Stalker Survival School. Orienteering Orienteering for beginners

After reading this article, you will become familiar with the concept of orientation. What does this concept mean, what are its methods and types, the history of orienteering - we will touch on all this in our story. First of all, you need to decide on the key term. Let's talk about such a concept as orientation. Each of us knows that such a concept exists. And many can even explain it: this is the ability to correctly determine the cardinal directions, as well as imagine the location of settlements and the direction of roads to the place where you are. You can always find your way if you know the location of the four cardinal directions. These are south (S), north (N), west (W) and east (E). Let's now talk in more detail about such a concept as orientation.

What is terrain orientation

This is a very broad concept. You can navigate by compass, map, sun, stars, clock, natural phenomena and signs, as well as various tips. For example, if you look out the window in the morning and see people walking with umbrellas, you will understand that it is raining outside. If you notice snow, dress warmer. This is, so to speak, “everyday” orientation.

What is orientation and why is it necessary? It represents one of the most important conditions ensuring human life, as well as necessary for the successful solution of assigned tasks. Using the or card is easy. However, sometimes it is necessary to act without having either a compass or a map with you. Therefore, you should know other ways to navigate the terrain.

When preparing for a hike, you need to pay special attention to instilling the appropriate skills, methods, rules and techniques that will help you do without the use of a compass and map.

Orientation by the Sun

You may know that its rising and setting locations vary depending on the time of year. The sun rises in the southeast in winter and sets in the southwest. In summer, it rises in the northeast and sets in the northwest. In autumn and spring, the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. It must be remembered that at noon it is always located towards the south, regardless of the time of year. At 13 o'clock the shortest shadow from objects is observed. At this time, its direction from objects located vertically points to the north. If the Sun is hidden by clouds, you can put a knife on your fingernail. A shadow will appear, at least a small one, and it will be clear where it is.

According to the Sun and the clock

You should point the hour hand towards the Sun. The angle formed between the number 1 (13 o'clock) and the clockwise direction must be divided in half using an imaginary line. She will show you the direction: behind is north, in front is south. It must be remembered that the left corner should be divided before 13 o'clock and the right corner in the afternoon.

By the North Star

There are many ways to navigate the terrain. One of the most famous is based on the North Star. This star is always in the north. In order to find it, you must first find the constellation Ursa Major. This constellation resembles a bucket, which is formed from 7 stars, quite bright. Next, you should mentally draw a line through the 2 rightmost stars. On it you need to plot the distance between them, multiplied by five. At the end of the line we will find the North Star. It is located in the tail of Ursa Minor, another constellation. If we face this star, we will be facing north.

By the Moon

In order to navigate the terrain well, you need to remember that the Moon is visible in the south at 20 o’clock in the first quarter, and in the west at 2 o’clock in the morning. If we are talking about the last quarter, then in the east the Moon will be at 2 am, and in the south - at 8 am. The sides of the horizon at night during a full moon are determined in the same way as by the Sun and the clock. In this case, the Moon is used instead of the Sun. It must be remembered that when it is full, it opposes the Sun. In other words, it is located against him.

Method of orientation by melting snow

We continue to talk about what orientation in geography is. We have not yet described all of its methods. This article only talks about the main ones. One of the most common methods is to navigate by melting snow. The south side of all objects is known to heat up more than the north. This means that snow melts faster on this side as well. This is clearly visible in early spring, as well as in winter, during thaws, from the snow stuck to stones, holes near trees, and the slopes of ravines.

By the shadow

At noon, the shadow is shortest and its direction points north. To avoid waiting for it to appear, you can proceed as follows. You need to stick a stick into the ground, the length of which is approximately 1 m. Next you need to mark the end of its shadow. Then you should wait about 10-15 minutes, and then repeat the procedure. From the first to the second position of the shadow, you need to draw a line, and then extend it beyond the second mark by about a step. Stand with the toe of your left foot opposite the 1st mark, and place the toe of your right foot at the end of the line you drew. You are now facing north.

By buildings

A certain type of building is oriented strictly to the cardinal points. These include churches, synagogues, and mosques. The chapels and altars of Lutheran and peasant churches always face east, and the bell towers of these buildings always face west. You can also navigate by the dome of the Orthodox Church, or rather, by the cross on it. The edge of its lower crossbar, which is lowered, faces south, and is raised to the north. On the western side there are altars of Catholic churches. The doors of Muslim mosques and synagogues face approximately north.

Usually the exit from the yurts is to the south. In villages, houses have more windows on the south side. Another important sign is that on the south side, the paint on the walls of buildings fades more and takes on a faded color.

