Hi, I’ve heard people talking about builder 15s but I’m not quite sure what they are. Do you think you could clarify upon what those are? Thanks.
Builders are short little bursts of 10-15 strokes that increase in rate each time you start a new burst. They can be half-slide or full-slide and are usually done at rates 28+. Sometimes they’re included in race warm-ups but I’ve primarily seen them done as a “drill” at the end of practice. I can’t remember specifically what our builders in the spring looked like but I think it was something like 15 half-slide builders at 32, 34, 36, 38, and 40 with 10 full-slide firm-paddle strokes in between each set. The purpose as I’ve heard it explained is to simply get the crew used to rowing at higher rates. With the half-slide builders (or occasionally, quarter-slide…), you’re a little more perpendicular with your body than you otherwise would be which means your catches have to be that much sharper and you’ve gotta be more aware of the boat’s speed so that you’re matching it instead of just moving on the slide with total reckless abandon. Ideally all that would transition to your full-slide strokes too once you lengthen back out.
In my experience, every coach I’ve had/worked with has explained and executed builders in their own slightly different way so it’d definitely be worth your while to ask your coach how they approach them and what their goals are for doing them. From there, assuming you’re a younger coxswain, you can talk with the older coxswains on your team to get an idea of how to call them and what to watch/feel for.
