#dynamic coxing

(from the ‘Basic Informational Outline for Novice Collegiate Coxswains: Guidance’)

Any headings without links are being formatted and researched.

Disclaimer: This advice only works when a cox is trusted and respected by the rowers. If they do not respect, they will not listen, and they will not improve as a boat. Complete confidence will come with time, and these elements will begin to flow more smoothly together the more often they are used.

-Dynamic coxing refers to using inflection, emphasis, pitch, and volume in your language to stress the different parts of a call and provide rhythm to guide timing.

(I have tried looking for a comprehensive description or definition but all I found were references in various articles, so here I have attempted to explain this concept in my own words.)

-This is an invaluable method for coxswains, and arguably the most important element of coxing after maintaining safety (which includes steering knowledge).

The following is an example and a detailed description of how to ‘dynamically cox’ through one call:

when calling out the starting sequence: “KNEES-bows,KNEES-bows, KNEES-bows, sah-WING!”, astarting sequence referring to three short strokes without layback and consequently without a finish, ending in a powerful full stroke.

The first ‘KNEES’ is spoken precisely when the rowers begin to push their knees down at the start, and then both times after when the rowers push down their knees in the short strokes; the ‘sah-WING!’ begins on the catch of the fourth and last stroke of the sequence and ends at the same stroke’s finish in order to emphasize the length of the first full stroke of the race and the power behind it.

 During practice the boat will have learned how to match their rhythm with the rhythm of the call.

The first three strokes are called out in this way very quickly without a breath or pause between the ‘KNEES’ and the ‘bows’; this is because the goal of the three short strokes are to build momentum and force the boat into motion as fast as possible while the fourth stroke must be lengthened to a full one and indicate the initial stroke rate before building and maintaining their goal rate during the first 500 meters- or whatever agreed-upon distance- of the race.  

I am actually butchering the explanation behind why a crew takes short, fast strokes right off the starting platform, but I promise to research the science and reasoning associated with this technique.

The words ‘KNEES’ are spoken with a much higher pitch and at a slightly higher volume than ‘bows’, which are at a much lower pitch and slightly lower volume; ‘sah-WING!’ (swing) is almost shouted, the first syllable at a much lower pitch than the second, which is almost sung out at a higher pitch than any other word in the sequence.