Clearings in the forest

You can determine the cardinal directions in cultivated forests by clearings. They are usually cut along east-west and north-south lines. You can also get your bearings by the inscriptions of block numbers, which are made on pillars placed at the intersection of clearings. At the top of each such pillar and on each of the 4 faces, numbers are placed. The north direction shows the edge between the two edges that have the smallest numbers on them.

no watch

If you lose or break your watch, you can find the local time with relative accuracy using a compass. For this purpose, azimuth orientation is used. What it is? It is necessary to measure the azimuth to the Sun. Once you determine it, you need to divide the resulting value by 15. This is the amount by which the Sun rotates per hour. The resulting number will indicate the time. For example, the azimuth to the Sun is 180°. Therefore, the time is 12 hours.

Orienteering

Surely you are familiar with the phrase “orienteering”. The sport is based on the fact that participants must pass control points located on the ground using a compass and a sports map. As a rule, results are determined by the time spent completing the distance (sometimes penalty time is taken into account). A calculation method based on the number of points scored by participants can also be used.

Today, competitions in this sport are held in various groups. They can be both by skill level and by age. The length of the distance and its difficulty are determined by the difficulty of the terrain and age group. The route (distance) must be unknown to all participants, and also contain certain difficulties that must be overcome, having good physical shape and the ability to navigate.

History of orienteering

Since ancient times, people have known what terrain orientation is. It is known that even then they used the skills and abilities associated with it. However, a review of historical facts usually begins with military competitions that were held in the northern states of Europe. It is believed that orienteering as a sport appeared at the end of the 19th century. It was then that the first competitions were organized between a number of military garrisons in Norway, Sweden, and Great Britain. On October 31, 1897, the first mass competitions among citizens were held. Thus, many people learned about what orienteering is, the definition of which in our time every schoolchild can give. However, the real birth of this sport took place in 1918. It was then that Major E. Killander from Stockholm decided to use the environment of the Swedish countryside to organize. During the competitions he invented, runners not only ran, but also had to choose their own routes using a compass and map.

By 1934, orienteering as a sport had spread to Switzerland, Hungary and the USSR. National championships for women and men began to be held annually in Sweden, Finland and Norway by the beginning of World War II. In 1960, Open International competitions took place in the Stockholm area. Representatives from 7 countries took part in them. Today this sport is very popular. There are several of them: running, skiing, cycling, trail orienteering, etc. Competitions are held for each of them.

Now you can talk about what orienteering is. Tourism, sports, and survival in extreme conditions combine this concept. Orientation allows you to find your way anywhere on our planet in an unfamiliar area. Knowing its basics, you will not be afraid of getting lost in the forest or anywhere else.

Compass. Learning to use a compass is not difficult. But a compass, as a rule, becomes the best assistant in orientation along with a map. In orienteering, special liquid compasses are used. They allow you to quickly and easily take the desired direction from the map and move around the area at the selected azimuth. The liquid in the compass ampoule ensures the required stability of the compass needle even when running. The compass plate has a magnifying glass for reading saturated areas of maps and a scale for angular and linear measurements on maps, as well as a counter with numbers from 0 to 9

Before you start mastering the orienteering technique, you need to familiarize yourself with, understand what it is

Now that you have learned the symbols and the sports map, we will continue to gradually master the technique of orienteering: develop the ability to orient the map, compare it with the terrain and the terrain with the map.

Map orientation. When you find yourself in an unfamiliar area, you first need to orient the map: it is installed so that the north-south lines on the map have the same direction as the compass needle. The top of the map should be in the same direction as the north end of the compass needle points. After orienting the map, all objects depicted on it will be in full accordance with the terrain objects. After this, we will begin to “read” the map - we will compare the terrain with the map and the map with the terrain.

"Reading" the card. The ability to quickly read and understand a map correctly is a complex technical skill. They read the map only in an oriented position and only along the way, i.e. in the direction of movement. The peculiarity of sports cards is readability from any direction and even upside down. It is best to learn to read maps in areas with good visibility, while moving along roads or clearings, as well as when moving in azimuth. The "thumb-by-thumb" movement - the thumb of the left hand holding the map is directed along the line of movement, and the nail records the location of the orienteer at the moment - greatly facilitates the process of reading the map, especially for beginners. When reading a map, all landmarks are divided into point, linear and area. Point objects include objects depicted by non-scale symbols (stones, holes, springs, groups of trees, etc.). Linear landmarks - roads, paths, clearings, ditches, boundaries of forests and clearings, ravines, gullies - have a length greater than their width. Area landmarks - pond, lake, clearings, clearings, forest, large hills, valleys, slopes. Point and linear landmarks are easier to perceive, since for the most part they require perception on a plane. It is impossible to perceive the terrain without developing three-dimensional thinking; it is most difficult when reading a map. When reading a card, the “card memory” plays an important role, i.e. the ability to quickly capture and save an image of a map or area. “Map memory” allows you to access the map less frequently and spend less time comparing it with the terrain when determining your position and choosing a path.

