Regatta Online - News and Features

News and Features

Issue 96 - March 1997

Coaching clinic

Six steps to make your training March forward

1. The right stuff

Opportunities for on-water activity may be limited during winter, but, says national coach for lightweight men Sean Bowden, there is still plenty to think about.

2. Remember

Keep developing the five main points from February - connection, time, relaxation, posture and goal setting. The secret to good rowing is that there is no secret. It is about making a relatively straightforward movement and organising your time and training to ensure long-term improvement.

3. Co-ordination

The boat should move through the water at relatively even rates of acceleration and with no sudden or jerky changes in speed. Each rower must have a sense of making the boat move through co-ordinated movements of the legs, back, arms and oar relative to the movement of the boat across the water.

We know that the legs will push and the arms will pull, etc. These ideas must not dominate the stroke but must add to the main concept of making fluid, co-ordinated movements.

4. Hands, body, slide

This sequence should not be exaggerated, but the movements must combine to allow the rower to move forewards with plenty of time on the slide in the best position to start the next stroke and without pressurising the stretcher early and 'stopping' the boat.

Single points to get right are:

the knees should be let up once the handle has cleared them;
the body weight should be forwards of the seat but not over-reached;
the back should be supported and stable approaching the catch;
pressure should not be applied to the stretcher until the blade is in the water.

Balance
Good balance comes from each rower and sculler being 'balanced' in their own rowing. Timing and rhythm are integral to helping the boat sit level.

In rowing each oarsman should carry more of his weight to the inside of his seat as he moves towards the catch. Balance can be monitored with the oars through sensitivity of the hands.

5. Quality of training

Not everyone has hours of free time to train, but huge volumes of training in itself offers no guarantee of success, either. Concentrate on each session, and make it work as well as possible. First, each rower has to be focussed on the aim of the session and have the desire to make it go well. Following this there has to be the correct technical input whilst ensuring that the correct training parameters are adhered to.

6. Flexibility

Lack of time generally means that the important part of training is neglected. Rowing doesn't place high demands on flexibility and mobility, but the inability to achieve the correct rowing positions comfortably will lead to poor technique and risk of injury.

Flexibility training should take two forms:

part of the warm-up routine for each session, and
developmental stretching to increase the range of movement of specific joints.

There are many good books available covering this topic.

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