Tag: coxswain

Coxing Q&A Racing

Question of the Day

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How can I figure out distance in a race? I have trouble figuring out how much is 500 meters, half way and so on. I have a sprint race coming up and I want to have a race plan and do a power ten at half way but how will I know where that it? Is there a sign?

There are typically large buoys that mark the 500m, 1000m, and 1500m marks along the course. The last 100-250m, depending on the course, are also usually all small, red buoys. Even if courses aren’t divided by buoyed lanes they should still have at the very least buoys marking each 500m.

Determining distances was always tricky for me too but I got creative and taught myself how to recognize 50m, 100m, 250m, 500m, etc., which is basically what you have to do. I got a map of the river and plotted out how far certain things were from each other (usually notable landmarks, like the distance from a bridge to the boathouse or this really obvious tree to the marina) and then forced myself to pay attention to how long it took us to go from Point A to Point B when we’d row past those landmarks. By getting a feel for what the distance looked and felt like, I was better able to guesstimate those same distances during races or pieces. It took a lot of time (at least a year or so) before I was really comfortable with it but it was worth it.

Miscellaneous coxswain gear

Coxing Novice

Miscellaneous coxswain gear

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Previously: Basic gear for novice coxswains

I previously talked about some basic gear that coxswains should have on them but in today’s post I want to highlight some miscellaneous stuff that you might not think to have, especially if you’re a novice. None of this stuff is necessary right when you first start coxing (or at all, depending on who you’re coxing) but the further into this you get the more likely you’ll be to say “I wish I had a … in my bag”.

If you’re coxing guys obviously rubber bands probably wouldn’t be applicable (unless your team rocks man buns) but if you’re coxing girls (or you are a girl), this is a super convenient thing to have on hand. You can never have too many rubber bands.

I usually keep a roll or two of electrical tape in my locker so I can use it when we’re loading the trailer and then I’ll throw it in my cox box so I have it when we’re at the race site. I’ve always been responsible for making sure the coxswain’s seat is “packed up” and the caution tape flag is hanging off the stern and it’s a lot easier to do that if I don’t have to spend 10 minutes tracking down a role of electrical tape first. Sometimes I’ll take it in the boat too before a race to write down the names of the crews we’re racing against. For this I recommend using a lighter colored tape (white or yellow works best) so that it’s easier to read. A single roll should last you at least a season or two.

A mini first aid kit is especially useful at the beginning of each season and on training trips when blisters are most likely to be an issue. I have a small kit that I take on the water with me with just the essentials (a few alcohol swabs, Neosporin, band aids, and tape) and then I have a larger, full size one that I keep in my car or locker that I can replenish my water kit with or go to if a larger injury occurs. I also like to throw a small travel size bottle of sunscreen in my water kit so if we’re out on a really hot/sunny day I can reapply it on my shoulders and face midway through practice.

I started keeping a spare pair of batteries on hand after I went to use my recorder at a race and found that the batteries were dead. My coach had some extras in his toolbox and recommended I get to keep on land or in the travel case for my cox box so I’d have them if I needed them. Most recorders nowadays can be charged via USB or batteries but I recommend having a set of rechargeable ones on hand just as a backup.

Carabiners are seriously one of the most underrated tools for coxswains. I used to keep a small one on my cox box to hook my watch to, I have a few on my backpack to attach my cox box and water bottle to if I need to be hands-free, and I use a couple of large ones to store all my wrenches on.

Snacks aren’t something you should necessarily be stockpiling but one year I had two girls in my boat who were both diabetic so I kept a couple bags of fruit snacks in my bag just in case they needed them during practice. In that same vein, you can’t predict when a situation will arise where someone will need their medication so if they’re prone to asthma attacks or are allergic to bees, having a spare inhaler or epi pen on hand can be a lifesaver (literally). I’ve been in situations a few times where someone in my boat has needed an emergency inhaler, as well as one time when a friend with a severe allergy to bee stings was stung in the middle of practice, and we were able to avoid some potentially bad situations because I had their meds in my bag. Even if they say they haven’t used it in months, it doesn’t matter – better safe than sorry.

You should also carry enough nuts and bolts for at least two full riggers, in addition to at least one set of wing nuts for the foot stretchers. Extra spacers are handy because whenever someone tries to adjust their rigger height, inevitably the spacer will pop off, land in the water, and be gone forever. You can ask your coach or boatman if they have any spare parts you can have but if they don’t, you can usually order a full set straight off the boat manufacturer’s website.

Image via // Sofia Donnecke

Coxing Q&A

Question of the Day

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Hey! How do you deal with loads of self-doubt and just self-deprecation as a coxswain? I know that’s my worst habit and it really is detrimental to my performance on the water. I go out there ready to go, and then I do one thing wrong (like this weekend I took a turn wide and that was def not helpful) and I feel like it’s the end of the world because I do a ton of little stupid things a lot, and I feel like I should know better after 8 years. Help?