Azimuth movementu. Any direction can be expressed as an angle with respect to the direction north. This direction at a given angle is called "azimuth". Keeping the bearing is easy if you use an approximate compass with a platform.

A few simple tips:

¤ place the compass on the map so that the longitudinal side of the platform connects the starting and ending points of the route;
¤ Rotate the compass bulb until the red lines on the bulb are parallel to the direction of the meridian on the map. The double line on the flask should face north!;
¤ remove the compass from the map and hold it in front of you so that the longitudinal edge of the platform faces away from you;
¤ turn around its axis until the northern end of the arrow is between the double mark on the compass bulb;
¤ choose some landmark far ahead and move towards it, then repeat all the operations from the beginning.

In order to maintain azimuth movement on the ground, with a certain compass, it is necessary to periodically do a “check” - marking landmarks in the direction of movement. To do this, you need to learn to fix your gaze on the most distant landmark possible and try not to let it out of your field of vision while moving. This is an accurate azimuth move. But there is also approximate, rough azimuth movement along large areal or linear landmarks, when moving into a “bag” (towards the intersection of two linear landmarks). Speaking about azimuth movement, one cannot help but talk about movement with anticipation. Its meaning is that the movement is planned not to a point, but with a deliberate deviation in one direction or another. This is usually done to reach a linear landmark and then continue moving along it towards the goal. When moving in azimuth over a distance of more than 200 m, do not forget about the map. It is necessary to carefully monitor the terrain and distance traveled; periodically, preferably from memory, compare the area with the map in order to always know your location. "Azimuth sense" comes after extensive training over several years.

Measuring distances. Distances are measured on the map and on the ground: on the map - by eye or on the scale of a compass bar, on the ground - by eye, by the time of movement and by counting pairs of steps. The most accurate measurements on the map are with a compass ruler, on the ground - in pairs of steps. The distance traveled can be monitored by the main landmarks encountered along the route. Monitoring distances by counting pairs of steps requires preliminary preparation, in which the length of pairs of steps is estimated under different conditions of movement; on the road, in the forest, uphill, downhill, over rough terrain, running, walking, etc. To determine the length of a pair of steps, sections of one hundred meters or between landmarks are measured and walked in accordance with the map.

Movement along the chainV. By adhering to reliable and easily identifiable landmarks on the ground, you can get to your intended goal. With this method of movement, orientation techniques are needed: comparing the map with the terrain, using a compass and measuring distances. The main requirement of such a movement is the connection of the map with the terrain. Losing your orientation (your location) can cause many unpleasant moments: you will have to find a new reliable landmark and “get attached” to the map. To prevent this from happening, when implementing a path along a chain of landmarks, it is necessary to constantly monitor the direction of linear landmarks and the azimuth when crossing area landmarks using a compass. In this case, there will be no mistakes or “slips” onto the wrong path, which can be marked on the ground with landmarks similar to those chosen for movement.

– a sport in which participants, using a sports map and compass, must pass control points (CP) located on the ground.

Results are usually determined by the time it takes to complete the course (in certain cases, taking into account penalty time) or by the number of points scored.

Orienteering competitions are held in different groups, which can be formed both according to age and the skill level of the participants. The difficulty of the distance and its length are determined by the age group and the complexity of the competition terrain. At the same time, the distance (route) should be unfamiliar to all participants and combine difficulties that the athlete can overcome with the ability to navigate and good physical fitness.

Types of orienteering

Orienteering by running

Running orienteering competitions are held in a large number of different disciplines, for example: in a given direction ("ZN"), by choice ("VO") and even on a marked route ("MT"). The World Orienteering Championships have been held since 1966.

Ski orienteering

Ski orienteering competitions are held in conditions of stable snow cover in the disciplines: given direction, marked route.

A combination of the two previous types. Competitions in a given direction are held using a special map on which the ski tracks are plotted, and the types of ski tracks are shown in relation to the speed of movement on skis.

The World Ski Orienteering Championships have been held since 1975.

Bicycle orienteering

Bicycle orienteering competitions are held in the following disciplines:
• given direction
• marked route
• optionally
• in a combination of these types.

The sports map shows the types of roads in relation to the speed of cycling. The World Bicycle Orienteering Championships have been held since 2002.

