Discovering Orienteering
Skills, Techniques, and Activities
by Charles Ferguson and Robert Turbyfill
Edited by Orienteering USA
208 Pages
Engaging the mind and toning the body, orienteering offers a mind–body workout that builds confidence, problem-solving skills, and an appreciation for the natural environment. Written in an engaging manner, Discovering Orienteering: Skills, Techniques, and Activities offers a systematic approach to learning, teaching, and coaching orienteering. Discovering Orienteering presents the basic skills and techniques of the sport for beginners. It also functions as a review for advanced orienteers, featuring stories of orienteering experiences to illustrate the fun, challenge, and adventure of the sport.
An excellent resource for physical educators, recreation and youth leaders, and orienteering coaches, Discovering Orienteering distills the sport into teachable components relating to various academic disciplines, provides an array of learning activities, and includes an introduction to physical training and activities for coaching beginning to intermediate orienteers. Guidelines take eager beginners beyond the basics and prepare them to participate in orienteering events. More than 60 ready-to-use activities assist educators in applying the benefits of orienteering across the curriculum.
Developed in conjunction with Orienteering USA (OUSA), Discovering Orienteering addresses the methods, techniques, and types of orienteering commonly found throughout the United States and Canada. Authors Charles Ferguson and Robert Turbyfill are experienced orienteers with expertise as trainers and elite competitors. Ferguson and Turbyfill also have backgrounds in education with a variety of teaching experiences, lending to the book’s utility as a resource for introducing orienteering in a physical education or youth recreation setting.
Discovering Orienteering begins by explaining the basics of orienteering, including a brief history of the sport followed by information on fitness, nutrition, safety, and tools and equipment. After this introduction, readers learn orienteering skills, techniques, and processes using the OUSA’s systematic teaching and coaching methodology.
Next, readers learn how to apply these skills, techniques, and processes to an event situation. Orienteering ethics and rules are discussed, including the ethical use of special equipment. Information is also included to help readers prepare for and compete in an orienteering event.
Activities in the appendix are presented in a concise lesson plan format indicating the skills or techniques covered in the activity, level of expertise required, and equipment needed.
Discovering Orienteering: Skills, Techniques, and Activities offers an excellent introduction to the sport for beginniners and a comprehensive resource for educators, youth leaders, and coaches. With its systematic approach, Discovering Orienteering can help readers chart a course to fun and adventure in the great outdoors.
Chapter 1. Introduction to Orienteering
What Is Orienteering?
Why Learn to Orienteer?
Basics of Orienteering
Benefits of Orienteering
Places to Orienteer
History of Orienteering
What Orienteering Is Not
Coaching Certifications
Learning to Orienteer Systematically
Summary
Chapter 2. Fitness, Nutrition, Equipment, and Safety
Fitness
Nutrition
Equipment
Clothing
Shoes
Safety
Never Get Lost Again
Summary
Chapter 3. Map and Compass
Maps
Compass
Map or Compass?
Drift
Terrain and Ground
Summary
Chapter 4. Navigational Skills
Estimating Distance by Measure and Pace
Map Reading
Precision Compass Reading
Rough Compass Reading
Orienting the Map
Putting the Skills Together
Summary
Chapter 5. Techniques
Finding Attack Points
Aiming Off
Collecting Features by Thumbing Along
Catching Features
Following Handrails
Using the Techniques With the Skills
Teaching Tips
Summary
Chapter 6. Processes
Orienting the Map
Simplifying
Selecting the Route
Developing Map Memory
Relocating
Summary
Chapter 7. Ethics, Integrity, and Rules
Exhibiting Integrity
Ethical Assistance to Other Competitors and Environmental Stewardship
Ethical Use of Special Equipment
Summary
Chapter 8. Preparing Before an Event
Find an Event
Choose a Course
Gather Your Equipment
Dress Properly
Know Your Start Time
Pick Up Your Meet Packet
View the Finish Location
Study the Competition Map
Summary
Chapter 9. Getting Ready to Start Your Course
Study Your Control Description Sheet
Fold Your Map Properly
Scope the Map
Prepare Your Scorecard
Teaching Tips
Summary
Chapter 10. Running the Course
At the Start Line
On the Course
At the Finish Line
Record Notes on Your Map
After the Event
Assess Personal Performance
Summary
Founded in 1971, Orienteering USA is a volunteer-run organization dedicated to promoting orienteering as a viable and attractive recreation choice for outdoor enthusiasts; increasing awareness of orienteering as a tool for education, personal development, and environmental awareness; and improving the competitive performance of U.S. orienteering athletes to world-class levels.
Charles Ferguson, PhD, served as president of the United States Orienteering Federation (USOF) from 1999 to 2007. A former colonel in the Air Force Reserve, he became the initial vice president of academic affairs at Marine Corps University at Quantico Marine Base, Virginia, until retiring.
A member of the U.S. CIOR team and an expert orienteer, Colonel Ferguson represented the United States as a competitor in eight competitions. In 1977, he led his team to the first U.S. win in the over-35 (veteran) category in the CIOR military competitions in the United Kingdom. His team again won the over-35 category in 1982 in the United States.
Colonel Ferguson later served as orienteering coach for the U.S. CIOR team for 2 years and with his wife, Linda, as orienteering coach for the Canadian CIOR team for 3 years. Canadian teams finished 11th in orienteering their first year, in the top 10 the next year, and in first place their third year. He also served for 13 years on the NATO CIOR competition commission, leading the rewriting of the orienteering rules of the competition. At the summer military competitions, he was elected to the CIOR orienteering technical jury for 5 years, serving as chair for 3.
Along with Coach Turbyfill, he teaches the beginning orienteering course, Zero to Orange in Three Days, and he holds OUSA Olympic level I and level II orienteering coaching certificates. A frequent orienteering competitor in the United States, he placed second in his age group in the 2007 U.S. individual championships.
Dr. Ferguson currently serves in USOF as a director of the OUSA Endowment Fund (EF) and EF liaison to the OUSA board of directors. He is also a member of the executive board of the Adventuresports Institute.
LTC Robert Turbyfill works as an analyst for the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, DC. He has served as a United States Marine officer for 11 years and as an Army National Guard officer for 14 years.
He is a former all-Marine, interservice, United States, and North American orienteering champion. He has represented the United States 11 times at world-class competition (8 times as a competitor and 3 times as the coach of the U.S. orienteering team).
A graduate and faculty member of the Marine Corps Physical Fitness Academy, he coached the 1977 and 1978 CIOR navigation event. The U.S. CIOR team won that event for the first time in CIOR history.
In Army ROTC he has coached the Brigham Young University (BYU) ranger challenge team for four seasons to national titles. His record was third, first, third, and first in the nation by comparative score at the Fourth Army ROTC Region at Fort Louis, Washington.
As a team consultant, he is coaching and teaching orienteering to the USMA orienteering club cadets at West Point. He is the current coaching certifier for Orienteering USA. He teaches a college-level orienteering course and an Olympic level 1 coaching course at West Point in conjunction with thee Adventuresports Institute at Garrett College in western Maryland. He has developed navigation certification standards approved by the OUSA board of directors in November of 2006.
"Build your orienteering skills quickly using Ferguson and Turbyfill’s system, which is sequential, logical, and thorough. Using Discovering Orienteering: Skills, Techniques, and Activities, you’ll be ready to head off trail in a matter of days with confidence and enthusiasm."
Mary Jo Childs-- Author, Coaching Orienteering, U.S. Orienteering Team Member, 1989 World Orienteering Championships
"I have taught the National Park Service's Basic Search and Rescue course with Chuck Ferguson. I highly recommend Discovering Orienteering for improving land navigation skills, whether you are in search and rescue or the military; or you are a park ranger, hiker, or bird watcher; or you just love the outdoors and want to get into the middle of it."
Dan Pontbriand-- Retired Chief Park Ranger and Former Chief of Emergency Services, National Park Service
"Using these precepts, Coach Ferguson had our team of inexperienced orienteers soaring in an international NATO military competition in Denmark, capturing a long-sought-after first-place novice win. I have long used these skills and techniques in teaching Navy SEALs, so I endorse them fully."
Grant Staats-- Commander, Navy SEALs and U.S. Navy Reserve, Team Captain, U.S. CIOR Team
"This book provides a great baseline for anyone learning how to navigate and is an excellent complement to current military instruction. Using direct language and often hilarious anecdotes, Chuck has pared down land navigation to its essence, making an outstanding supplement for both beginning students and seasoned operators."
Christopher Nelson-- Captain, U.S. Marine Corps, Land Navigation Instructor, The Basic School
Learn the benefits of orienteering
Orienteering offers many benefits, but its real attraction is that it is fun!
Benefits of Orienteering
Orienteering offers many benefits, but its real attraction is that it is fun! It is a joy to walk and run through forests and fields. If you like competing, there are many age and skill-level groups to fulfill that wish. The ultimate quest for the orienteer is to find the balance between mental and physical exertion, to know how fast you can go and still be able to interpret the terrain around you and execute your route choice successfully.
Orienteering is a lifetime fitness sport that challenges the mind. It offers the obvious development of individual skills in navigating while problem solving to locate each control. Decision making is paramount: Should I go left or right? Should I climb that hill or go the long way around it? These decisions that constantly arise require thinking more than quick reactions or instinct; again, that is why orienteering is called the thinking sport. And remember, these decisions are being made under competitive stress and increasing fatigue, helping you to become mentally tougher in other stressful situations. Orienteers learn to be self-reliant since most orienteering is individual, and even in the team and mass-start versions, teammates usually practice individually to improve.
Orienteering builds self-esteem; it takes courage to forge ahead by oneself through unknown areas, particularly in the forests that are not familiar to those who live in cities. So many easily reachable, beautiful outdoor areas exist in the United States, Canada, and the rest of the world that feeling comfortable in the outdoors triples the pleasure of being there. Every time you locate a control or relocate yourself from being temporarily misdirected, your confidence grows. Spatial relationships become more meaningful as the orienteer has to plan how to get from one place to another and figure out whether the chosen route goes uphill or downhill and when and how far. Good orienteers learn to stay aware of their surroundings as they plan what they will see along the route to the control, a talent that is useful whether you are driving to your grandmother's or trying to find your way back from a classroom on your first day of college. How can you plan what you will see? The map symbols and contours will describe it for your imagination. Orienteers learn to recognize and use new resources, whether they are the map and compass, the park or playground, or the more personal resources of fitness and mental agility.
Not only is it thoroughly enjoyable to get out into parks and forests and off the paths to experience nature while orienteering, but also being a trained and experienced navigator can be plainly useful or even lifesaving. On a simple level, you need never be lost again. A complete definition of lost has two parts. First, you do not know where you are located. Second, you do not know how to get to a known location. Even if they are temporarily mislocated, orienteers have the skills and techniques to relocate themselves and to continue on to their destination. Orienteers fully understand the L.L. Bean T-shirt that quotes its founder: “If you get lost, come straight back to camp.” Even if you do not know where you are, if you know how to get back to camp, then you are not lost. You can toss the word lost right out of your vocabulary, because as an orienteer you won't ever need it again!
Another important outcome of orienteering is increased confidence. You may be timid but would like to build your confidence and become better at a sport than anyone around you, or perhaps you simply wish to be more comfortable in the outdoors. Gaining the skills and techniques to be able always to find your way out of the woods builds confidence in all aspects of your life.
Athletes who are tired of running circles on a track or slogging along paved roads find running cross country to be refreshing while at the same time good for building endurance and muscle. Outside of Florida and parts of Texas, most orienteering areas tend to be hilly, not flat. Undulations in the terrain provide the right environment for athletes and nonathletes alike to develop strong hearts, legs, and lungs.
Teachers have found that orienteering relates to every academic discipline, from math to history to environmental awareness to public policy, and it does so in new and interesting ways. Orienteering at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, brings American history right to your own footprints. Counting paces and measuring on maps teach the metric system through action without obviously doing so. Keeping personal records to improve while training implements data collection, logical thinking, and demonstrable self-improvement. Writing about your experiences improves word discipline and grammar while teaching audience focus. Playing by the rules imparts ethics training and standards of fairness.
Finally, people who enjoy orienteering become enthusiastic about environmental stewardship. Orienteers believe in the motto, “Take nothing away; leave nothing behind,” another way of saying that orienteers clean up their trash and don't pick the flowers. Because orienteering is gentle on the environment, orienteers do not damage the areas they cross, nor do they cross over areas that are fragile. Orienteering mappers are careful to mark as off-limits areas that are inhabited by endangered plants and animals or that are private land on the maps they develop for competition and training. Event directors and coaches work closely with park rangers and wildlife managers to protect local environments and fragile habitats.
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Places to Orienteer
You can orienteer anywhere you can make or obtain a map. Orienteers navigate in classrooms, schoolyards, city parks, urban areas, residential areas, streets, state and national parks, and wilderness areas. Even better, you can orienteer in your community, throughout the United States, and all over the world. Orienteering map symbols and appropriate colors are approved by the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) and are followed around the globe (for example, blue stands for water). Therefore, if you pick up an orienteering map in China or Russia, you do not have to read Chinese or Russian to understand the map well enough to orienteer on that map. Symbols are further discussed in chapter 3.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Five techniques that are the key to successful orienteering
There is no doubt that good route selection and proper execution of the five techniques along your route are keys to success in orienteering.
Selecting the Route
There is no doubt that good route selection and proper execution of the five techniques along your route are keys to success in orienteering. Considering that transit speed (how long it takes to get from one control to another and around the whole course) is the measure of your success, there are a number of factors to keep in mind. First, remember an old military axiom, “Better is the enemy of good.” In other words, select a good route quickly. Don't lose time by attempting to select the absolute best route. Another bit of excellent advice from one of the highest-achieving North American orienteers in international orienteering competition, Canadian Ted de St. Croix, is to pick a route and stick to it. This does not mean that you cannot make small changes to improve your route as you progress toward the control, but it does mean that it is difficult to see the best route on your map for every control. Therefore, just pick a good route and move out. Over the span of a number of controls, you may pick a best route some of the time, a good route much of the time, and occasionally a poor route. However, so will the other orienteers against whom you are competing, so it evens out over courses, events, and time. On the other hand, if you waste precious minutes or even seconds by repeatedly trying to determine the best route for every control (with other things being equal, such as orienteering ability and race fitness), then you are going to lose to those orienteers who quickly pick a route and go with it.
Start With the End
How do you pick a route? Although we have briefly touched on it in previous chapters, the art of selecting a route from the start to the first control or from one control to the next control may still surprise you. To repeat one of the seven habits of highly successful people by acclaimed author Stephen Covey, start with the end in mind. In other words, start by looking at the target, which is the control you want to find. Our acronym for the process of route selection is CAR.
Control-Attack Point-Route (CAR)
CAR stands for control-attack point-route, the exact order in which you decide on your route. This concept was developed by Winnie Stott in Armchair Orienteering II (1987, Canadian Orienteering Federation).
To best explain it, let's start off with the opposite of CAR: Why not plan your route from where you are? After all, this is where you will start running. Don't do it! When you start route planning from where you are, you will often shortcut the route selection process by making a beeline for the control or by heading toward the nearest big thing you can find that is close to you and more or less on the way to the control. Then you will look for the next spot to jump to and you will progress toward the control in a series of jumps from one place or feature to another. What is so deceiving about this method is that it can work quite well for much of the time, particularly when you are just starting out and are not very fast anyway. When you begin any sport or meaningful activity, though, you should also begin building good habits immediately.
If you start route planning from where you are and work toward the control, you will tend to move in increments, often causing you to miss better routes in favor of going straight ahead or to overlook a good attack point near the control. Remember, your route should be simplified by going to the attack point, not the control. On the other hand, when starting from the control, you find the closest feature near the control that you know you can find to use as a good attack point, and then you work your route backward from the attack point to where you are. Note that the attack point does not have to be between you and the control. It may be to the left or right of the control and, in a few instances, on the far side of the control (think of a control just inside the woods with a field on the far side—you might choose to run to the field and come back to the control). Using CAR, the better routes should reveal themselves to you with little or no study. As a bonus, you will rarely be ambushed by an impassable feature that is close to the control and directly on your route but that you simply don't notice until you get there. If you did not use CAR, you now have to go around a swamp or a thicket or a logged area, losing time and energy.
CAR is particularly important in the orienteering events in which you must move and make decisions quickly and where any major error can put you out of contention. Some examples are in sprint orienteering, carelessly running into a cul de sac with no way out, or in ski or mountain bike orienteering, taking a ski trail or bike path that seems to start out well but takes you away from the control. All can be avoided if you work back from your destination.
Double Eye Sweep
For every leg of any course you should always say to yourself, “Control” (telling yourself to look at the control first), then “Attack point” (look for an attack point), and finally “Route” (follow the route from your attack point back to your location). I simply say each letter of the acronym to myself as I go through my process. However, there is one more component to CAR—the double eye sweep. CAR is the first eye sweep over the map starting from the control to the attack point to the route. The first eye sweep ends at your location. On the second sweep you look forward from where you are toward the control. There are two reasons to do the double eye sweep. First, you can quickly check for a better route that you may have missed on the first sweep and, second, you can take a quick glance for a catching feature just beyond the control—since you started at the control with CAR, you may have missed a useful feature behind it. If there is a good catching feature behind the control, you may be able to move much faster on a different route using rough compass reading or rough map reading. With practice and experience you should be able to accomplish a thorough double eye sweep for most legs in less than a second. It is important to emphasize that the first eye sweep must be from the control to your locations. (Use CAR, it works!) Build the good habits first and they become instinctive.
Orienteering Techniques for Route Selection
The route you take to the control determines how many of the five techniques you will be using. Finding attack points, aiming off, following handrails, finding collecting features, and stopping at catching features could all be used depending on the route. Remember to see the control first and then look for a nearby attack point. Note that if the control is close to the start or close to the control that you have just found (usually less than 200 m), you may be able to use your present location as the attack point using the skills of precision map reading or precision compass reading. In other words, your location becomes the attack point from which you make your final approach to the control.
If the control is not nearby, select an attack point, determine your route, and decide how to get to that attack point. Is the attack point large enough so that you can simply aim off and be sure of hitting it and then turning right or left to find the control? Is there a nice handrail that will guide you in or close to the direction you wish to travel? If there is no good opportunity to aim off or use a handrail, does the terrain lend itself well to navigating by collecting features along the way to the attack point or the control? Or perhaps this will be one of those rare but welcomed locations where you can use the skills of rough map reading and distance estimation and either hit the attack point (or control) dead on or relocate yourself quickly at the catching feature so that you go to the control in minimum time.
These questions may be a lot to ask yourself en route to each attack point and then to the control, but keep two things in mind. First, sometimes you need to slow down to go faster (meaning haste without a clear plan generally costs you time), and second, the process of route selection becomes faster and better as you gain experience. In other words, the more you do it, the better and faster you become to the extent that you begin subconsciously to ask yourself these questions. When you have practiced enough, your eyes on the map will answer the questions before your brain can even ask them, and off you'll go at race speed.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
The importance of finding attack points
An attack point is the closest feature to the control that you know you can find and from which you can then find the harder-to-locate control.
Finding Attack Points
An attack point is the closest feature to the control that you know you can find and from which you can then find the harder-to-locate control. Using attack points is the most important technique that you will ever use in any form of land navigation. You must be able to clearly identify the attack point on the map and on the terrain. Because the attack point is something you know without any doubt that you personally can find, it may not be the same for everyone. It is the last thing you expect to locate before your final approach to your destination. Every leg of the course has an attack point. On a short leg, it may be that you will make your final approach from your current control, in which case the control you are leaving has become your attack point. On a longer leg, you may aim for an intermediate destination such as the edge of a pond. That location becomes your attack point for the control.
In an earlier example from the land navigation training at the Marine Corps TBS, the student guessed where the instructors would logically park their Hummer to walk into the woods to the control location. Noting that there were drivable roads and a close location from which the instructors would know exactly where to start for the control, she would run to that easy-to-find location, not knowing that such a location is called an attack point.
As noted, it is difficult to follow a straight line in precision compass reading for very far. Remember also that for any distance over 450 meters, precision compass reading is practically impossible unless you are crossing an open field and can steer to a visible object that far away. Therefore, it makes sense to locate an attack point, preferably within 200 meters of the control, and then move, using the fastest possible approach (usually the appropriate rough skills) to arrive at that attack point, where you switch to one of the two precision skills. Using distance estimation by measure and pace the whole way will also keep you from making errors.
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What are some attributes of good attack points? First, they have to be easier to find than the control itself. Second, they should not take you too far out of the way. Third, they should be quicker to locate than the control. Fourth, they must be readily identifiable. And fifth, when you reach the attack point, you must know you are there.
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Attack points are often much larger features than the control. In the TBS example, the student used either a crossroads or an intersection of one road into another.These are large and generally easy to see on the map and on the ground. The corner of a lake or a pond often shows well on the ground and the map, as does a readily identifiable field, making all three good attack points. Again, be alert if there are a number of ponds or fields close by so that you do not assume you are at one field or pond when you are at another. The dreaded parallel error (see the sidebar) probably torments orienteers more than the dreaded 180-degree error (see chapter 4). Keeping the map oriented to the terrain and perfecting the skill of distance estimation are key to avoiding a parallel error.
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In going from the start triangle in figure 5.1 to the first control, an obvious, fast, and easy-to-find attack point is the path junction to the east of the control. In this map the dashed red line simply connects the controls; it does not show your route. My preferred route would be to run at an angle to the path on my right and then move as fast as I could to the path junction, which would be my attack point. Experienced orienteers might use the small hill upon whose edge the control is located as their attack point. Going from control 1 to control 2, the northeast corner of the westernmost pond is an excellent attack point. On the other hand, note the possibility of a parallel error if you are actually at the other pond to the north while thinking you are at the southern pond. Proper distance estimation helps to prevent any parallel error with the third pond, which is much too close to control 1. Navigating from control 2 to 3, you have a choice of attack points, either the edge of the field, the pronounced bend in the stream, or if you wish to get closer, the building beside the trail. None is particularly better than the others; they simply illustrate that you may have several choices for an attack point—just pick one and go.
What is the attack point from control 3 to control 4? If you used the skill of distance estimation and you learn that control 4 is only 135 meters from control 3, you can use control 3 as your attack point and follow a compass heading to control 4. Remember, control 3 is easy to find (you are already there!), and it is a short enough distance to use precision compass reading. If you thought you had to have another attack point such as the large boulder to the east of point 4, at least you have the process down cold. Just don't forget that your attack point should not take you too far away from the control you are trying to find, and in this case the small hilltop may be easier to locate than the large boulder.
To sum up, the technique of finding an attack point requires the orienteer to find a more easily locatable place (or point) from which to attack the control. It must be easier to find than the control, not too far out of the way, and readily identifiable on the map and on the ground. Remember also that the best attack point may be behind the control, forcing you to run a little farther but insuring that you find the control quickly. You should always select an attack point. Some orienteers eschew using an attack point for each control, but as with distance estimation and other skills, techniques, and processes, we can say, “That works for those orienteers—until it doesn't!” In other words, orienteer correctly and it will serve you well. Get sloppy and you may get away with it for a while, but bad practices will eventually betray you.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Learn the international orienteering map symbols with this game
Place a thumb on the map and glance at the area above the thumb for 1 to 3 seconds.
