Month: February 2013

What to wear: Sunglasses

By readyallrow February 20, 2013

Previously: What to wear: Coxswains (women) || What to wear: Coxswains (men) || What to wear: Rowers

Whether you get a cheap pair or splurge on some Oakley M-frames (#freespeed), sunglasses are a worthwhile investment. A great reason to get a cheap pair of sunglasses is so that if they got knocked into the water, it’s not like you just lost a few hundred dollars.

One thing that I’ve seen a lot people, particularly coxswains, wear with their glasses are Chums or Croakies. Croakies actually have little floater things you can attach to your glasses too so that if you do somehow manage to drop them in the water, they’ll at least float until you (or your coxswain) can grab them. If you splurged on a pair of glasses that can make the extra $10 (or less, most of the time) worth it.

Regardless of what glasses you decide to get, two features you’ll want to look for are polarized and hydrophobic lenses. Polarization protects your eyes from the sun’s glare (which we all know can be downright killer on the water) and the hydrophobic feature allows water to bead up and slide off the lens instead of just sitting there and blurring your vision.

For regular rowers, I’d say these are great extras but not necessarily “must-haves” unless you really want them. For scullers and coxswains, who heavily rely on being able to see what’s in front or behind them, definitely look into getting a pair of shades that have those features. Pro tip, your steering will be a lot more effective if you can actually see where you’re going.

Image via // @row_360

A sore body today is a strong body tomorrow.

High School Q&A Training & Nutrition

Question of the Day

By readyallrow February 20, 2013

Hi! I’m supposed to be holding a captains practice on Friday and we have to incorporate 30 mins of hard work into the workout but it’s supposed to be like a fun workout. Any ideas of what to do? PS we are a varsity girls high school squad! Thanks!!

Fun! Some ideas off the top of my head:

steady state Erg relay

Break into teams of equal numbers and have each person row a certain number of meters.

Mini-biathlon

Run “x” number of miles and then in the remaining amount of time erg as many meters as you can. You could also pair people up (coxswain-rower pairs, pair partners, frosh-senior/sophomore-junior, etc.) and have one erg while the other runs and see which pair gets the most total meters.

Play a game

Soccer, basketball, dodgeball, kickball – it counts as cross training and it’s fun. Just be careful so you don’t get hurt.

Hope that helps!

Q&A Rowing Training & Nutrition

Question of the Day

By readyallrow February 19, 2013

I’ve been injured for about three weeks now – it’s a hip flexor strain that hurts the most toward the end of my drive. Prior to my injury I was doing extra work in addition to our team’s winter training program and really felt myself establishing a good position for spring season. Since I’ve been injured I’ve been taking a few days off, trying to come back and being too hurt to finish a workout and then proceeding to take a few days off again. It’s a cycle. Recently I tried taking longer off but it’s so frustrating to not be able to work out while everyone else can. I couldn’t go to CRASHBs either, which really sucks. I feel like I’m losing all the hard work I put in for months because of this injury. I hope to start to ease back into things in the next few days but we have a 2k in two weeks and I’m terrified I won’t be ready and the work I’ve done won’t show. Then we go to Miami in three weeks. Basically, I’m asking how this sort of setback will affect my fitness level and the work I’ve put into training and how it looks from a coach’s perspective/coxswain’s perspective.

Injuries like this suck. They’re the nightmares of every athlete and coach because everyone knows that one wrong move can kill a season. We’ve all heard the stories of athletes coming back too soon and re-injuring themselves again or worse than they did the first time (prime example was Rob Gronkowski re-breaking his forearm this past season after coming back way too soon). You have to take time off and you have to force yourself to accept the fact that time off now means better things for the future. This is what I said to a question about how much shoulder pain someone should erg through – I think it applies to your situation too:

“It’s better to be safe than sorry. Would you rather miss and have to make up an erg test or would you rather injure your shoulder, be in a ton of pain, and later on find that you’ve exacerbated an injury that is going to keep you out of the boat for a week or two (or longer)? Be smart. Don’t just “row through the pain”. “Row through the pain” is acceptable for a race when the pain is imminent. Abnormal pain is not something you should just go with. Get it checked out and make sure there’s nothing wrong with it before getting back on the erg.”

