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ORCV Safety and Training

Performance Profile.

This is our fifth piece from Andrew Verdon, the Australian Sailing Team (AIS Squad) fitness coordinator. If you're keen to improve, here's a great way to find out what it is you need to work on and the best way to get a result. 

So, another season has passed and a new one is about to begin. You are determined to move up the results table next year at major regattas. What’s the best way to identify what and where you need to spend your time and effort, in order to find the improvement you seek?

Does not matter if you're talking One Design, Div2 or Offshore - Andrew's ideas can help you. Pic courtesy of and © to Teri Dodds.

Performance profiling is a process that assesses the particular skills a competitor deems important to success in their sport and is derived from a well-known 1992 research study by Butler and Hardy. It can be used to identify goals as a focus for self-improvement. As the person involved in the goal setting process, it makes it self-determining, due to their perspective as the central focus, as opposed to a third person or outside party setting the goals. It can be done by a single person (e.g. the bowman wants to improve his skill in reading pressure lines and shifts in light air) or as a whole crew (e.g. heavy air gybe drops)

Why is it used?

1. To develop strategies
2. To increase motivation
3. To monitor changes (improvements) over time

There are three steps in the performance profile process: -

Step One - Explanation

This initial step determines the characteristics that someone determines are important to success in their sport/class or a skill within that sport/class.

Step Two - Development

Here, a list of qualities, skills and characteristics are developed that the person believes are necessary for good performance. The person writes down as many qualities as they can come up with (there’s no limit to how many) and should cover all aspects of performance including:

• Technique
• Physical requirements
• Mental skills
• Personal qualities
• Characteristics

From this exhaustive list, the top ten are selected that are deemed by the competitor to be the most important.

Step Three - Self-rating

The final step is to have the person rate their ability levels for each factor on a scale from one to ten. A chart is then constructed. This graph gives people clear indications of their strengths and weaknesses on the factors they have deemed important.

The positive aspect of this procedure is that the athletes themselves determine the characteristics that are important and what they are lacking in. It can be used as an assessment procedure, as well as an aid to goal setting, a way of monitoring progress and a tool for establishing good communication within team/crews.

After the person has identified the areas that need improving, they then need to put the steps into practise, by learning the necessary skills and techniques to improve them.

I have found this can be a valuable process. As Butler and Hardy identified, there are several benefits from this performance profile that include:

• Highlights strengths and areas to work on
• Clarifies vision and direction
• Highlights discrepancies between current and desired results
• Ability to monitor progress
• Assists in the design of a specific training program that addresses the areas to focus on.

For example, let’s look at an example of a Weekend club sailor (any position on the boat), who sails in a quality fleet and wants to get on the podium. He/she has noticed last season that they get tired in long races, their back gets sore and the crew weight is always a little above the ideal. The athlete in question sails well at club level on their regular Saturday waterway, due to local knowledge, and wants to improve for State and National Championships or do better offshore.

The Top 10 factors he/she identified for success in his/her class, in no particular order, were:

1. Concentration over full days sailing in regattas
2. Determination/persistence
3. Calmness
4. Starting ability
5. Fitness
6. First beat strategy
7. Correct body weight
8. Hiking
9. Upwind speed
10. Weather knowledge

As a table here’s how his/her results would look:

CHARACTERISTIC	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Score
Concentration											6
Determination/persistence											7
Calmness											6
Starting ability											5
Fitness											6
First beat strategy											7
Right body weight											7
Upwind speed											8
Hiking											5
Weather knowledge											5

 

He/she scored themself with four ‘Seven’s or better. So, their focus on what to work on should therefore be the items in which they gave themselves a six or less. Investing some time, effort and money into these areas will give a larger ‘return on investment’, than the other factors.

It needs to be stressed there are no right or wrong answers, a just an honest appraisal of your current feelings. This will help make the process more productive and effective for you.

 

Text by Andrew Verdon

Dip. Ex Sci

Grad Dip App Sci

Cert IV Fitness

Level One Strength Coach-ASCA

B.Comm

Mobile  0419 690 121

Email 1 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

PO Box 1552 Neutral Bay NSW 2089 Australia

Fax: 61 2 9908 4211

Skype andrew.verdon

Suite 3 Rear 19 Young St Neutral Bay NSW 2089 Australia

Entry via: 1 Cooper Lane

 

Andrew is currently completing his Masters Degree in exercise and has been the Australian Sailing Team (AIS Squad) fitness coordinator since 2003, including the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Sailing Teams. Should you have any questions? Feel free to contact him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and if you're in Sydney, make an appointment to see him in person.

If you liked this, you can also Andrew's first piece - How fit are you for sailing? There is also Andrew's second piece for you, too - The physical demands of offshore sailing and then the third, - All about hiking. The fourth was Health for Masters.

ORCV Land also extends on to the ORCV Facebook page, so make sure you go and "Like" the page, now. 189 Souls already have and thank you to all of them.

 

© John Curnow, ORCV Media

Please contact me for re-issue rights.

ORCV Safety and Training

 

Advanced Remote First Aid for Ocean Yachting.

You know, with all that's been going on of late, you may not have spotted the class in amongst the orange training icons over on the right.

Advanced Remote First Aid for Ocean Yachting (Level 3). It is a One-Day course run by the ORCV in conjunction with Benchmarque and follows on beautifully from Apply First Aid with Yachting Focus, which the participants from the last class said was terrific.

There are still spots available for this course on Sunday, October 23 and as the certificate has a three-year validity, it is perfect for all who are looking at M2O or M2V. Long-range cruisers are also bound to benefit from it. Follow the link and sign up now or call the delightful Sally and Tanya on +61 3 9689 1622!!!

