Youth sailing.
Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: Dinghy classes
Forum Name: Dinghy development
Forum Discription: The latest moves in the dinghy market
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12452
Printed Date: 07 Jul 25 at 12:55pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.665y - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Youth sailing.
Posted By: iiiiticki
Subject: Youth sailing.
Date Posted: 14 Jul 16 at 9:06am
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Having just returned from a very successful Byte Nationals (viewing not sailing) I was very struck by the amazing performance of some of the teenagers present who were sailing under very trying conditions. The event was won by someone very close to me who is now 29 but the performance of some of the young people was creditable. Ben Ainsley won the Radial World's when he was only 17. What makes some kids so good?
Byte World's at WPNSA by the way in 2018....and the class is looking good! Mk lo |
Replies:
Posted By: Jack Sparrow
Date Posted: 14 Jul 16 at 9:52am
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What makes some kids so good?.... inherent age related fitness. Fitness means you can think clearly when working hard. When you are not fit your mental capacity falls off the cliff. ------------- http://www.uk3-7class.org/index.html" rel="nofollow - Farr 3.7 Class Website https://www.facebook.com/groups/1092602470772759/" rel="nofollow - Farr 3.7 Building - Facebook Group |
Posted By: Presuming Ed
Date Posted: 14 Jul 16 at 10:20am
| Interesting that in many fitness/power output based sports - cycling, rowing - people don't really hit their peak until their late 20s. |
Posted By: iiiiticki
Date Posted: 14 Jul 16 at 10:42am
| I would have thought that sailing with it's planing and strategy on top of physical ability and mechanical understanding would take time to learn but this is not always the case. The third place sailor in the Byte Nationals was only 16 and he was a bit light for the conditions on this occasion. We first met him as a 13 year old ex oppie squaddie and he was taking races from more experienced competitors even then. Is there a sailing gene? It is not that Ainsley took a World title at 17, rather that he was sufficiently developed at 13 to start his fight to the top. A friend of mine who is in his late 30's started sailing about three years ago and he was beaten by an 11 year old who was only 8 three years ago! Sailing the smaller C1 rig by the way. |
Posted By: Steve411
Date Posted: 14 Jul 16 at 11:13am
I'm a club mate of the teenager who was 3rd. A very good sailor and very, very quick downwind. One to watch. ------------- Steve B RS300 411 https://www.facebook.com/groups/55859303803" rel="nofollow - RS300 page |
Posted By: Presuming Ed
Date Posted: 14 Jul 16 at 11:50am
| I would think that teenagers probably get more time to practice. |
Posted By: Daniel Holman
Date Posted: 14 Jul 16 at 11:58am
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Yep you can apply more time, effort and parents resource in your teens all things being equal, assuming you can keep the beer, kitesurfing and fanny at bay.
Sailing is a skills and experience game, physicality is pretty secondary really but even then a few months of conditioning at any point in one's teens will make a kid far fitter than most adults will ever be. If you participate in any racing in the popular youth classes ie oppie topper 420 laser 29er etc you will be exposed to higher quality of one design racing than most adults will ever see. This is exacerbated by the fact that excellent coaching is so freely available in the youth classes. Plus kids are know to fear failure less ie be more progressive in their approach to performance, which underpins higher performance. So all things being equal, if racing at all regularly in youth classes, I would say that most kids will be the best they ever will be at 17. I would say most kids in that system can cuff their dads / mums at 13. |
Posted By: iiiiticki
Date Posted: 14 Jul 16 at 12:11pm
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Except Steve that he is talking about joining your fleet which does not seem a good idea to me? Yes, very quick off wind. He was unlucky with the weather.
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Posted By: Chris 249
Date Posted: 14 Jul 16 at 12:18pm
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At the risk of sounding like I'm channelling Eric Twiname (which would actually be a damn good thing) I get the strong feeling that kids tend to do well partly because they play with boats. At the top end of the hottest centreboarder fleets I've sailed in, everyone still played around, whether it was in Lasers with Ben Austin (world Youth champ) when we'd do races with everyone standing on the foredeck, to windsurfers where everyone who was good would just throw the boards around for fun. I've tried to get adults to do that when coaching, but it's all but impossible. Even in windsurfers on a warm day, most adults tend to try to stay dry - but probably not the winners. I get the feeling that at our national titles, if people are waiting for wind the people more likely to get wet are the winners, including the ex-Olympians, because they will be the ones playing around and still pushing their limits of their handling with freestyle tricks. Playing with the boat teaches your subconscious the way things like heel affect helm balance, speed and handling. Add to that the structured lessons and training kids get these days and they become depressingly good depressingly early. ------------- sailcraftblog.wordpress.com The history and design of the racing dinghy. |
Posted By: iiiiticki
Date Posted: 14 Jul 16 at 1:19pm
| I agree with that Chris.....my 'kid' got good by riding his BMX bike off the end of the jetty....if you understand me? |
Posted By: turnturtle
Date Posted: 14 Jul 16 at 1:43pm
so out of touch- it's about amassing instragram followers not notches on bedposts these days mate. And kitesurfing's for old dudes like Richard Branson... you can't catch many Pokemon hooked in to a 9m at the coast. |
Posted By: Jack Sparrow
Date Posted: 14 Jul 16 at 2:37pm
I'm not saying kids are at peak fitness. I said age related fitness. i.e they haven't had enough time to become unfit. What that actually means is the rest of the competition (older) i.e most sailors are unfit. ------------- http://www.uk3-7class.org/index.html" rel="nofollow - Farr 3.7 Class Website https://www.facebook.com/groups/1092602470772759/" rel="nofollow - Farr 3.7 Building - Facebook Group |
Posted By: Jack Sparrow
Date Posted: 14 Jul 16 at 2:39pm
And that to. ------------- http://www.uk3-7class.org/index.html" rel="nofollow - Farr 3.7 Class Website https://www.facebook.com/groups/1092602470772759/" rel="nofollow - Farr 3.7 Building - Facebook Group |
Posted By: Do Different
Date Posted: 14 Jul 16 at 6:19pm
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Absolutely "all work and no play makes Jack (everyone) a dull (person)". Nothing so much fun as messing about in boats; I sometimes nearly resent having to support our racing every Sunday, anybody else feels that way? BTW. I'm certainly not youth and heading towards quite old.
