Coxswains Guide

Contents:

1. Purpose of This Guide (p. 2)

2. Levels of Coxswains (p. 3)
3. How Coxswains Improve (p. 3 - 4)
4. Focus on the Fundamentals (p. 4 - 9)
1. Safety (p. 4)
2. Steering (p. 5)
3. Communication (p. 6 7)
4. Technique (p. 7 8)
5. Motivation (p. 9)
5. Coxing in Practice (p. 9 - 15)
1. Coxswain Collaboration (p. 9)
2. Launching and Docking (p. 10)
3. Warm-up (p. 10)
4. Paddling (p. 11)
5. Drills (p. 11)
6. Practice Pieces (p. 11 - 14)
a. General Tips for Pieces (p. 12 - 13)
b. Steady State (p. 13)
c. 15-20 min pieces (p. 13 - 14)
d. 8-12 min pieces (p. 14)
e. 1500-2000 meter pieces (p. 14)
f. 500-1000 meter pieces (p. 14)
7. Time in the Launch (p. 15)
6. Coxing in Races (p. 15)
7. Final Thoughts (p. 16)

Michael C Ciccotti
March 18, 2012
The Purpose of this Guide

Coxswains rarely receive the proper individual coaching necessary to develop at a steady
pace. This is not entirely the fault of the coach for two reasons: 1) coaches rightly spend
the majority of their time focused on the rowers who actually provide the movement for
the boat; and 2) most coaches were not coxswains and, through no fault of their own, lack
a full appreciation of the coxswains job. As long as the coxswain isnt running boats into
bridges, there is little incentive for the coach to spend a great deal of time on developing
the coxswain. Nonetheless, there is a tremendous amount of boat speed that can be
unlocked by a skilled coxswain working in concert with an experienced coach.
Unfortunately, without input from a coach or older coxswain, most coxswains dont know
how to improve.

Coxswains develop by cultivating a few fundamental skills and building on

breakthrough moments. The chart below shows the typical development of a coxswain
over time. Each jump in effectiveness is the result of a breakthrough moment that leads
to a dramatic and appreciable increase in the coxswains effect on boatspeed. Novice
coxswains are able to experience more rapid growth, while experienced coxswains make
fewer, smaller jumps as they aim to become elite coxswains. This guide seeks to provide
the fundamentals that all coxswains should be familiar with and to provide insight into
how to continue your own development as a coxswain without constant coaching.

Ultimately, you may find that you disagree with many of the things presented in this
guide. That is perfectly ok - each coxswain develops their own style and, as long as the
goal is boatspeed, there are many ways to be successful. This is simply meant to be a
guide for beginners - to give them five basic skills to focus on and a framework to apply.
 Coxswain Improvement

10
9
8
7
Effectiveness

6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Time

Levels of Coxswains

As we all know, there are coxswains of widely varying skill levels on the river each day.
Often it is difficult to discern how effective a coxswain is from a launch or river bank, but
the rowers in the boat certainly know how good their coxswain is. Good coxswains can
be the difference between winning and losing races.

1. Bad Coxswains consistent disregard for the safety of the crew and equipment,
no attempt to improve
2. Decent Coxswains often coxswains early in their career able to safely
navigate a river although often unable to steer straight for long stretches, no or
limited understanding of stroke mechanics and technique, overemphasis on
motivation
3. Good Coxswains often older high school and early college coxswains - able to
steer straight for long stretches in reasonable conditions, good communication
skills, moderate understanding of stroke mechanics and technique
4. Great Coxswains typically older college and experienced club coxswains
strong steering skills in variable conditions, strong understanding of stroke
mechanics and technique, significantly developed communication skills
5. Elite Coxswains capable of competing at the national and international level
excellent steering in variable conditions, excellent understanding of stroke
mechanics and technique, excellent tactical skills in pieces and races

Most coxswains are decent coxswains, because coaches lack incentives to spend the
time and energy developing coxswains beyond this point. Very few coxswains are
naturally good or great coxswains, so how do coxswains improve and move from one
level to the next?
How Coxswains Improve

Coxswains improve the same way that rowers do: practice, practice, practice. Every
moment on the water is a moment to refine your skills as a coxswain. The coxswain that
says that they cant focus on their own skills during practice is doing nothing to improve.
Simply by focusing on developing the fundamentals each day, you can become a
dramatically better coxswain in a very short period of time. Some coxswains feel the
need to be constantly speaking, but sometimes you need to be quiet and focus on your
own skills.

However, no coxswain is able to become a great coxswain by themselves. Collaboration

is key; your best resource is the other coxswains on your own team. These people
understand the role that youre playing and likely have their own way of doing things. Do
not be afraid to talk to your fellow coxswains, especially those with more experience. By
working through things together, everyone becomes better.

