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Why do dinghy sailors never train?
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Chris 249 View Drop Down
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    Posted: 15 Oct 14 at 11:51pm
Originally posted by Caveman


I am chuffed with how my cycling has progressed over a short period. It is quite possible to get remarkably quick on a bike in months whereas it usually takes years to become any good at sail racing. 

I can only agree that you can improve in cycling much faster than in sailing - but only until you reach a certain level. Then you start to need to do a few hundred kilometres a week in cycling to get better. The top Master in our club does 600+ quality ks a week, which would take him around 17 hours or so. 

Because sailing is a mid-sized sport with lots of different classes and many of us don't train much, I used to assume that when sailors moved into other sports we may get thrashed. Interestingly, the sailors and windsurfers I know who gave up sailing and went into cycling often did much BETTER at the bigger sport.

One mid-fleet club Laser sailor returned to his old sport of cycling and has since won a bunch of state championships in his age group. A good national level windsurfer (fast enough to get places but not wins IIRC) has been national masters champ on the bike a couple of times and has an amazing ability to go from winning track racing to getting 2nd out of 600+ mountainbikers before hopping on a time trial bike and getting 2nd from 60. Another windsurfer and another Laser sailor went into cycling and did well at the MTB 24 hour worlds; a good national-level Tasar/Mirror sailor got into cycling, then triathlon and qualified for the Worlds. One world-class sailor who was cruelly robbed of an Olympic spot got 5th in the Masters worlds on the bike.

So while dinghy sailors don't tend to train that much, when we do get into a sport where you have to train a lot AND IT'S LOGISTICALLY EASIER TO TRAIN A LOT, we seem to do as well or better than we do in sailing. That seems to me to say that our comparative lack of training is not because we are lazy, but because it's harder to go out and train on a boat and also that it's a sport where thinking is much more important than in some other sports.




Edited by Chris 249 - 15 Oct 14 at 11:52pm
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Caveman View Drop Down
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Posts: 64 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Caveman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 14 at 9:52pm
I do train to maintain my personal fitness rather than improve my sailing. A couple of gym sessions each week and a 30-40 mile bike ride with friends early on a Saturday morning. Sundays are generally reserved for sailing (cycling substitutes for drifters). 

I am chuffed with how my cycling has progressed over a short period. It is quite possible to get remarkably quick on a bike in months whereas it usually takes years to become any good at sail racing. That for me is what lies behind the  appeal of sailing. It is so much more satisfying as a sport. 

As to training in the boat, most of the time I just want to get out and have fun racing with a bunch of like minded friends. Sure I'll never be a top sailor but, for someone with limited time, I  reckon that regular close fleet racing (particularly if some fleet members are better sailors than you are) is a great way to improve. 
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Posts: 2143 		Post Options Post Options   Quote getafix Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 14 at 7:59pm
Originally posted by iiitick

I do need to pull myself together though as I have to demonstrate the differences between Byte and Lightning for a young lady on Friday.

Be sure to get her consent first  Wink
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Posts: 478 		Post Options Post Options   Quote iiitick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 14 at 5:32pm
Sitting here with man-flu and close to death, sunny Sunday  seems a long time ago. Ones very presence in the house seems to offend ones wife who keeps attacking one with the Hoover. Training? Up yours! 

I do need to pull myself together though as I have to demonstrate the differences between Byte and Lightning for a young lady on Friday.
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Posts: 6499 		Post Options Post Options   Quote iGRF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 14 at 3:40pm
Originally posted by zippyRN


Originally posted by JimC

If you're not that bothered about winning, and the racing is more fun than the training, then why not...

also for many people their club racing is their  'training' for their  percieved big events ( which might not be  viewed as such by others , who are more serious) ...

That'll be me then. I worked out it was my tenth anniversary this summer just gone, so that's now ten years of dinghy sailing gone by in a flash.. I did attend a training session from the Musto folk which was good but it also convinced me when I watched the really good guys on the 2nd day in strong winds, that I'd left it too late and probably the boat was too difficult to bother with anyway so gave it back not long after.

Other than that I consider returning to winter activity down the lake as training, I'd long since given up windsurf racing once the temperature dips below 10 degrees, but here I am death bagged up looking forward to another winters sunday mornings.

My main weakness is now strong winds on the sea, a real annoyance as it used to be one of my strengths windsurfing, once it was windy enough for everyone to be equally overpowered I'd do well, my weak point was force 4-5 where the taller lard boys have it away. No amount of practise can overcome body shape once you have achieved a certain level and I feel that is even more exaggerated in dinghies, unless there is some technique I've yet to master, there comes a point when weight or lack of it has its way with you.

Although I could do with brushing up stronger wind gybes, but the problem comes that there is no rescue cover around to train in the winds you need to train in and the times you get caught out are when the wind comes up during a race.
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Posts: 437 		Post Options Post Options   Quote zippyRN Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 14 at 2:42pm
Originally posted by JimC

If you're not that bothered about winning, and the racing is more fun than the training, then why not...

also for many people their club racing is their  'training' for their  percieved big events ( which might not be  viewed as such by others , who are more serious) ...
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Posts: 84 		Post Options Post Options   Quote bristolmustoskiff Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Oct 14 at 4:16pm
yea agreed
live hard race harder
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Posts: 3958 		Post Options Post Options   Quote winging it Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Oct 14 at 6:01pm
And also, practice like that, boat on boat, can often be much more fun than racing.
the same, but different...

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Posts: 84 		Post Options Post Options   Quote bristolmustoskiff Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Oct 14 at 12:29pm
well just are preference and as we are all mates it good to get together 

i drive 1hour 30 mins every weekend to sail and practice

also i said i practice lots dident say i was any good  Tongue

the musto needs practice you can never expect to jump into a boat and be fast straight away
live hard race harder
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Posts: 1586 		Post Options Post Options   Quote kneewrecker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Oct 14 at 10:04am
Originally posted by bristolmustoskiff

with us mustos at datchet we rarely  raec normally do are own training sessions on a saturday including sprint style races and boat handling thats normally with 3-6 of us

if its me on my i sail  for 6 hours with a 30 min break  just training on my own its well worth it 

on a sunday if we do race we do the 2 races in the morning have some food then back out for another 3 hours of boat handling and boat on boat practice 

Well that's not doing much to convince the rest of us that a MPS is as attainable as the class like to think it is ...  Confused
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