Precision orientation, trail orientation

The international name is Trail Orienteering (trail-O, also Pre-O, the old name is “trail orientation”) - a sport that involves accurately interpreting the situation on the ground using a map.

During a control time, participants cover (usually in a given sequence) a distance consisting of points, at each of which several prisms (flags) are located within sight. Participants must determine and record which of these prisms (flags) on the ground corresponds to the legend indicated on the map and the given legend (possibly none). At the same time, some landmarks available on the ground may be intentionally absent from the map.

Movement of participants is allowed only along authorized paths (paths) or marked areas of the terrain. The athlete can choose to start either on foot (running), or on a bicycle, or in a single-seat wheelchair propelled by hands or an electric motor. The time it takes to complete the distance is not taken into account; the result is determined by the number of correct answers. At some checkpoints called "Time-KP", the time for making a decision is additionally recorded, but even in this case, the time of movement between checkpoints is not taken into account.

The World Trail Orienteering Championships (WTOC) have been held since 2004. Since 2013, the Sprint discipline has been included in the World Championship program. The sprint consists of only “Time-KP”.

Types of competitions

It consists of going the distance in a given order.
At the moment of the start (in some cases, 1 minute before the start), the participant receives a map on which the start place and checkpoints are marked, connected by a line that indicates the sequence of passing the checkpoint. The winner is determined by the shortest time to complete the distance.

Sports labyrinth competitions (ultrasprint) are held on a small area among artificial obstacles. The length of the distance is 100-500 m, maze maps usually have a scale of 1:100.

- consists of walking the distance in any order.
Before the start, each participant is given a map with the start, finish and checkpoints marked.

There are two options for holding this type of competition:
• Completing the distance from start to finish with the required number of CP/points in the shortest time;
• Gaining the most points/CP during the designated time limit.

Checkpoints, depending on the difficulty and distance, are assigned points, and for exceeding the control time a penalty is assigned, usually by subtracting one point from the result for each full minute of exceeding the control time.

– consists in the fact that the participant is provided with a sports map with the start location indicated on it. Following the marked route, the participant enters into the map (with a needle or a special composter) the location of the checkpoints that he encounters along the way.

At the finish line, judges check the accuracy of determining the location of the control point and impose a fine depending on the participant’s error. The penalty may be extra time or penalty loops.

Orienteering on a marked route is mainly found only in Russia and the countries of the former USSR.

Orienteering technique

Before delving into the secrets of orienteering, you first need to pay attention one of the “main tools” - the map.

We can say without any reservations that the map is a textbook for an orienteer, because with its help he can find out the nature and features of the area. But to understand all this, you need, of course, to “learn to read and write,” and this means learning to read a map.

Conventional signs of sports cards

If you know how to read a map, then with the help of it alone you can get to your intended goal and definitely more intelligently than with the help of a compass alone. With the help of a compass, it is true that you can go in the desired direction under any conditions, but without a map you are as if you were blind. A map is the most important tool for an orienteer. The best way to navigate is a sports map.

Various symbols are used to indicate terrain features and its relief on the map. If we consider the map to be an orienteer’s anthology, then the conventional signs are the alphabet, according to which the orienteer composes unified words and sentences that are clear in their meaning.

Liquid compass

An orienteer's best friend - compass. Without it, it would be difficult to get out of the tangled terrain to the intended goal by the most direct route.

We must trust the compass even when our own “correct” instinct turns everything upside down, pointing south instead of north and vice versa.

Using a map and compass, you can navigate the terrain and accurately follow the intended path. But first you need to learn how to correctly orient the map and find a standing point on it.

Ways to orientate a map

Orient the map- this means positioning it so that the top side of the frame is directed to the north, and the bottom to the south. To do this, use a compass to find the direction north and position the map so that the north on the map coincides with the direction indicated by the compass arrow.

You can orient the map in another way. Stand on some terrain line marked on the map. Let's say this line is a road.

Rotate the map so that the direction of the road symbol coincides with the direction of the road on the ground. In this case, you need to make sure that the objects on the right and left of the road have the same location as on the map.

Orienting the map towards a landmark

If this condition is met, then the map is oriented correctly. It should be remembered that every time when comparing the terrain and the map, you must start with the orientation of the map. At first, this may not seem so easy, but you will soon notice the benefits it brings.

Ways to follow a route using a map

To go from one point to another, there are two absolutely different ways. One of them is based on reading a map and choosing the easiest path along it, while the other involves direct azimuth walking. Let us explain what we mean by these methods.

Imagine that you need to go from one village to another. Relying only on the map, you will be able to get to your goal by sticking to reliable and easily detectable objects on the ground, such as paths, a road, a stream bed or the edge of an arable land. If you followed the route in this way, you can say that you only resorted to reading a map to get to the desired point.

