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Orienteering | the Rules | the registration | organising yourself and your equipment | choosing a course

the start | the master maps | getting to your 1st control | the rest of the controls | the course

Snakes and wild Animals |retiring | results and recriminations

Orienteering. This Beginner’s Guide is meant for people that are starting off with the sport, hopefully on a regular basis. It should help to improve the skills of novice orienteers who wish to advance and become as good as they can be in the sport of Orienteering. As their knowledge through experience improves, each orienteer will come up with their own techniques, which works best for them. That individualism is encouraged and can be of value to others as well. Please also read F.A.Q.’s (frequently asked questions) elsewhere on this website. This will be updated regularly >>> Back to Top

the rules. There are rules to abide by and are published by the South African Orienteering Federation. (See www.SAOF.org.za) These rules are established and published by the International Orienteering Federation. The beginner does get briefed on basic rules and usually pick up others as they improve in their skills and by simply asking. The most important rule as far as I am concerned is this general one; the onus is on each and every competitor himself or herself to ensure they understand the rules and any changes thereto as and when it applies. Ignorance is no excuse!

But let’s get on with these notes; Since it is assumed that as a novice, you have done an event already. Some of the items you will read about here are also found in the F.A.Q’s. Read that as well as this guide. It could be helpful to you. >>> Back to Top

the registration

Read the Planner’s notice board as this often gives you good information beforehand about the different courses available on the day and what will be suitable for you.

Take heed of any warnings e.g. hard course, long course, experienced orienteers only etc.

Copy down onto your map any map corrections. The Planner will normally indicate relevant corrections and it might be your course that requires them.

There is normally a blank map on display. Look at it carefully and note things like;

Scale – set the scale on your compass, if you use it that way.

Contour interval – 5 or 10m intervals are the usual.

Date of last update – features do not change much, but vegetation does. If the map is old, the vegetation could be very different out there to what is shown!

Choose a start time that allows you sufficient time to prepare yourself and still get to the Event’s Start at least 10 minutes before your own start time. I usually prepare myself completely (shoes, eyeshade, sunscreen etc.) before I enter. That gives me time to unwind from a usually long drive. Remember there might be a walk to the Event Start. This will be on the notice board.

Always make sure what race time is – it is often slightly later than normal time.

Check that you have the correct description sheet for your chosen course. Make sure you understand all the symbols – ask for help if you need it.

Mark your registration card clearly with your name, club, and course, start time and EMIT number if you are using one on the day. >>> Back to Top

organising yourself and your equipment.

Ensure you know how the different punching systems work, and how you are going to hold your card, map and compass.

Staples and the EMIT reader can affect your compass. Do not use staples or bring your compass close to these items when taking a bearing on your compass.

I usually carry my description sheet in a small plastic bag (it’s a bank’s money bag) and then attached to my wrist with elastic bands. Or I carry it pinned to my chest where I can read it. The punch card I carry suspended from my left wrist by a piece of string. The card is very strong and does not tear, so it could flap loosely when you are running. It does not matter. Further, I carry my map in my left hand as well as my compass, leaving my right hand free for the EMIT reader or to work the punches.

Stapling the description sheet or the punch card to the map does not work for me. Since I usually fold the map quite small while running, these other papers always get hidden when you want to use them! >>> Back to Top

choosing a course. Be aware, a 6km orienteering course is much more demanding than a 6km road run!!! You could easily add half the stated distance of an orienteering run onto the official course distance and then only get a vague comparison to a road run. In addition, very much depend on the terrain and the amount of climb.

Read the Planner’s comments on the various courses on offer. The Planner is the only person that has a fair idea how tough or easy any course is.

The terrain – look around when you arrive – how well will you cope with this kind of terrain?

How well do you know the area? When last did you run here, if at all?

Weather conditions – is it conducive to easy running?

How well are you feeling on this day?

Is there sufficient time to easily complete this course before the courses close?

How good are you actually with your orienteering skills? The top three courses are more or less the same kind of thing, only their distances differ. But as you get more tired, you will be less able to concentrate and mistakes are made much easier then.

Take account of both the length and climb of the courses before you enter for one.

Do not move up a course unless you are positive about the above. You will only suffer!

If you are in any doubt ask for advice – the Planner or Controller are normally not far away from the registration area. Other competitors are very tense since they are stressing about their own competition. You will also get there! >>> Back to Top

the start.