Pic from the Apply First Aid with Yachting Focus course, but you get the point of it all...

ORCV Land also extends on to the ORCV Facebook page, so make sure you go and "Like" the page, now. 188 Souls already have and thank you to all of them.

 

© John Curnow, ORCV Media

Please contact me for re-issue rights.

ORCV Safety and Training

A consultation with the BoM.

Back in July, the Bureau of Meteorology released the Marine component of the Forecast Explorer for Victoria and New South Wales, and you can read the article about that great development, HERE. 

The ORCV has once again been invited to attend the BoM Marine Consultative Committee meeting. We all recognise that the weather is a imperative component of our sport and are very fortunate to have a fantastic, government provided BoM, who just happen to also be one of the leaders in their field, the world over. The BoM's website is one of the most popular in Australia and they continue to improve their services.

ORCV Rear Commodore, Neville 'Nifty' Rose, who is also the Chairman of the Training Committee, was kind enough to put some added light on the whole scenario for us. "We have a great and mutually beneficial alliance with the BoM. In addition to being invited to participate in meetings like this, many would not be aware of some of the behind the scenes liaisons conducted between the ORCV and the BoM. Our Race Directors stay in contact with BoM Forecasters, as required, prior to and during our events, including more refined forecasting for a race areas, not necessarily available elsewhere. These interactions are an invaluable resource to the Race Committee’s armoury, which ensure we can continue to put safety first, by enabling even more informed decision making on how to conduct our events. A fantastic and very recent example of this would be the 2011 Melbourne to Apollo Bay (not), where information provided directly by the BoM was invaluable in determining not to send the fleet outside the Heads, which in turn put the inside (Port Phillip) course in to play."

"Additionally, our Basic and Advanced Weather Courses are lead by one of the BoM’s Senior Forecasters, and the BoM also provide a Forecaster to present the weather briefings to you, prior to our major events. As a leading authority on ocean racing, the ORCV welcomes the opportunity to provide expert feedback to the BoM, from an ocean racing perspective, which assists the BoM with continuing to improve their service offerings", commented Nifty.

As a bit of background, the Victorian Marine Consultative Committee usually meets on an annual basis to discuss service changes, feedback and other issues relevant to the Marine community. In the two years since the last meeting, there have been many service changes that need to be reported on. the meeting allows for feedback from mariners, as to how the changes have been received and what future improvements they would like to see. Specifically, the meeting will cover areas like the Bass Strait forecast, Melbourne Local Waters forecast maps, the aforementioned Marine Forecast Explorer, the performance of text phrases in Coastal and Local Waters forecasts, the changes to the forecast/warning layout on the Bureau's website, investigate future changes to BoM Products and Services and a proposed format change for marine warnings.

"Now as you have come to expect from us, we’ll report back here, after we’ve attended BoM Marine Consultative Committee meeting with anything relevant for you, our wonderful members and the sailing community at large...", Nifty finished with.

Thanks BoM - love your work...

 

ORCV Land also extends on to the ORCV Facebook page, so make sure you go and "Like" the page, now. 185 Souls already have and a big thank you to each and every one of you.

 

 

 

© John Curnow, ORCV Media

Please contact me for re-issue rights.

	The BoM are just fantastic to us as ORCV and as sailors, one and all. Thank you.

ORCV Safety and Training

September First Aid Course.

 

Mercifully, there are not too many times when it all goes a little sideways and you don't need some urgent help. Fingers, abdominal issues, eyes, concussion and split skin seem to be perennial favourites. Wouldn't you like to be in a position to help?

I have been lucky enough to spend a lot of time sailing with doctors and nurses around, so fortunately, I cannot speak from direct knowledge on this one, but I would think having more than one great first-aider in the crew would be very cool, indeed. (Cat2 requires one soul per crew to be qualified. Cat1 is two. (- and one one was a race horse, Basil Brush.) You know, the more I think about it, the more I realise how fortunate I was to be blessed with such great fellow crewmembers!!! (And many thanks to you friends - the likes of Doc, Fee, etc...).

It used to be a two-day course, but the Apply First Aid with a Yachting Focus course, conducted by the ORCV and Benchmarque, offers a distinct set of advantages over other courses in the marketplace. Not the least of which is you get to do a day's homework at your pace, before showing up to Melbourne High School, which are the images below. You'll need to get no less than 45 out of 50 for the Written Assessment in the Pre-Course Workbook and then be assessed as Competent for the Practical Skills Assessment, which occurs throughout the designated classroom day. You'll be then qualified as the one of two per crew required for Cat1 or one for Cat2.

Applying First Aid with a Yachting Focus is on Sunday, September 25. The course costs $190 or 220 per person, depending on your status with the ORCV and the CPR update is just $80 or $90, also conducted on September 25.

Like a lot of ORCV Training, this course is not just for the blue water specilaist. Bay sailors, cruisers and family adventures can all benefit from someone onboard having the required skills. Anyway, you should do this course for yourself, your friends and your family. Of course (boom, boom) it won't do you any harm, in terms of keeping your spot in the crew or making yourself even more indispensable, as a result!

Go HERE now to read the outline and more importantly, get the form!!!

 

The Infant, Child and Adult CPR mannequins.

Receiving instruction on Treating Spinal Injuries - four person log roll.

Go HERE to read the whole overview and outline of the Apply First Aid course.

© John Curnow, ORCV Media

Please contact me for re-issue rights.