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Posted By: Noah
Date Posted: 14 Jul 16 at 8:04pm
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I suspect that teenagers have a greater muscle mass or strength to overall weight ratio (or to skeleton weight) than us older folk. Back in the dark ages when I was a teenager and under 8 stone soaking wet, I played squash for a minimum of 6 hrs per week, often on my own, and hiked off what ever I was sailing all weekend. Never felt any aches or pains. ------------- Nick D-Zero 316 |
Posted By: iiiiticki
Date Posted: 14 Jul 16 at 8:32pm
| It is not so much firmness but the learned tactical skill |
Posted By: piglet
Date Posted: 14 Jul 16 at 8:51pm
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I know lots despise the RYA junior/youth squad system but it does produce loads of kids who might not win any championships but are basically good and have a natural understanding.
My eldest was a squad failure who doesn't sail much now but when he does he still looks good. It takes the rest of us 1/2 a lifetime to get to that level of competence. |
Posted By: Do Different
Date Posted: 14 Jul 16 at 9:46pm
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To be clear. Not knocking the RYA squad method, my previously slightly blinked eyes have been opened by a bunch of our Oppie sailors. All as keen as mustard training in all weathers, as sharp as razors on the race course and all done without pushy parents screaming from the sidelines. Simply all time spent wether formal training or freestyle fun when young I reckon is worth double that when mature.
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Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 14 Jul 16 at 10:43pm
| Don't believe anyone criticises the squad system from the point of view of competence of the sailors it produces. My concern is that if you've been there and done everything but the Olympics by the time you're 18 then there's not much to look forward to, and burnout at 18 from one of the few sports you can do well into your 50s is rather a shame. |
Posted By: iiiiticki
Date Posted: 14 Jul 16 at 11:59pm
70's |
Posted By: iGRF
Date Posted: 15 Jul 16 at 9:18am
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Don't underestimate the need to please dis interested parents/peers due to deep psychological flaws and low self esteem.
Just saying  ------------- https://www.corekite.co.uk/snow-accessories-11-c.asp" rel="nofollow - Snow Equipment Deals https://www.corekite.co.uk" rel="nofollow - New Core Kite website |
Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 15 Jul 16 at 9:29am
Ha. I'm guilty of clumsy phrasing. I meant compete well when in 50s rather than compete when well in 50s... |
Posted By: Steve411
Date Posted: 15 Jul 16 at 9:33am
I shouldn't have lent him my boat! He'll be a bit on the light side, but he just wants to sail something he can enjoy. Unfortunately he feels the Byte no longer offers the thrills he wants. I'm thinking he'll be in the 300 up to force 3 then a 29er above that. ------------- Steve B RS300 411 https://www.facebook.com/groups/55859303803" rel="nofollow - RS300 page |
Posted By: iiiiticki
Date Posted: 15 Jul 16 at 9:45am
| It is a shame however just as Byte is taking off. He almost made it to the top losing the Inlands by 4" and having a rather over windy Nationals. We will miss him.....(not sure my boy Louis will though!). |
Posted By: Jack Sparrow
Date Posted: 15 Jul 16 at 9:59am
Well you know the boat I would recommend. https://www.facebook.com/3.7Class/videos https://www.facebook.com/3.7Class/#" rel="nofollow - Share ------------- http://www.uk3-7class.org/index.html" rel="nofollow - Farr 3.7 Class Website https://www.facebook.com/groups/1092602470772759/" rel="nofollow - Farr 3.7 Building - Facebook Group |
Posted By: iiiiticki
Date Posted: 15 Jul 16 at 10:13am
| "He",sounds rude talking behind his back, is lookin for fleet racing at Bristol Corinthian. Not sure you can provide that Jack? |