Tag: coxing style

Coxswain Recordings, pt. 8

By readyallrow May 30, 2013

Marin Rowing Alumni 8+

This is just a short little snippet of what I assume was a practice row or something but I wanted to share it for two reasons. The first is how he calls the crew back down a beat at 0:14. Instead of saying “bring it down” or some other annoying phrase like that, he says “let’s relax together one beat…”. I like this because it just sounds more effective than “bring it down” but also because when you’re only trying to come down one beat, you don’t really need to change that much with the slides or speed through the water – all you’ve gotta do is relax a little.

The second reason is for how he calls the crew up two beats to a 32 (0:33) and 34 (0:54), especially the 34 one. I like how he calls “legs down boom” and “pump it” (or whatever he says … initially I thought he said “bop it” which made me think of that toy from the 90s) as they bring the rate up and then “sustain it” once they’ve hit it.

2012 University of Tennessee Practice

I can’t embed this video so you’ll have to click over to YouTube to watch it. It’s from one of Tennessee’s morning practices and has some good clips of warmups, steady state, pieces, etc. in it.

During the warmup/steady state at the beginning, one of the calls she makes is “distance per stroke by 6s”. This is usually what you’re going for when doing low-rate stuff and an easy way to see if you’re gaining or losing distance per stroke is by watching the puddles. Usually steady state pressure is when bow seat’s puddle is somewhere near the stern deck by the time you take the next stroke (it’s all relative based on the strength/experience of your crew) so it’s important to make sure you know the baseline for where your crew’s puddles usually end up after each stroke so you can gauge how the boat’s running.

For about 20 seconds between 2:20 and 2:40 she’s making some aggressive-ish calls related to the catch but a lot of the rowers are rowing it in and not matching up with what she’s asking for. This is largely on you – you’ve first gotta have a good understanding of the stroke and how what happens on the recovery (i.e. roll up timing) sets up the catch so you can make the necessary calls to ensure the catches are actually on point before you start making calls for how powerful they should be. Driving before the blade’s in the water is just wasted energy and speed.

At 4:55ish when she realizes there’s something on her skeg, she tells bow pair to drop out to stabilize the boat and then sticks her arm in the water to clear the skeg while stern six is still rowing. They’re not gonna be able to take good, clean, effective strokes when you’re throwing the set off by reaching under the boat so you might as well weigh enough for 10 seconds, clear the skeg, and then pick it back up. You should also not try to grab stuff out of the skeg while the boat’s moving anyways (you run the risk of hitting another piece of debris that smashes your fingers against it and slices them open – I’ve seen that happen and it is not pretty).

Overall I think this was some decent steady state. I think her tone was good but could have been a little more chill for the majority of the pieces; not every call needs to be so punch-y. I think as you’re coming into the end of a piece it’s OK to transition to a more race-y tone/style of coxing (even though you’re still doing steady state) but you should be building into that rather than this being your baseline tone throughout practice.

Other calls I liked:

“Every inch out of that finish…”

“Simple strokes, simple movements…”

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

Coxing Q&A

Question of the Day

By readyallrow May 13, 2013

Hey! In terms of calls, what do men prefer to hear? Cheerleader? Technique? Basically, how to become a successful men’s coxswain?

No one – literally no one – who’s serious about rowing likes cheerleader coxswains. Especially guys. That I can promise you. The girls who are cheerleader coxswains for boys teams are usually the ones who are only coxing guys because they’re cute and OMG I get to boss boys around, I’m so cool. Know what I mean? Don’t be that girl.

Guys tend to like not a lot of “fluff” – aka get to the point and eliminate anything unnecessary. They want to hear only what they need to hear. That doesn’t mean they don’t also like or need the motivational stuff too but keep it concise. Guys also like to be pushed hard too and they want the calls to reflect that. When you make technique calls (which you should be making regardless), know exactly what needs to be fixed and how they need to do it.

Each crew is different, so a lot of becoming a “successful” coxswain is going to depend on your guys. Once you figure out their personalities, their style, what they like/don’t like, etc. you’ll be able to tweak your style to what they like. Being successful isn’t all about what you say though. You’ve got to mesh well with them and be just as committed to moving the boat as they are.

College Coxing Q&A Teammates & Coaches

Question of the Day

By readyallrow May 5, 2013

In high school my coach was a former coxswain and put a big emphasis on teaching the coxes. I spent 4 years learning how to cox from him, my fellow coxswains, countless recordings, clinics, etc. I am very much of the opinion that there is a right way to cox, and one of the things I learned from my high school coach that’s really stuck with me is to avoid the use of “filler”, i.e. meaningless encouragements, general yelling, and just general talking for the sake of talking.

