At some time or another we all make mistakes in
navigation. Whatever the cause the end result is the same, time is
lost. This article aims to provoke thinking about what causes each of
us to make navigational errors. Some solutions will be outlined which
may help you to avoid making the same errors over and over again.
After an orienteering event it is useful to sit down and review how
the run went. How does this one compare with other recent runs? Do your
errors tend to occur in similar circumstances? Does a pattern emerge?
Think about the last few times you needed to relocate and answer the
following questions:-
1. How quickly did you identify that something was wrong? Did you lose
seconds, one or two minutes or tens of minutes?
The more quickly you are aware something isn't right the quicker you
will be able to rectify the problem: ideas on how to minimise this time
loss follow:-
a.Keep in contact with where you are by using the technique
of "thumbing the map".
b.Plan how you will tackle each leg. Never leave
the start or a control site without knowing which direction you should
head in, how far you will have to go and with a reasonable idea of
what you should pass en route.
c.Practise visualizing the landscape and
features which you will see on the way. This way if the terrain doesn't
match with what you expect to see you can double check your map to
ensure that you are still heading in the right direction.
2 When you realized something was wrong what did you do?
There are many responses to discovering that you are not where you
want to be. They include:-
a. Retracing your steps to the last known point.
This is a reasonable course to follow providing you do not have to
retrace your steps a long way across country. Not only will this be
time consuming but you risk becoming even more lost.
b. Running around in ever decreasing circles without any idea of how
to resolve the problem.
You might get lucky and find a distinctive feature or even the control,
but beware as it is very easy to make the map "fit" where you are.
This can be an expensive mistake to make in terms of time wasted.
c. Asking a fellow competitor where you are.
The purists would be horrified at this one! In any case this is a risky
strategy as you are relying on getting accurate information from
another person when there is no guarantee that they know where they are.
d. Stop and study the map.
This can be an effective strategy providing you don't forget to get
moving again. You also need to be clear what you are looking for when
studying the map. Quickly review what your planned route was. How does
what is shown on the map compare with what you saw on the ground? Are
there any similar features close by which you could have mistaken for
the right ones? If you are confident that you know which block of the
map you are in check to see if there are any features which you could
use as a collecting feature.
3 Did your actions help you relocate quickly?
If the answer is "no" then you need to review your strategy.
4 Think about other times when you couldn't find the control: were
the circumstances similar?
a. Do the problems occur at the same stage in the course?
Navigational errors that occur on the first control frequently are
caused by the competitor running faster than their ability to navigate.
There can be a tremendous pressure to run away from the start quickly.
Perhaps the following scenario sounds familiar.
You are in the start box at an event. The whistle goes. You sort your
map out. Everyone else seems to know exactly where they are going and
you can feel the eyes of all the other orienteers who are waiting to
start scrutinising what you do. To cap it all, your arch rival is
waiting to start two minutes behind you. Somehow you find yourself
zipping away from the start with no clear idea of where you are going
or what to expect on the way.
If you find yourself reacting in this way at the start read on.
You need to concentrate on the task in hand. Forget about everyone
else and think about what you have to do. Some orienteers find having
a pre-race routine helpful as it aids focussing the mind on the task
ahead. Your routine could include simple things like what you eat for
breakfast, or whether you dress in your running gear to go to the
event or change there. Stretches and a warm up routine not only
prepare the body for physical activity they can help prepare you
mentally. Some competitors make a choice to keep chit chat to a
minimum in the few minutes before starting an orienteering run.
Make sure that you leave for the event in good time. There is nothing
worse than having to rushing from the car park to the start - this is
guaranteed to set you up for a poor run.
If it is a big event don't check out which of your rivals are starting
just before you or just after you. This knowledge will only distract
you and you will expend too much energy worrying about your rivals'
progress rather than your own. You should aim to focus all your
attention on what you are doing.
It is better to start more slowly and give yourself time to adjust to
the map. A few minutes of time taken at the beginning of an event
will pay of very quickly when compared with the loss of confidence
which can be caused by an inability to find the first control.
If your errors occur in the middle to late stages of an orienteering
course you have to consider whether tiredness played a part. Are you
as fit as your course demands?
b. Perhaps it is one particular navigational situation which causes
you problems. For instance many Orienteers find controls that have an
approach which requires traversing across a slope to be potentially
problematic. Or maybe it is the control in a pit or similar "negative"
feature. If it is your navigational skills which let you down practice
is the answer.
c. Loss of concentration is also a common occurrence. It may take the
shape of a bit of "rough" or "fluff" depending on your preferences, a
long lost club mate or an orienteer in distress. Perhaps you find the
control site that you pass along the way which is close to where your
control should be just irresistible - we have all got sucked into this
one at some time or another when we just have to check its number so
as to be sure it's not ours!
d. Do you habitually make that most destructive of mistakes, the 180
degree error, where everything seems fine as you run on a bearing and
every step you take is in exactly the wrong direction? If you do when
does it occur - for some it is always at the start (not yet
concentrating) while for others it is towards the end (too tired).
Also how long does it take you to realise this mistake? Do you need
to build into your traffic light orienteering an opportunity to check
early in the leg, that you are going in the correct general direction.
Also, if the sun is shining there is then a simple general indication
of which way is south.