You need to sit down and talk with your coach before you do anything else. First, make sure he knows about your injury if he doesn’t already. Secondly, explain the extent of it. There’s a 90% chance they’ll ask you what the doctor said so be prepared to tell them. (And seriously, if you haven’t gone to the doctor, GO.) Third, tell them that you went to winter training, did the extra workouts, could feel yourself getting in a good rhythm for the spring, etc. and now you’re worried about how this injury is going to affect your standing when it comes to 2ks, training, etc. Your coach knows you better than I do so in that respect, at least, he’ll be able to give you more insight on what kind of impact this might have.

If you are in relatively good shape, have good technique, etc. I don’t think you’ll take that hard of a hit. Obviously your fitness will decrease a bit, which is natural, but ultimately you’ll take a much bigger hit if you don’t get back to 100% before you start training again. You’re probably going to have a much bigger mental setback than a physical one, which I think you’re already experiencing a little. From a coxswain’s standpoint, it doesn’t really matter because they’re not the one who decides lineups or your standing on the team. They should be there to support you and that’s all.

From a coach’s standpoint, it really depends on the kind of coach you have. In my opinion, when an athlete is injured, the coach has no choice but to accept it and wait for them to heal. Pushing them to come back before they’re ready, guilt-tripping them by making them feel like they’re letting themselves and/or their teammates down, writing off the injury as “not that serious”, etc. are all signs of a not-so-great coach. Since I started coaching I’ve noticed that a lot of the time when someone is injured, the reason coaches are skeptical of the extent is because far too many people mistake soreness as pain or they’re just lazy and don’t want to feel any kind of discomfort at all. Neither of those situations sound like yours, so hopefully your coach recognizes that this is a legitimate issue and responds accordingly. Since you were putting the work in during the off-season and doing the extra workouts, from a coach’s standpoint, I think you’ll continue to be in good standing. Knowing that you were willing to put the work in before reassures coaches that you’ll be willing to do twice the work, if necessary, after and that’s the kind of person we want in our boats.

Make sure you’re stretching (more than you normally would) every day, even on the days when you’re not working out. If you’ve got a foam roller you can use and it doesn’t hurt too much, I’d also add that into your routine. Know your limits and how far you can reasonably go with your injury. You might be able to go 100mph on a normal day but right now you might have to settle for 60. Don’t push yourself too much or you’ll end up re-injuring yourself. Before your 2k, if it feels like you’re still not ready, ask your coach if you can postpone it until you’re closer to 100% so that your time and effort accurately reflects your training and not your injury. When you go to Miami, if it’s possible to switch out halfway through your morning row or something if your hip is still bothering you, see if you can do that. Coaches are almost always willing to work with their athletes but they have to know there’s a problem first in order to help them. Keep your coach in the loop and make sure they know before your test and before you go to Miami if your hip is still an issue.

Like I said before, the biggest setback you’re likely to face is more of a mental one than a physical one. Instead of looking at it like you’re losing all the hard work you put in, look at it instead as all the hard work you put in is what’s going to help you recover faster and be stronger when you come away from this. Your body is in better shape and is becoming more efficient so you’ve already got yourself in a good position for when you come back.

Rowing

An Introduction to Rigging: Pitch

By readyallrow February 19, 2013

Previously: Intro to rigging, spread, and span || Oar length, inboard, and blade profile

Today’s post is going to talk about pitch. There are two types – stern and lateral. Stern pitch, which goes from front to back (aka stern to bow), is the angle that the oarlock pin is set from vertical during the drive. Lateral pitch is the degree of angle that the pin is either to or away from the midline of the boat.

Stern pitch

Stern pitch is a necessary component of rigging because it’s what helps hold the oar’s position in the water during the drive (meaning that it plays a part in ensuring the blade is at the proper depth). Since your blade is not strictly horizontal to the shell while in the water – it’s angled downwards – the pitch of the oarlock is necessary in helping keep the blade buried. 4 degrees is the standard angle, but it can range anywhere from 3-7. Too much pitch (7+ degrees) will cause the blade to wash out at the finish, whereas not enough (less than 4 degrees) will cause the blade to dig in too deep.

Lateral pitch

Lateral pitch creates different degrees of pitch at each end of the stroke. An outward pitch of one degree away from the boat’s midline increases the stern pitch by one degree (keeps the blade buried) and decreases the stern pitch by one degree at the finish (allows the blade to pop out more easily). Pitch here shouldn’t be more than one degree at most – the typical range is between 0 and 1 degrees to avoid creating too much depth on one end and not enough on the other.