Now that I am in college, I am working with a different group of rowers who haven’t ever known this philosophy of coxing. For the most part, their high school programs were less serious, and they learned to row in a “coxswains are cheerleaders” environment. When my coach has them fill out feedback forms, I get comments like “You are very organized and I always trust you at races,” “You make great technique calls,” “Great steering,” etc. Always followed by the “but you’re not aggressive enough during pieces.” When I’ve asked what they’re looking for, they pretty much define filler. They want me to yell stupid things about the crews next to us to get them fired up and essentially just scream from start to finish. At a small and inconsequential race in the fall, I decided to try it. I finished thinking that that was some of the worst coxing I had ever done. There was no coherent race plan, no useful information about the course, no technical focuses. However, the feedback I got was “That’s some of the best coxing you’ve ever done.” All I did was yell nonsense for 5k!

This spring, my unwillingness to compromise my coxing lost me the boat. (Granted, this was not a coaching decision, but a simple vote from the top 8). I am absolutely willing to work with the girls on specific calls that work for them and get them fired up within the scope of our race plan, but not at the expense of everything else I do well. How do you think I should deal with this? I learned how to cox around rowers who were taught the same things I was about coxswains, but now I’m stuck coxing in a “coxswains are cheerleaders” environment.

A few things to start:

Have you ever explained your style of coxing to your crew(s) and why it works, not only for you but for the boats you’ve coxed previously?

I’m a firm believer in not compromising what you know works and what you do well just to satisfy other people. I’ve been asked to do it before under threat of losing a boat and I willingly gave up that boat because I didn’t want to stop doing the things that I knew made me a good coxswain. I agree with and absolutely support you because I’ve been there and I know what it’s like. You definitely have to be flexible and willing to try new things but the line’s gotta be drawn somewhere.

Have you ever considered or tried coxing men? Your style, which I will now affectionately call “sugar and bullshit free coxing”, sounds like something they would really respond to.

I’d start by having a conversation with your coach(es). Explain to them that this was how you were taught to cox from the very beginning, this is why it worked for you, and this is why it’s a strategy you believe in (and it absolutely is a strategy). Help them to understand how the type of rowers you’re coxing now are different than the ones you’re used to coxing (and then further explain the cheerleader-coxing conundrum) and why it’s hard for you to adjust something that you know works to something that makes you feel like … not a bad coxswain, but an inefficient one. Just like how you and your crew have to “buy in” to your coach’s philosophy and the rowers have to “buy in” to your style of coxing, you also have to buy into your style. The rowers might buy in to your (fake) cheerleader style but if you can’t get on board with it, how good is your coxing really going to be? You’re not going to be passionate about it, which means that on some level there’s going to be a lack of intensity and aggression.

From there, have a conversation with the rowers and tell them the same thing. Try to avoid the “my coxing style is inherently better than your previous coxswain’s style” just because there’s the potential for a lot of issues to arise there. Tell them what you just said too about working with them on specific calls and being willing to compromise in that aspect but at the same time don’t be afraid to tell them that you can’t change your entire style because it’s something you’ve worked hard to develop and, if you were a recruit, most likely a very large part of why you’re part of the program you’re coxing for. Stick up for yourself and don’t feel like you have to cave to their requests/demands just because there are eight of them and only one of you.

I’d really encourage you to consider seeing if you can cox the guys for a practice or two just to see what it’s like. Talk to their coach about it and see if you could set something up. If you can’t get anything figured out before the end of the year, try coxing for a master’s program over the summer. The guys are older obviously, but they’re still guys. I actually heard a men’s masters crew last week telling this girl that was, I assume, filling in for their usual coxswain “We don’t care what your style is, just don’t do any of that cheerleader bullshit”. If coxing for the men isn’t an option at all, do the best you can to make it work with the women. If it means not coxing the top 8+ and instead coxing the 2nd 8+, embrace it. Explain to them right off the bat that this is your style, this is how you cox, you’re willing to work with them and throw in some calls they’d like to hear but on the whole, this is the kind of coxswain you are. Commit to making this boat fast by being the best coxswain you can be for your crew while still staying true to your style.

Coxing Q&A

Question of the Day

By readyallrow April 27, 2013

How do coxswains come up with a “signature call?” Any tips? Do you have one?

