Shoshin

Shoshin (初心) is a concept meaning "beginner's mind". It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner in that subject would.

-Wikipedia

In the 470 fleet it didn't take long to find my "beginner's mind"

At the Santa Barbara Youth Sailing Foundation I coach a wide range of sailors, from Green Fleet novices up through ISAF Youth World representatives.  Without fail, the most successful sailors are the Green Fleet novices.  I say this because the goal of a sailing class is to help sailors improve their skills, and while Race Team members sometimes plateau despite frequent instruction, all the novices need in order for their abilities to sky rocket is a little bit of time on the water - no coach required.

I like to tell sailors that the best racers are the ones who place 2nd in a regatta, and then learn not only from the 1st place boat, but also from the 3rd place boat.  So often, that 3rd place boat places 3rd year after year, preferring to brag about their medal, while the 2nd place boat figures out how to glean something from the 3rd place boat's bragging, and wins the event the following year.

Strive to learn, not to win, and your results will reflect your effort.

Before you next practice, think about what techniques you use to ensure that you focus on process instead of  results.

Apply For Youth Champs!

The Youth Champs application deadline is fast approaching, on March 15th and with new changes to the sailing schedule this year, everyone should apply!! While nothing has been confirmed yet, US Sailing leadership have announced that they intend to make ISAF Youth Worlds qualification a 2 part trial, with Youth Champs and Orange Bowl each accounting for part of a team's final score.  Ultimately, the goal is to place more focus on US events such as the Youth Champs, so expect the field of talent to be very deep this year!  Even if you are new to the 29er (or another Youth Champs class), applying to the event is a great way to get a sense of what the selection committee is looking for, and will give you a strong idea of what you need to be working on next year.  Who knows - work hard and you might make the cut this year!

Youth Champs will be held from August 12-16 this year in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Event info, applications, and more can be found on the event page by clicking here.

Hope to see everyone at Youth Champs!

Keep It Together

One of the biggest differences between less experienced 29er sailors and 29er veterans is that the veterans never break down. Even fast young teams often have problems near the end of the day when gear starts breaking, so it's important to learn the weak points of the boat in order to avoid these pitfalls. To accelerate this learning curve, you should always ask yourself, "What is the most likely thing to break today?" before leaving the dock. Some common answers: halyards, feeder lines, sheets, old sails, trap bail gross tunes, and spin sock.

Pro tip: Never leave the dock without taping your bow pins (forestay and jib pins). This will save your kite from ripping when you set and douse.

Tracking Progress

I hope everyone had an awesome 4 day weekend and is ready to return to reality.  This coming weekend, Ryan Lawrence will be coaching a beginner 29er clinic down in San Diego, and if you haven't sailed the boats before this could be an awesome opportunity to try it out!



With 29er Midwinters coming soon, everyone should be thinking about where your skills lie, and making a plan to improve as much as possible before the event.  A systematic way to do this, and keep track of your progress is an important tool, so I've posted the beginnings of a SWOT Chart under the public resources.  SWOT stands for "Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats," and making a chart to graphically display each of these things can be a great way to understand what the most important thing for you to be practicing is. Before your next practice, sit down on the computer with your teammate if possible, and put together a SWOT that you can update after each event for the rest of the year.

Happy President's Day

Happy President's Day From the 29er HP team

8 Great Reasons To Sail A 29er

8. The "Grown Up Sailing World" Is Catching On - In the last few years, the US sailing scene has undergone a dramatic change, initially rejecting the 29er as newfangled trickery, and now embracing the class in many regional organizations.  Even the "grown up sailing world" is starting to catch on, with the popularity of many asymmetric sport boats that are obvious pathways for 29er alumni.  As a crew in the Melges 20 class, I can tell you that 29er sailors are the hottest new thing right now!

