Author: readyallrow

Q&A Racing Rowing

Question of the Day

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Hey, I was wondering if you could explain the difference between seat racing and matrixes? Thanks!

Someone recently shared this PDF with me that opens to a chapter on crew selection written by Kris Korzeniowski. I’d recommend reading through the first six pages because it explains the entire process of seat racing much better and way more thoroughly than I could. This PDF also explains it well.

Here is another (simpler, I think) explanation that I saved from a Reddit post a couple months ago.

“Say the coach wants to compare rower A to rower B. Rower A starts in boat A and rower B starts in boat B. They race. boat B and boat A tie. Rowers A and B switch. They race again. Now Boat A, with rower B in it, wins by open water. Rower B won the seat race. The only thing that changed was the switch between rowers A and B. When rower B switched into boat A they went faster than boat B and won. Clearly, rower B can make the boat go faster than rower A.”

With the stroke rate and four of the five people in a crew staying constant, the strength and technique of the rowers who are switched (the variables in the equation) will pretty much always tell you who is the faster one of the two because the better the rower’s strength and technique, the more distance they’ll be able to cover.

The “pros” of seat racing are that they simulate race situations fairly well and are easily repeatable. The “con” is that the races can take a lot of time if you have a lot of switches to make in addition to making sure you have equal and adequate amounts of rest time between pieces, the pieces themselves, etc.

Related: Words

A pairs matrix is pretty similar to seat racing except all your rowers are in pairs (hence, the name), are paired up similar to what’s in that table to the right, and there’s more data to work with in the end (which may or may not be a good thing depending on how much you like math). They also take for-freaking-ever. The one time I did this we had like … I donno, maybe five pairs, and it took well over four hours.

The “pros” to doing a pairs matrix is that if you row well technically in a pair then you’re probably going to row well in the eight. Rowing in a pair has a tendency to highlight and sometimes exaggerate your technical ability, for better or worse, so you’re able to look at that a bit more closely than you’d otherwise be able to in a four or eight. The “cons” are the amount of time it takes (did I mention it’s forever…) and that it can favor smaller/lighter rowers who can in turn get crushed in the big boats because the other guys are stronger, heavier, etc. Some people just work better in different boat classes. You have the same issue with seat racing too (which tends to favor the heavier guys) so this isn’t something that’s exclusive to pair matrices, it’s just that it’s a bit more visible.

Related: How to cox a seat race

Hopefully all that makes sense. We did some seat racing this morning and I think I actually have a much better understanding of it now than I did previously (and before I started answering this question). I’d say if it’s something you’re confused by or don’t really understand, see if you can go out on the launch with your coach and record the times. Carefully looking at the numbers and talking it through with the other assistant coach that I went out with (and basically making him explain it to me like I’m 5…) finally cleared up the one part of the process that was confusing me.

College Coxing Racing Video of the Week

Video of the Week: UW’s Last 250m

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This is a pretty neat split screen video that shows the University of Washington’s MV8+ during the IRA finals last spring, with the view of the finish line tower on the right and the coxswain’s view in the boat on the left. His audio is included too and it’s pretty much exactly what you’d expect the last 250m of a national championship race to sound like.

Erg Playlists

Music to erg to, pt. 58

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Head of the Charles is in two weeks. Even though I’ve been emailing with people about it for probably a month now and we talk about it nearly every day at practice, it just hit me a few minutes ago that it’s October and head racing season has arrived. On that note, I’d like to try and get a preliminary count of who’d be interested in walking the course with me on Thursday or Friday afternoon. I did it last year with a group of college and high school coxswains and we met near BU, walked along the course, and discussed just about anything that came to mind in relation to the race. I pointed out all the landmarks, explained how to enter/exit the turns and bridges, talked about some of the rules, etc. There is no official coxswain meeting for HOCR and the only thing they really offer in terms of addressing the rules is Yaz Farooq’s clinic (which I wrote all about in this post), which usually costs $15 or so.

I don’t know what time this will be at yet because I’m still waiting to hear what time the four I’m coxing is planning to practice but once I know that I’ll figure out a time that will hopefully work with everyone’s schedule. I’ll be around both days though and will most likely be able to go out anytime during the day so if you’re only free in the morning or something, it shouldn’t be a problem. Like I said, there is no official coxswain meeting for HOCR so if you haven’t raced here before, are kinda new to coxing, etc. I’d definitely recommend considering coming on a tour. I promise, I have lots of helpful tips to share. Plus, it’s free.

