UKLA Chair blog #67
Thinking back to ILCA training in the “old” days, there were some things that stood out. Older, more experienced sailors acted as mentors and were often how knowledge was transferred.
I remember one occasion when we were launching, one of these sailors said “you can’t sail with your kicker that loose – here’s how tight it needs to be”. I couldn’t believe it (as it was one mean feat trying to tighten the kicker at all unlike today) and it was a game changer for me. We also tried to practice in small groups but this had to be co-ordinated days in advance through a landline telephone call or word of mouth. Small groups provided some safety net as we had no RIB support on the water and that made us think carefully about seamanship – we always started sailing upwind in case something broke.
But these training groups were highly effective, especially through our use of “rabbit runs” (see Chair blog #18). I also did lots of solo training, taking the time to learn techniques without the pressure of other boats around. Indeed, one of the best books then was “Sail Race and Win” by Eric Twiname with a chapter on Making your Self Coaching Plan (UKLA sponsor Fenhurst offer a number of self-coaching books) and some great insights to developing intuitive sailing skills. The emphasis on developing skills was one of individual responsibility.
For me, that started to change when I started sailing full-time in my late twenties. I worked a lot with Trevor Millar at Sailcoach (I claim to be the first Sailcoach customer) where there were more formal training camps which were quite inclusive, but also the opportunity to engage with a coach and share thoughts. It was during this period that coach support at events started to become normal. It was also the start of a period where developing a career in coaching outside the National authority became viable.
Fast forward to today and I see the opportunity sailors, especially youth sailors, get. They work with great coaches, many of whom were highly experienced sailors. I look at how lucky these sailors are, not alone with great coaches but also the plethora of content available. The UKLA, under Tim Hulse, has provided super training at both regional and national level in recent years. While I have not got much coaching myself in recent years, I have seen that quality training my children have access to. This year we have started to make some changes to the approach, with more emphasis on consistency of training, more holistic and structured and less transactional. In many ways it is an evolution. It is surprising that there isn’t a structured development model for ILCA sailors for sailors and coaches to use for assessment and development.
As the “service-provider” approach has become prevalent rather than individual responsibility, we need to consider what has been lost. Sailors need an opportunity to learn techniques given in formal training by sailing solo. They need more informal training “get-togethers” at the local club and more formal club training that is open to others in the region. And it is this mixed model that is best for learning whether you are club sailor or aspiring Olympian.
We have great coaches that can impart technique and skills like never before, but to make the most of this we need complement it with more informal training.
UKLA Training
Winter training dates for Dec - UKLA Calendar
On 6th Dec at 7pm we are having our first virtual training of the winter – Starting in Big fleets with Mickey Beckett. Please register here. This winter the sessions are open to members (if you are not a member please join here for 2024). Last year we ran three sessions which are available here to anyone Setting up your ILCA for performance, ILCA technique for upwind/downwind in light and heavy air and Getting your tactics right
UKLA Announcements
Eurilca has announced details of the 2023 EurILCA Team Racing European Championship – it is open on a first come first served basis. Details here
UKLA core working hours over winter are Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 1-6pm
Entries are now open for the first Euro Masters event of 2024 in Malta, taking place from January 12th to 14th. SailCoach is offering a three-day coaching program tailored for masters. More info here
RYA are running ‘Sporting Parent’ workshop on Monday 4th December at 7.30pm. Click here to join the meeting
Race reports