Now suppose that you need to get from the village to the lake. Directly through the forest is much shorter than taking the bypass road. In this case, you will have to determine the azimuth and follow it through the forest straight to the lake. That's what it is azimuth walking.

The angle between the direction north and the direction towards a given object (landmark) is called azimuth. Azimuth movement is the ability to maintain a given direction using a compass. path and get to your destination. To do this, the route of movement is first determined from the map, the azimuths of the sections and the distances that need to be covered in each section are determined.

To find out how many degrees there are in azimuth, they begin to count from north to the right, that is, clockwise. Azimuth is measured from 0 to 360 degrees. The divisions on the compass are the same.

Constantly compare the map with the terrain! The basis of orienteering is that the orienteer must always know the point of his standing on the map. And this is only possible when you carefully monitor the map and the terrain, i.e. control the direction of movement and distance traveled you distance(for measuring distances on a map and on the ground, see the topic “Topography and Orientation”).

Orienteering distances

Classification of distances

Distance– competition route from start to finish.

Distances according to saturation with orienteering tasks
and requirements for the physical fitness of participants
divided into classes:
• VS - all-Russian competitions;
• MS – master of sports;
• Candidate for master of sports;
• 1st category class distances;
• mass discharge class distance.

Equipment for orienteering courses

The competition area will be equipped with:
• preliminary start (place of registration of starting participants);
• card issuing point;
• technical start;
• starting point of orientation (point K);
• checkpoints - KP;
• marked sections (from the technical start to the orientation start point;
  from the last checkpoint to the finish, etc.);
• finish (point of relay transfer);
• other facilities necessary for each type of orienteering (food stations, first aid stations, places for spectators and representatives of the press).

The pre-start must have a clock or other device showing the judge's time (current competition time).

The competition distance on the marked course is marked on the ground from the starting point of the orienteering to the finish.

For gearbox equipment and the starting points of orientation are used sign in the form of a triangular prism with a side of 30 x 30 cm. Each the face is divided by a diagonal from lower left to upper right corner on a white field up and orange(red is allowed) – below.

• 1 – KP prism with number;
• 2 – double composter with KP number;
• 3 – support for hanging the gearbox

Each CP is given a designation and for this purpose two-digit and three-digit numbers are used, starting from 31. Numbers that can be read ambiguously (66,68,86,89,98,99, etc.) are prohibited from being used to designate a CP. The designation must be the same, no matter how many distances meet at a given checkpoint (except for “MT” competitions).

A sample of control panel equipment is installed near the start no later than 30 minutes before the start of the 1st participant.

KP are supplied means of marking, which are attached in close proximity to the prism. The number of marking devices must be such as not to cause delays for participants.

All checkpoints of the same distance are equipped in the same way and are equipped with marking means of the same design.

Visit to the CP by a participant controlled using the document - control card, which can be combined with the map. The participant card must clearly show that all checkpoints have been visited. The card must be capable of producing a reserve (R) mark. If there is no correct mark on any control card on the control card or it is not clearly identified, the participant’s result may be canceled. The result of a participant who has lost the control card, failed to hand it in at the finish line, or passed the checkpoint in a different order than the specified one may be cancelled.

Checkpoint mark on the marked route It is done as follows: the participant fixes the location of the CP by piercing the card received at the start with a needle with a diameter of no more than 1 mm. The participant marks the puncture of the CP with a cross using a colored pencil located at the next CP. The last checkpoint is marked at the turn of the mark. For an error in applying the CP by more than 2 mm, the participant receives a penalty (in minutes or penalty laps)

At International and All-Russian competitions, the function of a control card can be performed by a special device that is part of the electronic control system for visiting the checkpoint - CHIP. An electronic marking system allows you to control the athlete’s movement along the distance.

Legends of KP

The preliminary information that the athlete receives before the start includes a graphic description of the location of the checkpoint using symbols (pictograms) - the checkpoint legend.

CP legends allow you to act in the area where the points are located more intelligently and quickly. This means that you can save time when “taking” the checkpoint.

Above the table with symbols the age group of the participants, the length of the straight line distance between the checkpoints and the total climb along the optimal path are indicated, and below the table is the distance from the last checkpoint to the finish and the presence of markings on this path.

Descriptions of the location of the checkpoint

Checkpoint descriptions are in the order in which the checkpoint should be visited and may include special instructions such as the length and nature of any marked section of the course. A thick horizontal line should be used after every four descriptions and on both sides of any special indication.

The most difficult and challenging, but at the same time the most exciting problem in orientation – route selection. Which path should you take? Should we go around the field spread out ahead or rush straight ahead?

