Walking poles the new secret weapon of the Defence Forces

The Finnish Defence Forces intend to ameliorate the physical fitness of its recruits by taking on nordic walking. The army will supply each one of next year’s recruits a pair of walking poles. The first stage of the initiative will require the army to buy 3500 pairs of poles.     

The aim however is not to take part in military exercises with a weapon in one hand and poles in the other. Instead, nordic walking will be included in the recruits’ physical education. Nordic walking is a form of exercise consisting of brisk walking with poles similar to ski poles.

The Head of the Sports Department of the Ground Defence Army, Major Juha Sihvonen says that the Defence Forces attempt to modernize its physical education to meet the needs of the modern world. According to Sihvonen many of the recruits are not able to handle the physical intensity of the training. Bone fractions and other damage caused by the physical strain of the training are a nuisance throughout the recruits’ military training.  
 
The purpose of the physical education is to improve the recruits’ aerobic fitness and to restore them from the strains of combat and march training. Nordic walking is comparable to other aerobic exercise, such as long distance cycling and cross country skiing.

The Finnish Defence Forces are currently tendering the manufacturers of walking poles. Major Sihvonen estimates the budget to be set somewhere around 10-15 Euros per pair for the first batch. If the initiative proves to be functional, more poles will be purchased later on.

Nordic walking has already been incorporated into the physical training of the Guard Batallion in Santahamina, an island district of Helsinki.