Tag: calls

Question of the Day

By readyallrow April 7, 2013

I’m a novice walk-on coxswain and I’m coxing a boat largely made up of walk-ons as well. We’re a pretty decent boat, but they have a tendency to just fall apart whenever they start hitting higher stroke rates. Races make them nervous and before we know it we’re rushing up those slides, our technique’s falling apart, and we’re hitting sprint rates at the 1000m mark. Being right next to other boats in particular freaks us out, especially when they’re making a move. Is there any way I can calm them down other than the obvious, “bodies calm, slow on the recovery,” calls? I’m having a hard time balancing the need to calm them down and keeping the intensity of a race piece. Thanks!

This is more of an issue you have to work on during practice over a period of time vs. being something you can fix with a few good calls on race day. They have to recognize that rowing at an unsustainable pace isn’t getting them anywhere and it’s not going to get them anywhere. I’ve said this before but rowing in a race is like driving. You’ve got to be aware of what the other cars are doing but in general not pay them any attention. I don’t know how they expect to have a good race if being by other boats freaks them out.

Why it freaks you out is the bigger question. Until you figure out the answer to that question, nothing else will do you much good. I know that sounds super shrink-like but whatever you do to fix the problem isn’t going to make much of a difference if you don’t know what the actual problem actually is. My first suggestion would be to sit down with them and figure that out. If their answer involves them saying “I don’t know” or anything about thinking they’re going to lose because people are beside them, feel free to smack them on the head and tell them to suck it up and get their shit together.

Call wise, telling them where they are in the race and what they need to do to maintain their position, make a move, or walk away is always helpful. Sometimes rowers get frantic like that because their coxswain isn’t telling them what’s happening so they assuming the race is going to hell and then they start freaking out and then the race really does go to hell. Keep them updated on their progress. Also tell them to FOCUS from the very beginning. As soon as you get locked on at the start, tell them to forget about everything else other than the other eight people in the boat and the oar in their hand. Deep breaths, focus on the goal of the race (whatever it is – winning alone is not a goal).

Talk to them about their technique – swinging together out of bow, moving eight as one, no weight on the legs on the recovery, smooth, controlled, and composed on the slides, rotating towards the riggers, getting that length, unweighting the hands, strong, sharp catches, jump on the first inch, drive the legs down, power through the water, layback, still maintaining the strong core and straight back, chin up, eyes forward, loose upper body, get the handle all the way in, clean finishes, tap down with the outside hand, aggressive with the feathering (you want to hear the oarlocks – one sound), smooth, quick hands away, sitting up tall at bodies over, patience on the slide, maintain the handle heights, building excitement to the catch, catching sharp, driving determined through the water.

The more you work on this during practice, the better you’ll be on race day. It can’t all happen during the race. Talk to them and figure out what’s up. From there, start working with your stroke on maintaining a good rate and not letting the bow 7 push him/her up the slide. Get the overall technique and slide control down, then start pushing them. When you know they’ve got it, demand more. Push them to push themselves. During the race, you’re not their friend, therapist, etc. – you’re their coxswain. The intensity has to be there 100% of the time, regardless of what is happening around you. If you’re confident, they will be too. Talk like you believe every single word that’s coming out of your mouth and they’ll believe you too.

College Coxing High School Racing Recordings

Coxswain Recordings, pt. 7

By readyallrow April 4, 2013

Oxford vs. Cambridge 2011 Boat Race

https://soundcloud.com/kpcc/olympic-sounds-boat-race-coxes

This is a short clip of Sam Winter-Levy (Oxford) and Liz Box (Cambridge) from the 2011 Boat Race. The thing to listen to is their tone and how they’re communicating their calls to each of their crews. One spot in particular is right at the beginning when there’s a clash of blades – nothing changes with her tone, she doesn’t fall apart, she just communicates what’s happening and moves through it without any loss of focus.

Abingdon vs. Belmont Hill 2009 Henley Royal Regatta princess elizabeth cup Quarter-final

At the start, good job telling the crew what’s happening as far as when your hand is up, when it’s down, that your timer is ready, etc. I feel like this helps keep the crew focused and prevents any surprises (like, “oh shit, we’re starting now!”). Maybe – maybe – overdid it by telling them about Belmont’s coxswain but I don’t think it’s that big of a deal considering there’s only one other crew there. Personally I probably would have just focused on what I was doing and only said “both coxswains’ hands are down” when I saw that we were both ready but it’s really not that big of a deal. I don’t think any crew has ever complained about their coxswain giving them too much information.

Right when the marshal says “attention”, you can see Belmont bury their blades just a tad. Look at their blades at 0:43 compared to 0:45. This is a good habit to get into practicing with your crew just so you can be positive that the blades are fully buried at the start and you’re able to get as much water on the face of the blade as possible. It also drastically reduces the likelihood that you’ll wash out on the first stroke.