7. Top International Competition Right Here In The US! - Since the 29er became a staple of the ISAF Youth World Championship in 2007, the US has placed 6th, 3rd, 3rd, 2nd, and 4th at the event which is widely considered to be the most prestigious Youth event in the world.  In 2011, Zach Downing and Andrew Cates won the 29er European Championship, and for the last two years, the International Orange Bowl fleet has included participants from Germany, Sweden  Spain, Canada, and other countries.

6. Weight doesn't matter - At the International Orange Bowl this year, the teams that placed 1st and 2nd weighed in at 230lbs and 300lbs respectively.  Unlike a laser, where an inexperienced 80 pounder gets thrashed, or an FJ/C420 where a 160 pounder might as well be dragging an anchor around the course, the 29er is very forgiving when it comes to total combined crew weight.

5. Cost - Currently you could pick up a perfectly competitive boat on the 29er North American used boat listing for as little as $3000.  Some of the original hulls are still racing today, and yearly maintenance costs are extremely low compared to most other international classes (a new set of sails per year would be agressive!).

4. Internationally Relevant - While the CFJ and C420 are great stepping stones to learn big fleet tactics, if you have international sailing aspirations, cross them off the list.  Currently the 29er is the largest youth double handed class that can be sailed internationally.  Unlike the I420, costs of getting into the class are relatively low, and if you can beat the top US competitors, chances are good that it won't take you 5 years of full on European campaigning during the summers to be competitive with the international competition.

3. Relevant To Big Boat Sailing - 

Enough said.

2. Learn Valuable Life Skills - In classes like the C420, the FJ, and frequently the I420, parents and kids continue the Opti/Sabot practice of parents organizing the events, doing the boat work, etc.  Sailors show up, do their thing, and cash in on another spoon fed regatta experience.  The culture of the present 29er fleet is very much a communal learning experience for all sailors, in which it is expected that sailors learn to do their own splicing, boat work, and much of the campaigning aspects to boot.  Throw in the challenges of traveling to foreign countries, working with a teammate to coordinate training schedules  and the opportunities to get involved in class development as a youth sailor (I was selected at the International 29er Board North American VP at 17), and you have a pretty incredible environment for learning and personal development.

1. Fast And Fun!  If you haven't sailed on a 29er yet, I encourage you to find a ride and see for yourself what all the hype is about! 

Because Fast Is Fun!!

Capsize Recovery

In the last few months we've had an influx of very young teams to the 29er, and several people have requested a video on proper capsize recovery, so hopefully this video will help teams spend more of their practice time upright!

Process

It is always incredible to me what a big difference footwork makes, and nothing reinforces that more than watching a new team struggle to find stable footing on their first day in the boat like I did today.  Here's a good clip from a few practice sessions a year or two ago, that demonstrates what a powerful tool an onboard camera can be for learning to replicate footwork in boat handling.  

The key to creating great boat handling in racing situations is to focus on the process of the boat handling in practice. A good way to use video to do this is to break your maneuvers into little chunks such as footwork, handwork, and sail timing, and compare one of these parts from your own videos with online videos of the top teams performing the same maneuvers. Focus on perfecting each little bit in order to create a great, all around maneuver.

Video from today's practice showing good capsize recovery techniques coming tomorrow!

The Flipping Phase

This Wednesday I'll be coaching 2 fresh recruits to the 29er, and I'm excited to help get them up to speed as quickly as possible.  The first stage that every 29er team goes through is the flipping phase, where teams work on keeping the mast pointed up, and the blades pointed down in all conditions.  For too many teams, this is where the party stops, because the effort required just to learn to keep the boat upright (say nothing about racing, or even beating other boats) is on par with the effort needed to finish midfleet in the C420 or CFJ fleets.  As such, many teams get discouraged before they reach phase 2 (the boat-speed phase), and find a more forgiving class to with a more gradual learning curve.  Many sailors try to find a magic bullet from the start, by switching around skippers or crews to try to find a teammate who has more experience, or a natural ability, but this rarely works.  When it comes to learning how to sail a 29er, the first few months of swimming lessons are hugely beneficial in the long run, it's just a question of staying motivated, and having fun.  Today I'll try to present some drills and ideas to help teams get through this phase as quickly as possible, so that they can start focusing on racing.

