The information that you will find here will assist you at various levels. Whether it is to help you with your fitness, your diet, to update your skills, Orienteering Queensland hopes that you find it useful.
Ph: (07) 4683 6374
Ph: (07) 4683 6374
The information that you will find here will assist you at various levels. Whether it is to help you with your fitness, your diet, to update your skills, Orienteering Queensland hopes that you find it useful.
For those starting out these are the basic tools to help you with your orienteering.
For advance orienteers these tools will assist you in elements of concentration, technique and fitness.
Note: (click on the relevant article of interest to view PDF)
To view the Australian Edition of the IOF Control Descriptions please click here
An interactive Orienteering Game you can play at home - Catching Features Home Page
An interactive online quiz for learning or reviewing IOF symbols - Quiz
You can learn to orienteer by attending your Local Clubs event series. Most local clubs hold an event each month or more often, from February through to October, which is especially designed to encourage newcomers. There will be instructors available to assist you in the basics of orienteering. They can help you get started, and talk to you later about the course, and how you went.
Most people try a Very Easy course first, which follows tracks or fences, and helps you get used to map reading. Once you have mastered Very Easy courses, you can progress to slightly harder courses, such as Easy, and then Moderate. Local clubs also hold special series on park and street maps over the summer months, particularly October to December. These are usually quite easy for beginners, and a good place to start.
There is also the opportunity to learn to orienteer at most of our State Events, held on Sundays from March to October. Very Easy, or Novice courses are almost always on offer. Check the Event Details to be certain. Again there are instructors available to assist you in getting started. At most events, there is a range of courses of graded difficulty, from Very Easy, through to Hard courses. There are various course lengths, as well, to suit the age and experience of the participant. After this, events are much cheaper if you take out membership.
For more information, look at the New to Orienteering section.
Becoming a proficient orienteer usually takes several years of practice and experience. The only way to gain this effectively is by attending as many events and coaching sessions as possible, each time attempting to improve your basic navigation skills, until they become automatic. You can also practice many of these skills at home, or when you go jogging or walking. See Coaching Resources. If you wish to be competitive, you need to work on your fitness and agility, and gradually improve your terrain running. At an advanced level, orienteering is a very demanding and challenging sport, both physically and mentally, as competitors try to maintain a fine balance between speed, and smooth, error free navigation.
Orienteering Queensland funds several coaching and training squads. These cater for different age groups, and have various levels of entry criteria and support offered to members.
Each year Orienteering Queensland runs a Junior Camp, usually in the June-July school holidays. This is open to juniors aged 11-20 years, able to complete a Moderate course unassisted. They must be members of a club affiliated with Orienteering Queensland. Look for the booking form in the March bulletin.
