UKLA Chair blog #45

Race focus …….and don’t forget the Master Nationals – entries close in 11 days. And there’s a big announcement coming from Ovington for the Nationals in August ! And Super Sunday is 25th June!  We want to get as many ILCAs/Lasers on the water as possible and see if we can set a record! (see blog #41). and there are loads of GPs in our calendar.

But first, have you ever felt you have lost concentration during a race? Maintaining the right mental focus during a race is important, especially after a poor start or during a long day of the water or a series over many days. Every race needs to be approached with the same rigour in terms of the race strategy, assessing the conditions and planning the start regardless of the result of a previous race. Whether you won the last race or did worse than expected, it is important to keep your focus.

In Race 7 at the Master Worlds in 2018 I fell into this trap. Having won both races the previous day, I was in a great position at the start of the 2nd  beat as I headed left towards a dark cloud. As the advantage materialised, I was able to tack and cross ahead of two of my nearest competitors into 2nd place but instead I thought there was even more to be gained by heading further towards the cloud. I was fooled into thinking I had superior tactical awareness through over-confidence instead of doing the rational and usual thing. Staying focussed on doing the right thing and not bowing to irrational or emotional behaviour. As soon as you start to think that you can predict the outcome, you’re dead!

But how to stay focussed? The first and most important is mental rehearsal or visualisation. Sail a race in your head, visualising starts, sailing fast and rounding marks, remembering the imagery, the sounds and the feelings. All top sportspeople practice this – Michael Johnson says he has run world class 200 metre races thousands of times – in his head!

Secondly I talk to myself (sometimes out loud) and keep reminding myself what to do. At the same Worlds we had a couple of final runs in at least 25 knots with short, steep waves which turned the leg into survival conditions. In one of them as we approached the leeward gate, three boats ahead of me capsized and I knew this was a critical moment. Over and over, I told myself to keep concentrating on the next wave ahead and nothing else. Execute each wave and eventually get to the gate.

These are moments in which to do things the same way as normal because pressure has a habit of making you rationalise yourself into a poor decision.

In here is a third technique to keep focus and avoid getting distracted and focus on next steps to avoid get distracting by events around me.

Don’t forget the Masters Nationals closes in 11 days - can we get close to 150 entries? It is 121 today – all welcome expecially ILC4 sailors. You must be UKLA member to see tickets and be able to book. JOIN UKLA HERE And don’t forget you can enter an ILCA4 (See blog#40)

This year the Nationals are again at Hayling Island Sailing Club in August providing a great sailing venue and super onshore facilities. We will have daily race clinics, a mentoring program and full social program so it is ideal for anyone wanting to come and race an ILCA4. As the boat is so easy to sail, why not bring a friend as it is quite easy to borrow an ILCA (only the sail and bottom mast section are different to the other rigs) and enjoy the week! And remember this is open to all ages. You will find loads of information here on our website.

Super Sunday is 25th June!  We want to get as many ILCAs/Lasers on the water as possible and see if we can set a record! (see blog #41).