Hey, so I recently moved from the US to the UK and decided to continue coxing at an elite program because I loved it so much in the US and I’m proud of how hard I’ve worked to get this far (I just started crew a year and a half ago and was absolutely terrible at first), but now I just feel so frustrated. Half the commands are different, their technique and practices are different, and I feel like everything I learned is now wrong. I get little to no feedback from the coaches (and I have asked), and the only thing the rowers really ever tell me is not to do something after I’ve already messed it up–which is helpful, but also hard after awhile because I feel like all I am doing is making mistakes. At this point, I honestly don’t understand why I’m still in the top boat. I think it’s something to do with how eligibility is run differently here, not because I deserve it at all. And I haven’t enjoyed a practice or felt like I’ve done well in months. How do I get better? Do you have any tips for transitioning to UK crew?
Have you talked to the coach at all? Not in the “give me feedback” kind of way but in a “I’m new to this, I’m not used to/don’t understand how you guys do things, can you please give me a crash course in UK-style coxing”? If not then obviously that’s my first (and best) suggestion. I met a coach a year or two ago who said that when he moved to the US for college (in the early 2000’s) from the UK the coach met with him and the other freshman coxswain (who was German, I think) and basically went over everything with them – basic calls, drills, technique, etc. – since everyone does things differently and it can be intimidating/overwhelming to be a situation similar to the one you’re in. If you don’t have a coach to talk with or one that you feel comfortable approaching then ask one of the rowers or another coxswain at the club if they’d be willing to help get you up to speed over lunch or coffee or something.
What you’ve learned up til now isn’t wrong, it’s just different. There’s nothing wrong with that. I get the frustration though because I’ve felt the same way when I’ve coxed a crew a certain way only to find out after the fact that that’s different than what they’re used to. It does make you feel like what you know is wrong or inferior but you’ve gotta take the personal feelings out of it and look at it more objectively (which can be tough). I went through that period too where I didn’t want to say “explain how you do things” because obviously nobody ever wants to look like that incompetent guy but honestly, I’d rather spend a few minutes thinking I look incompetent than spend a few months feeling frustrated and like I’ve plateaued.
Something that might help pinpoint the things you don’t know/understand is to make a list and then prioritize everything based on how important it is for you to know the correct way to call/run/do each thing. From there you can go to your coach or whoever and have them explain one or two specific things at a time rather than approaching them with a broad generalization like “explain everything to me”, which is impossible to do and really frustrating. I get emails from new coxswains all the time that essentially say that and only that and I’m like … OK … where do I begin? Whereas if you say “I’m not familiar with this drill or the calls I’m supposed to be making, can you explain it to me?”, that gives us something concrete to work with which means we won’t come off as or be as annoyed when we go over it.
The bottom line is that just like coxing here in the US, you’re gonna have to dig a little to get the coaching you want/need. You also have to advocate for yourself and speak up immediately if there’s something you don’t understand, seek out people who can help you, be clear and direct with the questions you have, and basically just make re-educating yourself a priority.
UK coxswains, any tips or advice you can share?