Map Symbol Relay
Objective
To learn the international orienteering map symbols through a relay game
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Quick recognition of map symbols
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Walking or running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
5 minutes
On Map
No
Materials
Index cards (5 × 7 in. [13 × 18 cm]) with a map symbol drawn on one side and a written description of another symbol on the other side. Provide one set of 10 cards per five people. Color-coded cards will keep the sets separate.
Setup
Make cards as shown. Mark a starting line for the teams. At a set distance (10, 20, 30 m), place a set of cards on the ground with symbol side facing up. Place next set of cards about 3 meters away to keep them separate (see diagram).
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Description
The group is divided into at least two teams of equal size. On “Go,” the first person on each team runs a set distance to a group of cards and chooses one card. He races back to his teammates, where he hands his card to the next person in line. This person flips over the card and reads the description of a symbol that she must find. She races to the group of cards and returns with the correct one. Teams repeat the process until all of the cards have been collected. The team that collects all of its cards first wins.
Variations
- Consider making teams of mixed ability levels.
- Teams could be arranged by course color, with more advanced colors having a farther distance to run to reach their group of cards.
- Use the cards as flash cards for a seated audience.
Never a Dull Moment
Objective
To increase the ability to quickly read and remember map detail
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Map memory
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Sitting, walking, or running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
15-30 minutes
On Map
Yes
Materials
Map
Setup
Place maps in locations at home, work, school, car, and so on where they are accessible when a free moment arises. For instance, place maps in the kitchen, next to the commode, near the telephone, or in your car, purse, briefcase, or schoolbag.
Description
Place a thumb on the map and glance at the area above the thumb for 1 to 3 seconds. Then, quiz yourself to recall what you have seen (e.g., black features such as trails, cliffs, boulders, and buildings; blue features; and so on). Ask yourself what you saw, where it was in relation to other features, what direction it was oriented, slope characteristics, and so on. Then look again and notice additional features. Repeat until you have completely described the area.
Variations
- Do while walking, running, waiting in line, and so on.
- If no map is available while running, practice recalling license plate numbers.
Comments
Remember, safety first. While driving, do this activity only when the car is stopped.
Map Memory Relay
Objective
To memorize map and course detail during physical activity
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Map memory, precision map reading
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
10-15 minutes
On Map
Yes
Materials
Two maps per team, one red or purple pen per team, one circle template per team
Setup
Mark a course of appropriate difficulty on one map for each team. Place marked maps at one end of the room (or outdoor area) and unmarked maps at the other end along with pens and templates. Map boards may be necessary if outdoors.
Description
The group is divided into teams of equal size. Teams are given one unmarked map, a pen, and a circle template. On “Go,” the first person on each team runs to the marked map and memorizes the start triangle and as many controls as possible. He then returns to the unmarked map and draws the course from memory, including numbering controls and adding lines. The first team to finish with all controls correctly drawn and labeled wins. Award 5 points for each correct control, with 1 point subtracted (up to 5) for each millimeter the circle is off.
Variation
Draw a different course on each map and have teams do each other's map when they are through.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Learn the benefits of orienteering
Orienteering offers many benefits, but its real attraction is that it is fun!
Benefits of Orienteering
Orienteering offers many benefits, but its real attraction is that it is fun! It is a joy to walk and run through forests and fields. If you like competing, there are many age and skill-level groups to fulfill that wish. The ultimate quest for the orienteer is to find the balance between mental and physical exertion, to know how fast you can go and still be able to interpret the terrain around you and execute your route choice successfully.
Orienteering is a lifetime fitness sport that challenges the mind. It offers the obvious development of individual skills in navigating while problem solving to locate each control. Decision making is paramount: Should I go left or right? Should I climb that hill or go the long way around it? These decisions that constantly arise require thinking more than quick reactions or instinct; again, that is why orienteering is called the thinking sport. And remember, these decisions are being made under competitive stress and increasing fatigue, helping you to become mentally tougher in other stressful situations. Orienteers learn to be self-reliant since most orienteering is individual, and even in the team and mass-start versions, teammates usually practice individually to improve.
Orienteering builds self-esteem; it takes courage to forge ahead by oneself through unknown areas, particularly in the forests that are not familiar to those who live in cities. So many easily reachable, beautiful outdoor areas exist in the United States, Canada, and the rest of the world that feeling comfortable in the outdoors triples the pleasure of being there. Every time you locate a control or relocate yourself from being temporarily misdirected, your confidence grows. Spatial relationships become more meaningful as the orienteer has to plan how to get from one place to another and figure out whether the chosen route goes uphill or downhill and when and how far. Good orienteers learn to stay aware of their surroundings as they plan what they will see along the route to the control, a talent that is useful whether you are driving to your grandmother's or trying to find your way back from a classroom on your first day of college. How can you plan what you will see? The map symbols and contours will describe it for your imagination. Orienteers learn to recognize and use new resources, whether they are the map and compass, the park or playground, or the more personal resources of fitness and mental agility.
Not only is it thoroughly enjoyable to get out into parks and forests and off the paths to experience nature while orienteering, but also being a trained and experienced navigator can be plainly useful or even lifesaving. On a simple level, you need never be lost again. A complete definition of lost has two parts. First, you do not know where you are located. Second, you do not know how to get to a known location. Even if they are temporarily mislocated, orienteers have the skills and techniques to relocate themselves and to continue on to their destination. Orienteers fully understand the L.L. Bean T-shirt that quotes its founder: “If you get lost, come straight back to camp.” Even if you do not know where you are, if you know how to get back to camp, then you are not lost. You can toss the word lost right out of your vocabulary, because as an orienteer you won't ever need it again!
Another important outcome of orienteering is increased confidence. You may be timid but would like to build your confidence and become better at a sport than anyone around you, or perhaps you simply wish to be more comfortable in the outdoors. Gaining the skills and techniques to be able always to find your way out of the woods builds confidence in all aspects of your life.
Athletes who are tired of running circles on a track or slogging along paved roads find running cross country to be refreshing while at the same time good for building endurance and muscle. Outside of Florida and parts of Texas, most orienteering areas tend to be hilly, not flat. Undulations in the terrain provide the right environment for athletes and nonathletes alike to develop strong hearts, legs, and lungs.
Teachers have found that orienteering relates to every academic discipline, from math to history to environmental awareness to public policy, and it does so in new and interesting ways. Orienteering at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, brings American history right to your own footprints. Counting paces and measuring on maps teach the metric system through action without obviously doing so. Keeping personal records to improve while training implements data collection, logical thinking, and demonstrable self-improvement. Writing about your experiences improves word discipline and grammar while teaching audience focus. Playing by the rules imparts ethics training and standards of fairness.
Finally, people who enjoy orienteering become enthusiastic about environmental stewardship. Orienteers believe in the motto, “Take nothing away; leave nothing behind,” another way of saying that orienteers clean up their trash and don't pick the flowers. Because orienteering is gentle on the environment, orienteers do not damage the areas they cross, nor do they cross over areas that are fragile. Orienteering mappers are careful to mark as off-limits areas that are inhabited by endangered plants and animals or that are private land on the maps they develop for competition and training. Event directors and coaches work closely with park rangers and wildlife managers to protect local environments and fragile habitats.
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/093/8se_Main.png
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/093/8ph_Main.png
Places to Orienteer
You can orienteer anywhere you can make or obtain a map. Orienteers navigate in classrooms, schoolyards, city parks, urban areas, residential areas, streets, state and national parks, and wilderness areas. Even better, you can orienteer in your community, throughout the United States, and all over the world. Orienteering map symbols and appropriate colors are approved by the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) and are followed around the globe (for example, blue stands for water). Therefore, if you pick up an orienteering map in China or Russia, you do not have to read Chinese or Russian to understand the map well enough to orienteer on that map. Symbols are further discussed in chapter 3.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Five techniques that are the key to successful orienteering
There is no doubt that good route selection and proper execution of the five techniques along your route are keys to success in orienteering.
Selecting the Route
There is no doubt that good route selection and proper execution of the five techniques along your route are keys to success in orienteering. Considering that transit speed (how long it takes to get from one control to another and around the whole course) is the measure of your success, there are a number of factors to keep in mind. First, remember an old military axiom, “Better is the enemy of good.” In other words, select a good route quickly. Don't lose time by attempting to select the absolute best route. Another bit of excellent advice from one of the highest-achieving North American orienteers in international orienteering competition, Canadian Ted de St. Croix, is to pick a route and stick to it. This does not mean that you cannot make small changes to improve your route as you progress toward the control, but it does mean that it is difficult to see the best route on your map for every control. Therefore, just pick a good route and move out. Over the span of a number of controls, you may pick a best route some of the time, a good route much of the time, and occasionally a poor route. However, so will the other orienteers against whom you are competing, so it evens out over courses, events, and time. On the other hand, if you waste precious minutes or even seconds by repeatedly trying to determine the best route for every control (with other things being equal, such as orienteering ability and race fitness), then you are going to lose to those orienteers who quickly pick a route and go with it.
Start With the End
How do you pick a route? Although we have briefly touched on it in previous chapters, the art of selecting a route from the start to the first control or from one control to the next control may still surprise you. To repeat one of the seven habits of highly successful people by acclaimed author Stephen Covey, start with the end in mind. In other words, start by looking at the target, which is the control you want to find. Our acronym for the process of route selection is CAR.
Control-Attack Point-Route (CAR)
CAR stands for control-attack point-route, the exact order in which you decide on your route. This concept was developed by Winnie Stott in Armchair Orienteering II (1987, Canadian Orienteering Federation).
To best explain it, let's start off with the opposite of CAR: Why not plan your route from where you are? After all, this is where you will start running. Don't do it! When you start route planning from where you are, you will often shortcut the route selection process by making a beeline for the control or by heading toward the nearest big thing you can find that is close to you and more or less on the way to the control. Then you will look for the next spot to jump to and you will progress toward the control in a series of jumps from one place or feature to another. What is so deceiving about this method is that it can work quite well for much of the time, particularly when you are just starting out and are not very fast anyway. When you begin any sport or meaningful activity, though, you should also begin building good habits immediately.
If you start route planning from where you are and work toward the control, you will tend to move in increments, often causing you to miss better routes in favor of going straight ahead or to overlook a good attack point near the control. Remember, your route should be simplified by going to the attack point, not the control. On the other hand, when starting from the control, you find the closest feature near the control that you know you can find to use as a good attack point, and then you work your route backward from the attack point to where you are. Note that the attack point does not have to be between you and the control. It may be to the left or right of the control and, in a few instances, on the far side of the control (think of a control just inside the woods with a field on the far side—you might choose to run to the field and come back to the control). Using CAR, the better routes should reveal themselves to you with little or no study. As a bonus, you will rarely be ambushed by an impassable feature that is close to the control and directly on your route but that you simply don't notice until you get there. If you did not use CAR, you now have to go around a swamp or a thicket or a logged area, losing time and energy.
CAR is particularly important in the orienteering events in which you must move and make decisions quickly and where any major error can put you out of contention. Some examples are in sprint orienteering, carelessly running into a cul de sac with no way out, or in ski or mountain bike orienteering, taking a ski trail or bike path that seems to start out well but takes you away from the control. All can be avoided if you work back from your destination.
Double Eye Sweep
For every leg of any course you should always say to yourself, “Control” (telling yourself to look at the control first), then “Attack point” (look for an attack point), and finally “Route” (follow the route from your attack point back to your location). I simply say each letter of the acronym to myself as I go through my process. However, there is one more component to CAR—the double eye sweep. CAR is the first eye sweep over the map starting from the control to the attack point to the route. The first eye sweep ends at your location. On the second sweep you look forward from where you are toward the control. There are two reasons to do the double eye sweep. First, you can quickly check for a better route that you may have missed on the first sweep and, second, you can take a quick glance for a catching feature just beyond the control—since you started at the control with CAR, you may have missed a useful feature behind it. If there is a good catching feature behind the control, you may be able to move much faster on a different route using rough compass reading or rough map reading. With practice and experience you should be able to accomplish a thorough double eye sweep for most legs in less than a second. It is important to emphasize that the first eye sweep must be from the control to your locations. (Use CAR, it works!) Build the good habits first and they become instinctive.
Orienteering Techniques for Route Selection
The route you take to the control determines how many of the five techniques you will be using. Finding attack points, aiming off, following handrails, finding collecting features, and stopping at catching features could all be used depending on the route. Remember to see the control first and then look for a nearby attack point. Note that if the control is close to the start or close to the control that you have just found (usually less than 200 m), you may be able to use your present location as the attack point using the skills of precision map reading or precision compass reading. In other words, your location becomes the attack point from which you make your final approach to the control.
If the control is not nearby, select an attack point, determine your route, and decide how to get to that attack point. Is the attack point large enough so that you can simply aim off and be sure of hitting it and then turning right or left to find the control? Is there a nice handrail that will guide you in or close to the direction you wish to travel? If there is no good opportunity to aim off or use a handrail, does the terrain lend itself well to navigating by collecting features along the way to the attack point or the control? Or perhaps this will be one of those rare but welcomed locations where you can use the skills of rough map reading and distance estimation and either hit the attack point (or control) dead on or relocate yourself quickly at the catching feature so that you go to the control in minimum time.
These questions may be a lot to ask yourself en route to each attack point and then to the control, but keep two things in mind. First, sometimes you need to slow down to go faster (meaning haste without a clear plan generally costs you time), and second, the process of route selection becomes faster and better as you gain experience. In other words, the more you do it, the better and faster you become to the extent that you begin subconsciously to ask yourself these questions. When you have practiced enough, your eyes on the map will answer the questions before your brain can even ask them, and off you'll go at race speed.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
The importance of finding attack points
An attack point is the closest feature to the control that you know you can find and from which you can then find the harder-to-locate control.
Finding Attack Points
An attack point is the closest feature to the control that you know you can find and from which you can then find the harder-to-locate control. Using attack points is the most important technique that you will ever use in any form of land navigation. You must be able to clearly identify the attack point on the map and on the terrain. Because the attack point is something you know without any doubt that you personally can find, it may not be the same for everyone. It is the last thing you expect to locate before your final approach to your destination. Every leg of the course has an attack point. On a short leg, it may be that you will make your final approach from your current control, in which case the control you are leaving has become your attack point. On a longer leg, you may aim for an intermediate destination such as the edge of a pond. That location becomes your attack point for the control.
In an earlier example from the land navigation training at the Marine Corps TBS, the student guessed where the instructors would logically park their Hummer to walk into the woods to the control location. Noting that there were drivable roads and a close location from which the instructors would know exactly where to start for the control, she would run to that easy-to-find location, not knowing that such a location is called an attack point.
As noted, it is difficult to follow a straight line in precision compass reading for very far. Remember also that for any distance over 450 meters, precision compass reading is practically impossible unless you are crossing an open field and can steer to a visible object that far away. Therefore, it makes sense to locate an attack point, preferably within 200 meters of the control, and then move, using the fastest possible approach (usually the appropriate rough skills) to arrive at that attack point, where you switch to one of the two precision skills. Using distance estimation by measure and pace the whole way will also keep you from making errors.
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What are some attributes of good attack points? First, they have to be easier to find than the control itself. Second, they should not take you too far out of the way. Third, they should be quicker to locate than the control. Fourth, they must be readily identifiable. And fifth, when you reach the attack point, you must know you are there.
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Attack points are often much larger features than the control. In the TBS example, the student used either a crossroads or an intersection of one road into another.These are large and generally easy to see on the map and on the ground. The corner of a lake or a pond often shows well on the ground and the map, as does a readily identifiable field, making all three good attack points. Again, be alert if there are a number of ponds or fields close by so that you do not assume you are at one field or pond when you are at another. The dreaded parallel error (see the sidebar) probably torments orienteers more than the dreaded 180-degree error (see chapter 4). Keeping the map oriented to the terrain and perfecting the skill of distance estimation are key to avoiding a parallel error.
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In going from the start triangle in figure 5.1 to the first control, an obvious, fast, and easy-to-find attack point is the path junction to the east of the control. In this map the dashed red line simply connects the controls; it does not show your route. My preferred route would be to run at an angle to the path on my right and then move as fast as I could to the path junction, which would be my attack point. Experienced orienteers might use the small hill upon whose edge the control is located as their attack point. Going from control 1 to control 2, the northeast corner of the westernmost pond is an excellent attack point. On the other hand, note the possibility of a parallel error if you are actually at the other pond to the north while thinking you are at the southern pond. Proper distance estimation helps to prevent any parallel error with the third pond, which is much too close to control 1. Navigating from control 2 to 3, you have a choice of attack points, either the edge of the field, the pronounced bend in the stream, or if you wish to get closer, the building beside the trail. None is particularly better than the others; they simply illustrate that you may have several choices for an attack point—just pick one and go.
What is the attack point from control 3 to control 4? If you used the skill of distance estimation and you learn that control 4 is only 135 meters from control 3, you can use control 3 as your attack point and follow a compass heading to control 4. Remember, control 3 is easy to find (you are already there!), and it is a short enough distance to use precision compass reading. If you thought you had to have another attack point such as the large boulder to the east of point 4, at least you have the process down cold. Just don't forget that your attack point should not take you too far away from the control you are trying to find, and in this case the small hilltop may be easier to locate than the large boulder.
To sum up, the technique of finding an attack point requires the orienteer to find a more easily locatable place (or point) from which to attack the control. It must be easier to find than the control, not too far out of the way, and readily identifiable on the map and on the ground. Remember also that the best attack point may be behind the control, forcing you to run a little farther but insuring that you find the control quickly. You should always select an attack point. Some orienteers eschew using an attack point for each control, but as with distance estimation and other skills, techniques, and processes, we can say, “That works for those orienteers—until it doesn't!” In other words, orienteer correctly and it will serve you well. Get sloppy and you may get away with it for a while, but bad practices will eventually betray you.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Learn the international orienteering map symbols with this game
Place a thumb on the map and glance at the area above the thumb for 1 to 3 seconds.
Map Symbol Relay
Objective
To learn the international orienteering map symbols through a relay game
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Quick recognition of map symbols
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Walking or running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
5 minutes
On Map
No
Materials
Index cards (5 × 7 in. [13 × 18 cm]) with a map symbol drawn on one side and a written description of another symbol on the other side. Provide one set of 10 cards per five people. Color-coded cards will keep the sets separate.
Setup
Make cards as shown. Mark a starting line for the teams. At a set distance (10, 20, 30 m), place a set of cards on the ground with symbol side facing up. Place next set of cards about 3 meters away to keep them separate (see diagram).
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Description
The group is divided into at least two teams of equal size. On “Go,” the first person on each team runs a set distance to a group of cards and chooses one card. He races back to his teammates, where he hands his card to the next person in line. This person flips over the card and reads the description of a symbol that she must find. She races to the group of cards and returns with the correct one. Teams repeat the process until all of the cards have been collected. The team that collects all of its cards first wins.
Variations
- Consider making teams of mixed ability levels.
- Teams could be arranged by course color, with more advanced colors having a farther distance to run to reach their group of cards.
- Use the cards as flash cards for a seated audience.
Never a Dull Moment
Objective
To increase the ability to quickly read and remember map detail
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Map memory
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Sitting, walking, or running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
15-30 minutes
On Map
Yes
Materials
Map
Setup
Place maps in locations at home, work, school, car, and so on where they are accessible when a free moment arises. For instance, place maps in the kitchen, next to the commode, near the telephone, or in your car, purse, briefcase, or schoolbag.
Description
Place a thumb on the map and glance at the area above the thumb for 1 to 3 seconds. Then, quiz yourself to recall what you have seen (e.g., black features such as trails, cliffs, boulders, and buildings; blue features; and so on). Ask yourself what you saw, where it was in relation to other features, what direction it was oriented, slope characteristics, and so on. Then look again and notice additional features. Repeat until you have completely described the area.
Variations
- Do while walking, running, waiting in line, and so on.
- If no map is available while running, practice recalling license plate numbers.
Comments
Remember, safety first. While driving, do this activity only when the car is stopped.
Map Memory Relay
Objective
To memorize map and course detail during physical activity
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Map memory, precision map reading
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
10-15 minutes
On Map
Yes
Materials
Two maps per team, one red or purple pen per team, one circle template per team
Setup
Mark a course of appropriate difficulty on one map for each team. Place marked maps at one end of the room (or outdoor area) and unmarked maps at the other end along with pens and templates. Map boards may be necessary if outdoors.
Description
The group is divided into teams of equal size. Teams are given one unmarked map, a pen, and a circle template. On “Go,” the first person on each team runs to the marked map and memorizes the start triangle and as many controls as possible. He then returns to the unmarked map and draws the course from memory, including numbering controls and adding lines. The first team to finish with all controls correctly drawn and labeled wins. Award 5 points for each correct control, with 1 point subtracted (up to 5) for each millimeter the circle is off.
Variation
Draw a different course on each map and have teams do each other's map when they are through.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Learn the benefits of orienteering
Orienteering offers many benefits, but its real attraction is that it is fun!
Benefits of Orienteering
Orienteering offers many benefits, but its real attraction is that it is fun! It is a joy to walk and run through forests and fields. If you like competing, there are many age and skill-level groups to fulfill that wish. The ultimate quest for the orienteer is to find the balance between mental and physical exertion, to know how fast you can go and still be able to interpret the terrain around you and execute your route choice successfully.
Orienteering is a lifetime fitness sport that challenges the mind. It offers the obvious development of individual skills in navigating while problem solving to locate each control. Decision making is paramount: Should I go left or right? Should I climb that hill or go the long way around it? These decisions that constantly arise require thinking more than quick reactions or instinct; again, that is why orienteering is called the thinking sport. And remember, these decisions are being made under competitive stress and increasing fatigue, helping you to become mentally tougher in other stressful situations. Orienteers learn to be self-reliant since most orienteering is individual, and even in the team and mass-start versions, teammates usually practice individually to improve.
Orienteering builds self-esteem; it takes courage to forge ahead by oneself through unknown areas, particularly in the forests that are not familiar to those who live in cities. So many easily reachable, beautiful outdoor areas exist in the United States, Canada, and the rest of the world that feeling comfortable in the outdoors triples the pleasure of being there. Every time you locate a control or relocate yourself from being temporarily misdirected, your confidence grows. Spatial relationships become more meaningful as the orienteer has to plan how to get from one place to another and figure out whether the chosen route goes uphill or downhill and when and how far. Good orienteers learn to stay aware of their surroundings as they plan what they will see along the route to the control, a talent that is useful whether you are driving to your grandmother's or trying to find your way back from a classroom on your first day of college. How can you plan what you will see? The map symbols and contours will describe it for your imagination. Orienteers learn to recognize and use new resources, whether they are the map and compass, the park or playground, or the more personal resources of fitness and mental agility.
Not only is it thoroughly enjoyable to get out into parks and forests and off the paths to experience nature while orienteering, but also being a trained and experienced navigator can be plainly useful or even lifesaving. On a simple level, you need never be lost again. A complete definition of lost has two parts. First, you do not know where you are located. Second, you do not know how to get to a known location. Even if they are temporarily mislocated, orienteers have the skills and techniques to relocate themselves and to continue on to their destination. Orienteers fully understand the L.L. Bean T-shirt that quotes its founder: “If you get lost, come straight back to camp.” Even if you do not know where you are, if you know how to get back to camp, then you are not lost. You can toss the word lost right out of your vocabulary, because as an orienteer you won't ever need it again!