Learn To Right Your Boat Properly:  Let's face it, if you're learning how to sail a 29er, you're probably going to spend some time upside down.  Minimize this time by learning proper techniques for righting the boat.  As 29er HP gets more established I hope to post some videos and tutorials on how to do this properly, but a few tips are: use the spin sheets, or the ends of the bail toggle lines to pull on instead of the side of the boat; learn the "scoop" technique, where the skipper stays in the water and grabs the hiking straps to keep the boat from california rolling;

Learn Where "Flat" Is By Sailing Heeled:  By sailing around a course with the boat heeled to windward, and the crew skimming the water, you'll learn to feel smaller changes in heel more quickly. This is key to boat speed later on, and very important when trying to stay dry.  Try to spend at least 15 minutes of every practice heeled to windward when you're starting out.

Practice Boat Balance By Tacking In Front Of The Forestay:  Anyone who has sailed in one of my clinics on a light wind day has done some "boat yoga," trying to move around the boat in strange ways while keeping it upright.  This is a good exercise for sailors of all level to get more sensitive to changes in boat heel.  Try having the crew go around the front of the forestay every time you tack.  As the crew gets better, they should rely less and less on the forestay for balance.

Skipper vs. Crew Capsize Contest:  Challenge your teammate to keep the boat upright while you try to flip it, and then after a few minutes, switch roles.  Climbing the mast is off limits!  This drill should make both teammates faster at responding to crisis situations, and more familiar with how to move around the boat quickly.

Set A Capsize Limit:  Especially if you don't have a coach, it is very important to set a capsize limit for your day of sailing.  Every time you flip, you lose a lot of energy, and it gets more difficult to right the boat the next time you flip.  A good limit for beginners is 10 capsizes in medium breeze, or 5-7 in strong breeze.  Any more than this, and you should call it a day.

Personal Playbook

Just under 10 minutes left to play in Superbowl XLVII, and the 49er comeback is ON.  QB, Colin Kaepernick just ran for a Superbowl-record setting touchdown, and the teams are lining up on the field for the extra point.  The play call comes from the sidelines, and the 9ers go for 2, but throw the ball away after a quick blitz by the Ravens, seemingly squandering the opportunity to put a conservative point on the board.  Did coach Harbaugh make the right call? Should the team have kicked a field goal when they had an opportunity?

My guess is that the call came down to a formula decision.  10 minutes left to play, 2 points down, Ravens about to get control of the ball - these are some of the considerations that affected the decision.  Plug these into the playbook, and the play that comes out is a 2 point conversion.  By considering the different variables and situations before the play ever comes up, emotional decisions are eliminated, and success becomes a question of execution.

You can put this same principle to work on the race course by creating your own personal playbook to help you identify formula moves when they arrise.  A great tool to start with is “Boat Scenario”, which is a free application, which can be downloaded for free by clicking here.  Use the program to draw scenarios that you have encountered frequently on the race course, and then consider what the best move to escape the situation is.  Remember, tactics are only a means to exexute your overall strategy.

To help you get started I have posted an early version of the 29er HP Playbook in the public resources, and would be happy to discuss our plays with anyone who is interested in putting together their own playbook.  If you come up with some good scenarios, be sure to post them on our Google+ page!

Weekend Roundup

29er Midwinters East
Over the weekend 12 teams competed at the 29er Midwinters East in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  Among them, were 8 Canadian teams, as well as 29er HP sailors Campbell D'eliscu and Connor Kelter.  Full results can be found here, but the number of Canadian teams is very encouraging for fleet growth here in North America, especially leading into the 2014 World Championship in Kingston, Canada.  Congrats to Nick Muller, and Kai Freiseke, who finished with 9 points after 6 counted races.  Keep your eyes on these guys in the next few years!  Duncan Williford and Matt Mollarus ended up second, with Connor and Campbell in third.