Always arrive early.

Hand your registration card’s stub to the Starter.

If you need to leave your jacket or something else behind, ask the Starter to take care of it.

Wait to be called to your starting box – normally it will be two minutes before your start time.

While you are waiting, determine the following;

Where are the master maps?

Which order are they? – so that you can get to yours quickly.

Where is the start control? There is no punch or EMIT reader at the start control. It merely indicates where all the courses start.

Make sure where is North.

Look at the larger features around you; get a feel for the terrain and the area.

Two minutes before your start, you will be required to enter the back box as marked on the ground.

One minute before you start, you will b requested to enter the front box.

The Starter will count you down to the start.

Five seconds before your start, you place your EMIT reader in the Start reader. At your start time, remove your EMIT reader and your race time will begin, since it has been recorded onto your reader. This procedure is dispensed with if the event does not make use of the EMIT system.

Always watch your times yourself, as the Starter does get distracted sometimes. >>> Back to Top

the master maps.

Ensure you are copying from the correct Master Map for your course

Spend some extra time and care in copying the Master Map for your course. An incorrectly marked control site could cost you a lot of lost time.

Your circles must be clearly visible, but do not obscure any map features you might need to help you near the control site.

Number the controls as per the master map. Also, it is good practice to put the lines between control points as per the master map. This will help you not to skip a control site, or go to the wrong control thereby messing up your sequence.

You might be watched as you leave the master maps, don’t bother. Rather make sure you set off in the correct direction.

Ensure you have left nothing of yours behind at the master maps >>> Back to Top

getting to your first control.

Get a feel for the scale of the map. Make absolutely sure you are going in the right direction. If need be, stop and check. Make sure you recognize the large features around you and they are on the map and in their expected positions as you hold the map correctly! It is also very common to look for the first control too early or to overshoot it in your haste! So take it easy up to your first control. Once you have found it, verified its correctness and punched it, things will be a lot easier! >>> Back to Top

the rest of the controls.

As you approach a control, you must determine it has the correct number on it before you punch it. The number should be the same number as the one on your control description sheet. If not, you are at the wrong control site! That control belongs to a different course. Do not punch an incorrect control – you will be disqualified!

The EMIT reader in your hand will register at about 2 cm from the EMIT Systems Punch. But it is wise to place your reader snug inside the systems punch so that a marking can register on the tag of your reader as a backup.

Before arriving at a control site, be sure you know in which direction to depart for the following control site. Standing near or at a control site while reading your map gives the control site position away to others who are close by. If you have not made sure beforehand which direction to leave a control site, you will waste a lot of time by going back and then go off in the right direction.

Punching a control is on a first come first served basis. Unless you know you are slow and a faster orienteer arrives at the same time, let them go first as often seconds count at the more competitive levels. You will find that out soon! >>> Back to Top

the course.

Controls must be visited and punched in sequence. If you missed a control, you have to go back and find it. Missing a control or punching out of sequence or punching a wrong control will mean disqualification. So don’t even take a chance.

If you missed say control 3 and have already punched control 4, you can ‘fix’ your mistake. You will have to go back to control 3 and punch it again, then go to 4 again and punch it as well to have your sequence right. Otherwise you will be disqualified. So it means you must go back to your last correct and in sequence control, punch it, and carry on correctly from there.

Do not follow another competitor. That person may be on another course, or is lost, or is taking an unwise route choice. Believe in yourself. That is the only way to gain confidence in yourself. >>> Back to Top

route choices.

A route choice is how you go from one control site to another.

On many orienteering legs, there is no real difference between choices. It is just a matter of going reasonably directly to the next control.

On the more technical (difficult) courses, there are often route choices. The Planner selects control sites with that purpose in mind. Study your map carefully if it looks that you might have to weigh up some choices against each other.

Good orienteers do not stop and study their maps. People with deteriorating eyesight have to – unfortunately. But they develop an uncanny map memory, so that they can cover a large part of a leg just from memory. Develop the same ability. You will be very quick then! That is what top orienteers have.

Items to consider when making route choices are;

Vegetation – how run able is it? Can you use it to guide you along?

Climb – the amount of steepness. Can you do it comfortably?

Distance. Are you fit and strong enough?

Terrain – is the longer run on a road or footpath quicker than a shorter run over rough ground?