This was one of my worst habits too but the mistakes I made when I started coxing I learned from and forcibly committed myself to not making again. That’s really all you can do – commit to not making them again. If you make a mistake and it’s the first time it’s happened, whatever. Note it, learn from it, and forget it. If it’s something you repeatedly do, sit your ass down, figure out why you keep making that mistake, and tell yourself to stop doing it. If you feel like you know better, act like you do. Don’t let over-thinking what you do ruin things for you though – one mistake is not the end of the world. You can’t doubt yourself otherwise your rowers will start to doubt you too. Confidence is key!

Coxing Novice Q&A Rowing Technique

Question of the Day

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So my team has a regatta next weekend and we have only rowed at all 8s like 3 three times since winter training. When we do there is A LOT of check and the boat is really not set. As the coxswain, is there anything I can say to fix this and help get my boat ready for Sunday? Thanks!

There are tons of things you can say but with six days to go before your race, I’m not sure if much of it will have any noticeable impact, especially since you’ve only rowed by all eight three times. Practice, practice, practice is what you need more than anything else.

In this situation, with so little time before your race, I would focus on making sure they understand what ratio is (and making sure you understand it yourself), why it’s necessary, and how it impacts your rowing (both positively and negatively). Your coach will hopefully do some of the necessary drills with them to help the issue, so when you go through them pay attention to what he says to the rowers, the corrections he tells them to make, etc. Everything they say you can repeat to the rowers when you’re on your own with them.

Related: The “ratio” tag

As far as the set goes, for a novice boat I’d say it’s fairly natural for the boat to be unset the majority of the time. That’s just from lack of experience. Remind them how to set the boat when it’s leaning to either side and tell them specifically what adjustments to make. Don’t just tell starboard to raise their hands, also tell port to lower theirs. Don’t tell them to “set the boat” either with no further instructions on who needs to do what. Always tell them exactly what you want them to do. The set is affected by eight million and twelve different things but handle heights is probably the biggest, especially with novices. Remind them of where the handle should be coming into at the finish, that they need to lay back in order to finish properly, to tap down at the finish to get the blade out of the water, etc.

Related: As a novice coxswain I still really struggle with the technical aspect of practices. This summer I joined a boat club and spent two weeks out on the water learning to row, hoping that the first-hand experience would help me understand how to fix some common problems. Now that I’m coxing again, I still get really confused when something is wrong with the set. I don’t know what other advice to give other than handle height suggestions and counting for catch-timing, especially when it doesn’t seem to be up or down to one side consistently (like rocking back and forth with every stroke). I was wondering what advice you would give to your rowers in a situation like this, and how you can recognize and remedy some common technical problems.

When I’m talking to novices about this I like to tell them to imagine there’s a table sitting across the gunnels that they have to glide their hands across. Visualizing this helps them to not dip their hands and sky their blades coming into the catch. Focus on keeping the handle level, just like you try and do with the chain on the erg. With time and experience this problem will solve itself but for now you’ve just got to be diligent about staying on them about where their hands need to be. As you observe your rowers more and talk with your coach(es) about what you see, you’ll be able to pick out any of the eight million other things that they do that effect the set. From there you can get more specific about what they need to do besides just adjusting their hands.

This whole issue is something that I struggle with explaining to people. As coxswains, we can sit there and tell the rowers everything they need to hear about what’s going on, how to fix things, etc. but there’s only so much we can do. The rowers have to have the ability to do three things: they need the ability (aka skill) to make the change, the ability to focus and implement what you’re asking, and the ability to understand why the change is necessary. Until you have all three of those things, it’s hard to make an impact.

Racing skills: 10 regatta tips for coxswains

College Coxing High School Novice Racing Rowing

Racing skills: 10 regatta tips for coxswains

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With the spring season kicking off this weekend, here are my top ten tips for coxswains to ensure you’re prepared for every regatta.

Take responsibility for your cox box

These things are expensive  – don’t let them out of your sight. Make sure they are clearly and visibly labelled with your name and/or your team name. Bring the charger home with you and fully charge it the night before your race. Also double check that you’ve got a working mic before you leave the boathouse.

Bring weight if you need it

Some regattas require coxswains to provide their own weight if they’re below the minimum. Check with your coach and see if the regattas you’re going to require this.

Have your recorder, notebook, and a pen

Make sure the batteries are charged and bring extras just in case. Have your notebook and a pen or two on hand so that you can throw together a quick recap of your race after you get off the water.

Wear the right clothes

The “right” clothes all depend on the conditions, but make sure that you are at least wearing clothes that display your school or team logo/colors. Don’t wear something that would make it impossible to identify you as a member of your team. Check the weather the night before and pack appropriately. Unless the weather is cloudless, no wind, and 85 degrees, you’ll probably get a little chilly on the water. Rainboots or Bean boots are another good thing to have on hand, particularly if it’s cold, raining, or has rained recently, that way you can keep your feet dry while slopping through a muddy race site.