I definitely had a few in high school, each for a different boat, but I can’t remember what any of them are. One thing I know though is that coming up with a signature call is never something that’s planned, at least for me. It was always something that happened on accident or unintentionally. It’s kinda like how people get nicknames after they do something embarrassing. They weren’t trying to get a nickname, it just happened and now they’re stuck with it. My suggestion would be to go with the flow and keep doing what you’re doing. If something comes to you, use it, but don’t force it. Signature calls are great but they don’t make a coxswain. You don’t have to have one.

A similar thing I tell coxswains to do is develop special calls that only your crew knows. (I don’t know if that was what you meant by signature call but I tend to think of them as two separate things.) If you can say whatever your special call is and the rowers know it means “power 10”, it definitely gives you an advantage over other crews because they can’t counteract something if they don’t know it’s happening (whereas if they hear you say “power 10” they can obviously counter that). There’s also the emotional advantage you get from calls like that because if it’s something that has a specific meaning to your crew, the response is going to be a lot stronger in comparison to your normal run of the mill calls.

Coxing Novice Q&A Racing Rowing

Question of the Day

By readyallrow April 18, 2013

Hey! I’m a novice coxswain for a high school men’s team and we’re approaching the end of the season. We have one race this weekend, and after that, we have championships in May. I have been told that I improved a lot this year, and for that, I’m grateful. We were just told who would be going to championships, and I was relieved to find out that I had been chosen. However, I have been having some paranoia that when it comes down to the actual race this weekend and at champs, my calls will be the same as they were for every other race we’ve had this season. And that’s definitely not what I want. I want my calls to be unique and to stand out amongst the pool of coxswains that have been chosen. Boatings haven’t been made yet, and along with working on execution and steering, I want my racing calls (and practice calls) to be more defined and more unique. I was wondering, since you’re an experienced coxswain, how do you mix up your calls in the boat? Thank you.

So, my theory on coxing, like most things, is that if it’s not broken don’t fix it. I completely understand wanting to step up your game and come up with “new” stuff for these bigger races but fight the urge to completely change your style or what you say. Your rowers have most likely become accustomed to your calls and, unless they’ve specifically said they’re over them and don’t get anything out of them anymore, will be listening for them during your race. Rowers are creatures of habit in my experience. If you want to incorporate several calls that are boat-specific (calls only your crew would understand), that’s fine (and advisable!) as long as you talk it over with your crew first and determine what they want/need to hear, where they want to hear it, etc. (You should be doing that anyways.) Your coach already chose you – they’re not going to change your mind just because you cox the same way you’ve been coxing all season. The reason they chose you is most likely because the way you’ve been coxing all season is good and the coaches see the rowers responding to you. That’s something that should make you proud, not paranoid.

In terms of how I mix my calls up, like I said, unless the rowers specifically ask me to call something differently or make a call for this thing at that spot during the race, I don’t really change up what I’m saying that much (outside of the 2-3 variations I tend to use). That’s not to say that I have a script or anything that I follow each time I go out, what I mean is that if my call for clean finishes is “accelerate, squeeze” I’m not going to suddenly change that to something else because I run the risk of the rowers not knowing what I’m saying or why I’m saying it. Granted, my current boat is made up of rowers who have been rowing for 20+ years so they basically know what all the variations of each call means but not all crews are that savvy so it’s not something I necessarily advise doing unless you have plenty of time to get them re-acclimated to your new calls.

If you find that you’re getting bored with a call, first ask yourself why you’re getting bored with it (are you repeating yourself a lot for some reason?) and then ask your boat if they feel the same way. If they say yes, find a new way to say what you want to say. If they say “no, I like that call because…” don’t change anything. The call might be stale to you but if that’s the one that kicks the ass of even one person in your boat, you don’t want to mess with that.

Coxing Q&A

Question of the Day

By readyallrow March 10, 2013

Is it ideal to sound like a “scary coxswain”?

That depends on your definition of “scary”. Some coxswains are considered scary because of their intensity and the fact that they’re intimidating as hell. Others are scary because they sound like they’re going through an exorcism. I don’t like when coxswains are told they need to sound angry or scary because it gives them the wrong impression, which is a problem I often find with novices because they’re told they have to yell and be angry so they do, and then they end up sounding ridiculous, they aren’t effective, and/or they lose their voice. You can tell them to get angry, but they should never sound angry in the sense that they’re screaming and yelling at the top of their lungs for no reason.