Finally, listen to your coach during practice. They may not have been a coxswain but they
definitely know rowing. When your coach is working through a drill or talking about a
race plan, you should be actively listening. Active listening involves hearing what the
coach is saying and making sure that you know the reasons behind it. If you dont
understand, ask your coach (often after practice).

Once you actively take control of your own development as a coxswain, you will start to
see dramatic improvement, leading to happier crews and faster boats. So now that youve
taken control, what do you focus on?

Focus on the Fundamentals; the Fundamentals Build Trust

There are five fundamental skills that all coxswains should aim to master. Dont listen to
stereotypes about coxswains (i.e. the angry little man screaming at the end of the boat, the
little guy with the Napoleon complex). These stereotypes often make coxswains focus on
developing the wrong skills. Focus on the following, and you will become a good
coxswain. Focus on developing these in the order given.

1. Safety
2. Steering
3. Communication
4. Technique
5. Motivation

Safety Fundamental #1

The paramount concern of every coxswain should always be the safety of their crew.
Everything else is secondary. This means:
 a) Know the traffic pattern for the river or lake youre rowing on (right- or left-hand
traffic; where to turn; where to paddle; where to do pieces, etc.)
b) Know the conditions: thunder/lightning (head back to dock); fast water or high
winds (give yourself a lot of space for turning)
c) Dont put your boat and crew in stupid positions in order to showboat (too close
to bridge abutments, too fast into dock, turning in front of other boats, etc.)

WHEN IN DOUBT, DONT DO IT! Its always better to get yelled at by a coach for not
doing something than getting someone hurt. When getting yelled at, calmly explain
yourself and drop the issue. If you are really concerned, speak to your coach privately
after practice. Do not allow a disagreement to ruin practice. Ultimately, most crews and
coaches appreciate a coxswain that is very careful about the safety of the crew.

Second, protect your equipment. Equipment can be replaced or fixed, but it is expensive.
Equipment that has been repaired is rarely as fast or effective as equipment that has been
properly maintained. This means treating your boat carefully on the water and off. Watch
carefully when taking your boat out of the rack, putting your boat in the water
(PROTECTING THE FIN IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY). Its better to go slowly with a
lot of commands than to have a crew rush without waiting for you to give a command.
Steering Fundamental #2

After safety, steering the boat is the most important job of a coxswain. It is the reason that
youre in the boat. Steering begins with knowing and maintaining your equipment. You
should regularly check the alignment of the fin and rudder, the motion of the rudder, the
motion of the rudder post, the slackness of the cables (tight cables are more responsive),
and the position of the toggles (sternloader four or eight) or steering post (bowloader
four).

Body positioning is just as important for coxswains as it is for rowers. Proper body
position allows for good steering. In the eight, the feet should be firmly planted to the
tape at the front of the coxswains compartment. The back should be firm and tall in the
seat with the shoulders and neck relaxed. The arms should be locked at the elbows and
holding the gunwale (gunnel) with the pinky, ring, and middle fingers. The toggles
should be firmly held between the thumb and index finger.

Good coxswains use small motions with the rudder over a number of strokes to turn the
boat. PRACTICE THIS EVERY DAY. The boat does not immediately respond to the
rudder, so you need to anticipate any course corrections. Novice coxswains yank on the
rudder hoping to turn the boat immediately experiment during practice with smaller and
smaller motions in order to get a good sense of your boat and rudder. Soon, you will be
using very little rudder and making precise corrections. Remember that every boat is
different, so youll need to readjust when you get in a new shell.

There has been a long debate amongst coaches and coxswains over pulse steering (only
steering when the blades are in the water and resetting to neutral during the recovery) or
continuous steering (a smaller motion of the rudder continued through the drive and
recovery). The debate is about which disrupts the speed and balance of the boat more.

Personally, I advocate continuous steering because I believe that this allows more precise
control of your turns as well as requiring a less extreme turn of the rudder. However,
there are valid arguments for both sides feel free to use what you are most comfortable
with and what leads to the greatest safety and boatspeed.

Finally, no matter how busy or windy your river is, practice steering straight every
opportunity you get. If you dont work on this in practice, you will not be able to do this
during a race and most sprint courses (1500 or 2000 m) are straight. Pick a point in the
distance and try to keep your bowball positioned on that point. Wind, current, and uneven
pressure will all try to move you off your point so use small adjustments with the rudder
to maintain your course. PRACTICE STEERING STRAIGHT EVERY DAY.

Communication Fundamental #3

There is a reason that youre wearing a microphone attached to speakers throughout the
shell. Communication is one of the most critical skills and greatest responsibilities that a
coxswain must develop. I draw an important distinction between pure communication
and pure motivation. Communication is about the relay of necessary information to a
crew.

First, a coxswain should learn the basic commands for getting the boat out of the rack and
into the water. On the water, the coxswain should learn the commands for starting and
stopping rowing. As you progress, you will learn more advanced commands for specific
drills and moves within practice pieces and races.