To measure both the stern and lateral pitch, you’ll need a pitch meter. The most important part of doing this is making sure your boat is stable and not sitting cockeyed in the slings. It’s not a bad idea once you’ve set it down to go stand at the bowball and look down the boat to ensure it’s level. Set your pitch meter on the gunnel and calibrate it so that the bubble is in the middle of the level. It should read “zero degrees” at this point.

From here, take it out to the oarlock, set it against the face of the oar lock, and adjust it until the bubble is in the middle of the level again. This will tell you the degrees of your stern pitch (remember, 4 is average but it can range from 3-7). To measure lateral pitch, you’ll first have to take the oarlock off the pin so you can get better access to it. Place the pitch meter against the pin and measure the angle away from midline of the boat the same way you measured the stern pitch.

Here’s a video that demonstrates how to do it:

Next week: Rigger height and work through

Image via // @rowingcelebration

Video of the Week

Video of the Week: 1:16.6

By readyallrow February 18, 2013

Coxing Novice Q&A

Question of the Day

By readyallrow February 17, 2013

Is it unusual to change from rowing to coxing? I’m nearing the end of my novice season and feel like I could be a good cox in the future. I love rowing and am getting decent results but at 5’4 (shorter than one of my coxswains) and 120lbs (female) I have to work crazy hard to keep up with all the bigger girls. I’ll be sticking with the sport either way but it just seems like such a cool component of the boat to be.

Definitely not! It’s way more unusual to go from coxing to rowing and the only people that tend to do that are high school guys who are too tall to cox after their freshman year. I would definitely propose the idea to your coach and get their input. They’ll probably be more receptive to the idea if your team is actually in need of coxswains vs. already having a surplus but it never hurts to ask. If you have a genuine interest in it and aren’t looking to switch just because you’re not willing to put the effort in to become a better rower, I doubt your coaches will have a problem with you wanting to try something new.

If you’re part of or near a rowing club that hosts learn to row camps over the summer, I’d go to those and volunteer to be a coxswain. That way you can get experience in the boat, get a feel for what it’s like, and start picking up some of the skills you’ll need (like steering) before the fall season starts. That way, if you coach needs you to, you’ll be ready to hop into the boat without being too far behind the learning curve.

Coxing Q&A Recordings Teammates & Coaches

Question of the Day

By readyallrow February 16, 2013

I had a (required) meeting with my coach yesterday. She suggested that I record myself and that’s what I did today. Do you think I should email her to set up another meeting where she can listen and critique? Or does that sound like I’m “sucking up?”

That’s definitely not sucking up. If a coxswain emailed me and asked me to critique their recording, I’d be thrilled. Even if I told them to record themselves, the fact that they’re asking for feedback shows that not only did they listen to my suggestion but now they want to know what they can do to improve. That’s huge in my opinion and really indicates to me that you’re someone I should be considering for my top boats.

I would email her your recording and ask her if she’d mind listening to it this weekend and then find a time next week to sit down and meet with you to discuss it. You should also listen to it this weekend and critique yourself, that way you can go into your meeting with some notes of your own. If she asks you why you made this call or decided to make that move during the piece, you’ll know exactly what she’s talking about and can explain your thought process.

Personally I wouldn’t want to be there when my coach is listening to my recording for the first time. I’m very critical of my coxing and always seem to find a million and twelve things that I’d do differently as soon as another person listens to it. I’d rather us listen to it separately, then compare notes and if necessary, listen to bits and pieces together during our meeting. If you’re comfortable being there while she listens to it, go for it. I think that giving her the weekend to listen to it though will give her more time to gather her thoughts, which means she’ll be able to give you a more thorough critique when you meet up.

Coxing Q&A Technique

Question of the Day

By readyallrow February 16, 2013

How do you call a ratio shift to control and stop the rush without lowering the SR? Is it even possible?

Well, with ratio shifts you’re not actually doing anything to the stroke rate even though it feels like the stroke rate is going down. All a ratio shift does (or is supposed to do) is shift the ratio from being something like 1:2 (recovery : drive) back to 2:1. What you have to communicate to the crew and help them understand, particularly if you’re coxing a younger crew, is that all you’re doing on a ratio shift is slowing down the recovery and powering through more on the drive.

