… and we have just completed our 9th webinar Winter is finally showing its face, which means long sessions in the forest, cold hands, and that unbeatable feeling of coming back home, warming up, and learning something new from the comfort of your sofa. Perfect timing for our HSK Academy online sessions. This week, we … Continue reading 🎓 Halden SK Academy keeps rolling forward
Tag: Mental preparation
🇫🇮 Route to WOC25 Kuopio – Episode 2: Neulaniemi Insights (feat. Thierry Gueorgiou)
After the steep dilemmas of Puijo in Episode 1, we now turn our attention to what is arguably the most iconic stage of WOC 2025: the Middle distance final. This decisive race will take place in Neulaniemi, a strikingly wild peninsula of rocky hills, mature spruce forests, and intricate contour shapes just a few kilometers … Continue reading 🇫🇮 Route to WOC25 Kuopio – Episode 2: Neulaniemi Insights (feat. Thierry Gueorgiou)
Proactive vs Reactive Map Reading in Orienteering: 🧠 Mastering the Mental Game
Physical fitness is only half the battle in the complex and beautiful sport of orienteering. The real game is played in the mind. At the heart of orienteering technique lies a critical distinction that separates elite performers from the rest: proactive versus reactive map reading. While both approaches have a role to play in modern … Continue reading Proactive vs Reactive Map Reading in Orienteering: 🧠 Mastering the Mental Game
Unleashing Your Potential: 🧠 Mastering the Mental Game in Orienteering
In orienteering, physical preparation is essential — but when it comes to race day, it’s often the mental side that makes the real difference. Being physically ready means you can perform; being mentally ready ensures you will. Here's how you can set yourself up for success by mastering your mindset before your most important competitions. … Continue reading Unleashing Your Potential: 🧠 Mastering the Mental Game in Orienteering
Unleashing Your Potential: Summarizing the series.
In response to valuable feedback and to make it easier for you to access the insightful articles in the Unleashing Your Potential series, I’ve compiled this comprehensive overview. This will help you navigate through all the content, enabling you to access the articles more efficiently. The Unleashing Your Potential series is designed to provide runners, … Continue reading Unleashing Your Potential: Summarizing the series.
The “ACE” system for Orienteering
In my time as a professional coach, I have been able to notice how a large number of orienteers (even at a high international level) have not internalized a structured system or method on how to do orienteering. Experience tells us that many of these athletes simply do orienteering "by feelings" without going through a … Continue reading The “ACE” system for Orienteering
HSK Academy project
In 2023 we started a new project in Halden SK called HSK Academy. This academy consists of a series of webinars (approximately one per month) where various speakers talk about specific topics related to high performance in orienteering. With this initiative, we provide our athletes with one more channel of information to receive knowledge and … Continue reading HSK Academy project
Creating an anticipated mental image
Creating an anticipated mental image of the zone of control is often a good method for achieving a precise and fluid attack on the flag. However, we must be sure that we correctly understand the topological structure of the area, which can sometimes be quite complex. In the example, a control where many runners made … Continue reading Creating an anticipated mental image
The learning phases
Mistakes are part of the learning process, and the appropriate approach to them with a positive attitude helps us to improve desirable behaviors until they become automatic. When, for example, we make frequent directional errors in the use of our compass, two options open up: 1) Negative thoughts that do not help us improve; or … Continue reading The learning phases
How to react against a mistake?
Making a mistake is always a difficult and stressful situation, especially when we are in a very decisive phase of the race (for example, last leg of Tiomila, leading by 30", pre-last control,... and you find the control but... It's not yours!) There are different ways to react to this situation, and both attitudes and … Continue reading How to react against a mistake?
Orienteering Coach 