When solving the problem of choosing a route, you must first take into account two points. Firstly, reliability, i.e. the ability to avoid taking the wrong route or reduce the likelihood of going astray, and secondly, speed.

People tend to strive for more. We set goals, achieve them and move on to the next ones. We start running with a couple of kilometers, then five, ten, half marathon and marathon, gradually improving the results. Now many people are not limited to this, they are discovering triathlon, adding swimming and cycling to running. But Tritalon is not the only alternative. Today I want to talk about orienteering, which can add wild nature, fun company and interesting logic problems to your running. An experience you won't get in other sports.

What is terrain orientation

Orienteering is a sport in which athletes use a compass and map to search for control points located on the ground. Competitions take place in the city or outdoors. Athletes move by running - a classic option.

The winner is the participant who finds all the points and comes to the finish line first. The most important qualities of an orienteer: the speed of completing the distance and the accuracy of choosing a route.

Story

The term orienteering appeared in 1886 among the Scandinavian military. It means moving around an unfamiliar area using a map. Orientation among civilians began in 1918. At that time, interest in athletics was declining, and orienteering, with its fascination, brought young people back to the sport. Since then, the popularity of this sport has been growing.

Orienteering appeared in the USSR in 1957 as a form of tourism. At first, it was a sport for adults. But since the beginning of the 90s, youth and children's competitions began to appear.

Today, large competitions, such as Russian Azimuth, attract up to 200,000 participants annually.

What orienteering can do for a runner

Let's start with the fact that the running volumes are quite decent. Competitive distances of up to 20 km on difficult ground require serious and versatile physical training. Endurance and running technique alone are not enough. You need developed coordination of movements, trained stabilizer muscles, and a stable ankle.

When you run on the highway, you develop a movement pattern. With each workout, running takes less and less energy. The body adapts to monotonous movements, turns off unnecessary muscles, and optimizes energy consumption. The asphalt is smooth and even, so it's easy to get used to.

In addition, asphalt is hard, which means you can use the elastic force of muscles and tendons as a spring, returning some of the energy when pushing off. Look how marathon runners run - they bounce like balls on asphalt.

In orienteering, the soil is soft, it absorbs the elastic shock, no spring is produced. Running this way is much more difficult, you can test this by training yourself on a sandy beach. Just don’t overdo it—training like this can easily lead to overtraining.

Also, the surface is constantly changing. Path, forest, swamp, stones, branches, logs. It is impossible to develop a universal stereotype of movement. The body adapts differently, it begins to train endurance.

Let's leave the epic atmosphere and music to the conscience of the video creators; in real orientation everything is more prosaic. Take a better look at your running technique and compare it with the previous video.

One of the most objective indicators of human performance is maximum oxygen consumption (MOC). It determines the power of work performed by the muscles by the amount of oxygen absorbed. On average, this parameter is about 70 for track and field athletes, and about 80 for orienteers. That is, orienteers are an eighth more resilient.

Don’t be confused by the fact that marathons are won by runners; this is due to the established motor stereotype that we discussed above. And that doesn't mean a runner doesn't need to be tough. Developing technique may be easier than developing endurance.

An example is Pavel Naumov, who, after competing in orienteering, switched to athletics. In 2005, he received gold at the Russian Athletics Championships in the 3 km run. He was a member of the Russian running team and won prizes at international competitions.

Besides running

Running is one side of orienteering. Equally important is working with your head: speed of decision-making, attentiveness, spatial imagination, the ability to hold several objects in your head at the same time, and quickly find them. Without these qualities, good physical preparation will easily lead you in the opposite direction from the finish line.

Athletes are guided by a map on which roads, forests, clearings, swamps, rocks, holes and hills, in some cases even trees, are shown with symbols.

The brain solves several problems at once.

Analyzes the map, notes the characteristic features of the area: “on the right is a clearing, ahead, after 200 meters, the path will turn left, around the bend a ravine will depart from the path, at the end of which there is a checkpoint.”

Gets an idea of ​​what this area will look like in reality: what is the density of the forest and visibility range, which landmarks will be clearly visible and which ones will be difficult to notice, how difficult it is to run through this area, etc.

You must notice landmarks and understand where you are relative to them so as not to get lost. They must watch their step so as not to fall or crash into a tree. Must follow the map.

Psychologist George Miller published in 1955, which contained the results of a study of human attention. You can read it and at the same time improve your English level, but for me the general conclusion is important: a person can simultaneously hold about 7 objects in his mind. But this number can be increased with training. For a strong orienteer it reaches 11, that is, one and a half times higher than for an ordinary person. There are athletes who plan their way to the next checkpoint before they even reach the first one.