Coxing Q&A Rowing Technique

Question of the Day

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Calls to control rush? There’s only so many ways to say “control the recovery” and “slow the slides.” Thanks!! 🙂

I’m a big fan of “patience”, “looong“, “relax”, “feel the recovery”, etc. When we’re paddling I’ll usually say something like “Guys, there’s not a lot of slide control right now and it’s causing us to [do X and Y]. We need to focus a bit more on [doing A and B] and [staying patient] on the recovery as we come into the catch.” Usually whatever call I plan on using (usually one of the ones I said at the beginning) I’ll say where it says [staying patient], that way they hear me saying it and understand what I’m referencing vs. me just randomly saying “patience!” during a piece with zero context whatsoever.

From there I’ll combine that call with whatever “A” and “B” was and get a more combined call that addresses all the issues instead of just part of the problem, if that makes sense. So, if the lack of slide control was causing a few people to row it in because they weren’t giving themselves enough time to get the bodies set, I’d say something about body prep, control coming up, and locking on for probably two or three strokes to help them get the rhythm and ratio back. Starting at the release and as the hands come away, “pivot”, as they start the roll, “patience”, as they lift the hands into the catch, “lock”, and then finish it out with a powerful “send” before repeating that again for another stroke or two. “Pivot, paaatience, lock, send…“.

Obviously this is a little easier to do at steady state rates (18-22ish, maaaybe up to 24) and less so at the higher rates but if you can work calls like this into your warmups, steady state pieces, etc. (both when there is and isn’t a rush problem, just to reinforce the message) then if you experience rush at the higher rates you can simplify the call to something that won’t take as much time to say, like “patience, send” or whatever. As long as you’re consistent with the terminology you use, breaking it down into a shorter call like this can/will still get the message across because they’ll be able to reference the longer call you made before. Sometimes at higher rates when I do this (during practices, not so much races…) I’ll say “Starting to feel a little rushed, let’s get that rhythm back we had the other day. Pivot here … pivot here. Now relaaax into the catch, loose in the legs, LOCK and send … LOCK send…“. It’s spread out over the course of 3-4ish strokes (I try not go more than five, max) and that one long call is broken down into two shorter ones.

Does that make sense? Basically what I’m getting at is that it’s easier to maintain a rhythm with how you should be saying the first call at lower rates than it is at higher rates. If you try to say “pivot, patience, lock, send” right now it’s going to sound more controlled when you say it slowly, which is what you want if you’re trying to get the rowers to exert more control on the slides. Trying to say all of that in the space of however much time a stroke at 30spm takes (…I guess that’d be about two seconds, wouldn’t it…) is a little harder because you won’t have as much control and rhythm in your voice because you’re trying to get out a lot of words in a really short period of time, which in turn is going to negate, in a sense, what you’re trying to communicate to the rowers about being more patient and relaxed. So, at the end of the second paragraph, even though I’m saying more words than I was before, the actual calls that I’m making are shorter so that I can still say them with the proper inflection and rhythm.

Hopefully that wasn’t too convoluted and you can kinda see what I’m getting at. It’d probably make a lot more sense to hear me say it than to read it so whenever I’m out next I’ll try to record myself so you can hear what I mean. Also, check out the posts in the “rush” tag, you might some ideas for what to say in there too.

Coxing High School Q&A

Question of the Day

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Hey, so I’m the head varsity cox on my high school team and my coaches have never really paid attention to my weight. I’m really muscular from our strength program at school and I’m also a swimmer. However, I’m physically fit and am short (5’0″). But since I’m really muscular, I weigh a good 15 pounds over the minimum of 110. We just got 2 new assistant coaches who come from collegiate programs and I’m worried that they’ll ask about my weight and then pull me out of the coxing position. But I don’t think its physically healthy and possible for me to get down to 110 or 115. I don’t want to be put in the humiliating position of not being able to cox and do what I love because of my body type. What do I do? Also, coxing for men isn’t an option because I go to an all girls school.

