Team Racing Companion

by Chris Atkins

Overview

Team racing is great for fast, fun and different sailboat racing. It helps develop some key skills for future racing success. This handy companion tells you everything a sailor and coach need to know to enjoy, improve and win at team racing. It describes the most useful moves around the race course, and the key rules that govern such moves. There are sections on how to slow & overtake; how to win the start & control the final beat; the best routines for practising; how to develop as a team & the team roles. One page gives all the winning & losing combinations for 2-, 3- and 4-boat team racing, highlighting the tactics for every combination, with simple tips for making strategy easy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781909911314
Publisher:	Fernhurst Books Limited
Publication date:	05/02/2014
Series:	Practical Companions , #14
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	24
File size:	987 KB
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

Chris Atkins has won the UK Team Racing National Championships 3 times and the Wilson Trophy twice. He coached Team GBR to gold at the first ISAF World Team Racing Championships and has twice been chief umpire at the World Championships. He was Chairman of Selectors for the GBR Olympic sailing team for Beijing and London. He is an international judge and ISAF Umpire Instructor. He coaches and umpires team racing, running coaching sessions for the Optimist Class throughout the world. He was a Vice President of World Sailing / the International Sailing Federation (ISAF).

Read an Excerpt

2. WHY GO TEAM RACING?

Team Racing is great for fast, fun and different sailboat racing.

In addition team racing really helps develop some key skills essential for future fleet racing success:


• Starting


• Boat control in close manoeuvres

• Boat handling – tacks and gybes in particular
• Boat-on-boat, and the ability to stay ahead of or overtake an opponent

Team racing uses the same rules as standard fleet racing, but makes knowledge of them essential for success. Combined with the use of umpires and on-the-water rules decisions, this means it is perfect training for medal races and other umpired racing.

Team racing also adds the dimension of practising and then racing as part of a team. There is no “I” in team! The more you work with your team-mates, the faster you will learn and the more successful you will become. And as with all sport, effective time on the practice ground is essential if you want to be confident you will “perform on the day”.

For club racers, team racing provides a fun alternative to normal fleet racing.

For young sailors, team racing will accelerate the journey to becoming a future champion. It should always be used as part of a sailor development programme, rather than as an end in itself. This then gives it a value and importance greater than simply the results at the end of the competition.

Team racing is one of sailing’s most sociable disciplines, generating life-long friendships. Within your team and with opponents; within your club and with members of other clubs; and within your country and with nationals of other countries. Enjoy some great competition on the water, and a great social ashore afterwards!

This concise guide is written to help all sailors, coaches, umpires and race organisers enjoy and get fuller benefit from team racing. It is based on the author’s 40 years experience as competitor, coach and umpire.

Table of Contents

Why go team racing?; Formats; How to overtake; Slowing round the course; Race winning strategy; Controlling the start; Controlling the final beat; The winning habit; Practising; Climbing the ladder; Team roles; The three essential rules; Other important rules; Umpires & being umpired; Race courses & programmes

Editorial Reviews

For the first time, what every team racer needs - a quick, concise guide to the game. Chris Atkins has distilled years of team racing knowledge to produce this handy guide. As an introduction to the game, there is no match. For those running a sailing programme, this is a great place to start if you are thinking of a weekend of team racing. Totally readable, great diagrams and in a very handy format.” (Bruce Hebbert)
“Team racing is often perceived as being overly complex, but this neat little publication from Fernhurst Books does its best to dispel that myth and break the subject down into bitesize chunks. The splashproof flip-book format is easy to flick through and perfect for teams and coaches wanting to refer to points on the go. Authoritatively written by Chris Atkins, a team racing competitor, coach and umpire of some 40 years' experience the book crams heaps of expertise into just 23 pages with diagrams and plenty of summary bullet-pointed sections throughout, ensuring something on every page for every level of experience. After a concise intro to various team racing formats, the book swiftly introduces tactics and team strategy; slowing, controlling, attacking and defending are all broken down and made relevant to each part of the course. It also divulges plenty of golden rules, top team secrets and ideas for practising manoeuvres. Topped off with a thorough explanation of the three most relevant team racing rules, you'd be well-armed going into any team race after having read this book. This is a book that you will keep in your kit bag or pocket and refer to again and again!” (Yachts & Yachting)

From the Publisher