This may not seem too difficult, but consider the speed. Can you make a grocery list for the whole family at a speed of 4 min/km? And after 15 km through hills and bushes at this pace?

Together

When planning the path to the next point, you must not only determine the shortest option, but also correctly assess your capabilities. You can take a direct route through the swamp and swim in it for 20 minutes. Or run around, increase your distance by half a kilometer, but end up being first, because running along the path is much faster.

You must use your strengths: endurance, speed, accurate analysis and route construction. This approach gives an almost endless variety of tactics and options for covering the distance. Therefore, even within one competition, each participant has his own distance. And only time at the finish line shows who is really right.

Other types

In addition to the classic running orienteering described above, there are 4 more types in which World and European Championships are held:

Ski orienteering can be given a given direction and marking.

The given direction is reminiscent of summer orienteering, only on skis. Athletes move mainly on ski tracks, because climbing through bushes on skis is inconvenient. The point of the competition, as in the summer form, is to take a number of checkpoints and be the first to finish the distance.

Marking- our national form of orienteering. Preparing a network of ski tracks for a given direction is expensive and difficult, so Soviet coaches came up with the idea of ​​letting athletes follow one track. On it, participants find control points and must mark their position on the map. If the item is marked incorrectly, the athlete will be assessed a penalty time. The final result is determined by the time it takes to complete the course plus the penalty. This type of orienteering is the most technically complex and is still carried out only in Russia.

Bicycle orienteering looks like a winter set direction. On the map, instead of ski tracks, roads and the speed on them are indicated, as well as places dangerous for cyclists, such as logs.

Trail-O— orientation for disabled people. Competitions in this type are organized according to a principle similar to marking. The route and sequence of the route are determined in advance. There are several prisms located at the control points, and participants need to determine which one most accurately matches the map and legend. Legend - description of the location of the item. It may turn out that all the prisms are positioned incorrectly. The winner is the one who made the fewest mistakes.

Participants may have different disabilities, so the time taken to complete the course is not taken into account.

Rogaine- long-term orientation.

Unlike the classic format, rogaining competitions last from several hours to a day. During this time, participants must find as many checkpoints as possible, and the order of their passage can be arbitrary.

The sport is developing, and other disciplines are appearing: orienteering in kayaks, in caves and labyrinths, sprinting, night orienteering, etc.

Conclusion

Orienteering is an exciting sport. The training combines running training, game moments and logic tasks. Competitions offer a varied test of your capabilities.

We at the Running Lab love orienteering. Many of our employees were professionally involved in it or are still doing it, were members of Russian national teams and took part in the World Championships.

If you are looking for new goals or want to diversify your running training, try orienteering.

The article was prepared by: Dmitry Gavrilov and Svetlana Razumnaya.

Orienteering is a race in a given direction: an athlete with a map and compass must cover a distance, checking in at several checkpoints. You need to move over rough terrain (usually through forests and parks), and pass control stations in a special order. This sport came out of military exercises that were conducted for Scandinavian and British soldiers. The founding father is considered to be Swedish Major Ernst Killander, president of the Stockholm Amateur Sports Association. He came up with the rules and held the first ever competition in 1918.

Tells psychologist and psychophysiologist Tatyana Fadeeva, 31 years old, CMS, prize-winner of the Moscow Region Championship and the Federal “Russian Azimuth” competition.

“Orientation teaches you to rely only on yourself,” says Tatyana. – There are no fans or opponents nearby, you are alone with your distance. Essentially, this is a metaphor for life, with which you are also always face-to-face, and you need to move forward, fight fears, laziness, and reluctance to think. If you made a mistake, it is not a fact that you lost: where it is difficult for you, it is difficult for others, your competitors could also make a mistake. Therefore, if you get lost, you shouldn’t rush around and panic, you need to pull yourself together and make an informed decision. Stop, remember at what point you still knew where you were, go back, reorient yourself and continue moving. Everything is just like in life."

It is not that simple. With high aerobic loads, it is difficult to maintain attention (during training, beginners are given texts and problems that must be read and solved on the run - try it and you will understand how “great” it is). But you need to keep an eye on the road, check the route, figure out how to get over obstacles. And the numbers of control points cannot be confused. Although this is the most interesting thing. Plus useful: few things in life can be more useful than the ability to think quickly in a stressful situation. (Catch instructions for dealing with stress.)

“Orienteering is unique in its combination of physical and mental load,” says Tatyana. – You’re not just running, but you’re also thinking, your head is 150% loaded. You don’t get distracted by extraneous thoughts, you forget about problems and just merge with the movement. Such immersion in the process can only be achieved in yoga, but only if you are a very experienced practitioner.

