Issue 94 - December 1996

Gold standard

The FISA Coaches Conference in Copenhagen was the most stimulating rowing conference of recent years. The topics were of major interest and there was an excellent opportunity to discuss the proposals being put forward by the FISA Council to Congress to make significant changes in the boat classes at world championships.

Three presentations were made by coaches of Olympic gold medal crews on technique and training programmes. Marti Aitken, well known in Britain for his spell at University of London, coached Xeno Muller, the Olympic champion sculler. Marti had painstakingly analysed Xeno's race patterns and modified them to optimise the balance of effort through the race, and this paid off in the Olympic final when Muller rowed through Lange and Porter in the last 500 metres.

René Mijnders, coach of the Dutch gold medal eight, described the technique he used in the eight and the training programme. The smoothness of movement of the eight reflected the experience of the crew and the immense number of kilometres rowed. In the sample of programmes distributed, the distance rowed per week exceeded that of Pinsent and Redgrave. It will be interesting to see what impact Rene has on the Oxford men's crews which he is now coaching and where he is making significant changes.

Al Morrow, coach of the Canadian women's double scull, was fortunate to have two athletes who had both won two gold medals in sweep-oar boats in Barcelona in 1992. Their programme was the same as that of the whole of his squad and differed from Aitken and Mijnders in that more of the work was competitive, albeit at controlled rates. His success in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics gives his coaching practice great credibility.

All three had handled the period from Lucerne to the Olympics in the same way. They had programmed a 'mini season' within the season, and this had worked well for them. All were very open in providing information and their presentations reflected their conviction in their methods. Their presentations provoked lively discussions.

Two presentations were made on altitude training. The first was by Maria Brandin, well-known in Britain for her success at Henley. She described her training camps using a special house where the oxygen content of the air simulated an altitude over 2000 metres during the evening and night, but she was free to live and train at sea-level during the day. The effects followed those of training all the time at altitude.

The physiologist, Bengt Saltin, appraised the principal physiological changes produced at altitude and highlighted the substantial improvement in anaerobic capacity rather than the effect on aerobic capacity. Saltin concludes firmly that altitude training is worthwhile.

The value of a variety of ergogenic aids was reviewed by Saltin. The conclusion was that none were likely to give significant benefit to rowers other than a well-constructed diet. Other presentations covered programming, the weight control methods of the Danish lightweight coxless four and the results of biomechanical research in Russia.

Ron Needs

© Copyright Ron Needs, 1996.