Another important outcome of orienteering is increased confidence. You may be timid but would like to build your confidence and become better at a sport than anyone around you, or perhaps you simply wish to be more comfortable in the outdoors. Gaining the skills and techniques to be able always to find your way out of the woods builds confidence in all aspects of your life.
Athletes who are tired of running circles on a track or slogging along paved roads find running cross country to be refreshing while at the same time good for building endurance and muscle. Outside of Florida and parts of Texas, most orienteering areas tend to be hilly, not flat. Undulations in the terrain provide the right environment for athletes and nonathletes alike to develop strong hearts, legs, and lungs.
Teachers have found that orienteering relates to every academic discipline, from math to history to environmental awareness to public policy, and it does so in new and interesting ways. Orienteering at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, brings American history right to your own footprints. Counting paces and measuring on maps teach the metric system through action without obviously doing so. Keeping personal records to improve while training implements data collection, logical thinking, and demonstrable self-improvement. Writing about your experiences improves word discipline and grammar while teaching audience focus. Playing by the rules imparts ethics training and standards of fairness.
Finally, people who enjoy orienteering become enthusiastic about environmental stewardship. Orienteers believe in the motto, “Take nothing away; leave nothing behind,” another way of saying that orienteers clean up their trash and don't pick the flowers. Because orienteering is gentle on the environment, orienteers do not damage the areas they cross, nor do they cross over areas that are fragile. Orienteering mappers are careful to mark as off-limits areas that are inhabited by endangered plants and animals or that are private land on the maps they develop for competition and training. Event directors and coaches work closely with park rangers and wildlife managers to protect local environments and fragile habitats.
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/093/8se_Main.png
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/093/8ph_Main.png
Places to Orienteer
You can orienteer anywhere you can make or obtain a map. Orienteers navigate in classrooms, schoolyards, city parks, urban areas, residential areas, streets, state and national parks, and wilderness areas. Even better, you can orienteer in your community, throughout the United States, and all over the world. Orienteering map symbols and appropriate colors are approved by the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) and are followed around the globe (for example, blue stands for water). Therefore, if you pick up an orienteering map in China or Russia, you do not have to read Chinese or Russian to understand the map well enough to orienteer on that map. Symbols are further discussed in chapter 3.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Five techniques that are the key to successful orienteering
There is no doubt that good route selection and proper execution of the five techniques along your route are keys to success in orienteering.
Selecting the Route
There is no doubt that good route selection and proper execution of the five techniques along your route are keys to success in orienteering. Considering that transit speed (how long it takes to get from one control to another and around the whole course) is the measure of your success, there are a number of factors to keep in mind. First, remember an old military axiom, “Better is the enemy of good.” In other words, select a good route quickly. Don't lose time by attempting to select the absolute best route. Another bit of excellent advice from one of the highest-achieving North American orienteers in international orienteering competition, Canadian Ted de St. Croix, is to pick a route and stick to it. This does not mean that you cannot make small changes to improve your route as you progress toward the control, but it does mean that it is difficult to see the best route on your map for every control. Therefore, just pick a good route and move out. Over the span of a number of controls, you may pick a best route some of the time, a good route much of the time, and occasionally a poor route. However, so will the other orienteers against whom you are competing, so it evens out over courses, events, and time. On the other hand, if you waste precious minutes or even seconds by repeatedly trying to determine the best route for every control (with other things being equal, such as orienteering ability and race fitness), then you are going to lose to those orienteers who quickly pick a route and go with it.
Start With the End
How do you pick a route? Although we have briefly touched on it in previous chapters, the art of selecting a route from the start to the first control or from one control to the next control may still surprise you. To repeat one of the seven habits of highly successful people by acclaimed author Stephen Covey, start with the end in mind. In other words, start by looking at the target, which is the control you want to find. Our acronym for the process of route selection is CAR.
Control-Attack Point-Route (CAR)
CAR stands for control-attack point-route, the exact order in which you decide on your route. This concept was developed by Winnie Stott in Armchair Orienteering II (1987, Canadian Orienteering Federation).
To best explain it, let's start off with the opposite of CAR: Why not plan your route from where you are? After all, this is where you will start running. Don't do it! When you start route planning from where you are, you will often shortcut the route selection process by making a beeline for the control or by heading toward the nearest big thing you can find that is close to you and more or less on the way to the control. Then you will look for the next spot to jump to and you will progress toward the control in a series of jumps from one place or feature to another. What is so deceiving about this method is that it can work quite well for much of the time, particularly when you are just starting out and are not very fast anyway. When you begin any sport or meaningful activity, though, you should also begin building good habits immediately.
If you start route planning from where you are and work toward the control, you will tend to move in increments, often causing you to miss better routes in favor of going straight ahead or to overlook a good attack point near the control. Remember, your route should be simplified by going to the attack point, not the control. On the other hand, when starting from the control, you find the closest feature near the control that you know you can find to use as a good attack point, and then you work your route backward from the attack point to where you are. Note that the attack point does not have to be between you and the control. It may be to the left or right of the control and, in a few instances, on the far side of the control (think of a control just inside the woods with a field on the far side—you might choose to run to the field and come back to the control). Using CAR, the better routes should reveal themselves to you with little or no study. As a bonus, you will rarely be ambushed by an impassable feature that is close to the control and directly on your route but that you simply don't notice until you get there. If you did not use CAR, you now have to go around a swamp or a thicket or a logged area, losing time and energy.
CAR is particularly important in the orienteering events in which you must move and make decisions quickly and where any major error can put you out of contention. Some examples are in sprint orienteering, carelessly running into a cul de sac with no way out, or in ski or mountain bike orienteering, taking a ski trail or bike path that seems to start out well but takes you away from the control. All can be avoided if you work back from your destination.
Double Eye Sweep
For every leg of any course you should always say to yourself, “Control” (telling yourself to look at the control first), then “Attack point” (look for an attack point), and finally “Route” (follow the route from your attack point back to your location). I simply say each letter of the acronym to myself as I go through my process. However, there is one more component to CAR—the double eye sweep. CAR is the first eye sweep over the map starting from the control to the attack point to the route. The first eye sweep ends at your location. On the second sweep you look forward from where you are toward the control. There are two reasons to do the double eye sweep. First, you can quickly check for a better route that you may have missed on the first sweep and, second, you can take a quick glance for a catching feature just beyond the control—since you started at the control with CAR, you may have missed a useful feature behind it. If there is a good catching feature behind the control, you may be able to move much faster on a different route using rough compass reading or rough map reading. With practice and experience you should be able to accomplish a thorough double eye sweep for most legs in less than a second. It is important to emphasize that the first eye sweep must be from the control to your locations. (Use CAR, it works!) Build the good habits first and they become instinctive.
Orienteering Techniques for Route Selection
The route you take to the control determines how many of the five techniques you will be using. Finding attack points, aiming off, following handrails, finding collecting features, and stopping at catching features could all be used depending on the route. Remember to see the control first and then look for a nearby attack point. Note that if the control is close to the start or close to the control that you have just found (usually less than 200 m), you may be able to use your present location as the attack point using the skills of precision map reading or precision compass reading. In other words, your location becomes the attack point from which you make your final approach to the control.
If the control is not nearby, select an attack point, determine your route, and decide how to get to that attack point. Is the attack point large enough so that you can simply aim off and be sure of hitting it and then turning right or left to find the control? Is there a nice handrail that will guide you in or close to the direction you wish to travel? If there is no good opportunity to aim off or use a handrail, does the terrain lend itself well to navigating by collecting features along the way to the attack point or the control? Or perhaps this will be one of those rare but welcomed locations where you can use the skills of rough map reading and distance estimation and either hit the attack point (or control) dead on or relocate yourself quickly at the catching feature so that you go to the control in minimum time.
These questions may be a lot to ask yourself en route to each attack point and then to the control, but keep two things in mind. First, sometimes you need to slow down to go faster (meaning haste without a clear plan generally costs you time), and second, the process of route selection becomes faster and better as you gain experience. In other words, the more you do it, the better and faster you become to the extent that you begin subconsciously to ask yourself these questions. When you have practiced enough, your eyes on the map will answer the questions before your brain can even ask them, and off you'll go at race speed.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
The importance of finding attack points
An attack point is the closest feature to the control that you know you can find and from which you can then find the harder-to-locate control.
Finding Attack Points
An attack point is the closest feature to the control that you know you can find and from which you can then find the harder-to-locate control. Using attack points is the most important technique that you will ever use in any form of land navigation. You must be able to clearly identify the attack point on the map and on the terrain. Because the attack point is something you know without any doubt that you personally can find, it may not be the same for everyone. It is the last thing you expect to locate before your final approach to your destination. Every leg of the course has an attack point. On a short leg, it may be that you will make your final approach from your current control, in which case the control you are leaving has become your attack point. On a longer leg, you may aim for an intermediate destination such as the edge of a pond. That location becomes your attack point for the control.
In an earlier example from the land navigation training at the Marine Corps TBS, the student guessed where the instructors would logically park their Hummer to walk into the woods to the control location. Noting that there were drivable roads and a close location from which the instructors would know exactly where to start for the control, she would run to that easy-to-find location, not knowing that such a location is called an attack point.
As noted, it is difficult to follow a straight line in precision compass reading for very far. Remember also that for any distance over 450 meters, precision compass reading is practically impossible unless you are crossing an open field and can steer to a visible object that far away. Therefore, it makes sense to locate an attack point, preferably within 200 meters of the control, and then move, using the fastest possible approach (usually the appropriate rough skills) to arrive at that attack point, where you switch to one of the two precision skills. Using distance estimation by measure and pace the whole way will also keep you from making errors.
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What are some attributes of good attack points? First, they have to be easier to find than the control itself. Second, they should not take you too far out of the way. Third, they should be quicker to locate than the control. Fourth, they must be readily identifiable. And fifth, when you reach the attack point, you must know you are there.
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Attack points are often much larger features than the control. In the TBS example, the student used either a crossroads or an intersection of one road into another.These are large and generally easy to see on the map and on the ground. The corner of a lake or a pond often shows well on the ground and the map, as does a readily identifiable field, making all three good attack points. Again, be alert if there are a number of ponds or fields close by so that you do not assume you are at one field or pond when you are at another. The dreaded parallel error (see the sidebar) probably torments orienteers more than the dreaded 180-degree error (see chapter 4). Keeping the map oriented to the terrain and perfecting the skill of distance estimation are key to avoiding a parallel error.
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In going from the start triangle in figure 5.1 to the first control, an obvious, fast, and easy-to-find attack point is the path junction to the east of the control. In this map the dashed red line simply connects the controls; it does not show your route. My preferred route would be to run at an angle to the path on my right and then move as fast as I could to the path junction, which would be my attack point. Experienced orienteers might use the small hill upon whose edge the control is located as their attack point. Going from control 1 to control 2, the northeast corner of the westernmost pond is an excellent attack point. On the other hand, note the possibility of a parallel error if you are actually at the other pond to the north while thinking you are at the southern pond. Proper distance estimation helps to prevent any parallel error with the third pond, which is much too close to control 1. Navigating from control 2 to 3, you have a choice of attack points, either the edge of the field, the pronounced bend in the stream, or if you wish to get closer, the building beside the trail. None is particularly better than the others; they simply illustrate that you may have several choices for an attack point—just pick one and go.
What is the attack point from control 3 to control 4? If you used the skill of distance estimation and you learn that control 4 is only 135 meters from control 3, you can use control 3 as your attack point and follow a compass heading to control 4. Remember, control 3 is easy to find (you are already there!), and it is a short enough distance to use precision compass reading. If you thought you had to have another attack point such as the large boulder to the east of point 4, at least you have the process down cold. Just don't forget that your attack point should not take you too far away from the control you are trying to find, and in this case the small hilltop may be easier to locate than the large boulder.
To sum up, the technique of finding an attack point requires the orienteer to find a more easily locatable place (or point) from which to attack the control. It must be easier to find than the control, not too far out of the way, and readily identifiable on the map and on the ground. Remember also that the best attack point may be behind the control, forcing you to run a little farther but insuring that you find the control quickly. You should always select an attack point. Some orienteers eschew using an attack point for each control, but as with distance estimation and other skills, techniques, and processes, we can say, “That works for those orienteers—until it doesn't!” In other words, orienteer correctly and it will serve you well. Get sloppy and you may get away with it for a while, but bad practices will eventually betray you.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Learn the international orienteering map symbols with this game
Place a thumb on the map and glance at the area above the thumb for 1 to 3 seconds.
Map Symbol Relay
Objective
To learn the international orienteering map symbols through a relay game
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Quick recognition of map symbols
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Walking or running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
5 minutes
On Map
No
Materials
Index cards (5 × 7 in. [13 × 18 cm]) with a map symbol drawn on one side and a written description of another symbol on the other side. Provide one set of 10 cards per five people. Color-coded cards will keep the sets separate.
Setup
Make cards as shown. Mark a starting line for the teams. At a set distance (10, 20, 30 m), place a set of cards on the ground with symbol side facing up. Place next set of cards about 3 meters away to keep them separate (see diagram).
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Description
The group is divided into at least two teams of equal size. On “Go,” the first person on each team runs a set distance to a group of cards and chooses one card. He races back to his teammates, where he hands his card to the next person in line. This person flips over the card and reads the description of a symbol that she must find. She races to the group of cards and returns with the correct one. Teams repeat the process until all of the cards have been collected. The team that collects all of its cards first wins.
Variations
- Consider making teams of mixed ability levels.
- Teams could be arranged by course color, with more advanced colors having a farther distance to run to reach their group of cards.
- Use the cards as flash cards for a seated audience.
Never a Dull Moment
Objective
To increase the ability to quickly read and remember map detail
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Map memory
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Sitting, walking, or running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
15-30 minutes
On Map
Yes
Materials
Map
Setup
Place maps in locations at home, work, school, car, and so on where they are accessible when a free moment arises. For instance, place maps in the kitchen, next to the commode, near the telephone, or in your car, purse, briefcase, or schoolbag.
Description
Place a thumb on the map and glance at the area above the thumb for 1 to 3 seconds. Then, quiz yourself to recall what you have seen (e.g., black features such as trails, cliffs, boulders, and buildings; blue features; and so on). Ask yourself what you saw, where it was in relation to other features, what direction it was oriented, slope characteristics, and so on. Then look again and notice additional features. Repeat until you have completely described the area.
Variations
- Do while walking, running, waiting in line, and so on.
- If no map is available while running, practice recalling license plate numbers.
Comments
Remember, safety first. While driving, do this activity only when the car is stopped.
Map Memory Relay
Objective
To memorize map and course detail during physical activity
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Map memory, precision map reading
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
10-15 minutes
On Map
Yes
Materials
Two maps per team, one red or purple pen per team, one circle template per team
Setup
Mark a course of appropriate difficulty on one map for each team. Place marked maps at one end of the room (or outdoor area) and unmarked maps at the other end along with pens and templates. Map boards may be necessary if outdoors.
Description
The group is divided into teams of equal size. Teams are given one unmarked map, a pen, and a circle template. On “Go,” the first person on each team runs to the marked map and memorizes the start triangle and as many controls as possible. He then returns to the unmarked map and draws the course from memory, including numbering controls and adding lines. The first team to finish with all controls correctly drawn and labeled wins. Award 5 points for each correct control, with 1 point subtracted (up to 5) for each millimeter the circle is off.
Variation
Draw a different course on each map and have teams do each other's map when they are through.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Learn the benefits of orienteering
Orienteering offers many benefits, but its real attraction is that it is fun!
Benefits of Orienteering
Orienteering offers many benefits, but its real attraction is that it is fun! It is a joy to walk and run through forests and fields. If you like competing, there are many age and skill-level groups to fulfill that wish. The ultimate quest for the orienteer is to find the balance between mental and physical exertion, to know how fast you can go and still be able to interpret the terrain around you and execute your route choice successfully.
Orienteering is a lifetime fitness sport that challenges the mind. It offers the obvious development of individual skills in navigating while problem solving to locate each control. Decision making is paramount: Should I go left or right? Should I climb that hill or go the long way around it? These decisions that constantly arise require thinking more than quick reactions or instinct; again, that is why orienteering is called the thinking sport. And remember, these decisions are being made under competitive stress and increasing fatigue, helping you to become mentally tougher in other stressful situations. Orienteers learn to be self-reliant since most orienteering is individual, and even in the team and mass-start versions, teammates usually practice individually to improve.
Orienteering builds self-esteem; it takes courage to forge ahead by oneself through unknown areas, particularly in the forests that are not familiar to those who live in cities. So many easily reachable, beautiful outdoor areas exist in the United States, Canada, and the rest of the world that feeling comfortable in the outdoors triples the pleasure of being there. Every time you locate a control or relocate yourself from being temporarily misdirected, your confidence grows. Spatial relationships become more meaningful as the orienteer has to plan how to get from one place to another and figure out whether the chosen route goes uphill or downhill and when and how far. Good orienteers learn to stay aware of their surroundings as they plan what they will see along the route to the control, a talent that is useful whether you are driving to your grandmother's or trying to find your way back from a classroom on your first day of college. How can you plan what you will see? The map symbols and contours will describe it for your imagination. Orienteers learn to recognize and use new resources, whether they are the map and compass, the park or playground, or the more personal resources of fitness and mental agility.
Not only is it thoroughly enjoyable to get out into parks and forests and off the paths to experience nature while orienteering, but also being a trained and experienced navigator can be plainly useful or even lifesaving. On a simple level, you need never be lost again. A complete definition of lost has two parts. First, you do not know where you are located. Second, you do not know how to get to a known location. Even if they are temporarily mislocated, orienteers have the skills and techniques to relocate themselves and to continue on to their destination. Orienteers fully understand the L.L. Bean T-shirt that quotes its founder: “If you get lost, come straight back to camp.” Even if you do not know where you are, if you know how to get back to camp, then you are not lost. You can toss the word lost right out of your vocabulary, because as an orienteer you won't ever need it again!
Another important outcome of orienteering is increased confidence. You may be timid but would like to build your confidence and become better at a sport than anyone around you, or perhaps you simply wish to be more comfortable in the outdoors. Gaining the skills and techniques to be able always to find your way out of the woods builds confidence in all aspects of your life.
Athletes who are tired of running circles on a track or slogging along paved roads find running cross country to be refreshing while at the same time good for building endurance and muscle. Outside of Florida and parts of Texas, most orienteering areas tend to be hilly, not flat. Undulations in the terrain provide the right environment for athletes and nonathletes alike to develop strong hearts, legs, and lungs.
Teachers have found that orienteering relates to every academic discipline, from math to history to environmental awareness to public policy, and it does so in new and interesting ways. Orienteering at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, brings American history right to your own footprints. Counting paces and measuring on maps teach the metric system through action without obviously doing so. Keeping personal records to improve while training implements data collection, logical thinking, and demonstrable self-improvement. Writing about your experiences improves word discipline and grammar while teaching audience focus. Playing by the rules imparts ethics training and standards of fairness.
Finally, people who enjoy orienteering become enthusiastic about environmental stewardship. Orienteers believe in the motto, “Take nothing away; leave nothing behind,” another way of saying that orienteers clean up their trash and don't pick the flowers. Because orienteering is gentle on the environment, orienteers do not damage the areas they cross, nor do they cross over areas that are fragile. Orienteering mappers are careful to mark as off-limits areas that are inhabited by endangered plants and animals or that are private land on the maps they develop for competition and training. Event directors and coaches work closely with park rangers and wildlife managers to protect local environments and fragile habitats.
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Places to Orienteer
You can orienteer anywhere you can make or obtain a map. Orienteers navigate in classrooms, schoolyards, city parks, urban areas, residential areas, streets, state and national parks, and wilderness areas. Even better, you can orienteer in your community, throughout the United States, and all over the world. Orienteering map symbols and appropriate colors are approved by the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) and are followed around the globe (for example, blue stands for water). Therefore, if you pick up an orienteering map in China or Russia, you do not have to read Chinese or Russian to understand the map well enough to orienteer on that map. Symbols are further discussed in chapter 3.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Five techniques that are the key to successful orienteering
There is no doubt that good route selection and proper execution of the five techniques along your route are keys to success in orienteering.
Selecting the Route
There is no doubt that good route selection and proper execution of the five techniques along your route are keys to success in orienteering. Considering that transit speed (how long it takes to get from one control to another and around the whole course) is the measure of your success, there are a number of factors to keep in mind. First, remember an old military axiom, “Better is the enemy of good.” In other words, select a good route quickly. Don't lose time by attempting to select the absolute best route. Another bit of excellent advice from one of the highest-achieving North American orienteers in international orienteering competition, Canadian Ted de St. Croix, is to pick a route and stick to it. This does not mean that you cannot make small changes to improve your route as you progress toward the control, but it does mean that it is difficult to see the best route on your map for every control. Therefore, just pick a good route and move out. Over the span of a number of controls, you may pick a best route some of the time, a good route much of the time, and occasionally a poor route. However, so will the other orienteers against whom you are competing, so it evens out over courses, events, and time. On the other hand, if you waste precious minutes or even seconds by repeatedly trying to determine the best route for every control (with other things being equal, such as orienteering ability and race fitness), then you are going to lose to those orienteers who quickly pick a route and go with it.
Start With the End
How do you pick a route? Although we have briefly touched on it in previous chapters, the art of selecting a route from the start to the first control or from one control to the next control may still surprise you. To repeat one of the seven habits of highly successful people by acclaimed author Stephen Covey, start with the end in mind. In other words, start by looking at the target, which is the control you want to find. Our acronym for the process of route selection is CAR.
Control-Attack Point-Route (CAR)
CAR stands for control-attack point-route, the exact order in which you decide on your route. This concept was developed by Winnie Stott in Armchair Orienteering II (1987, Canadian Orienteering Federation).
To best explain it, let's start off with the opposite of CAR: Why not plan your route from where you are? After all, this is where you will start running. Don't do it! When you start route planning from where you are, you will often shortcut the route selection process by making a beeline for the control or by heading toward the nearest big thing you can find that is close to you and more or less on the way to the control. Then you will look for the next spot to jump to and you will progress toward the control in a series of jumps from one place or feature to another. What is so deceiving about this method is that it can work quite well for much of the time, particularly when you are just starting out and are not very fast anyway. When you begin any sport or meaningful activity, though, you should also begin building good habits immediately.
If you start route planning from where you are and work toward the control, you will tend to move in increments, often causing you to miss better routes in favor of going straight ahead or to overlook a good attack point near the control. Remember, your route should be simplified by going to the attack point, not the control. On the other hand, when starting from the control, you find the closest feature near the control that you know you can find to use as a good attack point, and then you work your route backward from the attack point to where you are. Note that the attack point does not have to be between you and the control. It may be to the left or right of the control and, in a few instances, on the far side of the control (think of a control just inside the woods with a field on the far side—you might choose to run to the field and come back to the control). Using CAR, the better routes should reveal themselves to you with little or no study. As a bonus, you will rarely be ambushed by an impassable feature that is close to the control and directly on your route but that you simply don't notice until you get there. If you did not use CAR, you now have to go around a swamp or a thicket or a logged area, losing time and energy.
CAR is particularly important in the orienteering events in which you must move and make decisions quickly and where any major error can put you out of contention. Some examples are in sprint orienteering, carelessly running into a cul de sac with no way out, or in ski or mountain bike orienteering, taking a ski trail or bike path that seems to start out well but takes you away from the control. All can be avoided if you work back from your destination.