West Coast Training
Connor and Campbell were not the only 29er HP sailors training this weekend; Dane and Quinn Wilson began their training schedule leading up to the ISAF Youth Worlds this weekend, spending several hours on the water over the weekend, and putting in some good gym time.

Melges 20 Winter Series #2
I wrapped up my event in Miami with a 4th place finish overall out of 46 teams.  The racing was extremely tight, with the top 9 boats finishing within 9 points of each other, so needless to say, there were many great lessons to take out of the weekend.  Sailing against pros like the McKee brothers, Steve Hunt, Ed Baird, and many more I always take away a tremendous amount from hearing their perspectives on racing and training, and this weekend was no exception.  I'm excited to get more 29er guys sailing in the Melges 20 fleet!

Talk It Out

With 46 boats on the line, racing is scrappy all the way around the course, making attitude onboard each boat a big determinant in success.  Teams who stay calm, focused, and cooperative have a big leg up on the teams who regress into anarchy and chaos when the heat is on.  The 3 person dynamic places a premium on objective evaluation, but the same principles need to be applied on the 29er as well.  Here are a few tips to help your team stay focused and objective in the face of adversity.

Be Manipulative: One tip that I like to give my high school crews is is to work on understanding how your tone of voice, and overall communication affects the mentality of your teammates.  I have sailed with many different skippers, and with some, when disaster strikes, all it takes is a quick, “Calm down,” and we’re back on track.  With others it is a different story… One of my skippers used to get very frustrated when bad things happened, and if I didn’t get frustrated along with him, he would get even more frustrated that I wasn’t frustrated (he interpreted this as me not being invested in the racing).  To get him back on track, I learned that I could act frustrated for a few seconds, and then “remember” that we should calm down and focus on the situation at hand.  Pay attention to how your teammate responds to your attitude, and use this understanding to keep the mood in the boat positive.

It’s All About Tone:  Regardless of the words that come out of your mouth, I use tone of voice to convey urgency or calmness on the starting line depending on whether I think that we need to be closer or farther from the line.  Saying the numbers quickly, in a slightly raised voice can often make your helm a bit gun shy, and prevent OCS’s when the boat is very close to the line, while a soothing, slow, cadence will serve to boost confidence that you have all the time in the world to pull the trigger.  Next time you are counting down the time until go, experiment with how different tones of voice change the mood and execution on the boat.

Consistency Is Key:  Using consistent communication on the boat is the key to good teamwork.  Work on developing a standard vocabulary for everything you do.  Do you say “header” or “knock”?  “Pressure” or “puff on”?  By creating a baseline that your whole team is familiar with, you will be able to respond to unexpected situations much more quickly and effectively.

Make sure your teammate knows that you appreciate them!  When things get rough, and tensions get high, it’s important that your skipper or crew knows that you enjoy sailing with them, and that there is no one that you would rather sail with.  Remind them of this frequently so that when the tough situations are over, your teammate can get past the raised voice, and remember that they are appreciated!

Pre-Regatta Routine

What do you do to get in the zone before an event?  

This weekend I'm in Miami, sailing with my Melges 20 team, team Bacio.  our pre-race routine goes like this:

• Practice boat handling, and racing situations
• Organize all equipment on the boat so that it is ready for the first day of racing
• Get pedis...

That's right, pedis - pedicures (basically a glorified foot massage for all you dudes reading).  As a team, we go to the nearest nail salon, and get our toenails clipped, our feet massaged, and our manly calluses scrubbed.  The net result: a light-footed, well bonded team, who has had a relaxing pre-brief, and is ready to go do battle on the water. 

Whether your pre-regatta routine includes an hour of foot massage, or two hours of wet sanding and polishing, it's important to establish a set routine to help you focus, and prepare for the challenges ahead.

After this afternoon's pedi, I'm ready to go to battle tomorrow!

