Physiological Demands and Performance Factors in Sailing Sports

Sailing sports impose a unique combination of aerobic endurance, muscular strength and neuromuscular control under highly variable environmental conditions. Athletes must maintain prolonged isometric contractions to stabilise body position and trim the vessel, interspersed with dynamic lower-limb adjustments and explosive upper-body efforts during manoeuvres. Success in different classes depends on an interplay of anthropometric profiles, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle power, technical skill and tactical decision-making. Helmsmen typically require superior trunk endurance and relative lower-body power for precise steering, whereas crew members often benefit from greater absolute strength and aerobic capacity for sail handling and weight distribution. Wind speed, sea state and course configuration further modulate physiological load, demanding rapid shifts between energy systems. Contemporary research seeks to define key performance indicators across classes, inform athlete selection and tailor training interventions to the multifaceted demands of dinghy, keelboat and windsurfing disciplines.

Research from Nature Portfolio

A study of highly trained sailors differentiated helmsmen and crew on the basis of anthropometry and physiological function. Crew members were found to be taller, heavier and to exhibit higher VO₂max values, supporting greater sustained aerobic output for sail adjustments and hiking. By contrast, helmsmen demonstrated higher relative peak power in all-out lower-body sprints and superior trunk flexor endurance, reflecting the isometric demands of balance and helm control. Sex-specific analyses revealed that female helmsmen outperform crew in lower-body power and strength, whereas crew excel in upper-body strength. Sailing experience emerged as a robust discriminator of performance level, underscoring the importance of both physiological capacity and technical proficiency in elite competition.

Physiological Demands and Performance Factors in Sailing Sports publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in physiological demands and performance factors in sailing sports across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

VO₂max: Maximum rate of oxygen consumption during incremental exercise, reflecting aerobic capacity.

Velocity Made Good (VMG): Speed component directly towards a mark or waypoint, accounting for wind angle.

Ventilatory threshold: The exercise intensity at which ventilation increases disproportionately to oxygen uptake, indicating shift to anaerobic metabolism.

Isokinetic dynamometer: Device measuring muscle force at a constant limb movement speed, used to assess peak torque.

Somatotype: Classification of body composition into endomorphic, mesomorphic and ectomorphic components.

References

1. Anthropometric and physiological profiles of highly trained sailors in various positions and levels. Scientific Reports (2024).
2. Analysis on the characteristics and relationships of lower limbs strength and power of sailors in different positions and levels.. PLOS ONE (2023).
3. Analysis of the Performance and Sailing Variables of the Optimist Class in a Variety of Wind Conditions. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology (2024).
4. Setting sail for Paris 2024: Retrospective analysis of world‐class ILCA 7 Olympic sailors’ cardiorespiratory fitness (2015–2020). Quarterly Journal of Experimental Physiology and Cognate Medical Sciences (2024).