Unless they bring it up to you I wouldn’t worry about it. I don’t think they would say anything just because they’re coming from college programs either. The coxswain’s weight is of slightly more importance at the more competitive collegiate schools for obvious reasons but unless you’re one of the very top junior crews in the country, it really doesn’t make a difference. Even at the top junior programs, coaches that obsess about their coxswains weights should probably re-think their priorities. Usually (but not always, unfortunately) that’s something that is discussed amongst all the coaches before a decision is made. If yours have never paid attention to your weight before it’s highly unlikely they’re going to suddenly care now. Weight is (usually) pretty low on the totem pole of things coaches use as part of the metric to decide who’s coxing what boat so as long as you’re executing everything else at a level your coach and crew(s) are satisfied with, it seems pretty unlikely that someone is going to suddenly pull you out of the coxswain’s seat and say “here’s an oar, you’re a rower now”.

Related: What coaches look for in a coxswain

If they do bring it up to you don’t automatically assume they’re going to make you stop coxing just because you say you’re ~125lbs. Tell them what you weigh, you’re also a swimmer, etc. and if they press you on it after that just say that you don’t feel comfortable trying to get down to that weight for X, Y, and Z reasons. Personally I don’t think you should have to give a reason outside of it’s not something you’re comfortable doing but you’ll have to gauge that situation if it comes to that to determine whether or not they’ll be OK hearing that and nothing else. Like I said though, if your coaches haven’t cared before I doubt they’re going to care now.

How To Q&A Rowing Teammates & Coaches Technique

Question of the Day

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What the hell do I, as a stroke seat, do to calm outrageous rush?

If you’re already setting a reasonable pace and they’re not following you, it’s unlikely that things will improve if you try to forcefully resist the rush because that’s just going to result in the timing getting way off, which will cause other problems (obviously).  I’ve occasionally had strokes that will try to hold their finishes a little longer but that’ll tend to only work for a few strokes before it gets out of control again (and their backs start to hurt).

If you haven’t already, talk to your coxswain and coach about it. When you’re on the water you should consistently be communicating with your coxswain whenever it feels like you’re getting pushed up the slide. During water breaks or on land, you should bring it up to your coach so they can observe the crew to try to determine what/who is causing it and/or so they can adjust their practice plan, if necessary, to focus on slide control for a bit. Fixing the rush tends to be a collaborative task, at least in my experience, and really requires you and your coxswain to be on the same page whenever you’re on the water. Off the water, you have to communicate what you’re feeling to the coach. The coxswain can explain how it feels to them but we don’t feel the rush the same way you do in stroke seat so it’s important that you tell the coach where you feel it the most during the stroke, if it only happens at specific rates or if it’s a regular and consistent problem, if you notice it more when a certain pair comes in (i.e. if you’re rowing by 6s and you only feel rushed when 3 + 4 are rotated in), etc.

One thing that I’ve consistently heard from my stroke seats over the years is that they’re not going to take the rate above what feels comfortable for them. If we’re doing pieces at a 28 but they feel like shit because of the rush, they’ll row at a 26. If it still feels like shit, they’ll go down to a 24. This obviously requires communication between you, your coxswain, and your coach so it’s something I’d definitely try to discuss before going out on the water but there are other times when you just need to make a game-time decision and tell your coxswain “this feels awful, we’re taking the rate down two beats”. You’re the one responsible for dictating the pace so … assert yourself and do that (without being an ass about it). One of the things that rowers need to understand in general is that there’s no point rowing at a certain rate if it feels terrible just to say you did your piece at a 28 or a 32 or whatever. Find a stroke rate that feels good (even if it’s really low), row at that rate for awhile, then bump the rate up and try to get that same feeling. Emphasizing slow recoveries and making sure your coxswain is calling out the people who are early at the catch are going to be two of the best things for your crew right now. It’s also going to be important for you to tell the coxswain when something changes, either positively or negatively, so they can assess it and make the appropriate call to either reinforce what the crew did well or to continue trying to elicit a change from them.

Related: Hi! My coxing has gotten to the point where I can see the technical problems in my rowers, but sometimes I’m not sure how to call a correction on them. For instance, I know if someone is skying at the catch I can call the boat to focus on direct catches and “hands up at the catch” and things like that for stability…but there are others I’m less sure about. Would you please touch on good ways (positive reinforcement, they hate the word “no” in the boat) to call for the following problems in a rower?