Your personal fitness and ability to go over that ground.

Rivers, riverbeds and stream crossings. Make sure you can cross them on your route choice. Will they be dry or wet? What about steep banks and dense vegetation? That will waste a lot of time!

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long legs. No, they are not the female kind! When running a long orienteering leg between two control sites, it is very easy to miss your control site entirely.

Use your compass.

Look for confirmation features of your route along the way while you are running.

Look for ‘catch features’ these are features on the other side of a control that could indicate to you that you have gone too far. E.g. fence, footpath, stream, valley, change in vegetation etc. >>> Back to Top

honing into a control. When you get close to a control, you need to identify exactly where it is.

Always keep a sharp lookout, as controls can often be seen some way off through a gap in the vegetation or boulders.

Read your control description carefully. It will usually tell where the control is in relation to the feature, top, bottom, north, south, between etc.

If there are several identical features, the description sheet will tell you at which feature it is e.g. east, west, north, upper.

Wherever a control is stated to be in relation to a feature, try and approach the control from that side – if you have a choice, the control should be more easily visible.

Also look for nearby features that may lead you or guide you into a control e.g. ditch, fence, tree etc.

When you have located the control, ensure it has the correct number on it for your course before you punch it. >>> Back to Top

using your compass.

I know it sounds silly, but you should learn in your own time how to use your compass at home. Exercise with it on an old orienteering map until you can find direction very quickly and until you are sure of yourself. In a competition, you must already be an expert with a compass otherwise you will waste precious time! The only thing you should practice while competing is your map reading and map memory skills.

Orienteering clubs periodically gives training courses. Use that avenue.

When you are setting your compass in a competition, move a way from the control site first; otherwise you will reveal its location to somebody else.

Keep your compass set for the leg which you are doing until you have found the control at the end of that leg. >>> Back to Top

giving help and asking for help.

This will happen quite a lot. Its amazing how ‘stupid’ you can get when in a hurry, or when you are tired!

Only ask another competitor on the course if you are really lost.

Do not bother a top competitor.

Give help to a newcomer or someone who is totally lost. Remember, you were also new to this sport!

Do not show anybody else where a control is.

Do not shout the location of a control to anybody either. >>> Back to Top

the finish.

At the finish line you must punch your EMIT reader to register your end time.

If you forget to punch at the Finish, you will be disqualified. There will be an EMIT punch control at the Finish.

Hand in your EMIT reader if you hired it.

Your time with the splits between controls will be printed at the Finish.

The Finish Control official may request your map if others have not started by the time you finish. You will get it back later.

Clear the finish area so that the officials can see anybody else approaching to finish their run. >>> Back to Top

snakes and wild animals.

Well, I have never seen a snake while orienteering. I think they hide when we get near them. Larger animals just move away from running people. The worst I have experienced is to be bitten by mosquitoes at prize giving. There are spiders at times in forests or near trees. Just try to avoid them! >>> Back to Top

retiring.

Again something that does happen – even to the best! I hope you will not do this too often. It is very demoralising to you and to the officials. Even for the other competitors. We really want to see people enjoying orienteering.

If you really have to cut your competition short by retiring, you MUST report this to the Finish Official and hand in your punch card or EMIT reader.

If you do not report to the Finish with your decision that you have retired, the organisers will not know where you are and will come searching for you.

results.

Your printed or calculated results times will be displayed on the results line.

Discuss your performance, route choice and difficulties with other competitors. This is one way of quickly improving your skills.

Compare your split times to see where you gained or lost time on legs.

after all is said……

Do offer to go and collect controls from the various sites. You will learn an amazing amount by going over the same map more leisurely. It is also, in my opinion, the best way to show appreciation to the officials for the hard work and time they put into that event for your sake.

Please consider carefully any negative comments you may feel to make after the event, especially when you are tired, hot and frustrated. Cool off first and then gather your thoughts together and analise your performance and course choices before airing your opinions. Look around you. Others have completed the same course you did! Are they complaining? But remember, mistakes can and alas, do happen. At this stage, go to the Planner and discuss constructively any ideas you might have. I have learnt an amazing amount through the observations and comments of others! Remember that supportive and constructive discussions will help everyone.

We ARE all there to enjoy ourselves! So, herewith I’m hoping you are now sufficiently inspired to become the best orienteer You can be!

Good luck – we can all do with that too!