Tag: qotd

Coxing Q&A Teammates & Coaches

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Should I make corrections to my point (using bow pair) while the coach is speaking? I always feel rude but the boat sometimes drifts off!

You can as long as you’re not distracting everyone else. Most coaches won’t have a problem with this (and the ones that do are clearly clueless) so if you see that you’re drifting or being blown by the wind, go ahead and make the correction. Speak just loud enough to be heard but not so loud that you’re talking over your coach. Keep whatever you say short and to the point as well. “Bow, gimme two strokes…” gets the job done. If your coach is talking to your bow pair or bow four, wait a minute until he’s done so as to not distract them unless you’re in a potentially dangerous situation (drifting onto some rocks, being blown by a strong crosswind into shore, etc.). If he’s having a long conversation with them about something, speak loudly into your mic and say something like “hey coach, I’m drifting into the rocks so I’m gonna row it out…” and then have your bow 4 or whoever take you out and away from whatever the issue is. Do this quickly so as to not waste time and so he can get back to coaching.

Another thing I’ll do if my coach is talking to bow pair is have either stroke or 7-seat back it, which will accomplish the same thing. This is really the only time I use them to get my point though and it’s only if we’re in open water, not right on shore or anything. If I need a stroke from 2-seat then I’ll have 7-seat back it and if I need one from bow then I’ll have stroke back it. Sometimes this is the easiest way to do it because you don’t have to use your mic to talk to them, which means you won’t distract everyone else in the process.

Novice Q&A Rowing Technique

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In a week’s time I have my first (of three) 2km scull and 2km ergo trials. I’m really nervous about the scull because I only just got off floaties (floats that sit under the oar gates for stability) and now every stroke at the finish I’m having a lot of trouble getting my blades out cleanly and together. Like my left is always on time and clean but my right always lags and such gets a bit stuck? How do I combat this?

My guess is that it’s one of two things: one, it might be a timing/coordination thing since you said your left is on time and clean but your right isn’t or two, your set is off and you’re leaning to port, which would explain why the starboard oar comes out clean (plenty of room to tap down vs. no room). Something I’ve noticed with the kids I see going from the stable boats to the less stable racing shells is that they’re afraid to lay back because they’re afraid of becoming more parallel with the boat. Since they don’t lay back, they don’t give themselves any room to tap the blades down which results in them having really sloppy finishes. That, combined with questionable handle heights to begin with, usually results in one or both of the blades getting briefly stuck in the water.

My suggestion would be to work on some release drills. Sit at the finish (laying back, sitting up tall, supported with the core), get your set, and then bob the oars up and down – all you’re doing is tapping down. This is obviously done on the square. Don’t go at a frantic pace but don’t go so slow that you’re losing your set on every stroke. Make sure you’re moving your hands at the same time, pushing the oars into the pins, and maintaining that pressure against the oarlocks. When you’re tapping down, occasionally look out at your oars to see how far you actually need to press down with your hands to release the blades from the water. If the blade isn’t at least an inch or two above the water, tap down more. Make sure you’re releasing them smoothly and not yanking or jerking the handles in and down. Once you’re comfortable with this, move on to the pick drill while continuing to work on the finishes. I’d do this on the square a few times before switching to doing it on the feather. Another drill you could do is work on the delayed feather drill. This one works to ensure that you’re coming out of the water square before feathering your blade (possibly another reason why it’s getting stuck, especially if the boat is offset). When you do this drill, you tap down and go to hands away on the square, then feather between hands away and bodies over, then square up again at 1/2 slide.

One final important thing that you’re going to need to work on is finding your balance and keeping the hands level throughout the entirety of the stroke. You don’t necessarily need to be balancing the oars off the water at any point other than the release just yet but the boat itself needs to be level. A couple weeks ago I heard some of the pre-elite scullers on the Charles being coached and something their coach said might help – I’m not sure if it actually works so scullers out there, feel free to correct me. He said that a “foolproof” way of keeping your boat set is to always have the knuckles of your right hand touching your left wrist. I didn’t hear the explanation but from thinking about it my assumption is that it would help you to keep your hands together and work on the timing to ensure they’re moving together.

How To Q&A Rowing Technique

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Tips on how to correct posture while rowing? Apparently I slouch a lot around the catch!

It all starts at the finish. Well, sort of. It’s kind of like the chicken-egg thing … which comes first? Finishes are affected by catches and catches are affected by finishes, but where does the problem actually start?

