COMPETITIVE ROWING BALANCE ROWING STROKE TIMING & SPEED CATCH DRIVE FINISH RECOVERY 1
BASIC ROWING TECHNIQUE The rower s aim is to: a> produce the highest physiological performance and b> transform this performance into the best propulsion possible
STROKE ANALYSIS Catch Early drive Mid drive Mid late drive Late drive Finish Release Hands away Early recovery Mid recovery Late recovery Full reach
1. The Catch Catch is the last part of the recovery Shins are almost vertical to vertical Arms are straight and relaxed Top of knees should be at level of armpits Good reach without undue tension - relaxed in the shoulders Weight is at the front of the seat Emphasis on hands initiating blade entry - not body lift Eyes and head up
2. Early Drive Arms are straight Flat wrists with the correct relaxed grip Blades fully buried but not too deep Lower back is locked against initial drive of legs Stay relaxed in the shoulders - not up around ears Shoulders forward of hips Feeling of hang
3. Mid Drive Arms are straight Shoulders relaxed and extended Body starts to lever back from the hips Horizontal drive - straight line with handle, head & shoulders Legs with increased acceleration during the drive until perpendicular position or just behind it Shoulders over the hips Weight transferred to the middle of the seat
4. Late Drive Legs are finished and locked Body is still levering back Arms begin to draw the handle in to the body Blades kept buried Forearms are parallel to the water Head is up and shoulders are past the hips Weight is transferred to the back of the seat
5. Finish & Release Legs (knees) are locked down Strong posture with the lower back is maintained Shoulder blades retracted Elbows drawn back with flat wrists and forearms Blade rolled onto the feather Backturn is smooth and continuous - in, down, turn & away blades are extracted square out of the water lateral pressure
6. Early Recovery Smooth and continues hands away Setting up hand height straight off the release Legs are held down whilst the weight changes from the back to the centre of the seat Arms are almost straight and hands have past the knees before the body starts pivoting from the hips Upper body is up and relaxed
7. Mid Recovery Body swings forward of the hips, changing the weight from the centre to the front of the seat Forward body angle by ½ to ¾ slide Arms are straight but relaxed Moving sternwards ahead of seat Relaxed grip
8. Late Recovery Body is set in catch position Emphasis on controlled roll towards the front chocks & elimination of unnecessary movements Head & shoulders remain level throughout recovery Blade starts to square up (roll) after hands have passed the feet Whilst blade is squared hands begin moving handle up through semicircle Hands and shoulders remain relaxed
Back to. Full Reach/Catch
ADVANTAGES of SCULLING symmetrical movement balance easier to learn and maintain no influence from other rowers (single scull only) NB correct OVERLAP is left above and astern of the right with handles close to same height on both the drive and recovery
GRIP - SCULLING thumbs over end 2nd knuckle leading tangent during drive flat wrists feather oar with fingers not wrist relaxed hold
GRIP - SWEEP hands comfortably apart (1-2 fists) outside hand as hook inside hand feathers with fingers flat wrists relaxed hold
BLADEWORK CATCH PLACEMENT - a good beginning is rounded as it hooks the water common FAULTS - digging deep in the middle of the stroke and deep catch/washy finish HAND CURVE - move continuously around both catch and finish turns when to SQUARE THE BLADE? - start to unweight the handle after the feet
BASIC POINTS push the boat - do not shovel water no need to be violent at the catch - timing vs strength float up the slide - relaxed but precisely controlled
RHYTHM take time to get the timing right stroke rate depends on crew technique at any stroke rate the correct ratio between drive and recovery must be maintained acceleration cannot be achieved without timing and relaxation throughout the drive races are won between the strokes
TIPS for COACHES rowing is the art of using ones bodyweight to move the boat movements must be performed as easily and naturally as possible few rowers develop their power in exactly the same way work on one change at a time
Common Faults & Correction Teaching a beginner correct technique will avoid lengthy fault correction later It is much easier for a fault to become habit than it is to correct a habitual fault When a fault is detected check that it is not a rigging or set up problem Treat the cause of the problem and not the symptoms Break down the movement (sequence) and teach the basics in little steps Keep it simple don t overload 20
Common Faults & Correction Not enough body angle at the catch Cause: rocking over from the back, knees up too early Drills: > hands away rocking over knees down > rowing on back chocks with rocking over (exaggeration) > gradually extending slide length 21
Common Faults & Correction Breaking the arms at the catch Cause: Balance, tensed arms tight grip, legs too slow Drills: > Balance drills > changing grip, relax arms & shoulders > front end pushed with straight arms > gradually extending backwards 22
Common Faults & Correction Skying the blades Cause: Tensed shoulders & arm, late body swing forward Drills: > Balance drills > changing grip, relax arms & shoulders > hands away rocking over extending slide length > blades on the water second half 23
Common Faults & Correction Body swing too early Cause: Late body preparation, slow legs after catch Drills: > hands away rocking over early preparation > extending slide length > front end pushes with straight arms > extending backwards 24
Common Faults & Correction Early arm draw in mid-drive Cause: Tensed shoulders, slow legs, break in body swing Drills: > Shoulder relaxation > front end pushed > legs and body only with straight arms (exaggeration) 25
Common Faults & Correction Early release Cause: Inflexible shoulders, no open up after cross over, hands drawing down second half Drills: > Shoulder relaxation and flexibility > rowing arms only on back chocks 26
Common Faults & Correction Not enough body swing Cause: Weak lower back, early arm draw Drills: > rowing arms only body back > slowly moving forward 27
Common Faults & Correction Too much body swing Cause: Slow legs and/or arm Drills: > feet out rowing > front end pushes slowly extending forward 28
Common Faults & Correction Body moves into the finish Cause: Early body swing, head moves towards stern Drills: > feet out rowing > rowing at back chocks fixed body > front end pushes 29