#rowing technique

-faster arms away during the recovery

-faster body swing backwards during the drive

-chin up at the catch

Rowing technique reminder for the new season

It’s back to school and shortly it will be bak to the rowing club for the new year season. Time for a refresher….. Harry Mahon’s rowing technique focuses on simplicity in body movement and effective application of power to match the boat movement. Buy Harry Mahon’s Rowing Technique DVD Volume 1 and Volume 2 This is the detailed explanation he wrote about the rowing technique he coached.  He also…

The Force Curve:

I know this is the absolute LAST thing you want to look at, but rowers who want to apply the same efficiently powerful stroke they worked for on the erg during the winter should probably spend some time thinking about how to accomplish just that. And I’m here to help, along with Coach Yuval Peress from Maclay High School in Tallahassee, Florida. His passion for robotics and computer science combined with his athletic interest inspired him to write a paper called 'Land Training for the Perfect Stroke: Force Curve Analysis'. 

He picks apart various force curve theories, makes an argument for the Square Wave Model, and concludes with a description of drills and workouts designed to help rowers ultimately apply this physiologically efficient stroke on the water. Happy spring training everyone!

I've had a lot of guys brush me off when I correct their posture--like, they kinda give me this look, "come on now, really? It's the finish." Which is exactly the reason I hate calling it the finish. Rowers have this tendency to think that it's called the finish because the stroke's finished. 

IT'S NOT.

It's the finish of the drive--which is not at all the same thing as the finish of the stroke. Especially male rowers want to focus on the drive as the most important part of the stroke, when in fact I would argue that if anything, you should spend the least attention to the drive. 

All the body prep, getting in position, setting your blade up for a strong drive happens when? During the recovery. And when does your recovery start? At the release. In other words, if your finish is substandard--if you're slouching, for instance--you're setting yourself up for failure on the drive.

Something I've noticed a lot with my novice rowers is that when they slouch at the finish, their hands automatically lower into their lap. Then when they're compressing towards the catch, they have to compensate by tensing their outside shoulder to raise their hands to get over the knees in this awkward circular motion of their arms.

Now, the reason coaches and coxswains tell rowers to think of straight lines during rowing is that when you start moving your handle in a circle, every part of your stroke becomes inefficient. 

During the recovery, your blade skies like crazy (my coach calls it waving to your parents), so that when you come up to the catch, your blade isn't in a good position for direct entry at all--in fact it's at completely the opposite. If you simply unweight the handle like you're supposed to, your catch timing's going to be late, so you have to forcefully lift the handle into the catch--which not only results in a sloppy catch, but also results in digging, more often than not. It's very difficult to only lift the handle until the blade is buried. Generally speaking, a rower who lifts the handle into the catch keeps lifting until about an extra foot of oar is also underwater.

TO TELL ME HOW OUT OF SHAPE I REALLY AM!!! DAMN!

But I really need it. My legs are shaking right now. Good!

Justin: You should use the rowing clamps if you are a woman, lightweight men or juniors.

Me: Is that for sculling or sweep?

Justin: Both.

Me: I was told that would shorten my stroke and not to put that on my oar especially since I'm short in height.

Justin: It's suppose to lighten your load. Plus do you still want a healthy back right now? Besides the clamps shouldn't affect your stroke.