Double Eye Sweep
For every leg of any course you should always say to yourself, “Control” (telling yourself to look at the control first), then “Attack point” (look for an attack point), and finally “Route” (follow the route from your attack point back to your location). I simply say each letter of the acronym to myself as I go through my process. However, there is one more component to CAR—the double eye sweep. CAR is the first eye sweep over the map starting from the control to the attack point to the route. The first eye sweep ends at your location. On the second sweep you look forward from where you are toward the control. There are two reasons to do the double eye sweep. First, you can quickly check for a better route that you may have missed on the first sweep and, second, you can take a quick glance for a catching feature just beyond the control—since you started at the control with CAR, you may have missed a useful feature behind it. If there is a good catching feature behind the control, you may be able to move much faster on a different route using rough compass reading or rough map reading. With practice and experience you should be able to accomplish a thorough double eye sweep for most legs in less than a second. It is important to emphasize that the first eye sweep must be from the control to your locations. (Use CAR, it works!) Build the good habits first and they become instinctive.
Orienteering Techniques for Route Selection
The route you take to the control determines how many of the five techniques you will be using. Finding attack points, aiming off, following handrails, finding collecting features, and stopping at catching features could all be used depending on the route. Remember to see the control first and then look for a nearby attack point. Note that if the control is close to the start or close to the control that you have just found (usually less than 200 m), you may be able to use your present location as the attack point using the skills of precision map reading or precision compass reading. In other words, your location becomes the attack point from which you make your final approach to the control.
If the control is not nearby, select an attack point, determine your route, and decide how to get to that attack point. Is the attack point large enough so that you can simply aim off and be sure of hitting it and then turning right or left to find the control? Is there a nice handrail that will guide you in or close to the direction you wish to travel? If there is no good opportunity to aim off or use a handrail, does the terrain lend itself well to navigating by collecting features along the way to the attack point or the control? Or perhaps this will be one of those rare but welcomed locations where you can use the skills of rough map reading and distance estimation and either hit the attack point (or control) dead on or relocate yourself quickly at the catching feature so that you go to the control in minimum time.
These questions may be a lot to ask yourself en route to each attack point and then to the control, but keep two things in mind. First, sometimes you need to slow down to go faster (meaning haste without a clear plan generally costs you time), and second, the process of route selection becomes faster and better as you gain experience. In other words, the more you do it, the better and faster you become to the extent that you begin subconsciously to ask yourself these questions. When you have practiced enough, your eyes on the map will answer the questions before your brain can even ask them, and off you'll go at race speed.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
The importance of finding attack points
An attack point is the closest feature to the control that you know you can find and from which you can then find the harder-to-locate control.
Finding Attack Points
An attack point is the closest feature to the control that you know you can find and from which you can then find the harder-to-locate control. Using attack points is the most important technique that you will ever use in any form of land navigation. You must be able to clearly identify the attack point on the map and on the terrain. Because the attack point is something you know without any doubt that you personally can find, it may not be the same for everyone. It is the last thing you expect to locate before your final approach to your destination. Every leg of the course has an attack point. On a short leg, it may be that you will make your final approach from your current control, in which case the control you are leaving has become your attack point. On a longer leg, you may aim for an intermediate destination such as the edge of a pond. That location becomes your attack point for the control.
In an earlier example from the land navigation training at the Marine Corps TBS, the student guessed where the instructors would logically park their Hummer to walk into the woods to the control location. Noting that there were drivable roads and a close location from which the instructors would know exactly where to start for the control, she would run to that easy-to-find location, not knowing that such a location is called an attack point.
As noted, it is difficult to follow a straight line in precision compass reading for very far. Remember also that for any distance over 450 meters, precision compass reading is practically impossible unless you are crossing an open field and can steer to a visible object that far away. Therefore, it makes sense to locate an attack point, preferably within 200 meters of the control, and then move, using the fastest possible approach (usually the appropriate rough skills) to arrive at that attack point, where you switch to one of the two precision skills. Using distance estimation by measure and pace the whole way will also keep you from making errors.
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What are some attributes of good attack points? First, they have to be easier to find than the control itself. Second, they should not take you too far out of the way. Third, they should be quicker to locate than the control. Fourth, they must be readily identifiable. And fifth, when you reach the attack point, you must know you are there.
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Attack points are often much larger features than the control. In the TBS example, the student used either a crossroads or an intersection of one road into another.These are large and generally easy to see on the map and on the ground. The corner of a lake or a pond often shows well on the ground and the map, as does a readily identifiable field, making all three good attack points. Again, be alert if there are a number of ponds or fields close by so that you do not assume you are at one field or pond when you are at another. The dreaded parallel error (see the sidebar) probably torments orienteers more than the dreaded 180-degree error (see chapter 4). Keeping the map oriented to the terrain and perfecting the skill of distance estimation are key to avoiding a parallel error.
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In going from the start triangle in figure 5.1 to the first control, an obvious, fast, and easy-to-find attack point is the path junction to the east of the control. In this map the dashed red line simply connects the controls; it does not show your route. My preferred route would be to run at an angle to the path on my right and then move as fast as I could to the path junction, which would be my attack point. Experienced orienteers might use the small hill upon whose edge the control is located as their attack point. Going from control 1 to control 2, the northeast corner of the westernmost pond is an excellent attack point. On the other hand, note the possibility of a parallel error if you are actually at the other pond to the north while thinking you are at the southern pond. Proper distance estimation helps to prevent any parallel error with the third pond, which is much too close to control 1. Navigating from control 2 to 3, you have a choice of attack points, either the edge of the field, the pronounced bend in the stream, or if you wish to get closer, the building beside the trail. None is particularly better than the others; they simply illustrate that you may have several choices for an attack point—just pick one and go.
What is the attack point from control 3 to control 4? If you used the skill of distance estimation and you learn that control 4 is only 135 meters from control 3, you can use control 3 as your attack point and follow a compass heading to control 4. Remember, control 3 is easy to find (you are already there!), and it is a short enough distance to use precision compass reading. If you thought you had to have another attack point such as the large boulder to the east of point 4, at least you have the process down cold. Just don't forget that your attack point should not take you too far away from the control you are trying to find, and in this case the small hilltop may be easier to locate than the large boulder.
To sum up, the technique of finding an attack point requires the orienteer to find a more easily locatable place (or point) from which to attack the control. It must be easier to find than the control, not too far out of the way, and readily identifiable on the map and on the ground. Remember also that the best attack point may be behind the control, forcing you to run a little farther but insuring that you find the control quickly. You should always select an attack point. Some orienteers eschew using an attack point for each control, but as with distance estimation and other skills, techniques, and processes, we can say, “That works for those orienteers—until it doesn't!” In other words, orienteer correctly and it will serve you well. Get sloppy and you may get away with it for a while, but bad practices will eventually betray you.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Learn the international orienteering map symbols with this game
Place a thumb on the map and glance at the area above the thumb for 1 to 3 seconds.
Map Symbol Relay
Objective
To learn the international orienteering map symbols through a relay game
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Quick recognition of map symbols
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Walking or running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
5 minutes
On Map
No
Materials
Index cards (5 × 7 in. [13 × 18 cm]) with a map symbol drawn on one side and a written description of another symbol on the other side. Provide one set of 10 cards per five people. Color-coded cards will keep the sets separate.
Setup
Make cards as shown. Mark a starting line for the teams. At a set distance (10, 20, 30 m), place a set of cards on the ground with symbol side facing up. Place next set of cards about 3 meters away to keep them separate (see diagram).
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Description
The group is divided into at least two teams of equal size. On “Go,” the first person on each team runs a set distance to a group of cards and chooses one card. He races back to his teammates, where he hands his card to the next person in line. This person flips over the card and reads the description of a symbol that she must find. She races to the group of cards and returns with the correct one. Teams repeat the process until all of the cards have been collected. The team that collects all of its cards first wins.
Variations
- Consider making teams of mixed ability levels.
- Teams could be arranged by course color, with more advanced colors having a farther distance to run to reach their group of cards.
- Use the cards as flash cards for a seated audience.
Never a Dull Moment
Objective
To increase the ability to quickly read and remember map detail
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Map memory
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Sitting, walking, or running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
15-30 minutes
On Map
Yes
Materials
Map
Setup
Place maps in locations at home, work, school, car, and so on where they are accessible when a free moment arises. For instance, place maps in the kitchen, next to the commode, near the telephone, or in your car, purse, briefcase, or schoolbag.
Description
Place a thumb on the map and glance at the area above the thumb for 1 to 3 seconds. Then, quiz yourself to recall what you have seen (e.g., black features such as trails, cliffs, boulders, and buildings; blue features; and so on). Ask yourself what you saw, where it was in relation to other features, what direction it was oriented, slope characteristics, and so on. Then look again and notice additional features. Repeat until you have completely described the area.
Variations
- Do while walking, running, waiting in line, and so on.
- If no map is available while running, practice recalling license plate numbers.
Comments
Remember, safety first. While driving, do this activity only when the car is stopped.
Map Memory Relay
Objective
To memorize map and course detail during physical activity
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Map memory, precision map reading
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
10-15 minutes
On Map
Yes
Materials
Two maps per team, one red or purple pen per team, one circle template per team
Setup
Mark a course of appropriate difficulty on one map for each team. Place marked maps at one end of the room (or outdoor area) and unmarked maps at the other end along with pens and templates. Map boards may be necessary if outdoors.
Description
The group is divided into teams of equal size. Teams are given one unmarked map, a pen, and a circle template. On “Go,” the first person on each team runs to the marked map and memorizes the start triangle and as many controls as possible. He then returns to the unmarked map and draws the course from memory, including numbering controls and adding lines. The first team to finish with all controls correctly drawn and labeled wins. Award 5 points for each correct control, with 1 point subtracted (up to 5) for each millimeter the circle is off.
Variation
Draw a different course on each map and have teams do each other's map when they are through.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Learn the benefits of orienteering
Orienteering offers many benefits, but its real attraction is that it is fun!
Benefits of Orienteering
Orienteering offers many benefits, but its real attraction is that it is fun! It is a joy to walk and run through forests and fields. If you like competing, there are many age and skill-level groups to fulfill that wish. The ultimate quest for the orienteer is to find the balance between mental and physical exertion, to know how fast you can go and still be able to interpret the terrain around you and execute your route choice successfully.
Orienteering is a lifetime fitness sport that challenges the mind. It offers the obvious development of individual skills in navigating while problem solving to locate each control. Decision making is paramount: Should I go left or right? Should I climb that hill or go the long way around it? These decisions that constantly arise require thinking more than quick reactions or instinct; again, that is why orienteering is called the thinking sport. And remember, these decisions are being made under competitive stress and increasing fatigue, helping you to become mentally tougher in other stressful situations. Orienteers learn to be self-reliant since most orienteering is individual, and even in the team and mass-start versions, teammates usually practice individually to improve.
Orienteering builds self-esteem; it takes courage to forge ahead by oneself through unknown areas, particularly in the forests that are not familiar to those who live in cities. So many easily reachable, beautiful outdoor areas exist in the United States, Canada, and the rest of the world that feeling comfortable in the outdoors triples the pleasure of being there. Every time you locate a control or relocate yourself from being temporarily misdirected, your confidence grows. Spatial relationships become more meaningful as the orienteer has to plan how to get from one place to another and figure out whether the chosen route goes uphill or downhill and when and how far. Good orienteers learn to stay aware of their surroundings as they plan what they will see along the route to the control, a talent that is useful whether you are driving to your grandmother's or trying to find your way back from a classroom on your first day of college. How can you plan what you will see? The map symbols and contours will describe it for your imagination. Orienteers learn to recognize and use new resources, whether they are the map and compass, the park or playground, or the more personal resources of fitness and mental agility.
Not only is it thoroughly enjoyable to get out into parks and forests and off the paths to experience nature while orienteering, but also being a trained and experienced navigator can be plainly useful or even lifesaving. On a simple level, you need never be lost again. A complete definition of lost has two parts. First, you do not know where you are located. Second, you do not know how to get to a known location. Even if they are temporarily mislocated, orienteers have the skills and techniques to relocate themselves and to continue on to their destination. Orienteers fully understand the L.L. Bean T-shirt that quotes its founder: “If you get lost, come straight back to camp.” Even if you do not know where you are, if you know how to get back to camp, then you are not lost. You can toss the word lost right out of your vocabulary, because as an orienteer you won't ever need it again!
Another important outcome of orienteering is increased confidence. You may be timid but would like to build your confidence and become better at a sport than anyone around you, or perhaps you simply wish to be more comfortable in the outdoors. Gaining the skills and techniques to be able always to find your way out of the woods builds confidence in all aspects of your life.
Athletes who are tired of running circles on a track or slogging along paved roads find running cross country to be refreshing while at the same time good for building endurance and muscle. Outside of Florida and parts of Texas, most orienteering areas tend to be hilly, not flat. Undulations in the terrain provide the right environment for athletes and nonathletes alike to develop strong hearts, legs, and lungs.
Teachers have found that orienteering relates to every academic discipline, from math to history to environmental awareness to public policy, and it does so in new and interesting ways. Orienteering at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, brings American history right to your own footprints. Counting paces and measuring on maps teach the metric system through action without obviously doing so. Keeping personal records to improve while training implements data collection, logical thinking, and demonstrable self-improvement. Writing about your experiences improves word discipline and grammar while teaching audience focus. Playing by the rules imparts ethics training and standards of fairness.
Finally, people who enjoy orienteering become enthusiastic about environmental stewardship. Orienteers believe in the motto, “Take nothing away; leave nothing behind,” another way of saying that orienteers clean up their trash and don't pick the flowers. Because orienteering is gentle on the environment, orienteers do not damage the areas they cross, nor do they cross over areas that are fragile. Orienteering mappers are careful to mark as off-limits areas that are inhabited by endangered plants and animals or that are private land on the maps they develop for competition and training. Event directors and coaches work closely with park rangers and wildlife managers to protect local environments and fragile habitats.
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Places to Orienteer
You can orienteer anywhere you can make or obtain a map. Orienteers navigate in classrooms, schoolyards, city parks, urban areas, residential areas, streets, state and national parks, and wilderness areas. Even better, you can orienteer in your community, throughout the United States, and all over the world. Orienteering map symbols and appropriate colors are approved by the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) and are followed around the globe (for example, blue stands for water). Therefore, if you pick up an orienteering map in China or Russia, you do not have to read Chinese or Russian to understand the map well enough to orienteer on that map. Symbols are further discussed in chapter 3.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Five techniques that are the key to successful orienteering
There is no doubt that good route selection and proper execution of the five techniques along your route are keys to success in orienteering.
Selecting the Route
There is no doubt that good route selection and proper execution of the five techniques along your route are keys to success in orienteering. Considering that transit speed (how long it takes to get from one control to another and around the whole course) is the measure of your success, there are a number of factors to keep in mind. First, remember an old military axiom, “Better is the enemy of good.” In other words, select a good route quickly. Don't lose time by attempting to select the absolute best route. Another bit of excellent advice from one of the highest-achieving North American orienteers in international orienteering competition, Canadian Ted de St. Croix, is to pick a route and stick to it. This does not mean that you cannot make small changes to improve your route as you progress toward the control, but it does mean that it is difficult to see the best route on your map for every control. Therefore, just pick a good route and move out. Over the span of a number of controls, you may pick a best route some of the time, a good route much of the time, and occasionally a poor route. However, so will the other orienteers against whom you are competing, so it evens out over courses, events, and time. On the other hand, if you waste precious minutes or even seconds by repeatedly trying to determine the best route for every control (with other things being equal, such as orienteering ability and race fitness), then you are going to lose to those orienteers who quickly pick a route and go with it.
Start With the End
How do you pick a route? Although we have briefly touched on it in previous chapters, the art of selecting a route from the start to the first control or from one control to the next control may still surprise you. To repeat one of the seven habits of highly successful people by acclaimed author Stephen Covey, start with the end in mind. In other words, start by looking at the target, which is the control you want to find. Our acronym for the process of route selection is CAR.
Control-Attack Point-Route (CAR)
CAR stands for control-attack point-route, the exact order in which you decide on your route. This concept was developed by Winnie Stott in Armchair Orienteering II (1987, Canadian Orienteering Federation).
To best explain it, let's start off with the opposite of CAR: Why not plan your route from where you are? After all, this is where you will start running. Don't do it! When you start route planning from where you are, you will often shortcut the route selection process by making a beeline for the control or by heading toward the nearest big thing you can find that is close to you and more or less on the way to the control. Then you will look for the next spot to jump to and you will progress toward the control in a series of jumps from one place or feature to another. What is so deceiving about this method is that it can work quite well for much of the time, particularly when you are just starting out and are not very fast anyway. When you begin any sport or meaningful activity, though, you should also begin building good habits immediately.
If you start route planning from where you are and work toward the control, you will tend to move in increments, often causing you to miss better routes in favor of going straight ahead or to overlook a good attack point near the control. Remember, your route should be simplified by going to the attack point, not the control. On the other hand, when starting from the control, you find the closest feature near the control that you know you can find to use as a good attack point, and then you work your route backward from the attack point to where you are. Note that the attack point does not have to be between you and the control. It may be to the left or right of the control and, in a few instances, on the far side of the control (think of a control just inside the woods with a field on the far side—you might choose to run to the field and come back to the control). Using CAR, the better routes should reveal themselves to you with little or no study. As a bonus, you will rarely be ambushed by an impassable feature that is close to the control and directly on your route but that you simply don't notice until you get there. If you did not use CAR, you now have to go around a swamp or a thicket or a logged area, losing time and energy.
CAR is particularly important in the orienteering events in which you must move and make decisions quickly and where any major error can put you out of contention. Some examples are in sprint orienteering, carelessly running into a cul de sac with no way out, or in ski or mountain bike orienteering, taking a ski trail or bike path that seems to start out well but takes you away from the control. All can be avoided if you work back from your destination.
Double Eye Sweep
For every leg of any course you should always say to yourself, “Control” (telling yourself to look at the control first), then “Attack point” (look for an attack point), and finally “Route” (follow the route from your attack point back to your location). I simply say each letter of the acronym to myself as I go through my process. However, there is one more component to CAR—the double eye sweep. CAR is the first eye sweep over the map starting from the control to the attack point to the route. The first eye sweep ends at your location. On the second sweep you look forward from where you are toward the control. There are two reasons to do the double eye sweep. First, you can quickly check for a better route that you may have missed on the first sweep and, second, you can take a quick glance for a catching feature just beyond the control—since you started at the control with CAR, you may have missed a useful feature behind it. If there is a good catching feature behind the control, you may be able to move much faster on a different route using rough compass reading or rough map reading. With practice and experience you should be able to accomplish a thorough double eye sweep for most legs in less than a second. It is important to emphasize that the first eye sweep must be from the control to your locations. (Use CAR, it works!) Build the good habits first and they become instinctive.
Orienteering Techniques for Route Selection
The route you take to the control determines how many of the five techniques you will be using. Finding attack points, aiming off, following handrails, finding collecting features, and stopping at catching features could all be used depending on the route. Remember to see the control first and then look for a nearby attack point. Note that if the control is close to the start or close to the control that you have just found (usually less than 200 m), you may be able to use your present location as the attack point using the skills of precision map reading or precision compass reading. In other words, your location becomes the attack point from which you make your final approach to the control.
If the control is not nearby, select an attack point, determine your route, and decide how to get to that attack point. Is the attack point large enough so that you can simply aim off and be sure of hitting it and then turning right or left to find the control? Is there a nice handrail that will guide you in or close to the direction you wish to travel? If there is no good opportunity to aim off or use a handrail, does the terrain lend itself well to navigating by collecting features along the way to the attack point or the control? Or perhaps this will be one of those rare but welcomed locations where you can use the skills of rough map reading and distance estimation and either hit the attack point (or control) dead on or relocate yourself quickly at the catching feature so that you go to the control in minimum time.
These questions may be a lot to ask yourself en route to each attack point and then to the control, but keep two things in mind. First, sometimes you need to slow down to go faster (meaning haste without a clear plan generally costs you time), and second, the process of route selection becomes faster and better as you gain experience. In other words, the more you do it, the better and faster you become to the extent that you begin subconsciously to ask yourself these questions. When you have practiced enough, your eyes on the map will answer the questions before your brain can even ask them, and off you'll go at race speed.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
The importance of finding attack points
An attack point is the closest feature to the control that you know you can find and from which you can then find the harder-to-locate control.
Finding Attack Points
An attack point is the closest feature to the control that you know you can find and from which you can then find the harder-to-locate control. Using attack points is the most important technique that you will ever use in any form of land navigation. You must be able to clearly identify the attack point on the map and on the terrain. Because the attack point is something you know without any doubt that you personally can find, it may not be the same for everyone. It is the last thing you expect to locate before your final approach to your destination. Every leg of the course has an attack point. On a short leg, it may be that you will make your final approach from your current control, in which case the control you are leaving has become your attack point. On a longer leg, you may aim for an intermediate destination such as the edge of a pond. That location becomes your attack point for the control.
In an earlier example from the land navigation training at the Marine Corps TBS, the student guessed where the instructors would logically park their Hummer to walk into the woods to the control location. Noting that there were drivable roads and a close location from which the instructors would know exactly where to start for the control, she would run to that easy-to-find location, not knowing that such a location is called an attack point.
As noted, it is difficult to follow a straight line in precision compass reading for very far. Remember also that for any distance over 450 meters, precision compass reading is practically impossible unless you are crossing an open field and can steer to a visible object that far away. Therefore, it makes sense to locate an attack point, preferably within 200 meters of the control, and then move, using the fastest possible approach (usually the appropriate rough skills) to arrive at that attack point, where you switch to one of the two precision skills. Using distance estimation by measure and pace the whole way will also keep you from making errors.
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What are some attributes of good attack points? First, they have to be easier to find than the control itself. Second, they should not take you too far out of the way. Third, they should be quicker to locate than the control. Fourth, they must be readily identifiable. And fifth, when you reach the attack point, you must know you are there.
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Attack points are often much larger features than the control. In the TBS example, the student used either a crossroads or an intersection of one road into another.These are large and generally easy to see on the map and on the ground. The corner of a lake or a pond often shows well on the ground and the map, as does a readily identifiable field, making all three good attack points. Again, be alert if there are a number of ponds or fields close by so that you do not assume you are at one field or pond when you are at another. The dreaded parallel error (see the sidebar) probably torments orienteers more than the dreaded 180-degree error (see chapter 4). Keeping the map oriented to the terrain and perfecting the skill of distance estimation are key to avoiding a parallel error.
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In going from the start triangle in figure 5.1 to the first control, an obvious, fast, and easy-to-find attack point is the path junction to the east of the control. In this map the dashed red line simply connects the controls; it does not show your route. My preferred route would be to run at an angle to the path on my right and then move as fast as I could to the path junction, which would be my attack point. Experienced orienteers might use the small hill upon whose edge the control is located as their attack point. Going from control 1 to control 2, the northeast corner of the westernmost pond is an excellent attack point. On the other hand, note the possibility of a parallel error if you are actually at the other pond to the north while thinking you are at the southern pond. Proper distance estimation helps to prevent any parallel error with the third pond, which is much too close to control 1. Navigating from control 2 to 3, you have a choice of attack points, either the edge of the field, the pronounced bend in the stream, or if you wish to get closer, the building beside the trail. None is particularly better than the others; they simply illustrate that you may have several choices for an attack point—just pick one and go.