Related: What to wear

Have several wrenches

One is necessary, multiple is preferred. Inevitably someone in your boat is going to say “I don’t have a wrench”, which only slows down the rigging process. Have extras on hand so you can share them with the rowers. Make sure they’re marked with your name though otherwise you might not get them back.

Review the course map before you race

The week of, or at the very least the day before, find a map of the race site and go over it. Look at the race course and see what identifiable landmarks you can point out, as well as where the meter marks are. Use this to help you form your race plan. Find out where your trailer is going to be in relation to where the docks are so you can determine the best way to get down there. Also locate where the coaches and coxswains meeting will be held.

Drink plenty of water and have a few cough drops on hand, just in case

I’m not a huge fan of cough drops but if it’s really cold or the air is dry then inevitably my throat will get kinda sore. I always try to make sure I drink a lot on race day but if I don’t have any water a cough drop is a good alternative (just not while you’re coxing – you’ll choke).

Related: How to protect your voice

Know when and where the coaches + coxswains meeting will be held

These aren’t optional. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been to the same regatta three years in a row and you know everything they say at the meeting forwards and backwards, you should still go. This year could be the year they’ve made a change with the traffic pattern and unless you’re there, you’re not going to know about it. There’s nothing more important that you need to be doing at the ungodly hours that coxswain meetings are held so you might as well go.

Show the novice coxswains around

Once you’ve been to the coxswains meeting, the boats are rigged, etc. take the novice coxswains on a quick tour and show them where all the important stuff is. Answer their questions, point out stuff about the race course, etc.

Keep track of your rowers

When you get on the bus, make them countdown from bow to stern. Tell them well ahead of time what time you’re meeting before your race, at the bus, for team meetings, etc. Have everyone’s phone numbers on hand so you can get a hold of them if someone is missing. If they want to go off during the down time, at least try to get an idea of where they’re going so you know where to look if you need to go find someone.

Image via // @avironfrance

Coxing Q&A Racing

Question of the Day

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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 Q&A

Question of the Day

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So my coach (who rowed but was a coxswain for a short bit of time) has been telling me to only steer when the rower’s blades are in the water… I’m kind of confused by this and I’ve never heard of only steering when the blades are in. Any help please? Thank you so much. 🙂

When I first started coxing my coach told me this as well. It basically has to do with the stability of the boat. When the oars are in the water, that’s when the boat is at it’s most stable, so steering has the least amount of effect on the set when you use the rudder then vs. when the rowers are on the feather out of the water. As I got more experienced I tended to do it less and less (because sometimes it doesn’t make sense to only steer when the blades are in the water) but when you’re just starting out and your rowers don’t totally have the hang of setting the boat, it’s a good habit to have.

This is another reason why coaches tell you to tell the rowers when you’re on the rudder, especially during head races, because if you have to go around a hard corner and can’t afford to steer just when the oars are in the water, it throws off the set. Alerting them to the fact that you’re on it can allow them to compensate with their handles on the next stroke.

Coxing Masters Q&A

Question of the Day

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I want to try coxing men. Mainly because I know I won’t “feel bad” pushing them to max … and it might be a little selfish, but I want to see what it’s like to go even faster! I’m typical women’s cox size, 5’2 and 112 lbs … will I work? Oh and what’s master’s programs? Like is it for summer/graduates/ex-rowers, etc?

That’s why I like coaching guys – I don’t feel bad at all for how hard I push them. The guys I’ve coached previously all joked with me that I was like a slave driver because I never let them quit but none of them ever complained because they knew they were going to be better for it. It’s not selfish at all to want to be in a boat that goes fast. That’s why I like coxing guys. It’s impossible to explain the feeling you get when you’re coxing a great men’s boat that really knows how to work the water. I don’t think there is a typical men’s size or typical women’s size of coxswain – it’s not like we’re pre-packaged in small, medium, and large sizes (although now that I think about it, maybe we are…) – so yea, I’d say you’d be fine. Minimums for coxswains who are in men’s boats is 125lbs so you’ll have to carry weight with you but that’s like, the most minor issue ever.

Masters rowing is for anyone 24 and older. I think it’s 24. Basically if you’re out of college and not doing high performance or elite rowing, you can be a part of a masters crew. That’s what I cox right now and I like it. The women in my boat have all been rowing for a range of 5-20+ years. Coxswains of masters crews can be any age too, so you don’t necessarily have to cox rowers the same age as you. Your age doesn’t count either when they calculate the average age of the crew (I’m 24 but my boat’s average age is 50). The only downside is that it looks like there aren’t as many regattas to go to because not many have events that are specifically for masters crews. Oh, and races for masters crews are also shorter (1000m instead of 2000m).

Coxing How To Q&A Racing

Question of the Day

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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.