At Toplevel Sailing we believe we have enjoyed a progressive period in sailing, where a greater cross section and a growing demographic of people have had access to sailing, people of all abilities, all races and cultures are able to compete in our great sport
The contrast between sports is marked. Primary skills to succeed vary widely from sport to sport. We also have sets of skills in various sports that ensure success, so we can then have sports like sailing, which are complex and involve physical coordination, “feel” for tuning, technical, tactical, fitness and strategy. We can have sports like road cycling, which are also on the complex side with a bigger emphasis on physical, but powe
This blog is for the big people. The big people bring super athleticism to sailing - they bring strength, style, and often grace and athleticism. They bring a lot of charisma and friendship too. The dinghy sailing world will be poorer without them, and the Olympic circuit a lot less friendlier place without the big guys. Some of us may even need cranes to load the car on pack up day without the help of these athletes!
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 →
In a previous blog we discussed peak performance from the psychological point of view. In this blog we discuss skills which are critical to a peak performance regatta, but must also be practiced, personalized and perfected at every other regatta to make maximum use of preparation to “sail like a local” and gain confidence in knowing the venue.
Many top sailors complain about either their downwind speed or state that they don’t know how to sail downwind. In reality this is usually based on an emotion and mental challenges rather than what an observer may see, but there is can be a hint of truth in such statement as they might be slow in certain conditions. In this article we look at the real deal with both top sailors and amateurs falling into the same errors quite often.
Building simulators has reached a level of science in some sports which is both incredible technology and stupendously expensive - motor racing and flying spring to mind. To simulate positions to practice physical movement in sailing can be done with a little ingenuity and not too much cost. This blog deals with the why, how and when of simulators and will hopefully lead to some efficient training for you!
I learnt planning and logistics, I learnt crisis management on capsizes, risk management on the racecourse, Humility in my failures and hard work towards my victories, team building everyday and dedication to carry me through
Racing involves going around the course - strength is required upwind and down. There is no point in being a star going upwind without the ability to come downwind with similar abilities. Whilst technique is really critical to success, very often tactical decisions are able to get you back from an impossible position and back into the race. Whilst there is undoubtedly more gains to be made in skiff sailing with asymmetric spinnakers, the gains that can be made in conventional boats are huge
