create an awareness of good posture and enable you to self-correct
Walking technique: Train the basic movement of Nordic Walking, with the correct arm and leg rhythm. Start training your feet to create more of a 'rolling'/pushing forward motion
Pole technique; find the stable position for the poles and propel the body forward more actively
Trail etiquette and safety: how do deal with horses, dogs, bad weather, etc.

Target group: This is four you if...

... you have never done any Nordic walking before, but you like to check it out
... you would like to join our walks (the Foundation course is mandatory, unless you have attended a beginners course with the British Nordic Walking Association elsewhere).
... you got some poles and taught yourselves from videos. You are doing quite well, but you like to create an even better technique
... you attended a course some time ago, but you have not practised much or forgot some of the techniques

Part Two (2 hours):
Technique Course - Optimise your workout

In this course, you will fine-tune and optimise your Nordic Walking technique, so that you can turn every walk into a full-body workout and achieve increased fitness benefits. We will focus on steps six to ten of the INWA teaching method (and revisit steps one to five).

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 (so that you can keep walking in a truly 'Nordic' way, and not resort to 'trekking' when you go up and downhill)
Create your own warm-up/cool-down sequence - so that you can use it when you go on walks by yourself
Speed drills and agility
Each participant will receive feedback and individual advice on how to improve

Target group: This is for you if

... you have done the Foundation course (or a similar course with the British Nordic Walking association), got some walking routine, and now would like to improve your technique
... you used to be a rather experienced Nordic Walker, but you have let things slip a bit. This is an ideal refresher/optimiser course.

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

The International Nordic Walking Federation provides a ten step curriculum to teach Walkers a good and safe technique in a fun way. We cover the ten steps in our Foundation and Advanced Course.

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, as if squeezing a lemon with the ball of your feet

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)
Keep the arm swinging from the shoulder - keep it close to your side, but don't clamp it into your body

4. Place

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

5. Push

Propel the body forward more actively – push down/back into the strap
Use a smooth, steady pressure, with a progressively relaxing hand
The more firmly you can push down the length of the pole into the ground, 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.

Advanced Course:
We revisit the first 5 steps, and then fully focus on steps 6-10. The more you use these advanced methods when Nordic walking, the more muscles you are engaging, and the more you open your spine and chest. This boosts the circulation the whole way down your spine and brings oxygen and nutrients to the discs and vertebrae.