Saturday, May 26, 2012

The Little Book of Orienteering Techniques

Rating: ****
This article goes into detail about different techniques you should know at a beginner’s, intermediates and advanced skill level. It also discusses how, when, where, and why you should or shouldn’t use these techniques during a competition.
One technique, which is fairly advanced, is called a backup plan. Sounds easy, but no, it is quite complex. You orienteer by intuition, like most people, but use other techniques to backup where you are going and why. The example he gives is that you are running along a ridge looking for something, and you know how far it should feel based on the terrain. You should know how far you’ve gone based on catching features and attack points. You should know if you’ve gone too far because of one thing and know you are getting closer because of another thing. It also includes knowing that what you’re looking for is where you think it is even though it doesn’t look like it is because of all these other techniques.
I learned a lot reading this article and would be eager to try a few of these in an orienteering environment. I strongly suggest reading this no matter what your skill level is.
Cory-Wright, Jean. The Little Book of Orienteering Techniques. May 26, 2012. < http://www.nzorienteering.com/little_book/littlebook.htm>

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