Zen In The Art Of Archery

I just got through reading, Zen In The Art Of Archery, Eugen Herrigel's account of his experiences training to use a bow and arrow under a master archer in Japan.  At the outset, Herrigel expects to spend a lot of time working on form and and physical techniques, but over the couse of his 5 years of training, his training follows an unconventional path, centering on his inner experience.  Key to his eventual success, is his gradual realization that the biggest determinant of performing a "perfect" shot lies within himself; even after 4 years of practicing hand placement and technique, the ability to execute perfectly can only be mastered by learning to let go of distractions, and become perfectly immersed in the process of the action.

The sport of sailing is filled with so many variables and distractions, that frequently it seems impossible to finish consistently, and it's astounding when athletes rise to the top of competitive fleets, consistently producing regatta wins against teams who are so close in speed and smarts (case and point: AUS 470 crew, Malcom Paige).  In contrast to the rest of the fleet, these sailors seem to be immune to pitfalls, rebounding from bad shifts, and seeming bad luck just as easily as closing the deal when leading the fleet.  They sail around the course closer to 100% of their potential, closer to 100% of the time, than anyone else.

The parallels between Zen In The Art Of Archery, and the mental game of sailing are striking, and at only 60 pages long, the book is definitely worth the read.  Through visualization routines, and mindfulness on the water, the 29er HP Team will be working towards achieving Zen-like focus in our racing this season!

A copy of Zen In The Art Of Archery can be purchased on Amazon.com here or can be found for free in PDF format here.

Spring and Summer Regatta Guide

With ISAF Youth World Qualifiers finished, it's time to make plans for this summer!  Hopefully you have already applied for the CISA Clinic (if not, put it on your calendar for next year!), and are already 2 regattas deep into the Hamlin Series, but even if you just got started in the 29er, read on for the complete guide to planning your 29er summer calendar.

This summer there are tons of regattas on the 29er North American calendar between now and summer, so in this article we'll try to sift through some the events to help you make the most of your time and money.

Spring Dinghy will be held at StFYC on March 9-10, and the event always seems to get some good racing in despite being off season on the bay.  SoCal teams who are able to should seriously consider making the trek, to support the NorCal 29er contingent as they frequently travel down South.  

We're half way through the SCYYRA season, but the best Hamlin events are yet to come! 29er Midwinters West (Hamlin #3, CorYC) is always one of the most well attended US 29er events of the year, often drawing alumni of the 29er class as well as novice 29er sailors who want to try sailing the 29er in the flat water of San Diego’s South Bay.  Series namesake  and skiff legend, Howie Hamlin will be there coaching the fleet, and 29er HP coach, Willie McBride will be running fleet debriefs at the end of each day, so don’t miss this event!!  In May, the Skiff Festival (Hamlin #4, SBYC) offers one of the last chances for experienced teams to practice their tactics before summer, and is also the last opportunity for new teams to get a leg up on new wave of competition who will likely be joining the fleet over the summer.  There will be a 29er HP Open Clinic on the Friday before Skiff Fest, so plan on coming out to learn some new tricks for the weekend.  Whether you are experienced or not, do not miss the Hamlin events!

29er Boot Camps 1-3 (Locations TBD): Bootcamps 1-3 will be the fast track to the top of the fleet, so no matter what your experience, be sure to apply for these clinics which will be held at various SoCal clubs!  Willie McBride will once again be organizing the clinic, and aditional coaches are TBA depending on the number of applicants.  Clinics will focus on preparing teams for European events through daily fitness, visualization, and on the water drills.  Applications for this will be released soon, so check back frequently!

