03 / Walk guide
Model Walk Tutorial: Step-by-Step Drills
This model walk tutorial breaks a runway walk into six drills. Each one trains one part. Do them in order, a few minutes each, and finish by putting them together.
Save this guide to Pinterest6 drills, 10 minutes
- 01
The count
Walk up and down your space counting “one, two” out loud, one number per step. Keep the count the same speed from start to finish. This trains your beat, the base of every model walk.
TipUse a song around 115 to 120 beats per minute if counting feels strange.
- 02
The line
Put a strip of tape on the floor, or use a floor seam. Walk it placing each foot just beside the line, close enough to brush it, without crossing over. Five lengths, slowly.
TipIf your feet cross the tape, your hips are swinging too far. Make it smaller.
- 03
The book
Balance a light paperback on your head and walk the line five times. It sounds old-fashioned, but it is the quickest way to feel whether your head bobs. If the book slides, your stride is too long.
- 04
The wall
Stand with your back against a wall: heels, bottom, shoulders and head touching. Step away, keeping that shape, and walk. Come back and reset after every length. This drill trains posture in motion.
- 05
Loose arms
Walk the line with your arms hanging completely loose, like wet rope. Let them swing only as much as your walk makes them. After three lengths, add a small, relaxed forward-and-back swing.
TipShake your hands out before you start. It releases the wrists.
- 06
The full walk
Put it together: count in your head, walk the line, head still, shoulders down, arms loose, soft face. Pause for one beat at the end, turn and walk back. Film this one.
How to use this tutorial
You need about five metres of clear floor, a strip of tape, a paperback and a wall. Do the drills in order, two minutes each at first. When one feels easy, spend less time on it and more on the one that feels hardest. For most people that is the book or the line.
If you are completely new, read how to walk like a model first. The drills here train the same five steps in more detail.
A two-week plan
- Days 1 to 3: the count and the line only.
- Days 4 to 7: add the book and the wall.
- Days 8 to 11: add loose arms.
- Days 12 to 14: two drills of your choice, then the full walk three times.
Film the full walk on day one and day fourteen from the same spot. Watch them side by side at half speed.
What to look for on video
- Front view: feet landing close to one line, head at the same height, arms swinging evenly.
- Side view: ear over shoulder, no forward lean, no bounce.
If you see a problem, match it to a drill: bounce means the book and your stride length; wide feet mean the line; stiff arms mean loose arms. Then go back to that drill for a few days. For more on filming, read film and review your own walk.
Questions
How often should I do the drills?
Ten minutes a day is ideal. Even three or four sessions a week will show a difference within two weeks.
Do I need a runway to practise?
No. A hallway or a clear stretch of floor of about five metres is enough.
Common mistakes
- Skipping straight to the full walk. The drills are where the change happens.
- Doing the drills fast. Slow is where you feel the detail.
- Crossing your feet over the line to look like a runway walk.
- Only practising in socks on carpet. Practise in the shoes you plan to walk in.
- Not filming. You can’t see your own walk from the inside.
Défilé · Walk score
Film the full walk after your drills and see your walk score.
Film a walk and Défilé scores it out of 100, shows you the one thing holding it back and gives you a short drill to fix it. Your video never leaves your phone.
On Android? Défilé is coming soon to Google Play.
