Tag: rowing

Coxing Drills How To Q&A

Question of the Day

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Transitioning by fours in an 8+ always confuses me. I know you start with stern four, then stern pair out, then three four in, but what’s after that? Who goes in and out in what order? Thanks!

It’s actually pretty simple because there’s only two pair switches you need to make to get between stern, middle, and bow four. Once you’re done with bow 4 it’s only a matter of whether you’re continuing rotating through the fours again or going to 6s or all eight (in which case, the addition of the rest of the pairs is self-explanatory).

Q&A Rowing

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As a coach, do you expect your rowers to be able to row both sides in a sweep boat? Should every rower be flexible or is it ok to limit yourself to 1 side only? I ask because we have 7 wks until WEHORR & after rowing for 2.5yrs exclusively on stroke side, my coach has asked me to switch sides & potentially row in 7 seat at WEHORR. I feel like it has huge potential to fail, particularly as it means my injured shoulder will be my outside shoulder on bowside … what should I do? Should I persevere?

I definitely think there are benefits to being able to row both sides and I do think that you should have a certain level of proficiency on both sides but during the actual season I think you should stick with the side you are most proficient on. In my opinion, the time to experiment with a different side is either over the course of the summer or during a light workout day on your winter or spring training trip. I think that seven weeks is definitely enough time to gain proficiency on a new side but compared to the 2.5 years you have on the other side, there is the potential to not be as strong on the new one.

Given the fact that you have an injury, that adds another layer to the mix. I read awhile ago that coaches who actually “study” the athletes to determine what side they’ll row on base their decisions on two factors – one being which side is their dominant side (are they right handed or left handed – dominant hand becomes the inside hand since feathering requires more fine motor control) and the other being whether or not they have or have had a shoulder, rib, or back injury that could be exacerbated by rowing on a particular side. Assuming your coach knows you have a shoulder injury, that makes me question why he switched you to bowside. If you haven’t already started rowing on that side yet, I would talk to him and say that you’re willing to try rowing in 7 (in the interest of learning a new side) but you feel that ultimately you’re going to be a stronger rower on your natural side. Also make him aware or remind him of your shoulder injury. I’m sure you already know, but shoulder injuries can wreck havoc on a rower’s career. If you find that having that shoulder be your outside shoulder is causing you pain, is making the joint hurt, etc. stop rowing on that side. Don’t try and “push through it” just because your coach wants you on that side.

It’s also worth asking why your coach wants to make the switch. Were you in stroke seat before and he’s moving you back or were you in 6 and he’s moving you up? If you were in stroke and he moved you back, but you find that rowing on that new side is uncomfortable because of your shoulder, ask if rowing in 6 is a possibility. That way, you’re still on your natural side and he gets to keep the person he switched into stroke in that seat. Since you said that he “potentially” wants you to row in 7, I’d take that as an indication that it’s not a definite yet. Talk to him about why he wants you in 7 and how badly he wants to switch you…is it basically a guaranteed thing already or is he still evaluating how good you’d be on that side? Keep the line of communication open with him and try to give and get some feedback after each practice. Tell him how it felt, what feels different, what (if anything) you’re having trouble with, how your shoulder feels, etc. Get feedback from him on what you’re doing well, what you can keep improving on, any noticeable differences between this side and your regular side, etc. All of this information can be helpful to him when he makes his final decision.

For the time being, I would cautiously persevere. Try it out and see what you think. Talk with your coach and get as much feedback as possible. Look at it as a new experience that could potentially help you in the long run (aka positively) instead of something that you don’t necessarily agree with (aka negatively). If I were a coach and I switched a rower’s side, I’d more than likely be much more willing to listen to their concerns if I saw that they at least tried to learn the new side and put some effort into it vs. someone who half-assed it and didn’t really try.

College Rowing

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Is it unrealistic for someone who is 5’7 to row at a D1 school or would I be better off on the club level? I’m really interested in the challenge of rowing in college, I just don’t know if I’d physically be able to. I was just wondering since in your last answer you said the average person on your club team is 5’3-5’7.

