ATTACKING THE FLAG

In a recent issue of Pacemaker we saw how to find ourselves if we get lost, but most people would probably prefer not to get lost in the first place. One interesting fact is that most people lose time in wandering around within the circle drawn on the map. A good technique to cut down lost time here is to choose an ATTACK POINT.

An attack point is an obvious feature on the ground close to the control site which gives a definite fixed point from which to ATTACK the kite. Note that it should be a POINT, so a path junction would be a good attack point but a straight path would not because you wouldn't know where on the path you were. Path, stream and fence junctions or bends make good attack points. For those of us on more technical courses or trickey areas with no line features (paths etc.) contour features can also be used: a hill top, a junction of two re-entrants (valleys) etc.

To be useful, the attack point needs to be close to the actual control. Aim for something up to 100m away, but the closer the better. The attack point also needs to be an easy find; there's no point in choosing an attack point that you'll spend 10 minutes looking for, so avoid small ditches, indistinct paths, ruined fences etc.

Once you've reached your attack point, you can move into the control site. Always check that you have your map carefully set (north lines matched up with north on your compass) and take time to build up a mental picture of what you should be seeing en route (visualise). You may find that it's useful to take a bearing. Rember that this is where most time is lost, so a few seconds (or minutes!) extra preparation at the attack point will probably pay off

So that's what an attack point is and why it's useful. Why not have a look at some courses you've done recently and indentify some suitable attack points? By routinely selecting an attack point for each point on each course you do, you should be able to improve your navigational accuracy and aim for that error free run or walk!

Written by Carol Whitworth, published in PACEMAKER, SEPTEMBER 1999, Issue 74, Page 24.