Deconstruction of competencies required for map reading in Orienteering

by Martin Krause (2007)

The following are map reading exercises for the development of competency in orienteering. By de-constructing various elements of map reading, greater competency can be obtained. Additionally, physiological varaiables can also be manipulated to enhance cognitive skill. Ultimately, feed-forward predictive reasoning skills should be accomplished. It is very rare for an injury to occur when the cognitive processing is optimal. Click on each map if you would like larger detail.

The original map - the next 3 are variations on the original

Looking for controls in a given area based on the control descriptions

Track orienteering - relatively simple.

Compass orienteering

Blind Compass orienteering - as hard as it gets

Pure contour map used during winter training. My first mistake was to write the control numbers upside down. The terraine was cover by at least 1 - 1.5m of snow. Due to the inherent dangers of such training, we used 'shadow orienteering' whereby pairs of orienteerers shadowed each other over alternating controls.

An interesting loop relay event, where several different courses were run in parallel, with some common controls, in highly tricky, negative terraine. (Kaajani, Finnland 1989)

Pure contour work. This map is riddled with tracks. hence the exercise becomes very demanding when all other features normally associated with the forest are ignored. Hereby, weaknesses and biases in cognitive strategy can be analysed.

In this last scenario, there were several parallel courses and/or 'dummy controls. The objective was to run from the bottom up to the loop and repeat the exercise at least 4 times in a given period of time (e.g. 40 minutes). Ideally, the athlete preforms better on each loop, even though they should in theory be fatiguing. If the loop is the smae then the cognitive demands should reduce on each loop, whilst the physiological demands are increasing. The concept involved the use of anaerobic threshold cognitive capacity. At an elite level we felt that we could concentrate better supra-anaerobic threshold. Around this period another Orienteer and friend demonstrated enhanced cognitive processing in at least half of the Swiss National Team at supra-anaerobic threshold. Unfortunately Dr Toni Held's thesis was never published as it went against the consensus of the time. Since, early this century, researchers have come to recognise lactic acid as an important fuel for aerobic-anaerobic exercise through the production of pyruvate via the Ciori cycle in the liver. The pathways of lactic acid metabolism probably depend upon the internal metabolic conditions when exercise stops. High levels of lactate and slightly reduced levels of other substrates such as liver glycogen and blood glucose appear to favor lactate oxidation to pyruvate, thus saving some glycogen; whereas, the effects of prolonged exhaustive exercise may favor lesser oxidation and greater conversion to glucose. Thus lactate is an important reservoir of carbon during recovery (Brooks et al 1999, Exercise Physiology : Human Bioenergetics and Its Applications; Mayfield Publishing)

Motor Learning in Orienteering

Instructional Design and Cognitive Processing