Each team will have a slightly different summer path depending on previous experience, so for a personally tailored regatta plan, consult your coach, or shoot an e mail to 29erhighperformance@gmail.com.  With that in mind, here are a few ideas:

Beginners:  If you are still working on keeping the boat upright, or pacing with the top half of the fleet, the SoCal Junior Olympic Sailing Festival at NHYC should probably be your peak event this summer.  There should be lots of good competition here, and 29er HP will be running an Open Clinic prior to the event to help you get tuned up. Be sure to RSVP if you would like to join the clinic. Regardess of your experience, if you plan on pursuing the 29er, you should be applying for the US Youth Champs (application deadline is actually March 15th) and if you're lucky, you may get a spot racing against the top teams in the country!  If you will be attending Youth Champs as a relatively young team, be sure you have your act together logistically so that you can turn some heads!  If you have the resources to attend CORK, and you are not accepted to Youth Champs, this would be a great introduction to International racing (look for my future article on preparing for your first international event)!

Intermediate:  Besides definitely applying for the 29er BootCamp clinics, you should also be looking to attend the SoCal Junior Olympic Festival, and 29er HP Open Clinic.  After the Junior Olympics, ABYC and NHYC will be hosting several clinics, so stay tuned for training opportunities prior to the Youth Champs.  Many intermediate teams will likely make the cut for US Youth Champs this year, so take advantage of the opportunity, and learn as much as you can in Texas! If you don't get accepted, you should definitely try to do CORK.  For a personalized plan, consider applying for the 29er HP B Team.

Advanced:  The way the schedule works out this year, it would be a very long trip to Europe in order to do the German Nationals as well as Worlds.  Given the timing of the events this year, I think that the most efficient use of resources and time will be participating in the 29er BootCamps and the SoCal Junior Olympic Festival, and then traveling to Denmark for a 5-7 day training camp before sailing the 29er Worlds.

ISAF Youth World Championship (Cyprus): The ISAF Youth World Championship is the premiere ISAF event for junior sailors, so if it's not on your radar yet, be sure to tune in to race results this summer.  The qualifiers for 2013 are over at this point, but if you will be pursuing 29er sailing next year, you should definitely put the qualifying events for the 2014 Youth Worlds on your Calendar!

Other events:  The events that I didn't mention here are good supplements to keep practice exciting, but be sure to shoot for the recommended 70% practice, 30% racing.  Too many events can take your focus away from what is important and slow down your development.

The US 29er Class Association has made some cool graphic organizers for many of the regattas in the coming year, so check out their 29er PCC Series poster, as well as their Road to Kingston Worlds poster.

CrossFit Sailing

Elite level sailing requires elite level fitness, and so far as I have found, very few programs offer as intense a regimen as CrossFit.  Olympic gold medalist, Anna Tunacliffe has gotten into CrossFit in a big way, and as my fitness guru (and former Finn campaigner), Bryan Boyd commented, "When Anna says ' we're going right' the proper answer is just to put the helm down and hope she doesn't have to hurt you."

In junior sailing, fitness is often overlooked, and is rarely taken into account as much as it should be when laying out a regatta schedule.  With the 29er High Performance team, we will be incorporating CrossFit training methodologies, tweaked slightly to help team members peak for key events.  CrossFit posts their daily workouts online here.  If you are interested in following along with our sailing tailored, weekly training program, contact the program manager, Willie McBride at 29erhighperformance@gmail.com.

29er High Performance Introduction

Welcome to the new blog page for the 29er High Performance team!  I am excited to announce that after much brainstorming, we will be kicking off our first team event at the 29er Midwinters West next month.  With renewed focus by US Sailing on how to grow the Olympic sailing pipeline, Team 29erHP is leading the way into the new Olympic quadrennial.  Recent victories at the International Orange Bowl Regatta, and the ISAF Youth World Qualifier have the year off to a great start, and with a busy schedule, teams will be preparing for the open Worlds and Youth Worlds with focused intensity.

The 29er HP team is all about approaching training from many angles, so sailors and coaches have been working to nail down fitness plans for the upcoming year, pick dates for training camps, and much more to lay out their plans to achieve great results this summer.  Check back in each day to learn a little bit more about our program, and see what projects we are working on.