The intensity in his voice off the line is solid. Take note guys, this is how a good start is called. The intonation at 0:57 when he’s saying “one, send, two, send…” is spot on. The catches are called with a sharp bite to them while the recoveries are a bit drawn out, just enough to remind the rowers to keep the slides long. Similarly, notice at 1:13 that coinciding with the shift in pace is a shift in his tone of voice? The intensity is subtle but it’s there even though the volume isn’t as high as it was a few strokes ago. Don’t get so caught up in coxing that you forget to talk to your crew.

At 3:33 he makes a call for a “…concerted effort for one minute…” If you remember Pete Cipollone’s HOCR recording, this is exactly like what he says when he calls for that one minute commitment through the Powerhouse Stretch. I think this is a great call – you should never be afraid to ask for, or at times demand, a commitment like this from your teammates. This is a strategic call though and not something you should just randomly call out for because you think it makes you sound like you know what you’re doing (novices). You’re essentially asking them for a power 10 except over the course of 60 seconds – it’s not always an easy thing to do which is why this should be used sparingly and only when necessary. Later when he says “level, now walk“, that’s where you finish the job that you started with the one minute commitment. If that was where you started to break them, this is where you finish it. Once you’re level, you don’t give up a single inch to that other crew. Commit and go.

I love the call he makes at 4:04 – “they went too hard, fucking punish them…” I obviously respect the crews I’m racing against because when it comes down to it we’re all doing the same thing but you can bet when we’re racing that I’m sure as hell not going to feel bad for them. If they make a mistake and I see it, I’m gonna nail them on it and do my absolute best to make sure it haunts them long after the race has ended. Watching the other crew(s) in addition to your own can be tough but it gives you the advantage of seeing when someone else messes up, which then gives you the opportunity to say “punish them” and really mean it.

Another thing to pay attention to is when he’s telling his crew where the other crew is. Abingdon is down for the majority of the race but I doubt any of the rowers ever felt defeated by him saying where Belmont was on them. Several times he’d say “they’re up half a length” or whatever the margin was but I don’t recall him ever saying that his crew was down. Other times he’d just say “half a length” without saying “up” or “down” at all. There’s a subtle bit of psychology there that I think is important to think about. If you hear that someone else is up it’s like, “ok, time to do some work to close the gap” but if you hear that you’re down it’s like “ugh, dammit, how are we gonna get out of this”. Think about the words that you’re using (another reason why recording yourself and planning ahead is important) and see if there are any subtle changes you could make that might affect your crew differently.

The last thing is at 4:45 when he calls for the “magna shuffle”. You can hear him at 4:46 call for the bow pair to get in quick and for the middle four to “lift”. Calling for the bow pair to go in quick isn’t necessarily saying “go in before everyone else”, it’s more so about being so spot on with the timing while erring towards being just the tiniest bit early (less than a nanosecond-tiny) in order to get the bow out of the water right at the catch. Lifting the bow like this makes it easier to accelerate the boat, which is what he’s asking for when he calls for the middle four to “lift”.

Another thing that helps “lift” the boat is making sure everyone is sitting up tall and is light on the seats. Lightness is key. Generally when the boat looks or feels heavy it’s because the bow isn’t coming out of the water at the catch (for whatever reason), which results in the rowers feeling like the load is heavier. Think of the bow being lifted up like you walking on your tiptoes through molasses. The lighter you are and the less you’re touching the molasses the easier it’ll be for you to traverse it, whereas if you were walking normally with your feet completely flat on the ground it’d be very difficult for you to move because there’s more surface area for the molasses to attach itself to which in turn increases the load you’re working against in order to move. Watch this video of the USA men’s 8+ and pay attention to the bow of the boat. Look at the difference between when they’re paddling and when they’re on. See how at the catch there’s just a little bit of daylight under the bow of the boat? That’s what I’m getting at.

Other calls I liked:

“Swing the waists into the headwind…” Good job reading the wind here and telling the crew how to react to it.

“Loose, long in the wind…”

“Now we’ve broken them, go, go, go…”

“On bowman, finish the fight…”

“I’m coming for you Belmont!”

You can find and listen to more recordings by checking out the “Coxswain Recordings” page.

Coxing Q&A Racing

Question of the Day

By readyallrow March 27, 2013

What are some short little phrases I can say in between counting numbers in the starting sequence/power 10s/focus 10s, etc?

Listen to practically any recording I’ve posted – you’ll get some great ideas from there.