At the finish you’ve got to make sure you’re laying back while sitting up tall. The next most important thing after that is swinging while maintaining a straight back. Keep the core solid, almost as if you’re preparing to be punched at any second, without hunching the shoulders or stiffening the upper body. Make sure that you’re moving in the proper sequence – arms, back, legs – and not letting your butt slide under your shoulders. This is a huge reason why a lot of people slouch at the finish. Your shoulders should always be ahead of your butt. If you get to half slide and stop moving your shoulders but continue to move your butt, your body is going to go from being at a 55(ish) degree angle to being at 90 degrees, which you obviously don’t want and will cause you to curve your lower back, sink into your hips, and open your back early on the ensuing catch. Your stroke will also be very short. Focus on keeping your head and chin up and level – memorize every intricate detail of the back of the person’s head in front of you. This also tends to help with keeping your back straight because if your eyes are down, everything else tends to follow, but if your eyes are up, everything tends to stay up and supported (including the handle).

If your core isn’t well developed, sitting up tall and avoiding the slouch will probably be difficult for you. Having abs or any kind of 6 pack doesn’t count as having a strong core so don’t let your hot rower’s bod fool you into thinking your core is strong just because you’re ripped. Planks and side-planks are great core developers so if you find you’re still having issues sitting up at the catch after you’ve worked on the basic technique stuff I’d definitely recommend adding some planks into your pre-row warmup/on-land workouts.

Coxing Q&A Racing

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What do coxswain seat races entail?

I think the same thing as regular seat races … do a piece or two, switch, repeat.

Personally I think coxswain seat races are a waste of time because I look at every practice as being a seat race. They should be going out and practicing like the coach was making the decision on who was going to cox the boat based on how well they did that day. It’s also impossible to do a seat race for coxswains. Some coaches might have come up with a way but nearly every coach I’ve ever had or talked to about this has said it’s just not possible. There are too many variables that can’t be controlled, unlike with regular seat racing. You’re getting switched into a boat that you’re not used to and who isn’t used to you.

In addition to that, you could be a not-so-great coxswain who gets switched into a good boat that can function fairly well regardless of the coxswain they have whereas the coxswain who is normally with that boat gets switched into a boat that isn’t as good, isn’t usually coxed very well, and is in a mental and physical hole before they even start the piece. The “good” coxswain is at a serious disadvantage and the “not good” coxswain is at an advantage. The only thing that I can even think of that would be worthwhile is seeing who steers a better line but you can do that anytime and even then it can be affected by who’s rowing, the weather conditions, the boat itself, etc.

Related: Coxswain evaluation tag

Instead of seat racing I’d suggest coaches do formal evaluations, listen to recordings, get feedback from the rowers, maybe actually coach the coxswains and pay attention to what they’re doing on the water from time to time, and then make a decision. There are a lot of things that go into coxing that can’t all be displayed or summed up in one practice 2k.

Coxing High School Q&A Racing

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I’m a varsity coxswain for my high school team and we have 4 coxswains and 3 boats to race, so the younger girls are in competition for the 3rd seat. For the last 4 races, I won the “coxswain seat race” and raced the important ones. Today she coxed at an unimportant medals race and I was given the important one for next week and I’m so nervous and I know I’ll cox well but I need the boat to move faster then it ever has before so that it’ll guarantee I get to cox at Mid-Atlantics and Stotes –  HELP.

I get what you’re saying, I really do but I’ve gotta caution you on something. Don’t ever say you need the boat to do something in order for you to be able to cox. They have their job and you have yours. Neither person is obligated to do anything for the other. Obviously you want to row hard for each other but you can’t say “row hard so I get this boat” or “row hard because I want this boat” … that makes it all about you and SURPRISE it’s not all about you. As long as each person does their job to the best of their ability, that is what makes boats move faster than they ever have before.

Don’t be nervous or too cocky. You’ve clearly been doing something right if you’re consistently winning seat races and being given boats to race at the important regattas. Keep doing what you’re doing, work with your crew to come up with a solid race plan, and work your ass off during practice this week. Push your crew to work hard and let them push you as well. Stay calm, be confident, and let your goals motivate you to be the best coxswain for your boat. If you do all of that you’ll be making an undeniable contribution to the boat that will most definitely help it go fast this weekend.

Coxing Q&A

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What do you usually bring in the boat with you? It’s hard to bring a backpack when you’re in a bowloader and you can barely move your arms…

I coxed a few bow loader fours in high school and my bag then consisted of a drawstring Nike bag, which was easily contorted to fit whatever space I was in. I’d take a wrench or two, some extra spacers, one rigger’s worth of nuts and bolts, my recorder, my phone, a pen/pencil, a small notebook, Hot Hands (depending on the weather), sunscreen, and a LOT of band aids and tape. I’d generally sit in my lap so it wasn’t getting totally crushed and to prevent it from getting wet should any water get into the boat.