What is the attack point from control 3 to control 4? If you used the skill of distance estimation and you learn that control 4 is only 135 meters from control 3, you can use control 3 as your attack point and follow a compass heading to control 4. Remember, control 3 is easy to find (you are already there!), and it is a short enough distance to use precision compass reading. If you thought you had to have another attack point such as the large boulder to the east of point 4, at least you have the process down cold. Just don't forget that your attack point should not take you too far away from the control you are trying to find, and in this case the small hilltop may be easier to locate than the large boulder.
To sum up, the technique of finding an attack point requires the orienteer to find a more easily locatable place (or point) from which to attack the control. It must be easier to find than the control, not too far out of the way, and readily identifiable on the map and on the ground. Remember also that the best attack point may be behind the control, forcing you to run a little farther but insuring that you find the control quickly. You should always select an attack point. Some orienteers eschew using an attack point for each control, but as with distance estimation and other skills, techniques, and processes, we can say, “That works for those orienteers—until it doesn't!” In other words, orienteer correctly and it will serve you well. Get sloppy and you may get away with it for a while, but bad practices will eventually betray you.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Learn the international orienteering map symbols with this game
Place a thumb on the map and glance at the area above the thumb for 1 to 3 seconds.
Map Symbol Relay
Objective
To learn the international orienteering map symbols through a relay game
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Quick recognition of map symbols
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Walking or running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
5 minutes
On Map
No
Materials
Index cards (5 × 7 in. [13 × 18 cm]) with a map symbol drawn on one side and a written description of another symbol on the other side. Provide one set of 10 cards per five people. Color-coded cards will keep the sets separate.
Setup
Make cards as shown. Mark a starting line for the teams. At a set distance (10, 20, 30 m), place a set of cards on the ground with symbol side facing up. Place next set of cards about 3 meters away to keep them separate (see diagram).
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Description
The group is divided into at least two teams of equal size. On “Go,” the first person on each team runs a set distance to a group of cards and chooses one card. He races back to his teammates, where he hands his card to the next person in line. This person flips over the card and reads the description of a symbol that she must find. She races to the group of cards and returns with the correct one. Teams repeat the process until all of the cards have been collected. The team that collects all of its cards first wins.
Variations
- Consider making teams of mixed ability levels.
- Teams could be arranged by course color, with more advanced colors having a farther distance to run to reach their group of cards.
- Use the cards as flash cards for a seated audience.
Never a Dull Moment
Objective
To increase the ability to quickly read and remember map detail
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Map memory
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Sitting, walking, or running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
15-30 minutes
On Map
Yes
Materials
Map
Setup
Place maps in locations at home, work, school, car, and so on where they are accessible when a free moment arises. For instance, place maps in the kitchen, next to the commode, near the telephone, or in your car, purse, briefcase, or schoolbag.
Description
Place a thumb on the map and glance at the area above the thumb for 1 to 3 seconds. Then, quiz yourself to recall what you have seen (e.g., black features such as trails, cliffs, boulders, and buildings; blue features; and so on). Ask yourself what you saw, where it was in relation to other features, what direction it was oriented, slope characteristics, and so on. Then look again and notice additional features. Repeat until you have completely described the area.
Variations
- Do while walking, running, waiting in line, and so on.
- If no map is available while running, practice recalling license plate numbers.
Comments
Remember, safety first. While driving, do this activity only when the car is stopped.
Map Memory Relay
Objective
To memorize map and course detail during physical activity
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Map memory, precision map reading
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
10-15 minutes
On Map
Yes
Materials
Two maps per team, one red or purple pen per team, one circle template per team
Setup
Mark a course of appropriate difficulty on one map for each team. Place marked maps at one end of the room (or outdoor area) and unmarked maps at the other end along with pens and templates. Map boards may be necessary if outdoors.
Description
The group is divided into teams of equal size. Teams are given one unmarked map, a pen, and a circle template. On “Go,” the first person on each team runs to the marked map and memorizes the start triangle and as many controls as possible. He then returns to the unmarked map and draws the course from memory, including numbering controls and adding lines. The first team to finish with all controls correctly drawn and labeled wins. Award 5 points for each correct control, with 1 point subtracted (up to 5) for each millimeter the circle is off.
Variation
Draw a different course on each map and have teams do each other's map when they are through.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Learn the benefits of orienteering
Orienteering offers many benefits, but its real attraction is that it is fun!
Benefits of Orienteering
Orienteering offers many benefits, but its real attraction is that it is fun! It is a joy to walk and run through forests and fields. If you like competing, there are many age and skill-level groups to fulfill that wish. The ultimate quest for the orienteer is to find the balance between mental and physical exertion, to know how fast you can go and still be able to interpret the terrain around you and execute your route choice successfully.
Orienteering is a lifetime fitness sport that challenges the mind. It offers the obvious development of individual skills in navigating while problem solving to locate each control. Decision making is paramount: Should I go left or right? Should I climb that hill or go the long way around it? These decisions that constantly arise require thinking more than quick reactions or instinct; again, that is why orienteering is called the thinking sport. And remember, these decisions are being made under competitive stress and increasing fatigue, helping you to become mentally tougher in other stressful situations. Orienteers learn to be self-reliant since most orienteering is individual, and even in the team and mass-start versions, teammates usually practice individually to improve.
Orienteering builds self-esteem; it takes courage to forge ahead by oneself through unknown areas, particularly in the forests that are not familiar to those who live in cities. So many easily reachable, beautiful outdoor areas exist in the United States, Canada, and the rest of the world that feeling comfortable in the outdoors triples the pleasure of being there. Every time you locate a control or relocate yourself from being temporarily misdirected, your confidence grows. Spatial relationships become more meaningful as the orienteer has to plan how to get from one place to another and figure out whether the chosen route goes uphill or downhill and when and how far. Good orienteers learn to stay aware of their surroundings as they plan what they will see along the route to the control, a talent that is useful whether you are driving to your grandmother's or trying to find your way back from a classroom on your first day of college. How can you plan what you will see? The map symbols and contours will describe it for your imagination. Orienteers learn to recognize and use new resources, whether they are the map and compass, the park or playground, or the more personal resources of fitness and mental agility.
Not only is it thoroughly enjoyable to get out into parks and forests and off the paths to experience nature while orienteering, but also being a trained and experienced navigator can be plainly useful or even lifesaving. On a simple level, you need never be lost again. A complete definition of lost has two parts. First, you do not know where you are located. Second, you do not know how to get to a known location. Even if they are temporarily mislocated, orienteers have the skills and techniques to relocate themselves and to continue on to their destination. Orienteers fully understand the L.L. Bean T-shirt that quotes its founder: “If you get lost, come straight back to camp.” Even if you do not know where you are, if you know how to get back to camp, then you are not lost. You can toss the word lost right out of your vocabulary, because as an orienteer you won't ever need it again!
Another important outcome of orienteering is increased confidence. You may be timid but would like to build your confidence and become better at a sport than anyone around you, or perhaps you simply wish to be more comfortable in the outdoors. Gaining the skills and techniques to be able always to find your way out of the woods builds confidence in all aspects of your life.
Athletes who are tired of running circles on a track or slogging along paved roads find running cross country to be refreshing while at the same time good for building endurance and muscle. Outside of Florida and parts of Texas, most orienteering areas tend to be hilly, not flat. Undulations in the terrain provide the right environment for athletes and nonathletes alike to develop strong hearts, legs, and lungs.
Teachers have found that orienteering relates to every academic discipline, from math to history to environmental awareness to public policy, and it does so in new and interesting ways. Orienteering at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, brings American history right to your own footprints. Counting paces and measuring on maps teach the metric system through action without obviously doing so. Keeping personal records to improve while training implements data collection, logical thinking, and demonstrable self-improvement. Writing about your experiences improves word discipline and grammar while teaching audience focus. Playing by the rules imparts ethics training and standards of fairness.
Finally, people who enjoy orienteering become enthusiastic about environmental stewardship. Orienteers believe in the motto, “Take nothing away; leave nothing behind,” another way of saying that orienteers clean up their trash and don't pick the flowers. Because orienteering is gentle on the environment, orienteers do not damage the areas they cross, nor do they cross over areas that are fragile. Orienteering mappers are careful to mark as off-limits areas that are inhabited by endangered plants and animals or that are private land on the maps they develop for competition and training. Event directors and coaches work closely with park rangers and wildlife managers to protect local environments and fragile habitats.
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/093/8se_Main.png
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/093/8ph_Main.png
Places to Orienteer
You can orienteer anywhere you can make or obtain a map. Orienteers navigate in classrooms, schoolyards, city parks, urban areas, residential areas, streets, state and national parks, and wilderness areas. Even better, you can orienteer in your community, throughout the United States, and all over the world. Orienteering map symbols and appropriate colors are approved by the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) and are followed around the globe (for example, blue stands for water). Therefore, if you pick up an orienteering map in China or Russia, you do not have to read Chinese or Russian to understand the map well enough to orienteer on that map. Symbols are further discussed in chapter 3.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Five techniques that are the key to successful orienteering
There is no doubt that good route selection and proper execution of the five techniques along your route are keys to success in orienteering.
Selecting the Route
There is no doubt that good route selection and proper execution of the five techniques along your route are keys to success in orienteering. Considering that transit speed (how long it takes to get from one control to another and around the whole course) is the measure of your success, there are a number of factors to keep in mind. First, remember an old military axiom, “Better is the enemy of good.” In other words, select a good route quickly. Don't lose time by attempting to select the absolute best route. Another bit of excellent advice from one of the highest-achieving North American orienteers in international orienteering competition, Canadian Ted de St. Croix, is to pick a route and stick to it. This does not mean that you cannot make small changes to improve your route as you progress toward the control, but it does mean that it is difficult to see the best route on your map for every control. Therefore, just pick a good route and move out. Over the span of a number of controls, you may pick a best route some of the time, a good route much of the time, and occasionally a poor route. However, so will the other orienteers against whom you are competing, so it evens out over courses, events, and time. On the other hand, if you waste precious minutes or even seconds by repeatedly trying to determine the best route for every control (with other things being equal, such as orienteering ability and race fitness), then you are going to lose to those orienteers who quickly pick a route and go with it.
Start With the End
How do you pick a route? Although we have briefly touched on it in previous chapters, the art of selecting a route from the start to the first control or from one control to the next control may still surprise you. To repeat one of the seven habits of highly successful people by acclaimed author Stephen Covey, start with the end in mind. In other words, start by looking at the target, which is the control you want to find. Our acronym for the process of route selection is CAR.
Control-Attack Point-Route (CAR)
CAR stands for control-attack point-route, the exact order in which you decide on your route. This concept was developed by Winnie Stott in Armchair Orienteering II (1987, Canadian Orienteering Federation).
To best explain it, let's start off with the opposite of CAR: Why not plan your route from where you are? After all, this is where you will start running. Don't do it! When you start route planning from where you are, you will often shortcut the route selection process by making a beeline for the control or by heading toward the nearest big thing you can find that is close to you and more or less on the way to the control. Then you will look for the next spot to jump to and you will progress toward the control in a series of jumps from one place or feature to another. What is so deceiving about this method is that it can work quite well for much of the time, particularly when you are just starting out and are not very fast anyway. When you begin any sport or meaningful activity, though, you should also begin building good habits immediately.
If you start route planning from where you are and work toward the control, you will tend to move in increments, often causing you to miss better routes in favor of going straight ahead or to overlook a good attack point near the control. Remember, your route should be simplified by going to the attack point, not the control. On the other hand, when starting from the control, you find the closest feature near the control that you know you can find to use as a good attack point, and then you work your route backward from the attack point to where you are. Note that the attack point does not have to be between you and the control. It may be to the left or right of the control and, in a few instances, on the far side of the control (think of a control just inside the woods with a field on the far side—you might choose to run to the field and come back to the control). Using CAR, the better routes should reveal themselves to you with little or no study. As a bonus, you will rarely be ambushed by an impassable feature that is close to the control and directly on your route but that you simply don't notice until you get there. If you did not use CAR, you now have to go around a swamp or a thicket or a logged area, losing time and energy.
CAR is particularly important in the orienteering events in which you must move and make decisions quickly and where any major error can put you out of contention. Some examples are in sprint orienteering, carelessly running into a cul de sac with no way out, or in ski or mountain bike orienteering, taking a ski trail or bike path that seems to start out well but takes you away from the control. All can be avoided if you work back from your destination.
Double Eye Sweep
For every leg of any course you should always say to yourself, “Control” (telling yourself to look at the control first), then “Attack point” (look for an attack point), and finally “Route” (follow the route from your attack point back to your location). I simply say each letter of the acronym to myself as I go through my process. However, there is one more component to CAR—the double eye sweep. CAR is the first eye sweep over the map starting from the control to the attack point to the route. The first eye sweep ends at your location. On the second sweep you look forward from where you are toward the control. There are two reasons to do the double eye sweep. First, you can quickly check for a better route that you may have missed on the first sweep and, second, you can take a quick glance for a catching feature just beyond the control—since you started at the control with CAR, you may have missed a useful feature behind it. If there is a good catching feature behind the control, you may be able to move much faster on a different route using rough compass reading or rough map reading. With practice and experience you should be able to accomplish a thorough double eye sweep for most legs in less than a second. It is important to emphasize that the first eye sweep must be from the control to your locations. (Use CAR, it works!) Build the good habits first and they become instinctive.
Orienteering Techniques for Route Selection
The route you take to the control determines how many of the five techniques you will be using. Finding attack points, aiming off, following handrails, finding collecting features, and stopping at catching features could all be used depending on the route. Remember to see the control first and then look for a nearby attack point. Note that if the control is close to the start or close to the control that you have just found (usually less than 200 m), you may be able to use your present location as the attack point using the skills of precision map reading or precision compass reading. In other words, your location becomes the attack point from which you make your final approach to the control.
If the control is not nearby, select an attack point, determine your route, and decide how to get to that attack point. Is the attack point large enough so that you can simply aim off and be sure of hitting it and then turning right or left to find the control? Is there a nice handrail that will guide you in or close to the direction you wish to travel? If there is no good opportunity to aim off or use a handrail, does the terrain lend itself well to navigating by collecting features along the way to the attack point or the control? Or perhaps this will be one of those rare but welcomed locations where you can use the skills of rough map reading and distance estimation and either hit the attack point (or control) dead on or relocate yourself quickly at the catching feature so that you go to the control in minimum time.
These questions may be a lot to ask yourself en route to each attack point and then to the control, but keep two things in mind. First, sometimes you need to slow down to go faster (meaning haste without a clear plan generally costs you time), and second, the process of route selection becomes faster and better as you gain experience. In other words, the more you do it, the better and faster you become to the extent that you begin subconsciously to ask yourself these questions. When you have practiced enough, your eyes on the map will answer the questions before your brain can even ask them, and off you'll go at race speed.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
The importance of finding attack points
An attack point is the closest feature to the control that you know you can find and from which you can then find the harder-to-locate control.
Finding Attack Points
An attack point is the closest feature to the control that you know you can find and from which you can then find the harder-to-locate control. Using attack points is the most important technique that you will ever use in any form of land navigation. You must be able to clearly identify the attack point on the map and on the terrain. Because the attack point is something you know without any doubt that you personally can find, it may not be the same for everyone. It is the last thing you expect to locate before your final approach to your destination. Every leg of the course has an attack point. On a short leg, it may be that you will make your final approach from your current control, in which case the control you are leaving has become your attack point. On a longer leg, you may aim for an intermediate destination such as the edge of a pond. That location becomes your attack point for the control.
In an earlier example from the land navigation training at the Marine Corps TBS, the student guessed where the instructors would logically park their Hummer to walk into the woods to the control location. Noting that there were drivable roads and a close location from which the instructors would know exactly where to start for the control, she would run to that easy-to-find location, not knowing that such a location is called an attack point.
As noted, it is difficult to follow a straight line in precision compass reading for very far. Remember also that for any distance over 450 meters, precision compass reading is practically impossible unless you are crossing an open field and can steer to a visible object that far away. Therefore, it makes sense to locate an attack point, preferably within 200 meters of the control, and then move, using the fastest possible approach (usually the appropriate rough skills) to arrive at that attack point, where you switch to one of the two precision skills. Using distance estimation by measure and pace the whole way will also keep you from making errors.
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What are some attributes of good attack points? First, they have to be easier to find than the control itself. Second, they should not take you too far out of the way. Third, they should be quicker to locate than the control. Fourth, they must be readily identifiable. And fifth, when you reach the attack point, you must know you are there.
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Attack points are often much larger features than the control. In the TBS example, the student used either a crossroads or an intersection of one road into another.These are large and generally easy to see on the map and on the ground. The corner of a lake or a pond often shows well on the ground and the map, as does a readily identifiable field, making all three good attack points. Again, be alert if there are a number of ponds or fields close by so that you do not assume you are at one field or pond when you are at another. The dreaded parallel error (see the sidebar) probably torments orienteers more than the dreaded 180-degree error (see chapter 4). Keeping the map oriented to the terrain and perfecting the skill of distance estimation are key to avoiding a parallel error.
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In going from the start triangle in figure 5.1 to the first control, an obvious, fast, and easy-to-find attack point is the path junction to the east of the control. In this map the dashed red line simply connects the controls; it does not show your route. My preferred route would be to run at an angle to the path on my right and then move as fast as I could to the path junction, which would be my attack point. Experienced orienteers might use the small hill upon whose edge the control is located as their attack point. Going from control 1 to control 2, the northeast corner of the westernmost pond is an excellent attack point. On the other hand, note the possibility of a parallel error if you are actually at the other pond to the north while thinking you are at the southern pond. Proper distance estimation helps to prevent any parallel error with the third pond, which is much too close to control 1. Navigating from control 2 to 3, you have a choice of attack points, either the edge of the field, the pronounced bend in the stream, or if you wish to get closer, the building beside the trail. None is particularly better than the others; they simply illustrate that you may have several choices for an attack point—just pick one and go.
What is the attack point from control 3 to control 4? If you used the skill of distance estimation and you learn that control 4 is only 135 meters from control 3, you can use control 3 as your attack point and follow a compass heading to control 4. Remember, control 3 is easy to find (you are already there!), and it is a short enough distance to use precision compass reading. If you thought you had to have another attack point such as the large boulder to the east of point 4, at least you have the process down cold. Just don't forget that your attack point should not take you too far away from the control you are trying to find, and in this case the small hilltop may be easier to locate than the large boulder.
To sum up, the technique of finding an attack point requires the orienteer to find a more easily locatable place (or point) from which to attack the control. It must be easier to find than the control, not too far out of the way, and readily identifiable on the map and on the ground. Remember also that the best attack point may be behind the control, forcing you to run a little farther but insuring that you find the control quickly. You should always select an attack point. Some orienteers eschew using an attack point for each control, but as with distance estimation and other skills, techniques, and processes, we can say, “That works for those orienteers—until it doesn't!” In other words, orienteer correctly and it will serve you well. Get sloppy and you may get away with it for a while, but bad practices will eventually betray you.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Learn the international orienteering map symbols with this game
Place a thumb on the map and glance at the area above the thumb for 1 to 3 seconds.
Map Symbol Relay
Objective
To learn the international orienteering map symbols through a relay game
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Quick recognition of map symbols
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Walking or running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
5 minutes
On Map
No
Materials
Index cards (5 × 7 in. [13 × 18 cm]) with a map symbol drawn on one side and a written description of another symbol on the other side. Provide one set of 10 cards per five people. Color-coded cards will keep the sets separate.
Setup
Make cards as shown. Mark a starting line for the teams. At a set distance (10, 20, 30 m), place a set of cards on the ground with symbol side facing up. Place next set of cards about 3 meters away to keep them separate (see diagram).
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Description
The group is divided into at least two teams of equal size. On “Go,” the first person on each team runs a set distance to a group of cards and chooses one card. He races back to his teammates, where he hands his card to the next person in line. This person flips over the card and reads the description of a symbol that she must find. She races to the group of cards and returns with the correct one. Teams repeat the process until all of the cards have been collected. The team that collects all of its cards first wins.
Variations
- Consider making teams of mixed ability levels.
- Teams could be arranged by course color, with more advanced colors having a farther distance to run to reach their group of cards.
- Use the cards as flash cards for a seated audience.
Never a Dull Moment
Objective
To increase the ability to quickly read and remember map detail
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Map memory
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Sitting, walking, or running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
15-30 minutes
On Map
Yes
Materials
Map
Setup
Place maps in locations at home, work, school, car, and so on where they are accessible when a free moment arises. For instance, place maps in the kitchen, next to the commode, near the telephone, or in your car, purse, briefcase, or schoolbag.
Description
Place a thumb on the map and glance at the area above the thumb for 1 to 3 seconds. Then, quiz yourself to recall what you have seen (e.g., black features such as trails, cliffs, boulders, and buildings; blue features; and so on). Ask yourself what you saw, where it was in relation to other features, what direction it was oriented, slope characteristics, and so on. Then look again and notice additional features. Repeat until you have completely described the area.
Variations
- Do while walking, running, waiting in line, and so on.
- If no map is available while running, practice recalling license plate numbers.
Comments
Remember, safety first. While driving, do this activity only when the car is stopped.
Map Memory Relay
Objective
To memorize map and course detail during physical activity
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Map memory, precision map reading
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
10-15 minutes
On Map
Yes
Materials
Two maps per team, one red or purple pen per team, one circle template per team
Setup
Mark a course of appropriate difficulty on one map for each team. Place marked maps at one end of the room (or outdoor area) and unmarked maps at the other end along with pens and templates. Map boards may be necessary if outdoors.
Description
The group is divided into teams of equal size. Teams are given one unmarked map, a pen, and a circle template. On “Go,” the first person on each team runs to the marked map and memorizes the start triangle and as many controls as possible. He then returns to the unmarked map and draws the course from memory, including numbering controls and adding lines. The first team to finish with all controls correctly drawn and labeled wins. Award 5 points for each correct control, with 1 point subtracted (up to 5) for each millimeter the circle is off.
Variation
Draw a different course on each map and have teams do each other's map when they are through.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Learn the benefits of orienteering
Orienteering offers many benefits, but its real attraction is that it is fun!
Benefits of Orienteering
Orienteering offers many benefits, but its real attraction is that it is fun! It is a joy to walk and run through forests and fields. If you like competing, there are many age and skill-level groups to fulfill that wish. The ultimate quest for the orienteer is to find the balance between mental and physical exertion, to know how fast you can go and still be able to interpret the terrain around you and execute your route choice successfully.
Orienteering is a lifetime fitness sport that challenges the mind. It offers the obvious development of individual skills in navigating while problem solving to locate each control. Decision making is paramount: Should I go left or right? Should I climb that hill or go the long way around it? These decisions that constantly arise require thinking more than quick reactions or instinct; again, that is why orienteering is called the thinking sport. And remember, these decisions are being made under competitive stress and increasing fatigue, helping you to become mentally tougher in other stressful situations. Orienteers learn to be self-reliant since most orienteering is individual, and even in the team and mass-start versions, teammates usually practice individually to improve.
Orienteering builds self-esteem; it takes courage to forge ahead by oneself through unknown areas, particularly in the forests that are not familiar to those who live in cities. So many easily reachable, beautiful outdoor areas exist in the United States, Canada, and the rest of the world that feeling comfortable in the outdoors triples the pleasure of being there. Every time you locate a control or relocate yourself from being temporarily misdirected, your confidence grows. Spatial relationships become more meaningful as the orienteer has to plan how to get from one place to another and figure out whether the chosen route goes uphill or downhill and when and how far. Good orienteers learn to stay aware of their surroundings as they plan what they will see along the route to the control, a talent that is useful whether you are driving to your grandmother's or trying to find your way back from a classroom on your first day of college. How can you plan what you will see? The map symbols and contours will describe it for your imagination. Orienteers learn to recognize and use new resources, whether they are the map and compass, the park or playground, or the more personal resources of fitness and mental agility.
