WRITTEN by ANNE ENSOLL

Movement coaching is one of Chris’s big passions, and he includes it in everything he does - you might book a place on a Contour Masterclass or a Mountain Leader course, but you’ll get a good helping of movement coaching alongside the course syllabus. Why does he think it is so important? Walking for most people is an unconscious competence – we do it without any thought. It is almost as automatic as breathing, so why does it need to be taught? Can’t any able-bodied person walk without thinking about it?

Well, yes, but moving effectively over uneven ground is far from automatic, particularly when there is any danger, real or perceived. Many walkers don’t understand what it is that helps them to move effectively, so when something goes wrong they don’t have the tools to sort out the problem.

We run regular Movement Masterclasses, and one of our recent candidates, Dave Eardley, asked if he could do some filming for a video for his YouTube channel. We thought this would be a great opportunity to show what actually goes on during a Movement Masterclass. We’ve also written about movement coaching before on the blog in the following posts, and there are some photos below the video, taken by a course participant.
Why Do Hill Walkers and Mountaineers Need Movement Coaching?
The Conscious Competence Model and Learning New Movement Skills