This 100+-page guide is written specifically for Nordic walking instructors—and it's the only one on the market! This is no dry textbook. Instead, the book offers loads of textbook-quality ideas, lesson plans, tips, tricks, stories and videos from an internationally-recognized master Nordic walking trainer with 15+ years of experience...all in a friendly magazine-style format. Input from 25 additional master instructors from around the world rounds out the content and gives it an international flavour. Use this book to help enrich the learning experiences of your participants. Perhaps most importantly, use this book to help build your business. Learn multiple ways to design and present clinics, classes and events that keep participants coming back time after time. The book shares dozens of ways to teach and quickly correct technique errors plus strategies for helping strugglers and challenging your fittest participants. It includes videos of warm-ups, cooldowns, balance exercises, muscle conditioning exercises, skills, drills, and more (all with poles). The author shares the 10 apps and online tools (most of them free) that she uses to run her Nordic walking business. Get answers to these critical questions: What does an excellent Nordic walking group class, private class, fusion class, and one-time clinic look and sound like? How do I handle a class with both beginners and more-advanced participants? - What are the best ways to market and advertise? - What should I charge? - How can I get people to walk with straighter arms? - What are ways that I can correct people in a friendly/non-annoying way? - What are the most common errors that new instructors make, and how can I avoid them? - What are the 25 participant FAQs that I must be able to answer? - How do I explain the differences between hiking poles/technique and Nordic walking poles/technique? - What if people come to my classes with hiking poles or poor quality Nordic walking poles? - How do I encourage people to come back for more sessions? - What equipment and items do I need to start my business? - How should I teach when participants arrive with different brands and styles of poles? - ...and more! Urban Poling Nordic walking poles are a contemporary strapless style of pole. However, the information in these pages will work for any instructor using any brand or style of poles. The focus of this book is on developing richer teaching skills, creating a loyal following of participants, and growing your business. This book is NOT about how to Nordic walk. “Tips, tricks and just darn good advice, The Urban Poling Ultimate Guide to Nordic Walking For Instructors can put new tools in any Nordic walking instructor's toolbox. This educational & inspirational guide is packed with ideas to pick and choose from and is formatted so you can go straight to the information that is most useful to you. Gathering knowledge from a variety of successful instructors, plus her own hard-won experience, Barb Gormley gives instructors an invaluable resource for pursuing Nordic walking excellence.” Tammy Bennett Healthy Living Director Whatcom Family YMCA Bellingham, Wash. “Barb Gormley's latest Nordic walking book is a wealth of fantastic ideas, pro tips, lesson plans, instructional videos, and more. The easy-to-read format and interesting stories that Barb and the contributing instructors share flow from page to page and make reading fun. I learned a lot, and I'm feeling inspired!” Peter Vavougios physiotherapist Action Sport Physio Montreal, Que. “If teaching Nordic walking is something you want to pursue as a business, this book is a must-have. Reading these pages will make you an expert in no time!” Margaret Martin physiotherapist Ottawa, Ont.