Coxing Q&A

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I need advice. I am a novice coxswain for my school’s rowing team but apparently the captains think I have a natural talent for it so I am not that bad. The boy’s first boat have expressed interest in having me as their coxswain next year and I’m really happy about that. However, I am studying abroad for 3 months in the fall and will not be able to cox during fall season. Do you think that will be a contributing factor in choosing me over other coxswains for the spring?

Do they know that you’ll be studying abroad? If they already know that and are still saying they want you to cox them, they must think you’re worth waiting for. If you haven’t told them yet, tell them as soon as possible so they know. If they have another coxswain in the boat for three months and then kick them out as soon as you get back, that could cause some unnecessary tension on the team, which obviously no one wants. I wouldn’t necessarily make any decisions now though as far as who’s coxing who next year. I’d wait until you get back and then do some kind of coxswain evaluation between you and whoever coxed in the fall, that way it’s at least fair to the other coxswain.

Q&A Rowing Training & Nutrition

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So I’ve been rowing for 6 months now and I work really hard and do extra coaching sessions and am super passionate about it, but I feel as though I’ve recently stopped improving. Is it normal to plateau for a while in terms of your rate of improvement with rowing? Also, when rowing a double scull what does each seat mean? I was put in bow seat. Thanks!

I got an email about this the other day that asked a similar question. I think the plateau is fairly normal, to be honest. It’s very much like losing weight. First the weight loss is rapid and then it starts to gradually slow down as you continue to lose more. Eventually it gets to a certain point (i.e. those last five pounds) where you level off and it feels like you aren’t losing anymore. After a period of time you’ll find a way to jump start your system, either by ramping up your exercise, changing your workout routine, or making additional tweaks to your diet, that will get the process going again. When the body gets used to something it tends to become desensitized to it to the point where it stops responding, essentially because it’s bored. If you’re going out and doing the same workouts on the water over and over and over day in and day out, your body is probably thinking “eh, been there, done that, I’m over it”.

Talk with your coach and see if you can change up what you do during practice by throwing in some different drills and pieces than what you’ve been doing. After a week or two of going that you’ll probably start to notice some changes because you and your body will be excited again. Also make sure you’re recovering properly in between sessions.

Related: Hey, as a coach you might be able to tell me, in a quad how do you decide who goes where? And the same for an eight? Where you’re placed in the boat, should this tell you anything about where you “sit” compared to the rest of the crew?

Check out the post linked above – I wrote it awhile ago in response to a question about who goes where in the boats. This person asked about where people go in a quad and an eight, but the responsibilities of each seat are the same regardless of what kind of boat you’re in. The only change is that as move down towards the smaller boats, people tend to pick up more responsibilities. Your best answer to this question though is going to come straight from your coach since he/she is the one that put you there. If you’re curious as to why you’re in a certain seat, always ask!

Coxing Q&A

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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 Q&A

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So I just read all your posts and what makes someone a good coxswain … you talk a lot about personalities. In general I think I have a personality of a coxswain. I’m pretty loud and sarcastic and I generally like to talk. However, I have often been told that I am not aggressive enough as a coxswain and that I need to be more stern. I have tried but I can’t seem to get that guttural sounding voice. Any advice?

I do talk a lot about personalities. I think one’s personality is a large determining factor in their ability to be a coxswain (not even a good coxswain, just a coxswain in general). I don’t know if being loud, sarcastic, and liking to talk necessarily equates to having the personality of a coxswain but I get what you’re saying.

You don’t have to get that deep, growling voice to be aggressive. Does it help, sure, but is it necessary, no. I don’t really know how to phrase this so that it makes sense but the aggressive part of coxing is almost more of a state of mind than it is about your voice. I know I talk about it coming from your voice a lot but you have to be in the right state of mind first. The voice is almost a secondary thing, if that makes sense.

What helps me keep my voice low and intense is talking from my core. Instead of just yelling from my throat, I get low in the seat and use my entire core to project my voice. I find that not only does this save my voice but it also helps what I’m saying come across a lot clearer. If you’re talking mainly from your throat it’ll have a tendency to crack a lot, which doesn’t happen as often when you use your core. I talked about that a little in one of my earlier videos. The aggressiveness comes across in my tone and my words. For the most part I don’t think I really have that growl-y voice but I still think I maintain a pretty solid level of aggressiveness.

Listen to some of the recordings I’ve posted. Most of the coxswains are aggressive in their calls but not necessarily in the same way. This coxswain coxes similarly to me in that we’re both conversational with our coxing but the intensity is still there vs. someone like this coxswain who naturally have that growl in their voice. If that deep, guttural voice doesn’t work for you, that’s OK! Find what works for you and go with it.