Not only is it thoroughly enjoyable to get out into parks and forests and off the paths to experience nature while orienteering, but also being a trained and experienced navigator can be plainly useful or even lifesaving. On a simple level, you need never be lost again. A complete definition of lost has two parts. First, you do not know where you are located. Second, you do not know how to get to a known location. Even if they are temporarily mislocated, orienteers have the skills and techniques to relocate themselves and to continue on to their destination. Orienteers fully understand the L.L. Bean T-shirt that quotes its founder: “If you get lost, come straight back to camp.” Even if you do not know where you are, if you know how to get back to camp, then you are not lost. You can toss the word lost right out of your vocabulary, because as an orienteer you won't ever need it again!
Another important outcome of orienteering is increased confidence. You may be timid but would like to build your confidence and become better at a sport than anyone around you, or perhaps you simply wish to be more comfortable in the outdoors. Gaining the skills and techniques to be able always to find your way out of the woods builds confidence in all aspects of your life.
Athletes who are tired of running circles on a track or slogging along paved roads find running cross country to be refreshing while at the same time good for building endurance and muscle. Outside of Florida and parts of Texas, most orienteering areas tend to be hilly, not flat. Undulations in the terrain provide the right environment for athletes and nonathletes alike to develop strong hearts, legs, and lungs.
Teachers have found that orienteering relates to every academic discipline, from math to history to environmental awareness to public policy, and it does so in new and interesting ways. Orienteering at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, brings American history right to your own footprints. Counting paces and measuring on maps teach the metric system through action without obviously doing so. Keeping personal records to improve while training implements data collection, logical thinking, and demonstrable self-improvement. Writing about your experiences improves word discipline and grammar while teaching audience focus. Playing by the rules imparts ethics training and standards of fairness.
Finally, people who enjoy orienteering become enthusiastic about environmental stewardship. Orienteers believe in the motto, “Take nothing away; leave nothing behind,” another way of saying that orienteers clean up their trash and don't pick the flowers. Because orienteering is gentle on the environment, orienteers do not damage the areas they cross, nor do they cross over areas that are fragile. Orienteering mappers are careful to mark as off-limits areas that are inhabited by endangered plants and animals or that are private land on the maps they develop for competition and training. Event directors and coaches work closely with park rangers and wildlife managers to protect local environments and fragile habitats.
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/093/8se_Main.png
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/093/8ph_Main.png
Places to Orienteer
You can orienteer anywhere you can make or obtain a map. Orienteers navigate in classrooms, schoolyards, city parks, urban areas, residential areas, streets, state and national parks, and wilderness areas. Even better, you can orienteer in your community, throughout the United States, and all over the world. Orienteering map symbols and appropriate colors are approved by the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) and are followed around the globe (for example, blue stands for water). Therefore, if you pick up an orienteering map in China or Russia, you do not have to read Chinese or Russian to understand the map well enough to orienteer on that map. Symbols are further discussed in chapter 3.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Five techniques that are the key to successful orienteering
There is no doubt that good route selection and proper execution of the five techniques along your route are keys to success in orienteering.
Selecting the Route
There is no doubt that good route selection and proper execution of the five techniques along your route are keys to success in orienteering. Considering that transit speed (how long it takes to get from one control to another and around the whole course) is the measure of your success, there are a number of factors to keep in mind. First, remember an old military axiom, “Better is the enemy of good.” In other words, select a good route quickly. Don't lose time by attempting to select the absolute best route. Another bit of excellent advice from one of the highest-achieving North American orienteers in international orienteering competition, Canadian Ted de St. Croix, is to pick a route and stick to it. This does not mean that you cannot make small changes to improve your route as you progress toward the control, but it does mean that it is difficult to see the best route on your map for every control. Therefore, just pick a good route and move out. Over the span of a number of controls, you may pick a best route some of the time, a good route much of the time, and occasionally a poor route. However, so will the other orienteers against whom you are competing, so it evens out over courses, events, and time. On the other hand, if you waste precious minutes or even seconds by repeatedly trying to determine the best route for every control (with other things being equal, such as orienteering ability and race fitness), then you are going to lose to those orienteers who quickly pick a route and go with it.
Start With the End
How do you pick a route? Although we have briefly touched on it in previous chapters, the art of selecting a route from the start to the first control or from one control to the next control may still surprise you. To repeat one of the seven habits of highly successful people by acclaimed author Stephen Covey, start with the end in mind. In other words, start by looking at the target, which is the control you want to find. Our acronym for the process of route selection is CAR.
Control-Attack Point-Route (CAR)
CAR stands for control-attack point-route, the exact order in which you decide on your route. This concept was developed by Winnie Stott in Armchair Orienteering II (1987, Canadian Orienteering Federation).
To best explain it, let's start off with the opposite of CAR: Why not plan your route from where you are? After all, this is where you will start running. Don't do it! When you start route planning from where you are, you will often shortcut the route selection process by making a beeline for the control or by heading toward the nearest big thing you can find that is close to you and more or less on the way to the control. Then you will look for the next spot to jump to and you will progress toward the control in a series of jumps from one place or feature to another. What is so deceiving about this method is that it can work quite well for much of the time, particularly when you are just starting out and are not very fast anyway. When you begin any sport or meaningful activity, though, you should also begin building good habits immediately.
If you start route planning from where you are and work toward the control, you will tend to move in increments, often causing you to miss better routes in favor of going straight ahead or to overlook a good attack point near the control. Remember, your route should be simplified by going to the attack point, not the control. On the other hand, when starting from the control, you find the closest feature near the control that you know you can find to use as a good attack point, and then you work your route backward from the attack point to where you are. Note that the attack point does not have to be between you and the control. It may be to the left or right of the control and, in a few instances, on the far side of the control (think of a control just inside the woods with a field on the far side—you might choose to run to the field and come back to the control). Using CAR, the better routes should reveal themselves to you with little or no study. As a bonus, you will rarely be ambushed by an impassable feature that is close to the control and directly on your route but that you simply don't notice until you get there. If you did not use CAR, you now have to go around a swamp or a thicket or a logged area, losing time and energy.
CAR is particularly important in the orienteering events in which you must move and make decisions quickly and where any major error can put you out of contention. Some examples are in sprint orienteering, carelessly running into a cul de sac with no way out, or in ski or mountain bike orienteering, taking a ski trail or bike path that seems to start out well but takes you away from the control. All can be avoided if you work back from your destination.
Double Eye Sweep
For every leg of any course you should always say to yourself, “Control” (telling yourself to look at the control first), then “Attack point” (look for an attack point), and finally “Route” (follow the route from your attack point back to your location). I simply say each letter of the acronym to myself as I go through my process. However, there is one more component to CAR—the double eye sweep. CAR is the first eye sweep over the map starting from the control to the attack point to the route. The first eye sweep ends at your location. On the second sweep you look forward from where you are toward the control. There are two reasons to do the double eye sweep. First, you can quickly check for a better route that you may have missed on the first sweep and, second, you can take a quick glance for a catching feature just beyond the control—since you started at the control with CAR, you may have missed a useful feature behind it. If there is a good catching feature behind the control, you may be able to move much faster on a different route using rough compass reading or rough map reading. With practice and experience you should be able to accomplish a thorough double eye sweep for most legs in less than a second. It is important to emphasize that the first eye sweep must be from the control to your locations. (Use CAR, it works!) Build the good habits first and they become instinctive.
Orienteering Techniques for Route Selection
The route you take to the control determines how many of the five techniques you will be using. Finding attack points, aiming off, following handrails, finding collecting features, and stopping at catching features could all be used depending on the route. Remember to see the control first and then look for a nearby attack point. Note that if the control is close to the start or close to the control that you have just found (usually less than 200 m), you may be able to use your present location as the attack point using the skills of precision map reading or precision compass reading. In other words, your location becomes the attack point from which you make your final approach to the control.
If the control is not nearby, select an attack point, determine your route, and decide how to get to that attack point. Is the attack point large enough so that you can simply aim off and be sure of hitting it and then turning right or left to find the control? Is there a nice handrail that will guide you in or close to the direction you wish to travel? If there is no good opportunity to aim off or use a handrail, does the terrain lend itself well to navigating by collecting features along the way to the attack point or the control? Or perhaps this will be one of those rare but welcomed locations where you can use the skills of rough map reading and distance estimation and either hit the attack point (or control) dead on or relocate yourself quickly at the catching feature so that you go to the control in minimum time.
These questions may be a lot to ask yourself en route to each attack point and then to the control, but keep two things in mind. First, sometimes you need to slow down to go faster (meaning haste without a clear plan generally costs you time), and second, the process of route selection becomes faster and better as you gain experience. In other words, the more you do it, the better and faster you become to the extent that you begin subconsciously to ask yourself these questions. When you have practiced enough, your eyes on the map will answer the questions before your brain can even ask them, and off you'll go at race speed.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
The importance of finding attack points
An attack point is the closest feature to the control that you know you can find and from which you can then find the harder-to-locate control.
Finding Attack Points
An attack point is the closest feature to the control that you know you can find and from which you can then find the harder-to-locate control. Using attack points is the most important technique that you will ever use in any form of land navigation. You must be able to clearly identify the attack point on the map and on the terrain. Because the attack point is something you know without any doubt that you personally can find, it may not be the same for everyone. It is the last thing you expect to locate before your final approach to your destination. Every leg of the course has an attack point. On a short leg, it may be that you will make your final approach from your current control, in which case the control you are leaving has become your attack point. On a longer leg, you may aim for an intermediate destination such as the edge of a pond. That location becomes your attack point for the control.
In an earlier example from the land navigation training at the Marine Corps TBS, the student guessed where the instructors would logically park their Hummer to walk into the woods to the control location. Noting that there were drivable roads and a close location from which the instructors would know exactly where to start for the control, she would run to that easy-to-find location, not knowing that such a location is called an attack point.
As noted, it is difficult to follow a straight line in precision compass reading for very far. Remember also that for any distance over 450 meters, precision compass reading is practically impossible unless you are crossing an open field and can steer to a visible object that far away. Therefore, it makes sense to locate an attack point, preferably within 200 meters of the control, and then move, using the fastest possible approach (usually the appropriate rough skills) to arrive at that attack point, where you switch to one of the two precision skills. Using distance estimation by measure and pace the whole way will also keep you from making errors.
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What are some attributes of good attack points? First, they have to be easier to find than the control itself. Second, they should not take you too far out of the way. Third, they should be quicker to locate than the control. Fourth, they must be readily identifiable. And fifth, when you reach the attack point, you must know you are there.
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Attack points are often much larger features than the control. In the TBS example, the student used either a crossroads or an intersection of one road into another.These are large and generally easy to see on the map and on the ground. The corner of a lake or a pond often shows well on the ground and the map, as does a readily identifiable field, making all three good attack points. Again, be alert if there are a number of ponds or fields close by so that you do not assume you are at one field or pond when you are at another. The dreaded parallel error (see the sidebar) probably torments orienteers more than the dreaded 180-degree error (see chapter 4). Keeping the map oriented to the terrain and perfecting the skill of distance estimation are key to avoiding a parallel error.
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In going from the start triangle in figure 5.1 to the first control, an obvious, fast, and easy-to-find attack point is the path junction to the east of the control. In this map the dashed red line simply connects the controls; it does not show your route. My preferred route would be to run at an angle to the path on my right and then move as fast as I could to the path junction, which would be my attack point. Experienced orienteers might use the small hill upon whose edge the control is located as their attack point. Going from control 1 to control 2, the northeast corner of the westernmost pond is an excellent attack point. On the other hand, note the possibility of a parallel error if you are actually at the other pond to the north while thinking you are at the southern pond. Proper distance estimation helps to prevent any parallel error with the third pond, which is much too close to control 1. Navigating from control 2 to 3, you have a choice of attack points, either the edge of the field, the pronounced bend in the stream, or if you wish to get closer, the building beside the trail. None is particularly better than the others; they simply illustrate that you may have several choices for an attack point—just pick one and go.
What is the attack point from control 3 to control 4? If you used the skill of distance estimation and you learn that control 4 is only 135 meters from control 3, you can use control 3 as your attack point and follow a compass heading to control 4. Remember, control 3 is easy to find (you are already there!), and it is a short enough distance to use precision compass reading. If you thought you had to have another attack point such as the large boulder to the east of point 4, at least you have the process down cold. Just don't forget that your attack point should not take you too far away from the control you are trying to find, and in this case the small hilltop may be easier to locate than the large boulder.
To sum up, the technique of finding an attack point requires the orienteer to find a more easily locatable place (or point) from which to attack the control. It must be easier to find than the control, not too far out of the way, and readily identifiable on the map and on the ground. Remember also that the best attack point may be behind the control, forcing you to run a little farther but insuring that you find the control quickly. You should always select an attack point. Some orienteers eschew using an attack point for each control, but as with distance estimation and other skills, techniques, and processes, we can say, “That works for those orienteers—until it doesn't!” In other words, orienteer correctly and it will serve you well. Get sloppy and you may get away with it for a while, but bad practices will eventually betray you.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Learn the international orienteering map symbols with this game
Place a thumb on the map and glance at the area above the thumb for 1 to 3 seconds.
Map Symbol Relay
Objective
To learn the international orienteering map symbols through a relay game
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Quick recognition of map symbols
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Walking or running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
5 minutes
On Map
No
Materials
Index cards (5 × 7 in. [13 × 18 cm]) with a map symbol drawn on one side and a written description of another symbol on the other side. Provide one set of 10 cards per five people. Color-coded cards will keep the sets separate.
Setup
Make cards as shown. Mark a starting line for the teams. At a set distance (10, 20, 30 m), place a set of cards on the ground with symbol side facing up. Place next set of cards about 3 meters away to keep them separate (see diagram).
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Description
The group is divided into at least two teams of equal size. On “Go,” the first person on each team runs a set distance to a group of cards and chooses one card. He races back to his teammates, where he hands his card to the next person in line. This person flips over the card and reads the description of a symbol that she must find. She races to the group of cards and returns with the correct one. Teams repeat the process until all of the cards have been collected. The team that collects all of its cards first wins.
Variations
- Consider making teams of mixed ability levels.
- Teams could be arranged by course color, with more advanced colors having a farther distance to run to reach their group of cards.
- Use the cards as flash cards for a seated audience.
Never a Dull Moment
Objective
To increase the ability to quickly read and remember map detail
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Map memory
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Sitting, walking, or running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
15-30 minutes
On Map
Yes
Materials
Map
Setup
Place maps in locations at home, work, school, car, and so on where they are accessible when a free moment arises. For instance, place maps in the kitchen, next to the commode, near the telephone, or in your car, purse, briefcase, or schoolbag.
Description
Place a thumb on the map and glance at the area above the thumb for 1 to 3 seconds. Then, quiz yourself to recall what you have seen (e.g., black features such as trails, cliffs, boulders, and buildings; blue features; and so on). Ask yourself what you saw, where it was in relation to other features, what direction it was oriented, slope characteristics, and so on. Then look again and notice additional features. Repeat until you have completely described the area.
Variations
- Do while walking, running, waiting in line, and so on.
- If no map is available while running, practice recalling license plate numbers.
Comments
Remember, safety first. While driving, do this activity only when the car is stopped.
Map Memory Relay
Objective
To memorize map and course detail during physical activity
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Map memory, precision map reading
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
10-15 minutes
On Map
Yes
Materials
Two maps per team, one red or purple pen per team, one circle template per team
Setup
Mark a course of appropriate difficulty on one map for each team. Place marked maps at one end of the room (or outdoor area) and unmarked maps at the other end along with pens and templates. Map boards may be necessary if outdoors.
Description
The group is divided into teams of equal size. Teams are given one unmarked map, a pen, and a circle template. On “Go,” the first person on each team runs to the marked map and memorizes the start triangle and as many controls as possible. He then returns to the unmarked map and draws the course from memory, including numbering controls and adding lines. The first team to finish with all controls correctly drawn and labeled wins. Award 5 points for each correct control, with 1 point subtracted (up to 5) for each millimeter the circle is off.
Variation
Draw a different course on each map and have teams do each other's map when they are through.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Learn the benefits of orienteering
Orienteering offers many benefits, but its real attraction is that it is fun!
Benefits of Orienteering
Orienteering offers many benefits, but its real attraction is that it is fun! It is a joy to walk and run through forests and fields. If you like competing, there are many age and skill-level groups to fulfill that wish. The ultimate quest for the orienteer is to find the balance between mental and physical exertion, to know how fast you can go and still be able to interpret the terrain around you and execute your route choice successfully.
Orienteering is a lifetime fitness sport that challenges the mind. It offers the obvious development of individual skills in navigating while problem solving to locate each control. Decision making is paramount: Should I go left or right? Should I climb that hill or go the long way around it? These decisions that constantly arise require thinking more than quick reactions or instinct; again, that is why orienteering is called the thinking sport. And remember, these decisions are being made under competitive stress and increasing fatigue, helping you to become mentally tougher in other stressful situations. Orienteers learn to be self-reliant since most orienteering is individual, and even in the team and mass-start versions, teammates usually practice individually to improve.
Orienteering builds self-esteem; it takes courage to forge ahead by oneself through unknown areas, particularly in the forests that are not familiar to those who live in cities. So many easily reachable, beautiful outdoor areas exist in the United States, Canada, and the rest of the world that feeling comfortable in the outdoors triples the pleasure of being there. Every time you locate a control or relocate yourself from being temporarily misdirected, your confidence grows. Spatial relationships become more meaningful as the orienteer has to plan how to get from one place to another and figure out whether the chosen route goes uphill or downhill and when and how far. Good orienteers learn to stay aware of their surroundings as they plan what they will see along the route to the control, a talent that is useful whether you are driving to your grandmother's or trying to find your way back from a classroom on your first day of college. How can you plan what you will see? The map symbols and contours will describe it for your imagination. Orienteers learn to recognize and use new resources, whether they are the map and compass, the park or playground, or the more personal resources of fitness and mental agility.
Not only is it thoroughly enjoyable to get out into parks and forests and off the paths to experience nature while orienteering, but also being a trained and experienced navigator can be plainly useful or even lifesaving. On a simple level, you need never be lost again. A complete definition of lost has two parts. First, you do not know where you are located. Second, you do not know how to get to a known location. Even if they are temporarily mislocated, orienteers have the skills and techniques to relocate themselves and to continue on to their destination. Orienteers fully understand the L.L. Bean T-shirt that quotes its founder: “If you get lost, come straight back to camp.” Even if you do not know where you are, if you know how to get back to camp, then you are not lost. You can toss the word lost right out of your vocabulary, because as an orienteer you won't ever need it again!
Another important outcome of orienteering is increased confidence. You may be timid but would like to build your confidence and become better at a sport than anyone around you, or perhaps you simply wish to be more comfortable in the outdoors. Gaining the skills and techniques to be able always to find your way out of the woods builds confidence in all aspects of your life.
Athletes who are tired of running circles on a track or slogging along paved roads find running cross country to be refreshing while at the same time good for building endurance and muscle. Outside of Florida and parts of Texas, most orienteering areas tend to be hilly, not flat. Undulations in the terrain provide the right environment for athletes and nonathletes alike to develop strong hearts, legs, and lungs.
Teachers have found that orienteering relates to every academic discipline, from math to history to environmental awareness to public policy, and it does so in new and interesting ways. Orienteering at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, brings American history right to your own footprints. Counting paces and measuring on maps teach the metric system through action without obviously doing so. Keeping personal records to improve while training implements data collection, logical thinking, and demonstrable self-improvement. Writing about your experiences improves word discipline and grammar while teaching audience focus. Playing by the rules imparts ethics training and standards of fairness.
Finally, people who enjoy orienteering become enthusiastic about environmental stewardship. Orienteers believe in the motto, “Take nothing away; leave nothing behind,” another way of saying that orienteers clean up their trash and don't pick the flowers. Because orienteering is gentle on the environment, orienteers do not damage the areas they cross, nor do they cross over areas that are fragile. Orienteering mappers are careful to mark as off-limits areas that are inhabited by endangered plants and animals or that are private land on the maps they develop for competition and training. Event directors and coaches work closely with park rangers and wildlife managers to protect local environments and fragile habitats.
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Places to Orienteer
You can orienteer anywhere you can make or obtain a map. Orienteers navigate in classrooms, schoolyards, city parks, urban areas, residential areas, streets, state and national parks, and wilderness areas. Even better, you can orienteer in your community, throughout the United States, and all over the world. Orienteering map symbols and appropriate colors are approved by the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) and are followed around the globe (for example, blue stands for water). Therefore, if you pick up an orienteering map in China or Russia, you do not have to read Chinese or Russian to understand the map well enough to orienteer on that map. Symbols are further discussed in chapter 3.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Five techniques that are the key to successful orienteering
There is no doubt that good route selection and proper execution of the five techniques along your route are keys to success in orienteering.
Selecting the Route
There is no doubt that good route selection and proper execution of the five techniques along your route are keys to success in orienteering. Considering that transit speed (how long it takes to get from one control to another and around the whole course) is the measure of your success, there are a number of factors to keep in mind. First, remember an old military axiom, “Better is the enemy of good.” In other words, select a good route quickly. Don't lose time by attempting to select the absolute best route. Another bit of excellent advice from one of the highest-achieving North American orienteers in international orienteering competition, Canadian Ted de St. Croix, is to pick a route and stick to it. This does not mean that you cannot make small changes to improve your route as you progress toward the control, but it does mean that it is difficult to see the best route on your map for every control. Therefore, just pick a good route and move out. Over the span of a number of controls, you may pick a best route some of the time, a good route much of the time, and occasionally a poor route. However, so will the other orienteers against whom you are competing, so it evens out over courses, events, and time. On the other hand, if you waste precious minutes or even seconds by repeatedly trying to determine the best route for every control (with other things being equal, such as orienteering ability and race fitness), then you are going to lose to those orienteers who quickly pick a route and go with it.
Start With the End
How do you pick a route? Although we have briefly touched on it in previous chapters, the art of selecting a route from the start to the first control or from one control to the next control may still surprise you. To repeat one of the seven habits of highly successful people by acclaimed author Stephen Covey, start with the end in mind. In other words, start by looking at the target, which is the control you want to find. Our acronym for the process of route selection is CAR.
Control-Attack Point-Route (CAR)
CAR stands for control-attack point-route, the exact order in which you decide on your route. This concept was developed by Winnie Stott in Armchair Orienteering II (1987, Canadian Orienteering Federation).
To best explain it, let's start off with the opposite of CAR: Why not plan your route from where you are? After all, this is where you will start running. Don't do it! When you start route planning from where you are, you will often shortcut the route selection process by making a beeline for the control or by heading toward the nearest big thing you can find that is close to you and more or less on the way to the control. Then you will look for the next spot to jump to and you will progress toward the control in a series of jumps from one place or feature to another. What is so deceiving about this method is that it can work quite well for much of the time, particularly when you are just starting out and are not very fast anyway. When you begin any sport or meaningful activity, though, you should also begin building good habits immediately.
