Learning and improving

As with all skills, there is no substitute for practice. But practice is only useful if it is targeted: merely repeating something without thinking about it will only lead to repetition of the same mistakes.

With that in mind, how can you learn the basics and go on to become a better orienteer? Luckily there are a range of resources available to help you. Different people learn in different ways, so do what works best for you.

First of all, we have qualified coaches who will be more than happy to help you learn and develop your techniques. Ask around and we can help you get the advice you need.

There are few books about orienteering. The best recommendation for one still in print would be Carol McNeill’s “Orienteering: Skills, Techniques, Training”.

These days, there are also various on-line resources, of course. We highly recommend Better Orienteering, which has been compiled over a number of years by one of our own club members, Duncan Bayliss. It covers both introductory and advanced techniques.

There is also an excellent set of videos produced by South London Orienteers (SLOW). The first one is also included in our “About orienteering” page. Here is a the full series, which covers all the essential techniques you need to get started.

Finally, never underestimate the benefit to be had from discussing your run afterwards with other orienteers. Everyone will have made some mistakes and sharing problems and suggested solutions can help you try new approaches next time round.