Confident Orienteering

  Sponsor Prize for WordOfO: Set: Electronic Book "Confident Orienteering, Book 1: Fundamentals" + 3 Online Personal Masterclasses If you're determined to significantly minimise your route execution errors and are ready to put in the effort, this book "Confident Orienteering: A Systematic Approach to Minimising Errors. Book1: Fundamentals" will equip you with the knowledge you need. The book is available in your choice of language: English, French, Ukrainian, Danish, Polish, or Italian. The Masterclasses include: Three 1-hour online personal masterclasses with the Author and Orienteering Techniques Coach, Aleksandr Alekseyonok , on a topic of your choice in Orienteering Techniques. This may include, for example, analysis of your performance on past courses or discussing effective workouts for improving navigation skills. These masterclasses also include 6 hours of analytical preparation by Aleksandr, based on data provided...

'Confident Orienteering' is a Must-Read for Orienteering Enthusiasts! Aviad Fuchs ,   an orienteering instructor with 20 years of experience in competitive orienteering across both civil and military environments, recently shared his review of my book   "Confident Orienteering, Book1: Fundamentals" : "Confident Orienteering" by Aleksandr Alekseyonok   is A Must-Read for Orienteering Enthusiasts! Orienteering books are hard to come by, making this one a rare gem. It offers clear explanations of techniques and strategies, accompanied by helpful maps and illustrations. The personal stories make it an engaging read, while the practical advice is easy to apply. Given the scarcity of quality literature in this field, this book is a valuable addition to any enthusiast's collection. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced orienteer, you'll find it an indispensable resource." Aleksandr Alekseyonok, November 20, 2024.

Maximus O-Meeting 2025: What to Expect Today we bring you an interview with one of the main organisers of Maximus O Meeting 2025, Raul Ferra. Hi, Raul. Thank you for agreeing to tell us about the MAXIMUS event. Firstly, could you briefly introduce yourself and the Maximus event?  My name is Raúl Ferra, a dedicated orienteer since the age of 9. What began as a childhood hobby evolved into a competitive pursuit, and now it’s both my profession and my passion.  At the moment, my main occupation is as the head-coach of Halden SK, but I complement it with personal coaching ( RF-Coach ), and organising training camps and events in Spain (Maximus O Meeting and winter camp, and Sun-O camps in Alicante, Murcia, Barbate, Granada, etc.).        What is the history of this competition? How did it all start?   Maximus O Meeting was launched in 2019 as a new project in the region, with the aim of offering an annual event of the highest technical quality, in addi...

Route choice at Control 1 On Control 1, we frequently have to choose between a direct but more challenging route and a longer but more reliable one.  A lack of familiarity with the terrain and a natural desire to avoid risk often incline us to opt for the longer route. This choice becomes even easier to accept on long-distance courses where the pace is not so aggressive from the start. The leg we are discussing comes from a Croatia,  Event:  Broč Orienteering Championship 2nd stage,  Organising club - OK Maksimir. Middle distance, W21E.  https://www.livelox.com/Viewer/Broc-Orienteering-Championship-2nd-stage/W21E?classId=858277&tab=player   Here, the "white forest" and the considerable size of the control feature provide strong arguments for taking the direct route. When uncertain about which route to choose, I find it helpful to identify a point  on the begining of  longer route from which I definitely will take longer one. I then estimate...

 One Year of "Confident Orienteering" A few days ago marked one year since I released my first book on orienteering in digital format. “Confident Orienteering: A Systematic Approach to Minimising Errors. Book 1: Fundamentals” dives into why mistakes happen in orienteering and provides strategies to avoid them.  The upcoming Book 2— Routes Planning and Execution —will focus on putting these strategies into action in real-life scenarios. Though we initially aimed to release it in 2024, it will now be ready by mid-2025 at the earliest. Progress is steady, and the same great team from Book 1 is still with me. We’ve completed about 70% of the text, but we still have a lot of work on illustrations, with over 300 examples planned. I’ll soon share a separate post about the amazing people contributing to this project, as well as one about Book 1 translations, highlighting the fantastic translators who made the book available in other languages. For now, I have two updates to share...

    Left, Right, or Straight: Leg Analysis #19 A landscape of this type can be seen in many European countries, such as Italy, Spain, or Portugal, as well as in Turkey. It also resembles Australia. However, this is in North America (USA, California). It’s a vast continent where you can encounter a great variety of landscapes.  Leg 5-6 presented in this analysis is from the C10 distance of the competition CalOFests Stage 3 NRE Long , which took place on  2023-07-19 . link for GPS tracks  The route choice is significantly influenced by the amount of climb. Moreover, a climb that follows a gentle road is much easier than one on a steep slope. Therefore, this factor should also be considered. The right-hand route seems too complicated and physically demanding. The easier approach to the control point is not worth it. (The red sectons represent areas with a climb). After excluding the right-hand route, we are left to consider "straight" or "left" options. The strai...