If the boat feels rushed, what does that mean? It means that less time is being spent on the recovery than the drive and there’s no slide control, so you and the stroke need to communicate and determine if a ratio shift is necessary. If it is and it’s not something your crew has done before or they’re not used to doing them, explain that the amount of time that they’re spending on the recovery is too short so they need to lengthen out and slow the slides down with the stroke while keeping the drive solid and quick through the water. To help them understand, give them the numbers – standard ratio is either 2:1 or 3:1. If you’re rushing, the numbers will be reversed. Call for the shift “in two, that’s one … and two, on this one.” Remind them to swing out of bow together, start the wheels together, roll into the catch at the same controlled speed, and maintain a powerful push on the drive.

When I call for a shift, I use my voice to help them sense the ratio. Right after a shift to ensure the power doesn’t drop, I always tell them to make that first stroke the most powerful stroke we take so that’s usually when I’ll throw in a “BOOM” call at the catch. The “boom” reminds them not only to have a strong catch but to make the drive powerful. If the drive is powerful, the blade has to move fast through the water. In order for the boat to benefit from that powerful stroke the recovery has to be controlled, regardless of the stroke rate.

If we’re drilling or doing steady state and it feels rushed, I’ll call the shift and say “Let’s take a ratio shift in two, that’s one … and two now, catch looong.” The “catch” part stays aggressive and direct but the “long” call is drawn out to the help guide them through the recovery – basically I want them to match the length of the recoveries to the length of time that I’m holding out the call. I’ll also use my voice to enunciate what I want if I’m coxing novices and counting out the timing. “One – two – three – catch, push. Controlllll – two – three – catch. Move together and send. Let’s keep this run – hook through, smoooth now on the slides.” Recovery calls are drawn out, catch calls are short and staccato, and drive calls are aggressive.

The experience of your crew will also play a factor into how little the stroke rate changes when you call for a shift. The majority of the crews I’ve coxed in the last several years have been experienced enough that when I call a ratio shift, regardless of whether we’re at an 18 or a 30, the stroke rate hardly ever changes. It’s something that comes with concentration, experience, and practice.

Ergs Q&A Training & Nutrition

Question of the Day

By readyallrow February 15, 2013

How do you fight the winter blues? I know it’s different between rowers and coxswains but I’ve just been getting so frustrated with myself and with workouts. I’m in a perpetual state of soreness (that’s a given) and it’s getting to the point that I struggle to maintain the splits that my coaches are asking me to hold. Spending one more day on the erg might drive me nuts and my team still has 2-3 weeks indoors. HELP!

Sounds like you’re getting close to being seriously burned out. I would spend some time first figuring out why you’re frustrated. Is it just because you’ve been inside for so long that you’ve got cabin fever or is it something else (coach problems, teammate problems, coxswain problems, life problems, school problems, etc.)? What’s frustrating you about the workouts? Are they getting predictable and boring? If that’s it, you’re probably not the only one who feels like that.

Also figure out why you’re frustrated with yourself. Is it because you’re not putting forth the effort you know you’re capable of or is it something else? If you can’t physically take a break from practice, do something each night after practice (as soon as you get home, after your homework is done, before you go to sleep … whatever works for you) to relax yourself. If you can tolerate doing yoga, try and do 20 minutes of that. Or grab a foam roller or a tennis ball and stretch out for the duration of an episode of something on Netflix. Just do something to take your mind off of everything that is stressing you out.

To an extent it’s inevitable to have a little residual soreness but you shouldn’t be painfully sore all the time. Are you stretching before and after your workouts? Are you eating the right foods before and after practice? Are you staying hydrated? Stretching, eating properly, and drinking water are all crucial to repairing your muscles after a workout. Even if you do stretch before and after practice, stretching when you get home while you watch TV or read your history notes is still a good idea. You can even stretch while you’re in the shower. The hot water and steam works wonders on sore muscles.

It’s easy to get discouraged so there’s no point in saying “don’t do it”. It’s not that simple. Instead, when you are feeling down or you want to smash the erg monitor with a sledgehammer, look at the bigger picture. What are you training for? What are your goals? What are you trying to accomplish? Then ask yourself is any of that is going to be achievable if you quit or give up. What’s going to get you what you want – pushing yourself, mentally and physically, or taking the easy road out? Take your frustration and use it to motivate you instead of bringing you down.

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