Race training

One thing that interests me is that racing cyclists train obsessively and often have coaching and training plans - and yet the people I know who have switched from sailing to cycling tend to do extremely well in cycling. One of the mid pack guys at my old club's mid-pack Laser fleet went back to cycling and basically would choose which two state titles (in his age group) he wanted each year, then go out and get them. Another who was a good windsurfer is a multiple national masters champ who knocks off the world champ and world record holder.

I wish there was an ebook version. It's out of print and all used copies on Amazon ship from the US. If anybody in the UK has a spare copy available...........

Edited by Sam.Spoons - 16 Nov 19 at 12:04pm

Originally posted by CT249 One thing that interests me is that racing cyclists train obsessively and often have coaching and training plans - and yet the people I know who have switched from sailing to cycling tend to do extremely well in cycling. One of the mid pack guys at my old club's mid-pack Laser fleet went back to cycling and basically would choose which two state titles (in his age group) he wanted each year, then go out and get them. Another who was a good windsurfer is a multiple national masters champ who knocks off the world champ and world record holder. That seems to indicate that it's not that sailors are slack arses per se. It may just be that training is difficult because you spend so much time driving to the club, rigging and de-rigging.

Sail, Race, Win - leant out my copy about 20 years ago and never got it back :(

I wonder if the above is related to the breadth of skills that sailors need to learn to get halfway competent - just been reading Range by David Epstein and the general thrust of the book is that wide experience often trumps narrow specialisation.

Agree with Do Different - you don't need some super-duper medalled coach (not that's its bad if you have the option). Mostly you just need a competent observer to offer feedback. Many simpler sports base most of their coaching to endlessly reinforcing the fundamental skills. In sailing there's a belief that once you've done something once you don't need to bother again, but most of us would see more benefit by just going back to polishing the basics on a more regular basis.




Edited by DiscoBall - 16 Nov 19 at 1:02pm

I forgot to mention - there is a lot of stuff about The Inner Game of Tennis on 'You Tube'.