ROWING TECHNIQUES!

POWER, LENGTH, AND RATE

If a crew rowed at maximum capacity in all three of these components at the same time, it is doubtful they could row 10 strokes before technique withered and boat speed faded. The number of strokes required to complete 2000 meters is from 200 to 250 and clearly, equilibrium of power, length and rate must be achieved.

Rowing is basically a power endurance sport, but it requires a high level of skill. Choosing the "right" technique and then teaching it is a coaching skill and there are many differing opinions about which method is the best. Whatever the method preferred, power, length and rate are the basic ingredients.

 RATE - How MANY strokes are rowed.

Rate is the easiest to achieve. Keeping it at its optimum in a race is not the main problem. Length and power are the first to deteriorate when the pressure of the race

 LENGTH- How FAR the boat travels each stroke reaches its peak.

 The most efficient part of the stroke is when the blade is passing at 90 degrees to the boat. Only when it is at this angle is its force propelling the boat wholly in the correct direction. In theory an efficient length of the stroke is from 45 degrees at the catch to 135 degrees at the finish. In practice the body prevents the oar from reaching more than 125 degrees. To achieve 45 degrees at the catch, the reach must extend beyond this angle. A longer finish can be drawn in a sculling boat but it is inefficient to draw more than 130 degrees.

 POWER- How FAST the boat travels each stroke.

Maximal power is achieved by appropriate sequencing of the contributing muscles from strongest to weakest.

LEGS FIRST......The quadriceps and gluteals

Then the BACK..... The lower back

Then the SHOULDERS and ARMS... The latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, and biceps.

 ROWING TERMINOLOGY

BLADE: The flat end of the oar.

BOW: The forward section of the boat, the first part of the boat to cross the finish line, the person in the seat closest to the bow.

CATCH: The first part of the stroke when the blade enters the water.

Check it down command: The crew squares their blades and slowly drags them in the water. Used to slow or stop the boat.

Count down command: The crew counts aloud starting with bow, signifying their readiness for action.

Coxswain, Cox'n, Cox: The person who steers the shell and is the on-the-water coach for the crew.

Drive: The part of the stroke when the rower is pulling on the handle of the oar.

Finish: The end of the stroke, when the oar handle is closest to the body and the blade is removed from the water, the end of a race. The finish line.

Gunwale ("Gunnel"): Top edge of the shell's sidewall, where the riggers are attached.

Hands-on:  command for rowers to grab the boat on the gunwales next to their seat and be ready to move. Normally used when launching or retrieving the boat.

Heads up:  self explanatory command to look out and pay attention.

Hold Water: command to stop rowing, square the blades and stop the boat.

Layback: The backward lean of your body from hips at the finish of the stroke.

Let it Run: Command to stop rowing and let the boat glide, oar off the water and feathered.

Power 10: A call for rowers to do 10 of their best, most powerful strokes. Used as a racing strategy to pull ahead of a competitor.

Recovery: Part of the rowing stroke that follows the drive. The oar is not in the water and the rower moves and leans forward preparing for the next drive.

Release: Point at which the blade comes out of the water after the "drive" during the rowing stroke.

Run: The distance the shell moves during one stroke. You can figure the run by looking for the distance between puddles in the water made by the same oar as the boat moves forward.

Stroke: The rowing cycle of actions: Catch, Drive, Release, Recovery

Way Enough: Command to stop rowing immediately