Depends – are you a guy or a girl? If you’re a guy then you’re gonna be on the short side by several inches if you’re looking at pretty much any of the Sprints schools. If you’re a girl, you might still be on the shorter side but not so much that you’d be out of the running for any of the boats.

Height is just one factor when it comes to rowing (and it’s far from being the most important). If your erg times measure up to what college teams are looking for and you’ve got a solid rowing resume there’s no reason why you wouldn’t get an equal look when compared to someone who’s 6’0″. Plus, if you’re a lightweight that can work in your favor too when looking at colleges. Lightweight teams were in essence created specifically for shorter rowers – and by shorter I mean “average height” people, not the freakishly tall amazons that dominate most collegiate teams. Not a lot of teams have dedicated lightweight squads, so you’d have to do some research to find out what schools have them if that’s something you’re interested in.

Ultimately, I wouldn’t worry too much about your height. Your height isn’t something you have control over but how strong you are, your erg times, what you bring to the team … all of that is stuff you have control over. Focus on the variables you can change, not the ones you can’t.

Q&A Rowing

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So my coach was telling me how this spring there’s a good chance that I’ll be racing a single due to the fact that we have a very small squad this year (only 3 girls) and the other two girls have raced a 2x prior to this season. The only time I’ve really been in a single is paddling around every so often over the summer. What are some tips about racing a single? Being all by myself just seems kind of daunting.

Assuming you already know the basics of sculling, I’ll skip over that and tell you what I’d practice if I was rowing a single. For you scullers out there, send me a message or leave a comment with your tips and tricks!

Practice racing starts

Out of everything, I think this would be the toughest to execute. The smaller the boat, the more disastrous  a bad first stroke can be, so it’s important to spend time working on those first four or five strokes. Think of your start like a basketball player thinks of foul shots.Making them might not win you the game but missing them can definitely lose it for you. Starts are the same way. Races aren’t won at the start but they can be lost there. Talk with your coach and figure out which one works best for you. 1/2, 1/2, 3/4, full is the most common starting sequence in sweeping and sculling, so that might be a good one to practice with before you ultimately decide what you want to do. From what I’ve seen of scullers practicing starts, the most important part is making sure your strokes are short, sharp, fast, and clean, that way you can build on them as you establish your rhythm. Some basketball players won’t leave the gym until they’ve made 100 free throws – those are the guys that shoot 85-90% on a season. Commit to doing at least 5 GOOD starts each practice. If that means it takes you 13 tries to get four good ones, so be it. Focus on one stroke at a time before moving on to the next one. Try and perfect it, then move on to the next and try and perfect it. Then combine the two and perfect them as a pair. Do the same thing with the last two strokes, then combine both pairs to get your full start. Practice makes perfect. Once you’ve established the starting sequence, start adding in your high burst and settle.

Focus on steering

Since you no longer have the luxury of having a coxswain you now have to figure out steering for yourself. If you’re lucky you’ll race on buoyed courses so you’ll always know when you’re in your own lane, but you should still practice on getting your point and maintaining a straight course. My advice if you’re on non-buoyed courses is to get out ahead early and stay there. Actually having everyone in your eye line when you’re ahead of them can help you avoid rowing into their lanes. At the start, know how the wind or water conditions will effect you coming off the line so that you can make the appropriate adjustments.

Study, study, study

Get course maps for every race you’re going to. Even though they’re all straight, each one is different in that they all have different landmarks. For more info on that, read the post linked below that I wrote before the Head of the Charles. Even though I wrote it during head-racing season, it’s still applicable to sprint races.

Related: HOCR: Race plans

Make sure you understand the traffic patterns, how to get to the starting line, the procedure for getting lined up, etc. Make sure you go to the coxswain meeting too. Yes, it’s at an ungodly hour in the morning almost every single time but trust me – the time spent listening to the race official give you all the specifics of the regatta is well worth it when you have to utilize something they said later on. (Tip for everyone – they’re not JUST for coxswains; scullers should always attend the meetings so that they know what’s going on and what the procedures are.)