Other stuff you can say … the stroke rate and split (if you have a Speed Coach) are good to say during the starting sequence, particularly if there’s a specific rate/split you want to be at. For focus 5s/10s, keep whatever you’re saying related to whatever the focus is. When I do 5 for legs, the only things I say is “legs, legs, legs, legs” between strokes or something similar that relates to pure power. I also like to say “drive”, “send”, “complete”, “accelerate”, and “stay on it”, in addition to miscellaneous stuff like “yea!”, “there we go!”, “walking!”, etc. when I’m calling bursts.

Coxing How To Q&A Racing

Question of the Day

By readyallrow March 23, 2013

Do you have any advice on coxing starts without calling out the fractions or counting out every stroke? They happen so quick that it’s hard for me to squeeze in useful calls for my rowers.

The whole start (starting four or five, high strokes, and settle) takes about a minute (ish) to get through. After that you can make all the calls you want but until that point, executing the start is more important than whatever else you might say. Rather than saying “1/2, 1/2, 3/4, full” and trying to cram words in between each one, pick one or the other to do. Either call the fractions or say something like “pry send, complete, complete, lengthen, full…” but don’t do both. If/when you make calls, they should be short, monosyllabic words that are quick and easy to say. It’s easy to trip yourself up if you try to say too much so just focus on keeping it simple.

If you need some inspiration, listen to the recordings I’ve posted and hear how those coxswains do their starting calls. That should give you an idea of how you might do it.

Coxing Novice Q&A Rowing Teammates & Coaches

Question of the Day

By readyallrow March 21, 2013

Do you ever do the “tchaa” thing that you hear Olympic coxes do a lot? Also if you’re an experienced rower in a boat with a new coxswain who just doesn’t know how to make calls or have a good boat voice (she shouts over the cox box), what do you suggest we do? I don’t want to be rude to her or anything, I just want to help.

I do! I started doing it when I was a junior in high school. For a while I resisted because I thought I sounded stupid when I said it but it eventually became one of my regular calls, usually during steady state pieces when we’re just going for long, powerful strokes.

As experienced rowers, I don’t want to go so far as to say it’s your responsibility to help her out, but in a way it is because you’re the older rowers on the team. Novices look up to you for insight and leadership. I would maybe grab one or two of the experienced coxswains and ask them to work with her and teach her what they know but there’s nothing wrong with you telling her she doesn’t need to yell into the mic (huge pet peeve of mine when novices do this), this is how calls should sound, etc. Let the other coxswains do the majority of the teaching but if the opportunity arises on the water to say something, do it. I don’t really recommend doing this though unless you’re the stroke or 7 seat. Even 7 seat is a little iffy. The reason I say that is because then it becomes either a game of telephone going down the boat or you have to yell to make her hear you and your yelling to be heard can be misconstrued by her as you actually yelling at her. Even if you’re constructively criticizing someone, yelling it so the whole river can hear it makes the other person incredibly uncomfortable.

Don’t forget, she’s still a novice. At least for the time being give her the benefit of the doubt. Before your next practice, remind her to talk normally into the mic (show her the speakers to make your point if you have to) because when she yells, it dilutes what she’s saying and irritates the rowers. Try not to get too annoyed with her though (way easier said than done, I know) – instead, be friendly and helpful when you can. Offering to help isn’t rude, it’s just the delivery of the help that can be interpreted as such.

Novice Q&A Racing Rowing

Question of the Day

By readyallrow March 21, 2013

I’m a novice coxswain and I have my first race on Saturday. I have a question. What questions should I ask my rowers during our boat meeting? I know I can ask them what they like to hear most, but what else?

What they want to hear is probably the only question you need to specifically ask them. You can get their input on where to make specific moves (such as when to start the sprint, if you want to take 20s at each 500m mark, etc.) but during the race it might end up being a judgement call on where to do it based on what you see unfolding during the race.

I’d just ask them what they want to hear, both as a boat and individually. Individually, what’s one technique call and one motivational call they want directed towards them? As a boat, what have you been working on? What is your boat’s biggest strength that you can use to motivate them during the race? What is their biggest weakness that you can make a call to remind them to be aware of?

Coxing Novice Q&A

Question of the Day

By readyallrow March 19, 2013

Hi! I’m a novice cox and I don’t think I talk enough during practice. I call the drills and I call people out when they are digging their blades. I try to keep them together and I let them know if they are rushing the recovery but that’s about it. Most of the time I really don’t know what to say and I don’t want to undermine or talk over the coaches.

What will help in knowing what to say is developing a better understanding of the technical aspects of the stroke. Once you can relate what you’re seeing to what’s happening with the bodies and how that compares to what everything should look like, you’ll be able to give the rowers more/better feedback.