If you start route planning from where you are and work toward the control, you will tend to move in increments, often causing you to miss better routes in favor of going straight ahead or to overlook a good attack point near the control. Remember, your route should be simplified by going to the attack point, not the control. On the other hand, when starting from the control, you find the closest feature near the control that you know you can find to use as a good attack point, and then you work your route backward from the attack point to where you are. Note that the attack point does not have to be between you and the control. It may be to the left or right of the control and, in a few instances, on the far side of the control (think of a control just inside the woods with a field on the far side—you might choose to run to the field and come back to the control). Using CAR, the better routes should reveal themselves to you with little or no study. As a bonus, you will rarely be ambushed by an impassable feature that is close to the control and directly on your route but that you simply don't notice until you get there. If you did not use CAR, you now have to go around a swamp or a thicket or a logged area, losing time and energy.
CAR is particularly important in the orienteering events in which you must move and make decisions quickly and where any major error can put you out of contention. Some examples are in sprint orienteering, carelessly running into a cul de sac with no way out, or in ski or mountain bike orienteering, taking a ski trail or bike path that seems to start out well but takes you away from the control. All can be avoided if you work back from your destination.
Double Eye Sweep
For every leg of any course you should always say to yourself, “Control” (telling yourself to look at the control first), then “Attack point” (look for an attack point), and finally “Route” (follow the route from your attack point back to your location). I simply say each letter of the acronym to myself as I go through my process. However, there is one more component to CAR—the double eye sweep. CAR is the first eye sweep over the map starting from the control to the attack point to the route. The first eye sweep ends at your location. On the second sweep you look forward from where you are toward the control. There are two reasons to do the double eye sweep. First, you can quickly check for a better route that you may have missed on the first sweep and, second, you can take a quick glance for a catching feature just beyond the control—since you started at the control with CAR, you may have missed a useful feature behind it. If there is a good catching feature behind the control, you may be able to move much faster on a different route using rough compass reading or rough map reading. With practice and experience you should be able to accomplish a thorough double eye sweep for most legs in less than a second. It is important to emphasize that the first eye sweep must be from the control to your locations. (Use CAR, it works!) Build the good habits first and they become instinctive.
Orienteering Techniques for Route Selection
The route you take to the control determines how many of the five techniques you will be using. Finding attack points, aiming off, following handrails, finding collecting features, and stopping at catching features could all be used depending on the route. Remember to see the control first and then look for a nearby attack point. Note that if the control is close to the start or close to the control that you have just found (usually less than 200 m), you may be able to use your present location as the attack point using the skills of precision map reading or precision compass reading. In other words, your location becomes the attack point from which you make your final approach to the control.
If the control is not nearby, select an attack point, determine your route, and decide how to get to that attack point. Is the attack point large enough so that you can simply aim off and be sure of hitting it and then turning right or left to find the control? Is there a nice handrail that will guide you in or close to the direction you wish to travel? If there is no good opportunity to aim off or use a handrail, does the terrain lend itself well to navigating by collecting features along the way to the attack point or the control? Or perhaps this will be one of those rare but welcomed locations where you can use the skills of rough map reading and distance estimation and either hit the attack point (or control) dead on or relocate yourself quickly at the catching feature so that you go to the control in minimum time.
These questions may be a lot to ask yourself en route to each attack point and then to the control, but keep two things in mind. First, sometimes you need to slow down to go faster (meaning haste without a clear plan generally costs you time), and second, the process of route selection becomes faster and better as you gain experience. In other words, the more you do it, the better and faster you become to the extent that you begin subconsciously to ask yourself these questions. When you have practiced enough, your eyes on the map will answer the questions before your brain can even ask them, and off you'll go at race speed.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
The importance of finding attack points
An attack point is the closest feature to the control that you know you can find and from which you can then find the harder-to-locate control.
Finding Attack Points
An attack point is the closest feature to the control that you know you can find and from which you can then find the harder-to-locate control. Using attack points is the most important technique that you will ever use in any form of land navigation. You must be able to clearly identify the attack point on the map and on the terrain. Because the attack point is something you know without any doubt that you personally can find, it may not be the same for everyone. It is the last thing you expect to locate before your final approach to your destination. Every leg of the course has an attack point. On a short leg, it may be that you will make your final approach from your current control, in which case the control you are leaving has become your attack point. On a longer leg, you may aim for an intermediate destination such as the edge of a pond. That location becomes your attack point for the control.
In an earlier example from the land navigation training at the Marine Corps TBS, the student guessed where the instructors would logically park their Hummer to walk into the woods to the control location. Noting that there were drivable roads and a close location from which the instructors would know exactly where to start for the control, she would run to that easy-to-find location, not knowing that such a location is called an attack point.
As noted, it is difficult to follow a straight line in precision compass reading for very far. Remember also that for any distance over 450 meters, precision compass reading is practically impossible unless you are crossing an open field and can steer to a visible object that far away. Therefore, it makes sense to locate an attack point, preferably within 200 meters of the control, and then move, using the fastest possible approach (usually the appropriate rough skills) to arrive at that attack point, where you switch to one of the two precision skills. Using distance estimation by measure and pace the whole way will also keep you from making errors.
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What are some attributes of good attack points? First, they have to be easier to find than the control itself. Second, they should not take you too far out of the way. Third, they should be quicker to locate than the control. Fourth, they must be readily identifiable. And fifth, when you reach the attack point, you must know you are there.
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Attack points are often much larger features than the control. In the TBS example, the student used either a crossroads or an intersection of one road into another.These are large and generally easy to see on the map and on the ground. The corner of a lake or a pond often shows well on the ground and the map, as does a readily identifiable field, making all three good attack points. Again, be alert if there are a number of ponds or fields close by so that you do not assume you are at one field or pond when you are at another. The dreaded parallel error (see the sidebar) probably torments orienteers more than the dreaded 180-degree error (see chapter 4). Keeping the map oriented to the terrain and perfecting the skill of distance estimation are key to avoiding a parallel error.
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In going from the start triangle in figure 5.1 to the first control, an obvious, fast, and easy-to-find attack point is the path junction to the east of the control. In this map the dashed red line simply connects the controls; it does not show your route. My preferred route would be to run at an angle to the path on my right and then move as fast as I could to the path junction, which would be my attack point. Experienced orienteers might use the small hill upon whose edge the control is located as their attack point. Going from control 1 to control 2, the northeast corner of the westernmost pond is an excellent attack point. On the other hand, note the possibility of a parallel error if you are actually at the other pond to the north while thinking you are at the southern pond. Proper distance estimation helps to prevent any parallel error with the third pond, which is much too close to control 1. Navigating from control 2 to 3, you have a choice of attack points, either the edge of the field, the pronounced bend in the stream, or if you wish to get closer, the building beside the trail. None is particularly better than the others; they simply illustrate that you may have several choices for an attack point—just pick one and go.
What is the attack point from control 3 to control 4? If you used the skill of distance estimation and you learn that control 4 is only 135 meters from control 3, you can use control 3 as your attack point and follow a compass heading to control 4. Remember, control 3 is easy to find (you are already there!), and it is a short enough distance to use precision compass reading. If you thought you had to have another attack point such as the large boulder to the east of point 4, at least you have the process down cold. Just don't forget that your attack point should not take you too far away from the control you are trying to find, and in this case the small hilltop may be easier to locate than the large boulder.
To sum up, the technique of finding an attack point requires the orienteer to find a more easily locatable place (or point) from which to attack the control. It must be easier to find than the control, not too far out of the way, and readily identifiable on the map and on the ground. Remember also that the best attack point may be behind the control, forcing you to run a little farther but insuring that you find the control quickly. You should always select an attack point. Some orienteers eschew using an attack point for each control, but as with distance estimation and other skills, techniques, and processes, we can say, “That works for those orienteers—until it doesn't!” In other words, orienteer correctly and it will serve you well. Get sloppy and you may get away with it for a while, but bad practices will eventually betray you.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Learn the international orienteering map symbols with this game
Place a thumb on the map and glance at the area above the thumb for 1 to 3 seconds.
Map Symbol Relay
Objective
To learn the international orienteering map symbols through a relay game
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Quick recognition of map symbols
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Walking or running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
5 minutes
On Map
No
Materials
Index cards (5 × 7 in. [13 × 18 cm]) with a map symbol drawn on one side and a written description of another symbol on the other side. Provide one set of 10 cards per five people. Color-coded cards will keep the sets separate.
Setup
Make cards as shown. Mark a starting line for the teams. At a set distance (10, 20, 30 m), place a set of cards on the ground with symbol side facing up. Place next set of cards about 3 meters away to keep them separate (see diagram).
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/093/137art_Main.png
Description
The group is divided into at least two teams of equal size. On “Go,” the first person on each team runs a set distance to a group of cards and chooses one card. He races back to his teammates, where he hands his card to the next person in line. This person flips over the card and reads the description of a symbol that she must find. She races to the group of cards and returns with the correct one. Teams repeat the process until all of the cards have been collected. The team that collects all of its cards first wins.
Variations
- Consider making teams of mixed ability levels.
- Teams could be arranged by course color, with more advanced colors having a farther distance to run to reach their group of cards.
- Use the cards as flash cards for a seated audience.
Never a Dull Moment
Objective
To increase the ability to quickly read and remember map detail
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Map memory
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Sitting, walking, or running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
15-30 minutes
On Map
Yes
Materials
Map
Setup
Place maps in locations at home, work, school, car, and so on where they are accessible when a free moment arises. For instance, place maps in the kitchen, next to the commode, near the telephone, or in your car, purse, briefcase, or schoolbag.
Description
Place a thumb on the map and glance at the area above the thumb for 1 to 3 seconds. Then, quiz yourself to recall what you have seen (e.g., black features such as trails, cliffs, boulders, and buildings; blue features; and so on). Ask yourself what you saw, where it was in relation to other features, what direction it was oriented, slope characteristics, and so on. Then look again and notice additional features. Repeat until you have completely described the area.
Variations
- Do while walking, running, waiting in line, and so on.
- If no map is available while running, practice recalling license plate numbers.
Comments
Remember, safety first. While driving, do this activity only when the car is stopped.
Map Memory Relay
Objective
To memorize map and course detail during physical activity
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Map memory, precision map reading
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
10-15 minutes
On Map
Yes
Materials
Two maps per team, one red or purple pen per team, one circle template per team
Setup
Mark a course of appropriate difficulty on one map for each team. Place marked maps at one end of the room (or outdoor area) and unmarked maps at the other end along with pens and templates. Map boards may be necessary if outdoors.
Description
The group is divided into teams of equal size. Teams are given one unmarked map, a pen, and a circle template. On “Go,” the first person on each team runs to the marked map and memorizes the start triangle and as many controls as possible. He then returns to the unmarked map and draws the course from memory, including numbering controls and adding lines. The first team to finish with all controls correctly drawn and labeled wins. Award 5 points for each correct control, with 1 point subtracted (up to 5) for each millimeter the circle is off.
Variation
Draw a different course on each map and have teams do each other's map when they are through.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Learn the benefits of orienteering
Orienteering offers many benefits, but its real attraction is that it is fun!
Benefits of Orienteering
Orienteering offers many benefits, but its real attraction is that it is fun! It is a joy to walk and run through forests and fields. If you like competing, there are many age and skill-level groups to fulfill that wish. The ultimate quest for the orienteer is to find the balance between mental and physical exertion, to know how fast you can go and still be able to interpret the terrain around you and execute your route choice successfully.
Orienteering is a lifetime fitness sport that challenges the mind. It offers the obvious development of individual skills in navigating while problem solving to locate each control. Decision making is paramount: Should I go left or right? Should I climb that hill or go the long way around it? These decisions that constantly arise require thinking more than quick reactions or instinct; again, that is why orienteering is called the thinking sport. And remember, these decisions are being made under competitive stress and increasing fatigue, helping you to become mentally tougher in other stressful situations. Orienteers learn to be self-reliant since most orienteering is individual, and even in the team and mass-start versions, teammates usually practice individually to improve.
Orienteering builds self-esteem; it takes courage to forge ahead by oneself through unknown areas, particularly in the forests that are not familiar to those who live in cities. So many easily reachable, beautiful outdoor areas exist in the United States, Canada, and the rest of the world that feeling comfortable in the outdoors triples the pleasure of being there. Every time you locate a control or relocate yourself from being temporarily misdirected, your confidence grows. Spatial relationships become more meaningful as the orienteer has to plan how to get from one place to another and figure out whether the chosen route goes uphill or downhill and when and how far. Good orienteers learn to stay aware of their surroundings as they plan what they will see along the route to the control, a talent that is useful whether you are driving to your grandmother's or trying to find your way back from a classroom on your first day of college. How can you plan what you will see? The map symbols and contours will describe it for your imagination. Orienteers learn to recognize and use new resources, whether they are the map and compass, the park or playground, or the more personal resources of fitness and mental agility.
Not only is it thoroughly enjoyable to get out into parks and forests and off the paths to experience nature while orienteering, but also being a trained and experienced navigator can be plainly useful or even lifesaving. On a simple level, you need never be lost again. A complete definition of lost has two parts. First, you do not know where you are located. Second, you do not know how to get to a known location. Even if they are temporarily mislocated, orienteers have the skills and techniques to relocate themselves and to continue on to their destination. Orienteers fully understand the L.L. Bean T-shirt that quotes its founder: “If you get lost, come straight back to camp.” Even if you do not know where you are, if you know how to get back to camp, then you are not lost. You can toss the word lost right out of your vocabulary, because as an orienteer you won't ever need it again!
Another important outcome of orienteering is increased confidence. You may be timid but would like to build your confidence and become better at a sport than anyone around you, or perhaps you simply wish to be more comfortable in the outdoors. Gaining the skills and techniques to be able always to find your way out of the woods builds confidence in all aspects of your life.
Athletes who are tired of running circles on a track or slogging along paved roads find running cross country to be refreshing while at the same time good for building endurance and muscle. Outside of Florida and parts of Texas, most orienteering areas tend to be hilly, not flat. Undulations in the terrain provide the right environment for athletes and nonathletes alike to develop strong hearts, legs, and lungs.
Teachers have found that orienteering relates to every academic discipline, from math to history to environmental awareness to public policy, and it does so in new and interesting ways. Orienteering at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, brings American history right to your own footprints. Counting paces and measuring on maps teach the metric system through action without obviously doing so. Keeping personal records to improve while training implements data collection, logical thinking, and demonstrable self-improvement. Writing about your experiences improves word discipline and grammar while teaching audience focus. Playing by the rules imparts ethics training and standards of fairness.
Finally, people who enjoy orienteering become enthusiastic about environmental stewardship. Orienteers believe in the motto, “Take nothing away; leave nothing behind,” another way of saying that orienteers clean up their trash and don't pick the flowers. Because orienteering is gentle on the environment, orienteers do not damage the areas they cross, nor do they cross over areas that are fragile. Orienteering mappers are careful to mark as off-limits areas that are inhabited by endangered plants and animals or that are private land on the maps they develop for competition and training. Event directors and coaches work closely with park rangers and wildlife managers to protect local environments and fragile habitats.
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/093/8se_Main.png
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/093/8ph_Main.png
Places to Orienteer
You can orienteer anywhere you can make or obtain a map. Orienteers navigate in classrooms, schoolyards, city parks, urban areas, residential areas, streets, state and national parks, and wilderness areas. Even better, you can orienteer in your community, throughout the United States, and all over the world. Orienteering map symbols and appropriate colors are approved by the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) and are followed around the globe (for example, blue stands for water). Therefore, if you pick up an orienteering map in China or Russia, you do not have to read Chinese or Russian to understand the map well enough to orienteer on that map. Symbols are further discussed in chapter 3.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Five techniques that are the key to successful orienteering
There is no doubt that good route selection and proper execution of the five techniques along your route are keys to success in orienteering.
Selecting the Route
There is no doubt that good route selection and proper execution of the five techniques along your route are keys to success in orienteering. Considering that transit speed (how long it takes to get from one control to another and around the whole course) is the measure of your success, there are a number of factors to keep in mind. First, remember an old military axiom, “Better is the enemy of good.” In other words, select a good route quickly. Don't lose time by attempting to select the absolute best route. Another bit of excellent advice from one of the highest-achieving North American orienteers in international orienteering competition, Canadian Ted de St. Croix, is to pick a route and stick to it. This does not mean that you cannot make small changes to improve your route as you progress toward the control, but it does mean that it is difficult to see the best route on your map for every control. Therefore, just pick a good route and move out. Over the span of a number of controls, you may pick a best route some of the time, a good route much of the time, and occasionally a poor route. However, so will the other orienteers against whom you are competing, so it evens out over courses, events, and time. On the other hand, if you waste precious minutes or even seconds by repeatedly trying to determine the best route for every control (with other things being equal, such as orienteering ability and race fitness), then you are going to lose to those orienteers who quickly pick a route and go with it.
Start With the End
How do you pick a route? Although we have briefly touched on it in previous chapters, the art of selecting a route from the start to the first control or from one control to the next control may still surprise you. To repeat one of the seven habits of highly successful people by acclaimed author Stephen Covey, start with the end in mind. In other words, start by looking at the target, which is the control you want to find. Our acronym for the process of route selection is CAR.
Control-Attack Point-Route (CAR)
CAR stands for control-attack point-route, the exact order in which you decide on your route. This concept was developed by Winnie Stott in Armchair Orienteering II (1987, Canadian Orienteering Federation).
To best explain it, let's start off with the opposite of CAR: Why not plan your route from where you are? After all, this is where you will start running. Don't do it! When you start route planning from where you are, you will often shortcut the route selection process by making a beeline for the control or by heading toward the nearest big thing you can find that is close to you and more or less on the way to the control. Then you will look for the next spot to jump to and you will progress toward the control in a series of jumps from one place or feature to another. What is so deceiving about this method is that it can work quite well for much of the time, particularly when you are just starting out and are not very fast anyway. When you begin any sport or meaningful activity, though, you should also begin building good habits immediately.
If you start route planning from where you are and work toward the control, you will tend to move in increments, often causing you to miss better routes in favor of going straight ahead or to overlook a good attack point near the control. Remember, your route should be simplified by going to the attack point, not the control. On the other hand, when starting from the control, you find the closest feature near the control that you know you can find to use as a good attack point, and then you work your route backward from the attack point to where you are. Note that the attack point does not have to be between you and the control. It may be to the left or right of the control and, in a few instances, on the far side of the control (think of a control just inside the woods with a field on the far side—you might choose to run to the field and come back to the control). Using CAR, the better routes should reveal themselves to you with little or no study. As a bonus, you will rarely be ambushed by an impassable feature that is close to the control and directly on your route but that you simply don't notice until you get there. If you did not use CAR, you now have to go around a swamp or a thicket or a logged area, losing time and energy.
CAR is particularly important in the orienteering events in which you must move and make decisions quickly and where any major error can put you out of contention. Some examples are in sprint orienteering, carelessly running into a cul de sac with no way out, or in ski or mountain bike orienteering, taking a ski trail or bike path that seems to start out well but takes you away from the control. All can be avoided if you work back from your destination.
Double Eye Sweep
For every leg of any course you should always say to yourself, “Control” (telling yourself to look at the control first), then “Attack point” (look for an attack point), and finally “Route” (follow the route from your attack point back to your location). I simply say each letter of the acronym to myself as I go through my process. However, there is one more component to CAR—the double eye sweep. CAR is the first eye sweep over the map starting from the control to the attack point to the route. The first eye sweep ends at your location. On the second sweep you look forward from where you are toward the control. There are two reasons to do the double eye sweep. First, you can quickly check for a better route that you may have missed on the first sweep and, second, you can take a quick glance for a catching feature just beyond the control—since you started at the control with CAR, you may have missed a useful feature behind it. If there is a good catching feature behind the control, you may be able to move much faster on a different route using rough compass reading or rough map reading. With practice and experience you should be able to accomplish a thorough double eye sweep for most legs in less than a second. It is important to emphasize that the first eye sweep must be from the control to your locations. (Use CAR, it works!) Build the good habits first and they become instinctive.
Orienteering Techniques for Route Selection
The route you take to the control determines how many of the five techniques you will be using. Finding attack points, aiming off, following handrails, finding collecting features, and stopping at catching features could all be used depending on the route. Remember to see the control first and then look for a nearby attack point. Note that if the control is close to the start or close to the control that you have just found (usually less than 200 m), you may be able to use your present location as the attack point using the skills of precision map reading or precision compass reading. In other words, your location becomes the attack point from which you make your final approach to the control.
If the control is not nearby, select an attack point, determine your route, and decide how to get to that attack point. Is the attack point large enough so that you can simply aim off and be sure of hitting it and then turning right or left to find the control? Is there a nice handrail that will guide you in or close to the direction you wish to travel? If there is no good opportunity to aim off or use a handrail, does the terrain lend itself well to navigating by collecting features along the way to the attack point or the control? Or perhaps this will be one of those rare but welcomed locations where you can use the skills of rough map reading and distance estimation and either hit the attack point (or control) dead on or relocate yourself quickly at the catching feature so that you go to the control in minimum time.
These questions may be a lot to ask yourself en route to each attack point and then to the control, but keep two things in mind. First, sometimes you need to slow down to go faster (meaning haste without a clear plan generally costs you time), and second, the process of route selection becomes faster and better as you gain experience. In other words, the more you do it, the better and faster you become to the extent that you begin subconsciously to ask yourself these questions. When you have practiced enough, your eyes on the map will answer the questions before your brain can even ask them, and off you'll go at race speed.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
The importance of finding attack points
An attack point is the closest feature to the control that you know you can find and from which you can then find the harder-to-locate control.
Finding Attack Points
An attack point is the closest feature to the control that you know you can find and from which you can then find the harder-to-locate control. Using attack points is the most important technique that you will ever use in any form of land navigation. You must be able to clearly identify the attack point on the map and on the terrain. Because the attack point is something you know without any doubt that you personally can find, it may not be the same for everyone. It is the last thing you expect to locate before your final approach to your destination. Every leg of the course has an attack point. On a short leg, it may be that you will make your final approach from your current control, in which case the control you are leaving has become your attack point. On a longer leg, you may aim for an intermediate destination such as the edge of a pond. That location becomes your attack point for the control.
In an earlier example from the land navigation training at the Marine Corps TBS, the student guessed where the instructors would logically park their Hummer to walk into the woods to the control location. Noting that there were drivable roads and a close location from which the instructors would know exactly where to start for the control, she would run to that easy-to-find location, not knowing that such a location is called an attack point.
As noted, it is difficult to follow a straight line in precision compass reading for very far. Remember also that for any distance over 450 meters, precision compass reading is practically impossible unless you are crossing an open field and can steer to a visible object that far away. Therefore, it makes sense to locate an attack point, preferably within 200 meters of the control, and then move, using the fastest possible approach (usually the appropriate rough skills) to arrive at that attack point, where you switch to one of the two precision skills. Using distance estimation by measure and pace the whole way will also keep you from making errors.
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What are some attributes of good attack points? First, they have to be easier to find than the control itself. Second, they should not take you too far out of the way. Third, they should be quicker to locate than the control. Fourth, they must be readily identifiable. And fifth, when you reach the attack point, you must know you are there.