Competitions take place almost every weekend, and there I release the burden that has accumulated during the week. This is my coping strategy, a personal way to cope with stress. Cortisol and other stress hormones go away best when a person runs or wrestles, and orienteering is running and wrestling rolled into one. Plus, you are alone with nature and at this moment you take off all social masks - you are just an orienteer. You accept yourself as you are."

In Russia, orienteering is not as popular as, say, in Scandinavia. In Finland, the president comes to the main Jukola relay race, a whole town with showers and canteens grows up in the forest, and everything that happens is filmed from helicopters. But our big events also attract several thousand participants. Not only professionals can compete: the groups are open to everyone – there are children’s groups, and even pensioners’ groups, by the way.

“Orienteering is suitable for anyone, except perhaps glamorous young ladies who are afraid of ruining their manicure or scratching their knee,” says Tatyana. – This is a dirty sport. We run not on asphalt, but along forest paths, and return from the race grimy and sweaty. Whatever the weather, the relay will not be cancelled. And every time after a competition I have three loads of clothes to wash. But inside you feel an incredible cleansing. As a specialist, I can say that orienteering is an excellent help in solving any psychological problems. Even if you can’t run for physiological reasons, you can just walk; orienteering is not about speed at all. And it's always positive. When you find a checkpoint, you feel delight and jubilation. And you have such small victories - 20-30 per distance. You come back happy, no matter what mood you started in.”

Russian Orienteering Championship, Miass. “All women who train look young,” says our heroine. And we agree with her.

Do orienteering

Most orienteering clubs are aimed at teaching children. There is almost no training for adults, so you will most likely have to negotiate with a coach about a personal program. Usually one lesson with a map is enough to learn the symbols and understand how to orient the plan to the north. And then – practice. The second option is to bring your child to the club and run with him, many people do this. The address of the establishment closest to your home can be found on the website moscompass.ru or http://o-sport.ru/map.php.

If you don’t really like the idea of ​​running through the forest in search of checkpoints, but are generally attracted to orienteering, the game “Inakor” is suitable - online active orienteering, a mix of orienteering, city quests and geocaching (searching for treasures hidden by someone using GPS ). You register on the website msk.inacor.ru, download a map (all Moscow parks are there, including little-known ones to the general public), a route and try to complete it the fastest, checking in at checkpoints. The fastest ones receive prizes - virtual and real.

What you need for orienteering

A CO Adept requires the following minimum equipment:

• correct spikes;
• convenient shape – nylon is better so that branches don’t get caught;
• compass;
• electronic chip, it is applied to the station sensor.

Yoga for competition preparation

Yoga will prepare your body for trail running and your mind to work hard. Perform these asanas regularly, gradually increasing the time spent in each pose.

Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I)

Strengthens the leg muscles, opens the hip joints, develops coordination, and trains endurance.

• Stand up straight. As you inhale, jump with your legs and spread your arms to the sides. Now turn your palms up, raise your outstretched limbs and connect your fingers.
• Inhale, exhale, turn the toe of your right foot, pelvis and torso to the right 90 degrees, and turn your left foot slightly inward.
• Inhale and as you exhale, bend your right knee to a right angle. Move your head back slightly and look up at your thumbs.
• Stay in this position as long as possible. Then inhale, return to the starting position and repeat the pose, switching legs.

Virabhadrasana III (Warrior Pose III)

Strengthens the muscles of the thighs, legs, buttocks, and develops the ability to maintain balance.

• Stand up straight. As you inhale, jump your legs apart, spread your arms to the sides - and go into the “Virabhadrasana I” pose (the one that was before).
• Inhale, exhale, now bend towards your right thigh, stretch your torso and arms forward, palms together.
• Lift your left leg off the floor and slowly raise it until it is parallel to the floor (at the same time straightening your supporting leg). Look down, neck and back are in one line.
• Stay as long as possible, then, as you exhale, slowly lower your left foot to the floor, lifting your body up. Return to Virabhadrasana I, and then to the starting position. Repeat, switching legs.

Chaturanga dandasana (four-legged staff pose)

Strengthens the muscles of the back, abdomen, arms and legs, disciplines the mind, and helps maintain concentration.

• Starting position - lying down (feet and straightened arms shoulder-width apart, body extended from heels to crown).
• Pressing the heels of your palms into the floor, slowly bend your elbows, pressing them toward your body.
• Lower your body so that it rests on four support points parallel to the floor. If you are a beginner, you can place your knees and forearms on the floor.
• Stay in this position as long as possible.

The editors would like to thank the “Fitness on the Roof” project FITNESS HOLDING for their assistance in organizing the shooting.