' Sailing Decision Making - The Key to Winning

 

As sailors we put ourselves against our competitors in the most complicated sport on the planet, far more complex than Formula One motor sport or team games. We do this more often than not without considering how to train our brains to make the right decision at the right time regardless of the consequence.

If we are to address how to better our thinking skills, we need to first understand how our brains process the huge amounts of information we are attending to when sailing. In simple terms our brains are continually identifying patterns of experiences in the environment and then developing solutions for the problems which we encounter.

 

This is where coaching our sailing decision making provides a key step up compared to your opposition. As through helping sailors to map their sailboat racing experiences and then developing situation solutions which they can apply in typical scenarios, we can help fast track their decision making skills which in turn helps them deliver better race results.

Throughout lockdown Hugh Styles of Time On The Water been helping sailing athletes with the development of their own decision making skills via the use of the Virtual Regatta in-shore sailing simulator whilst receiving real-time Olympic coachman advice, helping them improve cognitive performance, tactical knowledge and racing results.

 

The debriefs have lead to insightful discussions and learning about realistic tactical scenarios. As a result, the training will directly translate to a sailor’s ability to execute better 'on the water' decision making, come the time we can get back in our boats. An effective way to get a jump on some friendly sailing rivalries!

If you would like to gain from this learning opportunity please contact Hugh's Time On The Water web site, where you will find tutorials and the opportunity to book online for individuals or clubs who want help to fast track their sailing decision making skills.

 

Hugh Styles '