Interview with Tim Randall, an RYA Club Racing Coach based at
Hayling Island Sailing Club.
Date of Interview – 5 October 2006.
Interviewer – Barry Blaydes, HISC Solo Fleet Captain
Interview topic –
Getting Club Dinghy Sailors up the Pecking Order
Q Tim, how long have you been coaching?
A I attended an RYA Club Racing Coach course in 1996, the year after I won the Flying Fifteen National Championships.
Q Was that the first National Championship you had won?
A No. I also won in 1973. I think it was in the Tempest class, the year after it ceased to be an Olympic class.
Q So with your ‘coaching badge’ and racing success you have a lot to offer?
A I think so when you add to that the fact that I have raced in regattas around the world and also spent four years at the University of Brighton, from 2000 to 2004, researching the attainment of expertise and superior performance in sailboat racing
Q So how much coaching have you done?
A A fair bit, but now that I no longer do any other work I have more time available for coaching.
Q Who do you mainly coach?
A I mainly coach club sailors and have mainly coached in the Optimist, Solo and Flying Fifteen fleets at Hayling Island Sailing Club, but I coach in other classes as well.
Q Why do club sailors come to you for coaching. Surely at that level they don’t really need coaching. They can learn all they want to in club racing, which at Hayling is at a very good standard?
A Well, racing at Hayling is good yes; but I don’t really accept that they can improve just by racing. Have you noticed how often in any club fleet you tend to have a pecking order. By that I mean week in, week out you tend to get the same sailors winning, the same in the middle of the fleet and the same at the back. It is very rare for someone to really improve their performance to the point where they shift up the pecking order, or for that matter slip down it.
Q Yes, I can see that, but surely that means they should race more often to get the experience to improve?
A But that does not happen. What actually happens when someone races is that they keep doing the same things and you know as well as I do that if you keep doing the same things you keep getting the same results. To improve you have to learn to do things differently and you need to be as sure as you can that the changes are for the better.
Q I suppose this is where you come in as a coach?
A Well, of course. If someone comes to me and says they would like to improve their racing performance I am very excited for them. I know that if they take that step they are probably serious and will therefore respond well to coaching.
Q OK, what sort of things would you teach someone coming to you?
A We would start by chatting over their reasons for approaching me, and the areas they would like to improve on to move up to their next level. The chances are if they sail at Hayling I will already be aware of them and be able to quickly assess their current abilities. But most of all I would listen and discuss their racing with them and work out a programme with them to help get to their next level as soon as possible.
Q Can you tell me about anyone who has come to you recently and what happened?
A Yes, one of the top Solo class sailors at HISC asked me recently to help him improve his starting and aspects of his tactics and strategies for winning.
Q What did you do for him?
A We agreed a two-day programme involving classroom work to establish his perspectives on the issues he had raised and the areas I felt we should work on. We then spent about six hours practising various starting manoeuvres based around issues such as line bias, Starboard and Port end starts, situations requiring middle line starts, how to get in position on the start line, how to get off the line, prevailing wind conditions, tidal effects on the line and up the first beat, first beat strategies and tactics. We also found time to discuss how to protect a lead when you get it during a race.
Q That was a lot to cover in a two-day session?
A Yes, it was but he was a good sailor and the programme reflected his current level of ability. I also left him with a number of things that he could practice on his own. If he is serious about improving I expect to see him out practising and to see evidence of the improvements in the racing ahead. I also expect to do more work with him to unlock some more of his improvement areas.
Q I believe you also did some work with a couple of other Solo sailors before they went to the 2006 Championships at Felpham?
A Yes I did. The two girls came to me a little bit late to do too much but we spent an intensive day identifying some key areas for championship sailing. In the classroom we talked about strategies for the runs and mark rounding. In the boat park we made sure their boats were set up properly and on the water agreed to work on starting, sail trimming to windward and downwind techniques including vang adjustments and sailing in the gullies.
Q You mentioned coaching in the Oppy fleet; surely they are already well catered for?
A Yes that is true to an extent, but much of the coaching is done on a group basis by the club or the RYA. I offer individual personal coaching. This can supplement other coaching from the club or RYA, but my aim would be to fast track learning and perhaps more importantly to help youngsters (and sometimes their parents who have a big commitment in their children’s development) to understand the crucial role of coaching and practice if they want to become top performers.
Q I suppose this side of coaching relates to the work you did at Brighton University on acquiring expert performance in dinghy racing?
A Yes, to an extent that’s right. Individual differences in performance in competitive sailing can best be predicted, for example, by looking at the amount of time individuals spend practicing. Although racing offers some opportunities for learning, it is far from optimal for improving performance. A skilled coach designs training tasks adapted specifically to the needs and skills of his dinghy sailor. The individual then practices under the guidance of the coach and goes off to further practice on his own. He returns to the coach for an evaluation of performance, corrections and to set new tasks.
Q So what does some one do if they want to discuss personal coaching with you?
A They can ring me (Number in handbook) or send me an email initially. If they are HISC members they usually start by having a chat with me at the club. I like to discuss their sailing with them and see how we can work together on improving their race performances.
Q Where and when do you do the coaching?
A I like to do it at HISC because we have all the facilities for on and off the water coaching and we can get afloat at any time of the day and all the year round.
Interview ends.
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PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT
SPECIAL COACHING SESSIONS
Tim has offered to do some extra, more personalised, coaching sessions for one or two small groups of Solo sailors with similar abilities, with a view to enhancing their individual performances. The sessions would probably be over three or four sessions early in the season. The sessions would be on Saturday mornings, but could, if it suited a group, be held mid-week. For any with particular issues or just too busy to do multi-sessions, a one off might be feasible.
For anyone interested, Tim can initially be contacted by phone - see number in the member’s handbook
A Footnote on these sessions from Tim:
For any of you perhaps new to the fleet or thinking of joining, I am an RYA racing coach and have researched performance enhancement in sailboat racing at the University of Brighton. I am interested in working with fellow Soloists to help those wishing to raise their performance levels, with a view to increasing their enjoyment and possibly moving up the fleet ‘rankings’!
If you are interested on a personal level you can contact me as above to register your interest.
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