Another thing you can do is ask your coach/coxswain to do pause drills during the warmup. I’ve talked about this before in the post linked above (scroll down to #3 and check out the other links in that section too) but pause drills are great for getting everyone on the same page and really thinking about what they’re doing. I like to break it down into pairs and fours when I can, just because it puts a little more responsibility on the individuals, and because it helps me (as a coach or the coxswain) pinpoint the specifics of what that rower is doing that is contributing to the problem. Obviously that has nothing to really do with you but it’s something you can suggest if they aren’t already part of your warmup or the drills you do.

Also, make sure you talk to your 7-seat (off the water). Their main job is to back you up and maintain the pace you’re setting. That obviously puts a little more pressure on them to resist the rush but at the same time, they can’t be part of the problem by contributing to it. They probably feel it just as much as you do if it’s really that bad so just remind them that you need them to back you up and help set the rhythm.

Bottom line, what it comes down to as far as what you can do to calm the rush is to make sure you’re aggressively and consistently communicating what you’re feeling to the people around you. Effective communication will be your biggest asset here. Let your coxswain (first) and coach (second) be the one to communicate what you’re saying/feeling to the crew as a whole but make sure you’re also talking with your 7-seat off the water or quietly during breaks about how things are going.

Rowing Blazers Launch Party

Rowing

Rowing Blazers Launch Party

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So last week, as you saw if you follow me on Instagram, I went to New York for the launch of Jack Carlson’s book, “Rowing Blazers“. I received an invitation back in early August and decided pretty much immediately that I was going because … how often do you get an opportunity like this?

The party was held in Midtown at the Ralph Lauren Polo flagship store on 55th and 5th Ave. and, despite the space feeling unbearably small at the time given the number of people that were there, I don’t know if they could have chosen a better place to host this crowd. Throw in some beer and cocktails (Pimms, of course), lobster rolls, and a live band and you’ve pretty much got the Henley Royal Regatta crammed into 30,000 square feet. Everyone who owns a blazer was wearing it (I get the impression they don’t get to take them out of their closets too often…) so it was neat to actually be able to see them with all their aggressively bold colors and patterns in person. I wish I could have gotten more pictures of the overall atmosphere but being 4’11” at a party where the average height was probably around 6’3″ made that kinda impossible.

Related: A History of the Rowing Blazer

The book itself is actually pretty cool although I’ll admit I was (very) skeptical at first. What sold me on it was the stories alongside the photos that discuss the history of that club’s blazer, where the colors and design came from, what the various embroidered emblems mean, etc. I’m a total sucker for stuff like that so after reading through several pages of the book while on the subway I was hooked.

One of the things that really interested me was the introduction where Jack (a former BB&N and Georgetown coxswain) goes into the sartorial history of “the boating jacket” and how its origins as part of a rower’s uniform, “to help keep [them] warm during chilly training sessions on the River Cam and on the Isis in Oxford”, have become what we and all the men in our lives now know as the “blazer”.

Related: Toasting ‘Rowing Blazers’ at Polo Ralph Lauren

One of the highlights of the night for me was getting to meet Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, both of whom co-hosted the party with Jack. Not only did I want to get a picture with them because, let’s be honest, the height difference is amusing, but I also really wanted to know their thoughts on the writers of “The Social Network” having Armie Hammer say “we row crew“. They both chuckled and said exactly what I think we were all thinking when we heard that line – “It’s just not what rowers say!”. They were great to talk to though and I appreciated getting to spend a few minutes with them.

College Q&A

Question of the Day

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Hey! I really want to row for a U23 program such as Vesper or Penn AC this summer. I am a sophomore this year and my erg scores are right around what they are asking for. I’m planning on filling out applications once they open up, however I was wondering if it would be beneficial to go visit, introduce myself etc. or would that be weird? Thanks!

Eh, I don’t think it’d be weird but unless you already go to school in Philadelphia and have a really solid personal contact at either of the clubs, I don’t think it’s worth the effort. The boathouses on Boathouse Row aren’t like your typical boathouses – they aren’t just open and available for anyone to walk into. Even when we were there for Penn AC we had to pretty much hope that there was someone there to let us in every day because all the doors have code-locks or key cards or something. I would just fill out the application and wait until they get in contact with you (which, if you’ve got good enough scores, they will).

Video of the Week

Video of the Week: Making history in Atlanta

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The video may or may not be able to play on here so you might have to click through to YouTube to watch it. If it doesn’t start at the rowing section right away, skip ahead to 13:10.

This video is pretty neat. It details the build-up to and racing at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 from the perspectives of Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent, who won their 4th and 2nd consecutive gold medals, respectively.