Fitness and training

How much training do your birds need to be fit enough to compete in the first race?
How quick does a bird reach a competitive fitness?
Is motivation more important than fitness?
just a few thoughts on my mind of late.

cowandchicken wrote:

How much training do your birds need to be fit enough to compete in the first race?
How quick does a bird reach a competitive fitness?
Is motivation more important than fitness?
just a few thoughts on my mind of late.

CC training has 2 facets etc from my perspective, or maybe 3 For me, if every thing else is in place as such basket training more times than not is a complete waste of time, once you give them 6/8 tosses to get them used to the baskets & other birds type of thing. Competive fitness I suspect depends if one has sprint type or long distance birds I would say as they are like chalk & cheese to a degree as to how one attains the fitness trick . Give me motivation any day over fitness in the long run, but one with out the other & it will be like bashing your head against a brick wall for enjoyment if you dont have very good pigeons to play the game with as such.  

For me it's training and plenty of it if they haven't had the training they can't do the distance even if its an 80 miler don't listen to people who say that they will follow the rest because they don't they get lost if a pigeon has to fly for two hours at race speed it needs to be fit enough to fly for four hours its best to miss the first or second race and give them more training and jump them in a little further then skimp on the training to catch the first race time on the wing

markevans wrote:

For me it's training and plenty of it if they haven't had the training they can't do the distance even if its an 80 miler don't listen to people who say that they will follow the rest because they don't they get lost if a pigeon has to fly for two hours at race speed it needs to be fit enough to fly for four hours its best to miss the first or second race and give them more training and jump them in a little further then skimp on the training to catch the first race time on the wing

Fare play to you Mark if that is your way etc & without a doubt I wish you all the best as such doing it your way there. One just hopes thou you don't grow old before your time is due .  
*****

Many aspects to it. Agree with Mark and Knackered to a point. If your birds are open loft flying and roaming, then minimal training is required. It is a depends situation. All training for young birds as they get some miles on them should be small groups if possible. Leaders not followers. Go it alone birds, regardless of the flock. Old birds previously raced does not really matter. Fit birds will fly around the loft and roam for quite a while. Natural birds with eggs or young not so much. Motivation and fitness. Get both at the same time wonders can happen. Motivated bird will go to the extreme to get home. Being fit puts icing on the cake. Being fit and no motivation, also ran. JMO.

ive always thought there are levels to fitness, a bird may be generally fit, but not race fit......and without the correct motivation you wont get a pigeon in top race fitness.......(just my opinion)

David wrote:

ive always thought there are levels to fitness, a bird may be generally fit, but not race fit......and without the correct motivation you wont get a pigeon in top race fitness.......(just my opinion)  

True David Take Manchester City & sadly, poor old Sunderland       etc & I would suggest the same apply's .  

Knackered wrote:

David wrote:

ive always thought there are levels to fitness, a bird may be generally fit, but not race fit......and without the correct motivation you wont get a pigeon in top race fitness.......(just my opinion)  

True David Take Manchester City & sadly, poor old Sunderland       etc & I would suggest the same apply's .  

I agree knackered, very similar in a lot of ways.......and like we cut the pigeons food down, maybe they should cut the footballers wages down to make them work harder... give them some motivation, no win = no wages

We've noticed in our ybs, they are now flying well around the loft and roaming well, and have gone from little bundles of fluff, to tight feathered tight muscled racing pigeons, fitness I would have thought, just need training after the darkness is finished to get them up to race speed

David wrote:

Knackered wrote:

David wrote:

ive always thought there are levels to fitness, a bird may be generally fit, but not race fit......and without the correct motivation you wont get a pigeon in top race fitness.......(just my opinion)  

True David Take Manchester City & sadly, poor old Sunderland       etc & I would suggest the same apply's .  

I agree knackered, very similar in a lot of ways.......and like we cut the pigeons food down, maybe they should cut the footballers wages down to make them work harder... give them some motivation, no win = no wages

No win, no wages be a lot of skinny type footballers running around the park I would suggest David     & especially around Sunderland way etc I suspect.