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Attack points are often much larger features than the control. In the TBS example, the student used either a crossroads or an intersection of one road into another.These are large and generally easy to see on the map and on the ground. The corner of a lake or a pond often shows well on the ground and the map, as does a readily identifiable field, making all three good attack points. Again, be alert if there are a number of ponds or fields close by so that you do not assume you are at one field or pond when you are at another. The dreaded parallel error (see the sidebar) probably torments orienteers more than the dreaded 180-degree error (see chapter 4). Keeping the map oriented to the terrain and perfecting the skill of distance estimation are key to avoiding a parallel error.
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In going from the start triangle in figure 5.1 to the first control, an obvious, fast, and easy-to-find attack point is the path junction to the east of the control. In this map the dashed red line simply connects the controls; it does not show your route. My preferred route would be to run at an angle to the path on my right and then move as fast as I could to the path junction, which would be my attack point. Experienced orienteers might use the small hill upon whose edge the control is located as their attack point. Going from control 1 to control 2, the northeast corner of the westernmost pond is an excellent attack point. On the other hand, note the possibility of a parallel error if you are actually at the other pond to the north while thinking you are at the southern pond. Proper distance estimation helps to prevent any parallel error with the third pond, which is much too close to control 1. Navigating from control 2 to 3, you have a choice of attack points, either the edge of the field, the pronounced bend in the stream, or if you wish to get closer, the building beside the trail. None is particularly better than the others; they simply illustrate that you may have several choices for an attack point—just pick one and go.
What is the attack point from control 3 to control 4? If you used the skill of distance estimation and you learn that control 4 is only 135 meters from control 3, you can use control 3 as your attack point and follow a compass heading to control 4. Remember, control 3 is easy to find (you are already there!), and it is a short enough distance to use precision compass reading. If you thought you had to have another attack point such as the large boulder to the east of point 4, at least you have the process down cold. Just don't forget that your attack point should not take you too far away from the control you are trying to find, and in this case the small hilltop may be easier to locate than the large boulder.
To sum up, the technique of finding an attack point requires the orienteer to find a more easily locatable place (or point) from which to attack the control. It must be easier to find than the control, not too far out of the way, and readily identifiable on the map and on the ground. Remember also that the best attack point may be behind the control, forcing you to run a little farther but insuring that you find the control quickly. You should always select an attack point. Some orienteers eschew using an attack point for each control, but as with distance estimation and other skills, techniques, and processes, we can say, “That works for those orienteers—until it doesn't!” In other words, orienteer correctly and it will serve you well. Get sloppy and you may get away with it for a while, but bad practices will eventually betray you.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Learn the international orienteering map symbols with this game
Place a thumb on the map and glance at the area above the thumb for 1 to 3 seconds.
Map Symbol Relay
Objective
To learn the international orienteering map symbols through a relay game
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Quick recognition of map symbols
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Walking or running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
5 minutes
On Map
No
Materials
Index cards (5 × 7 in. [13 × 18 cm]) with a map symbol drawn on one side and a written description of another symbol on the other side. Provide one set of 10 cards per five people. Color-coded cards will keep the sets separate.
Setup
Make cards as shown. Mark a starting line for the teams. At a set distance (10, 20, 30 m), place a set of cards on the ground with symbol side facing up. Place next set of cards about 3 meters away to keep them separate (see diagram).
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/093/137art_Main.png
Description
The group is divided into at least two teams of equal size. On “Go,” the first person on each team runs a set distance to a group of cards and chooses one card. He races back to his teammates, where he hands his card to the next person in line. This person flips over the card and reads the description of a symbol that she must find. She races to the group of cards and returns with the correct one. Teams repeat the process until all of the cards have been collected. The team that collects all of its cards first wins.
Variations
- Consider making teams of mixed ability levels.
- Teams could be arranged by course color, with more advanced colors having a farther distance to run to reach their group of cards.
- Use the cards as flash cards for a seated audience.
Never a Dull Moment
Objective
To increase the ability to quickly read and remember map detail
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Map memory
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Sitting, walking, or running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
15-30 minutes
On Map
Yes
Materials
Map
Setup
Place maps in locations at home, work, school, car, and so on where they are accessible when a free moment arises. For instance, place maps in the kitchen, next to the commode, near the telephone, or in your car, purse, briefcase, or schoolbag.
Description
Place a thumb on the map and glance at the area above the thumb for 1 to 3 seconds. Then, quiz yourself to recall what you have seen (e.g., black features such as trails, cliffs, boulders, and buildings; blue features; and so on). Ask yourself what you saw, where it was in relation to other features, what direction it was oriented, slope characteristics, and so on. Then look again and notice additional features. Repeat until you have completely described the area.
Variations
- Do while walking, running, waiting in line, and so on.
- If no map is available while running, practice recalling license plate numbers.
Comments
Remember, safety first. While driving, do this activity only when the car is stopped.
Map Memory Relay
Objective
To memorize map and course detail during physical activity
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Map memory, precision map reading
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
10-15 minutes
On Map
Yes
Materials
Two maps per team, one red or purple pen per team, one circle template per team
Setup
Mark a course of appropriate difficulty on one map for each team. Place marked maps at one end of the room (or outdoor area) and unmarked maps at the other end along with pens and templates. Map boards may be necessary if outdoors.
Description
The group is divided into teams of equal size. Teams are given one unmarked map, a pen, and a circle template. On “Go,” the first person on each team runs to the marked map and memorizes the start triangle and as many controls as possible. He then returns to the unmarked map and draws the course from memory, including numbering controls and adding lines. The first team to finish with all controls correctly drawn and labeled wins. Award 5 points for each correct control, with 1 point subtracted (up to 5) for each millimeter the circle is off.
Variation
Draw a different course on each map and have teams do each other's map when they are through.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Learn the benefits of orienteering
Orienteering offers many benefits, but its real attraction is that it is fun!
Benefits of Orienteering
Orienteering offers many benefits, but its real attraction is that it is fun! It is a joy to walk and run through forests and fields. If you like competing, there are many age and skill-level groups to fulfill that wish. The ultimate quest for the orienteer is to find the balance between mental and physical exertion, to know how fast you can go and still be able to interpret the terrain around you and execute your route choice successfully.
Orienteering is a lifetime fitness sport that challenges the mind. It offers the obvious development of individual skills in navigating while problem solving to locate each control. Decision making is paramount: Should I go left or right? Should I climb that hill or go the long way around it? These decisions that constantly arise require thinking more than quick reactions or instinct; again, that is why orienteering is called the thinking sport. And remember, these decisions are being made under competitive stress and increasing fatigue, helping you to become mentally tougher in other stressful situations. Orienteers learn to be self-reliant since most orienteering is individual, and even in the team and mass-start versions, teammates usually practice individually to improve.
Orienteering builds self-esteem; it takes courage to forge ahead by oneself through unknown areas, particularly in the forests that are not familiar to those who live in cities. So many easily reachable, beautiful outdoor areas exist in the United States, Canada, and the rest of the world that feeling comfortable in the outdoors triples the pleasure of being there. Every time you locate a control or relocate yourself from being temporarily misdirected, your confidence grows. Spatial relationships become more meaningful as the orienteer has to plan how to get from one place to another and figure out whether the chosen route goes uphill or downhill and when and how far. Good orienteers learn to stay aware of their surroundings as they plan what they will see along the route to the control, a talent that is useful whether you are driving to your grandmother's or trying to find your way back from a classroom on your first day of college. How can you plan what you will see? The map symbols and contours will describe it for your imagination. Orienteers learn to recognize and use new resources, whether they are the map and compass, the park or playground, or the more personal resources of fitness and mental agility.
Not only is it thoroughly enjoyable to get out into parks and forests and off the paths to experience nature while orienteering, but also being a trained and experienced navigator can be plainly useful or even lifesaving. On a simple level, you need never be lost again. A complete definition of lost has two parts. First, you do not know where you are located. Second, you do not know how to get to a known location. Even if they are temporarily mislocated, orienteers have the skills and techniques to relocate themselves and to continue on to their destination. Orienteers fully understand the L.L. Bean T-shirt that quotes its founder: “If you get lost, come straight back to camp.” Even if you do not know where you are, if you know how to get back to camp, then you are not lost. You can toss the word lost right out of your vocabulary, because as an orienteer you won't ever need it again!
Another important outcome of orienteering is increased confidence. You may be timid but would like to build your confidence and become better at a sport than anyone around you, or perhaps you simply wish to be more comfortable in the outdoors. Gaining the skills and techniques to be able always to find your way out of the woods builds confidence in all aspects of your life.
Athletes who are tired of running circles on a track or slogging along paved roads find running cross country to be refreshing while at the same time good for building endurance and muscle. Outside of Florida and parts of Texas, most orienteering areas tend to be hilly, not flat. Undulations in the terrain provide the right environment for athletes and nonathletes alike to develop strong hearts, legs, and lungs.
Teachers have found that orienteering relates to every academic discipline, from math to history to environmental awareness to public policy, and it does so in new and interesting ways. Orienteering at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, brings American history right to your own footprints. Counting paces and measuring on maps teach the metric system through action without obviously doing so. Keeping personal records to improve while training implements data collection, logical thinking, and demonstrable self-improvement. Writing about your experiences improves word discipline and grammar while teaching audience focus. Playing by the rules imparts ethics training and standards of fairness.
Finally, people who enjoy orienteering become enthusiastic about environmental stewardship. Orienteers believe in the motto, “Take nothing away; leave nothing behind,” another way of saying that orienteers clean up their trash and don't pick the flowers. Because orienteering is gentle on the environment, orienteers do not damage the areas they cross, nor do they cross over areas that are fragile. Orienteering mappers are careful to mark as off-limits areas that are inhabited by endangered plants and animals or that are private land on the maps they develop for competition and training. Event directors and coaches work closely with park rangers and wildlife managers to protect local environments and fragile habitats.
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/093/8se_Main.png
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/093/8ph_Main.png
Places to Orienteer
You can orienteer anywhere you can make or obtain a map. Orienteers navigate in classrooms, schoolyards, city parks, urban areas, residential areas, streets, state and national parks, and wilderness areas. Even better, you can orienteer in your community, throughout the United States, and all over the world. Orienteering map symbols and appropriate colors are approved by the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) and are followed around the globe (for example, blue stands for water). Therefore, if you pick up an orienteering map in China or Russia, you do not have to read Chinese or Russian to understand the map well enough to orienteer on that map. Symbols are further discussed in chapter 3.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Five techniques that are the key to successful orienteering
There is no doubt that good route selection and proper execution of the five techniques along your route are keys to success in orienteering.
Selecting the Route
There is no doubt that good route selection and proper execution of the five techniques along your route are keys to success in orienteering. Considering that transit speed (how long it takes to get from one control to another and around the whole course) is the measure of your success, there are a number of factors to keep in mind. First, remember an old military axiom, “Better is the enemy of good.” In other words, select a good route quickly. Don't lose time by attempting to select the absolute best route. Another bit of excellent advice from one of the highest-achieving North American orienteers in international orienteering competition, Canadian Ted de St. Croix, is to pick a route and stick to it. This does not mean that you cannot make small changes to improve your route as you progress toward the control, but it does mean that it is difficult to see the best route on your map for every control. Therefore, just pick a good route and move out. Over the span of a number of controls, you may pick a best route some of the time, a good route much of the time, and occasionally a poor route. However, so will the other orienteers against whom you are competing, so it evens out over courses, events, and time. On the other hand, if you waste precious minutes or even seconds by repeatedly trying to determine the best route for every control (with other things being equal, such as orienteering ability and race fitness), then you are going to lose to those orienteers who quickly pick a route and go with it.
Start With the End
How do you pick a route? Although we have briefly touched on it in previous chapters, the art of selecting a route from the start to the first control or from one control to the next control may still surprise you. To repeat one of the seven habits of highly successful people by acclaimed author Stephen Covey, start with the end in mind. In other words, start by looking at the target, which is the control you want to find. Our acronym for the process of route selection is CAR.
Control-Attack Point-Route (CAR)
CAR stands for control-attack point-route, the exact order in which you decide on your route. This concept was developed by Winnie Stott in Armchair Orienteering II (1987, Canadian Orienteering Federation).
To best explain it, let's start off with the opposite of CAR: Why not plan your route from where you are? After all, this is where you will start running. Don't do it! When you start route planning from where you are, you will often shortcut the route selection process by making a beeline for the control or by heading toward the nearest big thing you can find that is close to you and more or less on the way to the control. Then you will look for the next spot to jump to and you will progress toward the control in a series of jumps from one place or feature to another. What is so deceiving about this method is that it can work quite well for much of the time, particularly when you are just starting out and are not very fast anyway. When you begin any sport or meaningful activity, though, you should also begin building good habits immediately.
If you start route planning from where you are and work toward the control, you will tend to move in increments, often causing you to miss better routes in favor of going straight ahead or to overlook a good attack point near the control. Remember, your route should be simplified by going to the attack point, not the control. On the other hand, when starting from the control, you find the closest feature near the control that you know you can find to use as a good attack point, and then you work your route backward from the attack point to where you are. Note that the attack point does not have to be between you and the control. It may be to the left or right of the control and, in a few instances, on the far side of the control (think of a control just inside the woods with a field on the far side—you might choose to run to the field and come back to the control). Using CAR, the better routes should reveal themselves to you with little or no study. As a bonus, you will rarely be ambushed by an impassable feature that is close to the control and directly on your route but that you simply don't notice until you get there. If you did not use CAR, you now have to go around a swamp or a thicket or a logged area, losing time and energy.
CAR is particularly important in the orienteering events in which you must move and make decisions quickly and where any major error can put you out of contention. Some examples are in sprint orienteering, carelessly running into a cul de sac with no way out, or in ski or mountain bike orienteering, taking a ski trail or bike path that seems to start out well but takes you away from the control. All can be avoided if you work back from your destination.
Double Eye Sweep
For every leg of any course you should always say to yourself, “Control” (telling yourself to look at the control first), then “Attack point” (look for an attack point), and finally “Route” (follow the route from your attack point back to your location). I simply say each letter of the acronym to myself as I go through my process. However, there is one more component to CAR—the double eye sweep. CAR is the first eye sweep over the map starting from the control to the attack point to the route. The first eye sweep ends at your location. On the second sweep you look forward from where you are toward the control. There are two reasons to do the double eye sweep. First, you can quickly check for a better route that you may have missed on the first sweep and, second, you can take a quick glance for a catching feature just beyond the control—since you started at the control with CAR, you may have missed a useful feature behind it. If there is a good catching feature behind the control, you may be able to move much faster on a different route using rough compass reading or rough map reading. With practice and experience you should be able to accomplish a thorough double eye sweep for most legs in less than a second. It is important to emphasize that the first eye sweep must be from the control to your locations. (Use CAR, it works!) Build the good habits first and they become instinctive.
Orienteering Techniques for Route Selection
The route you take to the control determines how many of the five techniques you will be using. Finding attack points, aiming off, following handrails, finding collecting features, and stopping at catching features could all be used depending on the route. Remember to see the control first and then look for a nearby attack point. Note that if the control is close to the start or close to the control that you have just found (usually less than 200 m), you may be able to use your present location as the attack point using the skills of precision map reading or precision compass reading. In other words, your location becomes the attack point from which you make your final approach to the control.
If the control is not nearby, select an attack point, determine your route, and decide how to get to that attack point. Is the attack point large enough so that you can simply aim off and be sure of hitting it and then turning right or left to find the control? Is there a nice handrail that will guide you in or close to the direction you wish to travel? If there is no good opportunity to aim off or use a handrail, does the terrain lend itself well to navigating by collecting features along the way to the attack point or the control? Or perhaps this will be one of those rare but welcomed locations where you can use the skills of rough map reading and distance estimation and either hit the attack point (or control) dead on or relocate yourself quickly at the catching feature so that you go to the control in minimum time.
These questions may be a lot to ask yourself en route to each attack point and then to the control, but keep two things in mind. First, sometimes you need to slow down to go faster (meaning haste without a clear plan generally costs you time), and second, the process of route selection becomes faster and better as you gain experience. In other words, the more you do it, the better and faster you become to the extent that you begin subconsciously to ask yourself these questions. When you have practiced enough, your eyes on the map will answer the questions before your brain can even ask them, and off you'll go at race speed.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
The importance of finding attack points
An attack point is the closest feature to the control that you know you can find and from which you can then find the harder-to-locate control.
Finding Attack Points
An attack point is the closest feature to the control that you know you can find and from which you can then find the harder-to-locate control. Using attack points is the most important technique that you will ever use in any form of land navigation. You must be able to clearly identify the attack point on the map and on the terrain. Because the attack point is something you know without any doubt that you personally can find, it may not be the same for everyone. It is the last thing you expect to locate before your final approach to your destination. Every leg of the course has an attack point. On a short leg, it may be that you will make your final approach from your current control, in which case the control you are leaving has become your attack point. On a longer leg, you may aim for an intermediate destination such as the edge of a pond. That location becomes your attack point for the control.
In an earlier example from the land navigation training at the Marine Corps TBS, the student guessed where the instructors would logically park their Hummer to walk into the woods to the control location. Noting that there were drivable roads and a close location from which the instructors would know exactly where to start for the control, she would run to that easy-to-find location, not knowing that such a location is called an attack point.
As noted, it is difficult to follow a straight line in precision compass reading for very far. Remember also that for any distance over 450 meters, precision compass reading is practically impossible unless you are crossing an open field and can steer to a visible object that far away. Therefore, it makes sense to locate an attack point, preferably within 200 meters of the control, and then move, using the fastest possible approach (usually the appropriate rough skills) to arrive at that attack point, where you switch to one of the two precision skills. Using distance estimation by measure and pace the whole way will also keep you from making errors.
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What are some attributes of good attack points? First, they have to be easier to find than the control itself. Second, they should not take you too far out of the way. Third, they should be quicker to locate than the control. Fourth, they must be readily identifiable. And fifth, when you reach the attack point, you must know you are there.
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Attack points are often much larger features than the control. In the TBS example, the student used either a crossroads or an intersection of one road into another.These are large and generally easy to see on the map and on the ground. The corner of a lake or a pond often shows well on the ground and the map, as does a readily identifiable field, making all three good attack points. Again, be alert if there are a number of ponds or fields close by so that you do not assume you are at one field or pond when you are at another. The dreaded parallel error (see the sidebar) probably torments orienteers more than the dreaded 180-degree error (see chapter 4). Keeping the map oriented to the terrain and perfecting the skill of distance estimation are key to avoiding a parallel error.
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In going from the start triangle in figure 5.1 to the first control, an obvious, fast, and easy-to-find attack point is the path junction to the east of the control. In this map the dashed red line simply connects the controls; it does not show your route. My preferred route would be to run at an angle to the path on my right and then move as fast as I could to the path junction, which would be my attack point. Experienced orienteers might use the small hill upon whose edge the control is located as their attack point. Going from control 1 to control 2, the northeast corner of the westernmost pond is an excellent attack point. On the other hand, note the possibility of a parallel error if you are actually at the other pond to the north while thinking you are at the southern pond. Proper distance estimation helps to prevent any parallel error with the third pond, which is much too close to control 1. Navigating from control 2 to 3, you have a choice of attack points, either the edge of the field, the pronounced bend in the stream, or if you wish to get closer, the building beside the trail. None is particularly better than the others; they simply illustrate that you may have several choices for an attack point—just pick one and go.
What is the attack point from control 3 to control 4? If you used the skill of distance estimation and you learn that control 4 is only 135 meters from control 3, you can use control 3 as your attack point and follow a compass heading to control 4. Remember, control 3 is easy to find (you are already there!), and it is a short enough distance to use precision compass reading. If you thought you had to have another attack point such as the large boulder to the east of point 4, at least you have the process down cold. Just don't forget that your attack point should not take you too far away from the control you are trying to find, and in this case the small hilltop may be easier to locate than the large boulder.
To sum up, the technique of finding an attack point requires the orienteer to find a more easily locatable place (or point) from which to attack the control. It must be easier to find than the control, not too far out of the way, and readily identifiable on the map and on the ground. Remember also that the best attack point may be behind the control, forcing you to run a little farther but insuring that you find the control quickly. You should always select an attack point. Some orienteers eschew using an attack point for each control, but as with distance estimation and other skills, techniques, and processes, we can say, “That works for those orienteers—until it doesn't!” In other words, orienteer correctly and it will serve you well. Get sloppy and you may get away with it for a while, but bad practices will eventually betray you.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
Learn the international orienteering map symbols with this game
Place a thumb on the map and glance at the area above the thumb for 1 to 3 seconds.
Map Symbol Relay
Objective
To learn the international orienteering map symbols through a relay game
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Quick recognition of map symbols
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Walking or running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
5 minutes
On Map
No
Materials
Index cards (5 × 7 in. [13 × 18 cm]) with a map symbol drawn on one side and a written description of another symbol on the other side. Provide one set of 10 cards per five people. Color-coded cards will keep the sets separate.
Setup
Make cards as shown. Mark a starting line for the teams. At a set distance (10, 20, 30 m), place a set of cards on the ground with symbol side facing up. Place next set of cards about 3 meters away to keep them separate (see diagram).
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Description
The group is divided into at least two teams of equal size. On “Go,” the first person on each team runs a set distance to a group of cards and chooses one card. He races back to his teammates, where he hands his card to the next person in line. This person flips over the card and reads the description of a symbol that she must find. She races to the group of cards and returns with the correct one. Teams repeat the process until all of the cards have been collected. The team that collects all of its cards first wins.
Variations
- Consider making teams of mixed ability levels.
- Teams could be arranged by course color, with more advanced colors having a farther distance to run to reach their group of cards.
- Use the cards as flash cards for a seated audience.
Never a Dull Moment
Objective
To increase the ability to quickly read and remember map detail
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Map memory
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Sitting, walking, or running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
15-30 minutes
On Map
Yes
Materials
Map
Setup
Place maps in locations at home, work, school, car, and so on where they are accessible when a free moment arises. For instance, place maps in the kitchen, next to the commode, near the telephone, or in your car, purse, briefcase, or schoolbag.
Description
Place a thumb on the map and glance at the area above the thumb for 1 to 3 seconds. Then, quiz yourself to recall what you have seen (e.g., black features such as trails, cliffs, boulders, and buildings; blue features; and so on). Ask yourself what you saw, where it was in relation to other features, what direction it was oriented, slope characteristics, and so on. Then look again and notice additional features. Repeat until you have completely described the area.
Variations
- Do while walking, running, waiting in line, and so on.
- If no map is available while running, practice recalling license plate numbers.
Comments
Remember, safety first. While driving, do this activity only when the car is stopped.
Map Memory Relay
Objective
To memorize map and course detail during physical activity
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Map memory, precision map reading
Skill Level
Beginner, advanced
Activity Level
Running
Venue
Indoor or outdoor
Time Required
10-15 minutes
On Map
Yes
Materials
Two maps per team, one red or purple pen per team, one circle template per team
Setup
Mark a course of appropriate difficulty on one map for each team. Place marked maps at one end of the room (or outdoor area) and unmarked maps at the other end along with pens and templates. Map boards may be necessary if outdoors.
Description
The group is divided into teams of equal size. Teams are given one unmarked map, a pen, and a circle template. On “Go,” the first person on each team runs to the marked map and memorizes the start triangle and as many controls as possible. He then returns to the unmarked map and draws the course from memory, including numbering controls and adding lines. The first team to finish with all controls correctly drawn and labeled wins. Award 5 points for each correct control, with 1 point subtracted (up to 5) for each millimeter the circle is off.
Variation
Draw a different course on each map and have teams do each other's map when they are through.
Learn more about Discovering Orienteering.
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