It all goes back to language and tone of voice for me. Like I said, I don’t like when coxswains are told to sound angry, scary, etc. – instead, they should be told to put some intensity and purpose behind their calls and then the definition of “intense” should be discussed. What does it mean to you and what does it mean to your crew? If you go through the recordings I’ve posted so far you’ll see where I’ve written about coxswains with good (and great) levels of intensity in their voices (and others with not so much). You’ll notice that most of the time they aren’t yelling or forcing anything either. It’s all very natural and conversational but still in your face, focused, and demanding at the same time.

So, I guess my answer to your question is both yes and no but it all depends on what you define as “scary”.

Coxing Q&A

Question of the Day

By readyallrow March 7, 2013

Yesterday a friend of mine told me “You’re definitely a men’s coxswain. That’s where I see you. That’s your coxing style.” I agree with her (good thing, because I AM a men’s coxswain!) but I’m not sure how to articulate what it is about my style that makes it more geared toward men. What do you think makes that distinction? What makes someone’s style better for men or women?

I’ve never really given much thought as to what made the distinction between men’s and women’s coxswains. Even though I coxed women all through high school and when I was in college, I always knew that I was better suited for guys just based on my personality. A lot of people have told me that too. I talked about this the other day with someone – I think the reason why I enjoy coaching and coxing guys is because the way I push people resonates better with them than it does with women. With women, as this person said, they have a natural tendency to take that and internalize it too much and ultimately end up getting offended, upset, or insecure about themselves or their rowing. I truthfully just don’t have the patience for that, not because I dislike the person or am insensitive to what they feel but because I don’t know how to react or deal with it because I’m the complete opposite. This is a huge reason why I like guys because, for the most part, they don’t do that.

Like I’ve said before, this isn’t saying that women can’t be pushed or that they are somehow weaker compared to men. That’s not it at all. My boat senior year was one of the most driven, laser focused, no-nonsense boats I’ve ever coxed and they were women. They learned quickly how I coxed and learned to accept the criticism, intensity, etc. and know that it was all coming from a good place.

How women are motivated though is different and that’s where coxswains have to make that distinction themselves. Everyone I’ve known that has coxed men have all been extremely confident (borderline cocky), ferociously outgoing, brazen people who don’t take shit from anyone. I think that’s an unspoken requirement for coxing guys, especially if you’re a girl. You’ve got to be able to take their shit at times and be able to throw it right back without blinking.

Everyone I’ve known who has coxed women has been equal in skill when compared with the guys’ coxswains but their personalities are calmer and their focus is more based around praise and reassurance. Guys can take the “your rowing is shit right now” call, make a change, and then think nothing of it two strokes later, whereas girls, in my experience, internalize it and start overthinking things, which can cause their rowing to get worse instead of better. When I cox women I’ve always found myself holding back just a little bit because I know saying “are you kidding me right now with these splits?” would cause a huge problem whereas with guys, I can say that and they instantly go at it harder and keep it there.

There’s definitely a psychological thing that goes along with it too. Sometimes people are just naturally better at coxing one sex or the other and it can’t be explained. Some people know why they’re better with one than the other and can easily pinpoint why. Other times, some coxswains just aren’t comfortable coxing certain people. Girls might have a hard time coxing fellow girls but find they’re great at coxing guys or they might be uncomfortable coxing guys and prefer to stick with the girls because it’s less intimidating. It changes from person to person.

Regardless of who you’re coxing you obviously can’t be a dick about how you’re communicating. There’s a fine line between calling the rowers out and saying “this feels like shit, we need to fix XYZ now” but doing so in a positive way that communicates a sense of urgency and focus and doing the same thing but in a negative way that just brings down the mood of the boat. Some people will get in a boat with guys and think they have to be super macho or tough or whatever and the latter is what ends up happening. Regardless of who you’re coxing, your style, etc. your singular focus has to be on unifying the crew with whatever you’re doing.

Coxing Novice Q&A Rowing Teammates & Coaches

Question of the Day

By readyallrow March 1, 2013

Being a novice cox, I can’t wrap my head around this. A varsity cox switched with me so she was coxing one of the novice boats and they went faster and harder than ever! I feel like my intensity is ok … but it’s different with her I guess, can you explain it? Thanks!

This is totally normal. I coxed the novice 8+ when I was a senior and part of the reason why I think they were able to go as hard as they did is because I knew how, what, and when to say things to them that a novice coxswain wouldn’t have known to say or do. It’s not that you’re doing anything wrong, it’s just that she has more experience and has her voice more “developed” than you do. She’s also got a better technical eye so she can pinpoint things easier which means she can make the calls to fix them faster.

