British Nordic Walking instructors use the INWA 10-Step method of teaching Nordic Walking. If you want to learn Nordic Walking why does this matter to you?
10 steps seem a lot just to learn to walk with poles – are they really necessary?
Nordic Walking is more than just “walking with poles” – it offers lots of benefits from a specially developed technique that enhances your natural walking style by using your upper, as well as lower, body to propel you forward.
You can get the full range of benefits if you learn the complete technique.
But why 10 steps? Wouldn’t fewer steps make it easier to learn?
The teaching method has been developed by sports scientists and biomechanics specialists to help you learn the best technique in as simple a way as possible. By breaking down the flow of the movement into its natural components your instructor can make sure you get each element of the technique just right.
If 10 steps sounds like a lot to remember, don’t worry. They readily build back up into a flowing movement and your Nordic Walking will soon feel natural and fluid. And you can be confident that you are Nordic Walking expertly.
And is the 10-Step Method really necessary to Nordic Walk?
People who want to try Nordic Walking usually do so because they have been attracted by at least one of its many benefits, from weight loss to increasing strength and mobility, from supporting a wide range of health conditions to cross training for sports.
There is a lot of evidence that says Nordic Walking is effective for all these things and the research has usually been carried out using Nordic Walking as it is taught with the 10-Step Method. So if you want to achieve the benefits that have been proven in this research, then the INWA 10-Step Method is the one to choose.
If you're interested in learning how to Nordic Walk, find an instructor near you.