A good starting point is to talk to your coach about the drills you do. Why does he have you do those ones specifically, what’s their purpose, what part of the stroke are they aimed at, what is he looking at/for when you do them, etc. When you’re on the water, try connecting what you learned with what you’re seeing and make calls based off of that (either to affirm that they’re doing it right or to initiate a change).

Related: So, what did you see?

Obviously you don’t want to be actively talking while the coaches are giving instructions (unless you’re mid-piece or executing a drill) because that’s distracting for the rowers. Any comments you do make should be brief and to the point but in most cases, they can wait until your coach is done. Also, obviously, if the boat is stopped and starts drifting into shore or you get in another situation that requires you to move or make an adjustment, you should do tell whoever you need to row to take a few strokes. Coaches aren’t going to mind if you do that – what they will mind is if you’re not using your common sense and being quiet when they’re trying to give feedback or instructions to the crew. Unless you’re in the middle of a piece, there’s no reason why you can’t stop talking for a few strokes to let your coach say something. Otherwise though, it’s all you.

Coxing Q&A

Checking it down vs. backing it

By readyallrow March 19, 2013

I got a question this afternoon asking me to “do a post on checking vs. backing, what each one is used for and when it comes in handy”. Just to clarify, checking and backing are two totally different things, each with their own specific purposes. Checking and holding are similar though, both of which I discussed in the post linked below.

Checking it down

Purpose: To slow down and/or stop the boat

When to use it: When you’re about to hit something, to stop the boat before turning, to stop the boat after a drill/piece, etc.

How to do it: While you’re still moving, all eight rowers will square the blades and bury them in the water. You can also lightly check it by burying the blades halfway.

Call: “All eight, check it down.” Tone of voice is key here. If you’re about to hit someone/something, your voice should impart an immediate sense of urgency in the rowers.

Backing it

Purpose: To physically move the boat backwards or help in turning the boat around

When to use it: When backing into stake boats at the starting line, when spinning the boat, etc.

How to do it: Instead of pulling the handle towards you, you’ll push it away from you with the blade fully buried in the water. This is just an arms or arms + body motion too – the legs are not involved.

Call: When backing into stake boats, say “Stern 4, back it … ready, row.” When spinning the boat, “starboards row, ports back, ready, row.” Stern pair/stern 4 is typically who backs the boat, never bow 4.

Image via // @row_360

Coxing Novice Q&A

Question of the Day

By readyallrow March 17, 2013

What’s an example of novice coxes saying unnecessary things that aren’t helpful to the boat? The only thing I can think of is repeatedly “you got this, you got this come on!”

Basically anything that doesn’t tell them the strategy, their location, their position relative to other boats, what their rowing looks like, etc., it’s more than likely not helpful. If you listen to the recordings I’ve posted you’ll get an idea of what’s helpful and what isn’t. Sometimes it’s not even what they’re saying either, it’s how they’re saying it. Projecting an assertive, confident tone goes a long way in making sure your calls are effective and helpful to the crew.

Some super basic examples include stuff like “Come on guys, we’re almost there!”, “let it run” instead of “weigh enough” (they’re not interchangeable!), “I know it hurts!”, “Pull harder!”, and counting out (in a monotonous tone of voice) every stroke of a power 20 in sequence (15, 16, 17, etc.).

The easy way to avoid saying unnecessary stuff, besides becoming more knowledgable about the stroke and sport, is to just talk to your crew. What they find helpful or unhelpful may be different than what you perceive to be helpful or unhelpful so it’s good to get feedback from them when you try out new calls.

Coxing Q&A Racing Rowing Technique

Question of the Day

By readyallrow March 14, 2013

When during a 2k race should you make a call for ratio? What characteristics/flaws should tip you off that ratio is the necessary adjustment?

Ratio calls aren’t necessarily something that should be part of your race plan. Like, the way you say “we’re taking a 10 at the 500m, 1000m, and 1250m”, you don’t say “we’re taking a ratio shift at 800m”, if that makes sense. The times when I’ve called a ratio shift during a race are usually somewhere between 750m and 1250m. That’s an easy spot for the rowers to get frantic, especially if they’re being passed, or let the effects of fatigue cause their technique to get sloppy. The third 500 is another spot to watch for this and make that call if necessary.

Ratio shifts are just that – they’re shifts to adjust the ratio back to what it should be (2:1) so you shouldn’t call for one unless you have to. This is why communication with your stroke is important because they can feel when the ratio is off since they’ll be getting thrown up their slide. Sometimes you can see it and/or feel it (it’ll feel very obviously like you’re spinning your wheels) but for the coxswain to feel it it’s got to be bad. My stroke and I have a one-word communication system too for when we need to get it back on track – she says “ratio” and I make the call. Simple as that.

For more on ratio, check out the “ratio” tag.