HSK Academy: Bringing Elite Experience into Everyday Training

A training plan can tell an athlete what to do on Tuesday. It cannot answer every question that comes up when motivation drops, a relay gets chaotic, or a technical routine stops working at race speed. Those questions deserve time, conversation and people who can bring a different perspective.

That was the starting point for HSK Academy, a project we launched at Halden SK in 2023. We wanted our runners to have direct access to experienced athletes, coaches and specialists, with space to ask questions and connect what they heard to their own training.

The programme has brought together world champions, relay specialists, experienced team managers and experts in mental preparation. Through these sessions, we connect the speakers’ experience with the questions facing our athletes. The value lies in that conversation: understanding why someone works a certain way, where their approach comes from, and what might be useful in our own environment.

A conversation that continues after the screen goes off

The format is straightforward. A guest introduces a specific topic, then we open the discussion. From the first sessions, follow-up tasks and reflection were part of the idea, so that athletes had something to try and something to bring back to the next conversation.

For me, inviting a successful athlete is valuable because it lets us explore the thinking behind the results. The aim is to understand principles well enough to adapt them. A champion’s training week makes more sense when you consider their background, terrain, strengths, recovery and years of preparation. Hearing different perspectives helps young athletes ask better questions about their own choices.

Navigation: understanding the task before adding speed

The technical sessions approached orienteering from several angles. Megan Carter-Davies and Riccardo Scalet focused on sprint skills, while Thierry Gueorgiou brought his perspective on the orienteering method. Mats Nordbrøden and Elena Roos explored night orienteering in Nynäshamn, and Johan Ivarsson introduced the terrain challenges of Tranås ahead of Tiomila 2026.

Together, these topics show why technical development needs both clear routines and knowledge of the setting in which they will be used. Sprint, night racing and an unfamiliar relay forest ask different things of an athlete. My role as a coach is to help turn that knowledge into an appropriate task in the next session, with a clear idea of what the runner is trying to improve.

Training: learning how good decisions fit together

Eskil Sande Gullord’s session, Get the odds in your favor, opened up his coaching philosophy and the work behind his collaboration with Kasper Fosser. Natalia Gemperle brought the athlete’s perspective on training structure, technical principles and strength work. Aaro Aho explored how he combines elements of Finnish, Norwegian and Swiss training approaches.

These are useful conversations because a training programme consists of connected decisions. The right session depends on what came before it, what comes next, and what the athlete can absorb. Understanding that reasoning gives a runner more independence when their circumstances change or they need to discuss an adjustment with their coach.

Relays: developing the runner and the team

Some of the most relevant questions in a club go beyond individual training. How do you prepare a group for a major relay? What does each runner need from the people around them? How do you combine your own navigation with the opportunities and pressure created by other runners?

Jani Myllärinen shared the perspective behind a roadmap to winning Jukola. Kjetil Bjørlo and Tore Sandvik focused on individual relay tactics, while Håkan Kleijn addressed team dynamics and preparation for the big relays.

Those topics belong together. A runner needs a clear individual task, and a team needs a shared understanding of how it wants to work. For a club coach, building that understanding is part of the preparation, alongside the intervals, night sessions and training camps.

Mental preparation: making it part of everyday training

The Academy began with Emil Wingstedt and Svetlana Mironova discussing mental preparation. Later, Rachel Collins explored psychological aspects of orienteering, before returning for a second session on staying motivated through winter, using visualisation and setting goals. William Lemoine introduced FIMI Recordings and his approach to mental imagery through audio.

We wanted these subjects to have a place in the programme because athletes face them throughout the season. Motivation changes. Expectations rise. A mistake can affect the next few controls. Winter can feel very long. Bringing these questions into a shared conversation makes it easier to identify something concrete to work on, instead of leaving the athlete with a vague instruction to be more confident or concentrate harder.

The useful question: what changes in the next session?

A webinar can leave you inspired for an evening. The more valuable outcome is a small change that survives the following week. When I think about how to use this kind of learning, I come back to three questions:

1. What will I try? Choose one observable action, such as preparing the exit direction before reaching the control once the current approach is secure.
2. Where will I practise it? Put it into a suitable session, then progress towards the speed, terrain or pressure where you need it to hold up.
3. What will I review? Use your recollection, the map, GPS or a conversation with your coach to understand what worked and what needs another attempt.

That is the connection I want between education and coaching. The discussion gives an athlete something to investigate. Training gives them the experience. Reflection helps them decide what to keep.

Building a club where people keep learning

HSK Academy was created for Halden SK’s athletes, and it reflects an important part of how I see club development: give people access to knowledge, make room for questions, and help them take ownership of their progress. An experienced runner and a young athlete may leave the same session with different ideas to work on. Both can benefit.

A sincere thank you to every speaker who has shared their time and experience, and to the athletes and coaches who have contributed questions and discussion. That willingness to share is what makes a project like this worthwhile.

You can read more about my work with athletes, clubs and national teams on the About page.