Have a plan

Just like coxswains have strategies for calling a race, so too must you. Know what your starting sequence will be, how many strokes your high burst and settle will be and at what stroke rates, have a stroke rate in mind for the body of the race, determine at what meter marks you want to make a power move, where you want to start your sprint, what the build to the sprint will be, and what stroke rate you’ll sprint at. If you can get your hands on a speed coach to take in the boat with you, that will really help you stick to the plan as far as sticking to a stroke rate goes. Get a good feel for the plan before you get in the boat and then once you’re out on the water, put it into action when you do race pieces. The best way to eliminate any nervous jitters before a race is to ensure that you are as prepared as possible ahead of time. Before you head to a regatta, make sure you get at least two GOOD practice race pieces in.

Be self-motivating

You really have NO choice in this area – you don’t have a coxswain telling you to get your ass in gear, you’re being walked on. YOU have to recognize that and tell yourself what you need to hear in order to get yourself down the course. I feel like sculling is very personal in this respect because you are completely in control of everything that happens to you during the course of that race. You have the power to tell yourself when to make a change or to push a little harder or now’s the time to lay it all on the line. A video was posted recently about Alan Campbell and his winter training boot camp that he undertook this past month. It’s fantastic and the undertones of it are very motivating.

How to prepare your crew to row

Coxing How To Novice Rowing

How to prepare your crew to row

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One of the best ways to keep practice moving and avoid wasting time is to give clear instructions before you start rowing. Telling the rowers exactly what you want avoids  having to listen to them say “well, I didn’t know where we were starting from” or “oh sorry, didn’t know it was just stern 4 rowing”.

Before you start a drill or a piece, here’s what you should be saying to your crew.

Who is rowing – all eight, stern four, bow four, outside pair, etc.

Where to start from – the catch, finish, 1/2 slide, etc.

What sort of rowing – a) slide position, either arms only, bodies over, quarter slide, etc, b) feather or square blades, and c) continuous paddling or paused (don’t bother saying unless it’s paused)

How hard to row – light, quarter pressure, half pressure, three-quarters, firm, full, etc. Make sure that when you ask for a pressure, the crew respond appropriately. Don’t be afraid to tell them to bring it up if it seems inadequate to you.

When to start – “Ready all, row.” Remember, you’re not really asking them if they’re ready…you’re more so telling them. If someone isn’t ready, more often times than not you’ll know before you make this call.

“Ready all, row” is a significant call that means many things. When I first started the blog this was what I said about this particular call:

“The title of the blog comes from the command that coxswains make before the rowers begin rowing. It signifies that everyone knows what’s going on and they’re ready to row. For coxswains, it signifies an understanding of the instructions given by the coach.”

When you’re transitioning between exercises, pairs, etc. it’s always “in two”. Make sure you say “one … two” with the stroke’s catch, since that is what everyone is following. One of my biggest pet peeves is when coxswains say “one, two” like they’re counting seconds … the rowers probably aren’t even at the catch yet when they say “two”, which causes them to rush up the slide to match what you’re saying and it just turns into a clusterfuck because people don’t know what’s going on. Yes, the transition is on your call but your call has to match up with when the stroke is rowing. With more experienced crews you can say “on this one” denoting the transition on the NEXT stroke instead of in two. This is what I frequently use with my eight. If you have strokes 1, 2, and 3 and you want to make a transition on stroke 4, you would call “on this one” at the finish of stroke 3.

The specific calls themselves tend to differ between countries (in the UK, “easy there” vs. “weigh enough”, “from backstops” vs. “at the finish”), but the instructions themselves are relatively similar. The end goal, however, is the same – everyone doing exactly what you want. (That sentence is probably the main reason why coxswains get egos too big for our tiny bodies.) Giving clear and concise instructions when you’re on the water maximizes the time you’re able to spend rowing and minimizes the amount of wasted time, so be sure that you are giving them the information they need to be ready to row.

Image via // @harry_brightmore

College Novice Q&A

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How hard is it to just start rowing in college, especially at a D1 or Ivy League school?

