Mental Fitness / Psychology
Major events like world championships or Olympic Games are won or lost in the psychological realm. GM
By recognising your individual preferences and aversions you are able to create an environment which supports your psychological comfort or at least is not detrimental to your ease. WM
All the top guys have educated themselves about it, why not you? PR
First of all you have to be a fighter who never gives up, even when your legs fall off and your arms are not listening to your mind anymore. Pain is just some electricity that runs through your body. You can ignore it if you really have too. SG
Play scrabble and do the crossword every day. RL
|
You have to admit that some people are better than you, but that's not a reason to give up. It's just another challenge to work on. Learn from your masters. Sailing well is contagious, so if you sail a lot, automatically (this is if you really want) you'll slowly get a little better. But it takes plenty of time!!! SG
Focus of the things you have to do rather than the mistakes you have made. RS
A positive contribution to the psychological environment is possible through the recognition of individual differentiations between the actual and the optimal level of activity, and the creation of a mechanism of compensation like a ritualised behavioural pattern. WM |
 |
|
Just because you know a lot about sailing does not mean that you also know a lot about the human brain. That's why you shouldn't be afraid to consult a sports psychologist if you think you have a problem or you might get a problem in the future. SG
You must also be TOUGH mentally and physically. You can be the fittest person out there but if you're not tough the fitness doesn't matter. You have to be fit enough so you can still think straight when you're tired. LL
Be honest about your performance. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Be analytical. SS
It is surprising how important events leading up to a major regatta can be to one's performance. Obviously a good journey, accommodation etc are vital but events a few days before can also have a negative or a positive influence: event management, entries, packing, avoiding stress etc. SS
By recognising your individual performance patterns, the psychological specifics of a long competition, and by proper counter-steering of your own reactions you are able to promote your psychological output and gain stamina and staying power. WM
Read the book. 'Tennis, the inner game'. RL
Never consider that you have a best sailing condition, eg. light winds, flat water. If the forecast for the event is strong winds and heavy seas, what frame of mind will you be in travelling to the event? SS
|
|
Mental rehearsal really works and it's a damn sight wanner in the middle of winter. You can also do it anywhere. RL
At critical moments on the race course learn to concentrate only on generating maximum speed. Most people know to do this off the start line but how many sailors are busy retuning the rig, adjusting the centreboard etc just after a mark rounding. Valuable seconds can be gained by an ability to block out external influences. One method for this is to look and focus at a particular aspect of the boat, always use the same focal point and learn to switch into this 'super fast mode' almost without thinking. SS
Be patient. DP
Never be afraid to approach and ask the top sailors, whether this be at Club, National or International level. The world champion might not tell you his exact rig settings but he will generally provide useful information which will aid your improvement. SS
For mental training I like to smile a lot. OK |
|
Sailing is like darts. There are times when you can't miss and times when you can't hit the board. FF
Physical Fitness
You can never be too fit. RL
In all but the lightest winds - the fitter you are the faster you will sail. There are many methods of getting fit for sailing but by far the best is time in the boat. Not only are you working all the required muscles, you are also gaining by learning and improving in other key areas. SS
If you don't want to invest in this, buy a catamaran. PR
You need to be far fitter to sail fast than you think. Always train on the water at maximum intensity. One hour of good quality work is worth five of slacking!!! RL
Work hard. DP
Time on the water is best, but if you're in the gym don't forget suppleness as well as power. RS
In my opinion cycling is the best possible fitness work for sailing, probably better than sailing itself because it's easier to get intensity (stay in a big gear up hill) and thus get HUGE thighs. RL |
Boat Speed
The sail should fit the mast. (Seek advice off top sailors. They will be happy to help you.) RS
Two or three boat tuning is the best way of learning how to improve your rig settings. When selecting potential partners try to pick sailors whose ability and equipment are a close match to you and yours. Instead of joining club racing one afternoon try some tuning runs, it's surprising how much fun it is. SS |
 |
|