Intensity is only a small part of being a coxswain. Don’t focus so much on how much better your crew did without you and with her – instead, talk to her and ask her what she said, what she did, what she saw, etc. Pick her brain, take notes, and then the next time you go out with them, use everything you learned to help make whatever changes they made while rowing with her stick.

College Coxing Racing Recordings

Coxswain Recordings, pt. 5

By readyallrow February 14, 2013

Rochester Institute of Technology Liberty Leagues 2012

Right off the bat, I love her “get us out ahead” call. Obviously that’s always the goal but making this call right at the start gives the crew an immediate objective.

At 1:20 when she says “they’re probably at our four seat”, you want to tell them where the other crew is but you don’t want to say “probably”, “maybe”, “might be”, etc. That gives the rowers the opportunity to look out and see if the other crew actually is where you think they are. Even if you’re not 100% positive, act like you are. Instead of “probably at our 4 seat” just say “they’re sitting on 4 seat”.

When she says “they’re dying, we got ’em” at 3:51, that would have been a great spot to make a move and really break that other crew.

At 4:24 she says “gotta go right here and now, comin’ up on 500m … gonna be close … you can see it, you can taste it”. That’s a great call to get them pumped for the sprint and let them know it’s going to be a close fight. Immediately after that would have been a great opportunity to take a 10 or 20 to make a move and really hammer the message home (to her crew and the rest of the field).

Other calls I liked:

“They know we’re out for blood…”

“You want that fucking banner? Let’s see you get it now.”

“Punch it, let’s move…”

“Fuck them, let’s GO!” Definitely – definitely – a call I would make. Reminds the crew to focus on themselves and, well, fuck that other boat.

UCLA 15 on, 15 off

This is bordering on a little angry with her tone of voice but overall the intensity is good. The only thing that could have made this better (and maybe justified her almost-angry tone of voice) is if she’d been sharper with the counting instead of drawing out each number. This is a good example though of why it’s important to project your voice rather than yell – it’s easier to stay sharp with the calls when you’re using your core to make yourself loud vs. just yelling from your throat, which doesn’t give you same amount of control.

UCLA W4+ Drills + steady state

Between 1:28 and 1:31 she did a great job of changing her tone to reiterate what she was saying about hooking the blade in. She also does a really good job of connecting the puddles to the crew at 2:12 and using that as a visual cue to get the crew to lengthen out and get the spacing back to three inches of open. Another thing she does well throughout the recording is calling out the rowers for individual corrections.

Other calls I liked:

“Swing and run…” Great call to make during cut the cake.

University of Washington V8+ 2012 IRAs Grand Final

This isn’t actually a recording, it’s a video montage of some of the footage from IRA’s last year overlaid with some of Sam Ojserkis’s audio. I can’t embed it here so you’ll have to watch it over on Vimeo. Since Washington is easily one of the top programs in the country, I thought it was worth sharing. “No one’s going to hold our pace” – that’s confidence. I like the definitive “OVER!” at the end too.

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

Coxing Q&A Teammates & Coaches

Question of the Day

By readyallrow January 30, 2013

I never want to be THAT coxswain whose rowers zone out and don’t listen. I feel like my rowers look out of the boat a lot and it affects the set and their technique. Do you have any posts/suggestions to make sure I’m on the right path?

I really believe that about 85% of the effort in staying focused in the boat HAS to come from the rowers – the coxswain has a job to do in that respect but they can only do so much. The best and most effective way to find out if you’re on the right track is to talk to your coach and your boat. Explain that you’ve noticed a lot of people looking out of the boat, etc. which causes all these different problems and you’re wondering if there’s anything you can do to help them keep their focus in the boat.

Get feedback on how you’re doing overall – can you be more aggressive at times or are you doing a good job wit that? How does your tone of voice resonate with the rowers – do you sound engaged, present, focused, etc. or are you pretty monotonous and flat with your calls? Do you sound like you’re in control and have a solid plan that you’re ready to execute or do you make your calls like you aren’t really sure of what you’re doing? The information you get from them will be way more valuable to you than anything else.

In my experience, rowers looking out of the boat and stuff tends to be more about them than it does you. Obviously you need to be doing your part to keep them engaged and focused but some people are just that ADD (literally and figuratively) and have a hard time staying “in the boat” when they’re just moving back and forth. It takes a lot of concentration to row which a lot of people, especially novices, don’t realize. If they’re looking out of the boat a lot, you’re right, it will definitely affect the set and technique. That’s something I constantly try and tell the kids I coach – even though it seems minimal, you turning your head shifts your body weight enough that it will offset the boat.