So, coaching is for the hot shots at the front of the fleet that aspire to Olympic stardom right?
Well more and more club racing sailors are realising the benefits of coaching at their level and booking on to race training days.
The majority of sailors who race at their local clubs each weekend are not striving for the Olympic dream but do so for the fun and enjoyment of racing their boat within a fleet of other like minded sailors. The social side of club sailing is very important but our competitive instinct requires us to do well and hopefully improve. However, only going racing and not doing any training makes it difficult for us to improve as the racing environment is far from ideal for learning new skills and trying out new ideas. So our position within the fleet stays static and we can never quite make it into the action in the front half of the fleet to see how the good guys do it.
The Olympic hopefuls spend much more time training and being coached than they do actually racing. At club level the lack of coaching is the reason why we dont progress and could ultimately lead to frustration and even giving up the sport altogether. At this level even a little coaching will make a big difference.
So what is race training? Initially you need to be coached to improve your technique, boat set up and knowledge of tactics and strategy. Also coaching will eradicate the bad habits that are holding you back. Good coaches can pass on information that the hot shots have learnt from hours and hours of training and coaching on the water.
One to one coaching is great for intensive technique tuition whereas group-training sessions are superb for boat speed comparisons, boat on boat tactics and racing scenarios also they are good fun.
Special drills and exercises are used to highlight the various techniques, ie:
Dont overdo it though as if you get too tired your technique will suffer and you will only train yourself to be slow.
There is so much to learn that it is impossible to cover everything or remember all from one coaching day so dont forget to book another session with your coach to maintain the progress. Be patient and train in as many different conditions as possible and the improvements will come.
The benefits from coaching and training are a better knowledge of the sport, more confidence when racing and improved results which all leads to more enjoyment of your racing. Also if it all goes wrong in a race at least you should know the reason why and be able to learn from your mistake. You can also join in with the if only scenarios in the bar afterwards with improved authority. Most importantly, remember to have fun when racing or training as that is why we do it.
Dave Holloway is the Chief Instructor at Avonmouth Watersports, providing sailing lessons for beginners to racing sailors. He can be contacted on 01202 471494 or through his web site www.avonmouth-watersports.co.uk
Well more and more club racing sailors are realising the benefits of coaching at their level and booking on to race training days.
The majority of sailors who race at their local clubs each weekend are not striving for the Olympic dream but do so for the fun and enjoyment of racing their boat within a fleet of other like minded sailors. The social side of club sailing is very important but our competitive instinct requires us to do well and hopefully improve. However, only going racing and not doing any training makes it difficult for us to improve as the racing environment is far from ideal for learning new skills and trying out new ideas. So our position within the fleet stays static and we can never quite make it into the action in the front half of the fleet to see how the good guys do it.
The Olympic hopefuls spend much more time training and being coached than they do actually racing. At club level the lack of coaching is the reason why we dont progress and could ultimately lead to frustration and even giving up the sport altogether. At this level even a little coaching will make a big difference.
So what is race training? Initially you need to be coached to improve your technique, boat set up and knowledge of tactics and strategy. Also coaching will eradicate the bad habits that are holding you back. Good coaches can pass on information that the hot shots have learnt from hours and hours of training and coaching on the water.
One to one coaching is great for intensive technique tuition whereas group-training sessions are superb for boat speed comparisons, boat on boat tactics and racing scenarios also they are good fun.
Special drills and exercises are used to highlight the various techniques, ie:
- Rabbit runs for boat speed training
- Tacking and gybing practice on the whistle
- Rolling starts
- Small triangle courses for mark rounding
- The dreaded gut buster, which is a short windward/leeward course with a 360-degree turn in the middle. This exercise really challenges boat handling skills (and fitness levels too!!!!)
Dont overdo it though as if you get too tired your technique will suffer and you will only train yourself to be slow.
There is so much to learn that it is impossible to cover everything or remember all from one coaching day so dont forget to book another session with your coach to maintain the progress. Be patient and train in as many different conditions as possible and the improvements will come.
The benefits from coaching and training are a better knowledge of the sport, more confidence when racing and improved results which all leads to more enjoyment of your racing. Also if it all goes wrong in a race at least you should know the reason why and be able to learn from your mistake. You can also join in with the if only scenarios in the bar afterwards with improved authority. Most importantly, remember to have fun when racing or training as that is why we do it.
Dave Holloway is the Chief Instructor at Avonmouth Watersports, providing sailing lessons for beginners to racing sailors. He can be contacted on 01202 471494 or through his web site www.avonmouth-watersports.co.uk