Boat speed is everything. Don't underestimate the cost and there is no substitute for measured, time consuming two boat work, but make sure you choose the best training partner you can find (preferably faster than you). RL
When deciding on a mast three things need checking first. The weight (minimum), the centre of gravity (minimum height) and the bend. The best bend test is the cantilever test, although this is sometimes difficult to achieve in practice for sideways bend. What mast bend will be fast for you is mainly dependent on your weight. Ideally you want a different mast for each condition: light - more bend fore and aft to get correct leech tension; medium - stiffer to get more power; windy - softer sideways to allow the mast to depower. As this is impractical you need to find one all round mast. The bigger you are the nearer to the medium ideal this mast will be, so that you have more power. Lighter helms should opt for a mast that is more suitable for windy conditions. RS
In all sailing, preparation and checking prior to a race can locate problems that can make the difference between smoothly executed moved and time lost due to a foul up. There is not much room for error, so preparation is even more valuable in strong winds. FF
Tune with a method. Don't change all parameters at the same time. And don't kid yourself about how fast you are. PR
Steering
When going up a wave and you see that you will bang into the next wave, then point up more to take the speed off. You will gain on pointing and won't bounce into the next wave, but will sail over it - so you will make better speed. PE
When going up wave, point high and when going down wave, bear off. The most important control on the whole boat is the tiller. Everything else is just along for the ride. LL
Practice your rudderless sailing skills on a medium wind day far from shore. You will appreciate it the first time you attend a major event and find you have to launch into an onshore wind, shallow water and a breaking sea. Even if you can't win the race, you can look cool on the slipway (and save your very expensive carbon rudder from major damage!) RL
Boat Handling
Analyse your mistakes/manoeuvres. Visualise doing it correctly and practice a lot to make it smooth and fast. RS
There is nothing to it in a Finn. The rudder is huge and great for paddling around on the start line. Practice that skill a lot. In light airs, there's nothing quite like canoeing off the start line. RL
Live in the boat. DP
The main thing in balance at sea is that the weight must be in the middle of the boat. You must have a light bow and a light stern and therefore it is important to stay in the middle of the boat. PE |
|
Hours and hours on the water in between regattas. PE
Go sailing a lot. DP
The only way to learn it is to do it. You have to get to the point where you can feel everything about the boat. Then the answers become obvious. LL
|
|
Gybing
The fatal thing with gybing in strong winds is any steering delay or hesitancy, particularly in a by-the-lee position. FF
The object is to remove gybing of its terrors. The best way to do this is to find the easiest way and then to practice doing it this way until it becomes mere routine. FF
The two greatest dangers during the gybe while planing are over steering and diving the boat under the wave. FF
When gybing - grab the mainsheet straight from the boom and physically pull it over your head. This helps to remove the worry about the boom hitting your head. SS
Finn Philosophy
You don't have to be light to do well in light airs . . . but you do have to be patient and philosophical. Get interested in light air sailing, get to enjoy it as an end in itself. Do not look upon it as a boring nuisance, as something to be endured. It is as much a part of Finn sailing as planing amidst salt spay in a Force 7 wind and in many ways a great deal more difficult. Jack Knights
The most important thing about beating is practice. Reading articles does not help much - it might even confuse you. Get out on the water in any conditions, until beating is a motion like walking on the land. You must not feel any pain and should do it subconsciously, then you will be able to concentrate on tactics and strategy. Peter Mohilla
A beginner in the Finn needs no 'special abilities'. He should however be heavy enough and athletic. He should first learn to master the Finn, then to tune it well, to develop an effective hiking technique and finally to become a good tactician. Jochen Schumann
Plan your training with great objectivity, and at the same time with high energy and flexibility. And after that, the most important thing is to have high hopes and a strong desire to win. Jose Maria van der Ploeg
Whatever you do, don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind, but the race is long and in the end it's only with yourself Sebastien Godefroid
In other classes, there is very little difference in speed between the good and the very good. But in the Finn, the very good can always leave distance between himself and all others. If you really love competitive sailing, want to work hard, race hard and enjoy the fruits of your efforts then the Finn Class is for you. Paul Elvstrom
|
|
