CHALLENGES of the PHYSICAL TRAINING in ORIENTEERING

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CHALLENGES of the PHYSICAL TRAINING in
ORIENTEERING

• Janne Salmi
• LAPUA, 15.6.2007

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ORIENTEERING isan ENDURANCE-SPORT with varied
duration and character

• The training-amount must be high
• The long trainings are very important
• Training must be very varied
• Different terrains and grounds
• High muscular demands strength
• Changes in running speed and direction
• Alternative training
• The three main-disciplines
• Sprint
• Middle
• Long

? DIFFERENT KIND OF PHYSICAL TRAINING?
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SPRINT is about

• High aerobic capacity max VO2
• Anaerobic capacity ability to reach high
  lactate-values
• Steady or RISING speed during the race
• M.I.P
• Fast running on good surfaces
• Interval-training
• Sprint-training
• Strength-training

• Controlling your nerves
• Before the start
• Spectator control(s)
• Fast decisions
• Route-choices
• Long and short legs
• The time-differences are created on the last
  kilometer (keeping the pace making no mistakes
  being tired)

Most Important Exercises
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KING OF THE SPRINT

• High maxVO2
• 3000m 8.21
• Very intensive training
• Up to 7 intensive trainings/week
• Interval-training
• Maximal strength-training (neural input)
• long easy runs
• Many breaks in training
• Common cold
• Total rest
• Muscular restitution
• A heavy and powerful athlete
• Lots of strength
• which causes a high energy consumption
• ? Some problems on long (and especially hot) races

• Technical-tactical abilities
• O-skills O-rhythm
• short vs. long legs
• Running speed
• slow start
• long leg speed up
• maintaining the high speed
• very fast last minute!

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MIDDLE is about

• Combining the (high) skills with high speed
• Effective and fast forest-running technique
• Changing the orienteering rhythm according the
  O-technical challenges
• M.I.P
• Orienteering-intervals
• Fast running on tracks and in the forest
• Running-circuits (strength)

• Unbreakable concentration
• Controlling the orienteering
• No mistakes
• Finding the fastest and/or straightest
  micro-routes
• Fluent orienteering FLOW
• Very seldom slowing down, stopping or edges
  en-route
• Hitting the difficult controls without time-loss
• The time-differences are mostly created inside
  the control-rings (mistakes)

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KING OF THE MIDDLE

• Very much O-training
• Often 3 O-trainings/day
• 1032 controls in Clermont-Ferrand-area before WC
  2006
• Almost all fast training in the forest / paths
• Almost no (fast) training on road / track
• Very much theoretical training
• Orienteering-puzzle (WOC2005)
• Catching Features
• Etc
• Sometimes problems in keeping the speed and
  concentration high on long races

• Economical and efficient running in the forest
• Technically probably no 1
• Tactical skills at middle distance
• O-skills
• Keeping it simple
• Safe vs. risky
• Controlling the speed
• Fast last kilometers

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LONG is about

• Calmness, controlling the concentration
• Route-choices
• Ability to differ rough orienteering from
  fine-orienteering
• The time-differences are mostly created between
  the controls (route-choices and speed)

• High Anaerobic Threshold
• Keeping constant speed
• Economical running
• Ability to change rhythm (forest path/road)
• M.I.P
• Long-runs, skiing, cycling
• Economical speed
• Variable terrain

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KING OF THE LONG

• Solid background
• The best Finnish junior since the age of 14
• O-skills
• Running-speed
• Training mostly on paths
• Partly due to ankle-problems
• Up- downhill
• Lots of long trainings
• Running skiing
• Very few intervals
• Economical running after all
• Listening to your body!
• Sometimes problems in finding enough speed and
  right rhythm on shorter races

• Economical running in the forest and especially
  on paths
• Ability to keep high concentration through the
  race
• Tactical skills at long distance
• O-skills
• Short legs no mistakes
• Long legs route-choice
• High speed at the beginning and on the long legs

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and the QUEEN, of course

• No 1 (sometimes 2) in all the disciplines
• A skilled orienteer already as a junior, only 3-5
  trainings / week at 19 yrs
• Talented in terms of physiology and biomechanics
• High motivation for learning from coaches
  team-mates
• Solid training for ca 8 years, gt 600h/year
• Fairly similar training-weeks all-year-round
• A hunger for success good performances
• Good health, healthy lifestyle
• Supporting surrounding

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HOW TO GET THERE?- according to J.S -

• VARIED TRAINING AS A JUNIOR 15-20 yrs
• Basic O-skills
• Experiences of the different terrains
• First speed, then endurance
• Running style
• Economical
• Well-balanced avoiding injuries
• Varied neuromuscular training
• Circuit-training strength, avoiding injuries
• Forest, paths, marshes, roads
• Skiing, cycling, swimming, ballgames

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HOW TO GET THERE?- according to J.S -

• TRAINING MORE 1925 years
• Fixing the weak-points
• O-skills
• Strength, speed, endurance
• More experiences of the different terrains
• The training amount rises 50-100 hrs/year
• Setting GOALS
• Long term 2-7 years
• Short term This year, this month, this week,
  TODAY
• Understanding what it takes to reach these goals

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HOW TO GET THERE?- according to J.S -

• 25- years USE YOUR STRENGHTS!
• Every orienteer has his strength and weaknesses
• You have to concentrate on your strengths?
• Best chances to develop
• Positive feedback ? FORGETTING THE WEKNESSES!
• Training the weaker abilities clearly less ?
• Too much training on weaker abilities ? not
  enough development
• ? too much negative feedback
• ? negative circle
• They are needed, however, to minimize failure and
  risk for them
• EMPHASIZE YOUR STRENGHTS
• DONT LET THE WEAKNESSES DESTROY
• YOUR PERFORMANCES

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SUMMARY

• There are many different ways to reach the top
• ?FIND YOUR OWN ONE!!!
• IS THE BEST WAY FOR YOU
• Lots of orienteering ? maximizing your skills
• Lots of intervals ? maximizing your power and
  maxVo2
• Lots of endurance training ? maximizing your
  circulation and running-economy
• OR maybe A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING?
• There is no other way than to try and re-try
  And re-try and finding the best solution.
• After all, its what orienteering is about
• USING YOUR BRAIN
• AND YOUR BODY!