Introduction   
"Hike Hard" is a biomechanics development programme, created by Professor Bob Marshall of the Eastern Institute of Technology and the New Zealand Academy of Sport and Hamish Mackie of Yachting New Zealand and Unitec, with input from Ian Neely, who was previously New Zealand's Olympic Squad single handed coach. The programme is designed to help sailors improve their hiking technique so that they can hike hard and minimise the chance of injuring themselves. The programme consists of two parts. 

• Testing hiking capability on a simulator
• Developing hiking capability

Testing hiking capability on a simulator   
Sailors in the talent development programme have their hiking capability tested on a simulator three times a year. Hiking tests are administered at the end of winter, around the end of February and again at the beginning of winter. 

The hiking simulator consists of a Laser in a frame that can move to simulate the motion of a yacht. As sailors hike, a load cell measures their hiking moment and transfers this information to a computer. This information can then be graphed and analysed in order to present a picture of the force the sailor is generating. During the test the sailor is videoed. A biomechanist uses the force and video information to provide feedback to sailors on their hiking style.

	Hiking simulator The hiking simulator consists of a Laser in a frame. The frame can pivot side to side and fore & aft. A bungy connects to one side of the frame to provide a force against which the sailor hikes.
	Load cell A load cell is connected between the bungy and the simulator frame. As sailors hike the load cell expands and as they rest it contracts. This generates an electrical signal which is the raw data used as the basis for analysing sailor hiking capability.
	Data capture The signal from the load cell is amplified and captured into a computer for analysis.

Test protocols

1. The hiking test is a tool for developing experienced sailors hiking skills and is not intended for sailors who are learning to sail. Sailors need to have had two years experience of hiking before undertaking the hiking test.

2. Sailors participate in the test at their own risk.

3. Sailors warm up on an exercise bike or equivalent before taking the test.

4. Sailors adjust the hiking strap to their preferred hiking position before completing the test. Sailors are advised to wear booties and hiking pants for the test if they wear these items whilst sailing.

5. Sailors are advised to stop hiking if at any point during the test they experience pain or become fatigued.

6. Sailors younger than 15 do a 20 second maximum hiking test and a 3 minute hiking test experience. Data is collected during the three minute evaluation but the focus is on hiking style, rather than force generated. These sailors are requested not to hike to their maximum during the 3 minute test.

7. Sailors older than 16 do a 30 second maximum test and a 5 minute sustained hiking evaluation. These sailors are requested to hike to their maximum during the 5 minute sustained test.

8. The change over age between tests is 15 to 16. Sailors in this age bracket will be assessed to evaluate which test they will complete. This assessment will look at their competitive sailing history and their height-weight ratio. Sailor and parental preference will also be taken into consideration when deciding which test these sailors will complete. If there is indecision then the sailor will take the under 15 hiking test.

9. The length of the strap holding the load cell is increased by 50mm for girls and sailors completing the under 15 hiking test.

10. Hiking tests should be administered no more than three times a year.

 
Test results

After each test a report is sent to the sailors. The report consists of two parts. The first part of the report provides a summary of the sailors hiking capability and compares this with any previous tests that they may have completed. The following graphic shows the data that is provided to sailors.   

1. 30 (or 20) second maximum (Nm): the average righting moment generated over the 20/30 s.

2. Max as % of PredMax:  see below

3. 5 (or 3) minute average (Nm):  the average righting moment over 3 or 5 minutes

4. 5 (or 3) min avg as % of 30 (or 20) sec:  3 or 5 min average as a percentage of 20/30 sec max test.

5. 5 (or 3) min start as % of 30 (or 20) sec:  the average of the 30 to 60 seconds of the sailor's 3 or 5 min endurance test as a percentage of their maximum test.

6. 5 (or 3) min fatigue (%):  the average righting moment from 240 to 270 (or 120 -150) sec divided by the average from 30 – 60 sec.

Max as % of PredMax.  Sailors are provided with a prediction of their potential maximum righting moment based on their height and weight, with the assumption that their ankles are directly above the centreline of the boat.  If their Maximum effort is less than 100% of their Predicted Maximum, this suggests that they are doing some or all of:  bending at the knees and/or hips, curling their trunk forwards, or sitting in.  If their Max is 100% or more than their PredMax it suggests that they are keeping their knees and hips straight, with their body horizontal, their arms are up around their chest, and they may be hiking off their toes, or may have loosened their hiking strap so that they can move their whole body out from the centreline.

The second part of the report provides sailors with a graphical representation of how their force changed over time during the test. The photo on the left is an average position from the sailor's maximum effort trial, and the one on the right is an average position from the last 30 seconds of their endurance test. The black line on the graph on the left shows the force generated at the start of the maximum effort trial while the red line on the left graph shows the force generated at the start of the endurance test. The red line on the graph on the right shows the force generated towards the end of the endurance test.

Developing hiking capability   
"Hike Hard" is about creating sound and effective hiking technique in sailors. Part of this process is helping sailors to understand the biomechanics of hiking. Professor Bob Marshall has created a document which explains the biomechanics of hiking to regional academy sailors. Download a copy here.

The 'hike hard' philosophy on developing hiking capability is that it can only be done on the water. The sooner a sailor starts to develop sound hiking technique then the more likely they are to avoid injury and to improve their performance. The hiking development programme is based upon an approach developed by Ian Neely when working with the New Zealand Olympic Squad. The following table documents the key ingredients of the programme.

Hiking development targets

A set of targets have been created for sailors in the talent development programme.