It’s hard but the degree to which it’s hard is largely determined by you. The biggest adjustments don’t come from learning a new sport, because regardless of what sport you try to pick up, it’s always going to be tough at first. The hard part is adjusting to waking up early several days a week, having practice six days a week (sometimes twice a day), and just learning how to manage your time better. Even if you’re a rock star at time management and self-discipline, joining the team will seriously test those skills.

If you have a demanding course load, it can be tough finding a good balance, especially if you fall behind earlier and have to spend a few weeks/months playing catch up. Once you find the balance though, it gets easier. You learn where your time needs to go and personally, I think, makes you a better overall student. If you have a hard time managing your time and/or you’re not very disciplined when it comes to getting things done, rowing probably isn’t the sport for you.

A lot of rowers pick the sport up in college – just look at the number of people on the national team that were walk-ons as college freshmen. It can be done but like I said, how tough it is is going to be determined by you and how disciplined you are at managing everything else in addition to crew.

Sprint races vs. Head races

Racing Rowing

Sprint races vs. Head races

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Winter training is slowly trudging along but before you know it, the spring racing season will be upon us. If you coxed or rowed in the fall but haven’t done a spring season yet, you’re probably wondering what the differences are.

Head races

Head races are run over a course an average distance of 3 miles. Instead of being a distance race, it’s raced against the clock, with the goal being to have the fastest overall time with as few penalties as possible. Crews are started 10-15 seconds apart, allowing for faster crews to overtake slower ones along the course. Due to the length of the race, the cadence is much lower when compared to a sprint race. Head races are aptly nicknamed “the coxswain’s race” due to the winding turns along that river. Navigating these turns as efficiently as possible aids the crew in achieving a fast overall time. In comparison to the spring season, the fall season is usually shorter in duration – crews might only do two to four races starting in late September and ending in early November.

Sprint races

Spring season is the best season. In college races, rowers cover a course of 2000m whereas in most high school races, rowers cover 1500m. They’re rowed somewhere between five and a half and eight minutes and at a much higher stroke rate than head races. Anywhere from 4-8 boats are lined up at the starting line, either through a floating start or on stake boats, after which the starting marshal will utilize one of the various starting calls followed by “Attention, GO” to begin the race. The end of the race (250-300m) is an all out, balls to the wall sprint.

The season itself lasts from late March or early April until the beginning of June, and crews will typically race in seven to ten races during that period. The training is much more intense and unlike fall racing, begins a few months before the actual season starts, a period classified as winter training where the athletes primarily train indoors on the erg.

Coxswains employ a different strategy with these races compared to head races because there is less distance to cover, which translates to the amount of time you have to make move running out very quickly. It is imperative for coxswains to have good control over the steering of the shell to ensure it travels the straightest line possible. If he/she is slaloming down the course, it can cost their crew a win. The intensity of the race overall is also heightened – it’s pure adrenaline from start to finish, which is an experience you can’t really comprehend until you experience it.

Image via // @rowingcelebration

Q&A Training & Nutrition

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What’s your opinion on rowers smoking/drinking? Do you think there can ever be a balance or should athletes just avoid it?

Well, smoking for one is a straight no because lung function is kind of important to rower and smoking, obviously, hinders that. I also feel like drinking is fairly self-explanatory too. When you’re training and in-season, there’s really no place for it. If you’re just having like, a beer then whatever but if you’re pounding Jagerbombs knowing that you have practice the following morning then maybe take a step back and reevaluate your priorities.

Many teams implement a “dry policy” when they’re in season too that everyone’s expected to adhere to. You also have to consider how your behavior is going to effect yourself, your boat, and your team if you’re drinking or partying too much. That’s an important one to consider because with any other sport, you can put the second-string player in and it wouldn’t effect much. With rowing, adding in a new person to the boat that you’re not used to rowing with or being coxed by can unintentionally mess everything up.

Common sense isn’t all that common but it really reigns supreme here. Situations like this are all about exercising good judgement and just using your common sense.