Not too long ago in a lot of classes crews could be seen visibly relaxing as the kite went up, and the procession began. Happily now in all racing we understand how to make gains and use the downwind to our advantage.
Asymmetric Speed
The Backpack of Experience
Coaching has evolved a massive amount since 1990. Yes, there were coaching courses of sorts back than, but somehow you'd spend three days on a course and come away with one useful nugget of information that would improve your coaching skills. Now a days information is so readily accessible that you can gain enough information to be a good coach in a very short time. What you can't get is experience.
Tiller Talk, Boat Talk
We sail, we want to sail fast, and the only thing stopping us sailing faster is drag. Drag comes in two main forms. The hull and centreboards creates drag in the water. The Rig creates drag through the air. Water being 1,000 times denser than air by a lot, the drag created by the hull... Continue Reading →
Preparing for Success
Nobody tells you when you're growing up that "winning" and "success" come at a cost. At world level the cost is many times that which anyone outside top sport can imagine. It involves the sacrifice of dedication, not for a month or a year, but four years plus to reach anywhere near potential. The cost... Continue Reading →
The Mission
Every week we write about technical, tactical or occasionally political matters of interest. This week we thought we’d share some philosophies and beliefs, and real action of Toplevel Sailing... In 2012 we looked at the Olympic Games in Weymouth, and realised that the gulf in non-funding resources between the established successful nations and the “Emerging... Continue Reading →
Aggression Pays, Sometimes
We have all read copious amounts of wisdom about sailing being a matter of coaxing the boat through various conditions, listening to what she wants to do and then using some kind of gentle psychic powers to magically steam ahead of all the opposition and win. This blog is about the brutal truth. Understanding... Continue Reading →
Our Analysis of the 2024 Olympic Slate
Every four years there is a rush of blood through the veins of World Sailing (formerly ISAF) as the Olympic “slate” - which is the combination of classes to comprise the Olympics six years from the decision year - is decided. The process is quite complex, and theoretically thorough, and always leads to criticism, outrage,... Continue Reading →
Club Sailing
Successful Sailing Club Coaching Whether or not we are engaged in sailing clubs, we all need to recognize the amazing value a sailing club brings to our sport, and the diversity which often exists within their activities. Clubs are thought of as places where people who sail congregate to share their mutual enjoyment of our... Continue Reading →
Nobody said it was going to be easy…
Nobody said it was going to be easy... Many of you sailors know that feeling, you start the event well but on the 3rd day you are so tired the brain stops functioning, from there it spirals down until the rest of the event. Unfortunately, this is a very common situation to many sailors, luckily... Continue Reading →
Wind
Wind We have all encountered this question in the past “What is wind?”. As coaches we have also encountered many different answers to this, but usually the initial response is far from the very simple answer that wind is air movement from high pressure to low pressure. That would lead to a further question; how... Continue Reading →
You must be logged in to post a comment.