All commands should be very clear with three components: 1) exactly what, 2)
exactly when, and 3) if possible, why.

Examples: In two (strokes), add a pause at the finish so the other boat can draw even.
One (at the first catch). Two (at the second catch). And pause (during the drive of the
second stroke so that you say pause right before the release)
What: Add a pause at the finish
When: In two strokes the pause is at the finish
Why: To allow the other boat to draw even

In two (strokes), well build over three (strokes) to full pressure at a 30. One (at the first
catch). Two (at the second catch). Build on this one (over recovery). One (at the first
building catch). Building (over the recovery). Two (at the second building catch). At a 28
(stroke rate over the recovery). Three (at the third, final building catch). Were on (the
piece).
What: Build to full pressure at 30 strokes/minute
When: In two strokes, build over three strokes (five strokes total)
Why: (not needed in this example to achieve full pressure for a piece)

Speak with appropriate volume so that the bow-most pair can hear everything that youre
saying. Dont use ten words when three are sufficient; but dont use three words when no
one knows what you mean. Rowers arent idiots, but they arent psychic and they cant
see where theyre going. Its important to explain without being patronizing.

The three most critical things to communicate are: distance/position, time, and
rating. During practice this means letting a crew know that there is traffic ahead which
might cause you to add a pause or stop the boat or there is a bridge or turn that will
require you to use a lot of rudder. In races or practice pieces, this means letting the stroke
know what rating youre at (and what you should be at), where you are in the piece (time
and distance), as well as where any other boats might be (ahead or behind and by how
much).

Again, communication is different than motivation. You can motivate after youve
provided the crew with the information that they need about what youre doing, when
youre doing it, and, if possible, why.

Technique Fundamental #4

Coaching technique is something that every coxswain should be able to do. At first, this
allows you to meaningfully reinforce comments made by the coach. Ultimately, this
allows you to completely coach your crew when youre on your own: during a practice
warm-up, during a long piece, during a coachless pre-race practice, and on the way to the
course for a race. Learning to coach technique starts by paying attention to the coach and
watching the rowing stroke (in the tanks, on the erg, and in the boat).

Developing feel is critical even in a bowloader four, a good coxswain should be able
to tell a great deal about the stroke through the feel of the shell. Integrating what you feel
through the shell and what you see in the stroke is critical for helping your crew obtain
maximum boatspeed. Particularly, learn to feel rush and bowcheck (or check) so you can
immediately instruct youre crew on how to make a correction.

Components of the stroke (without considering wind and current): the following technical
points should provide a good starting point for any coxswain to coach his or her crew
most problems involve the basics only a very, very good crew moves beyond the
concerns outlined below (i.e. once these are perfect you can come talk to me, but odds are
youre already winning all of your races)
o Recovery arms, bodies, legs a sequence with overlap ideally blends
together into a single smooth motion instead of moving on the slide,
rowers should visualize staying in one place while the boat moves
underneath them and draws them into full compression deceleration into
the frontstops (top six inches) the handle should be carried
level/horizontal throughout the stroke perpendicular to the vertical axis of
pin - the squaring and catch motion should begin at the footstretcher (over
the shins) and be timed principally with the slide (lock occurring at
moment of full compression at front stops)

o Catch catch should be timed with the slide (if the slides are together, the
catches should be together) dont overdo backsplash a good catch
creates a V-shaped splash with both frontsplash and backsplash the
catch is not just about bladework, its also about the application of power
power should be applied the moment the blade locks on do not miss the
first six inches the first quarter of the slide is where the legs can have the
greatest impact on the stroke (LEGS ALWAYS STRONGEST)

o Drive the drive is about connection to the water improper technique

(overapplication of power for boatspeed) can lead to ripping through or
slip which has a negative impact on boatspeed the drive is the
reverse of the sequence of the recovery legs, body, arms (or push, pry,
pull) again, these should ideally blend together (sequence with overlap)
continue to accelerate the boat through the finish (finish is the moment
of greatest boatspeed) oversend by locking the quads to the footboard
through the finish (maintain connection to the footboard) ideal height of
hands at finish is between the abs and pectorals throughout the drive the
handle/blade should travel at a consistent height keeping the boat level
over keel

o Release Blade should be released cleanly with little splash by moving

the hands through a small, crisp semicircle the blade should be removed
square feathering under water draws the boat down to your side a lack
of balance at the moment of the release is almost impossible to correct
during the following recovery so the release is a critical moment for the
balance of the boat

o Balance and rhythm are created on the drive not on the recovery
balance cannot be forced it can only be allowed to happen, its about
doing less not about doing more the body must be relaxed, not tense -
Balance is the product of good pressure, ratio, timing and technique -
where is the boat offset? If its at the release, someone is likely feathering
the blade out or is late out of the water causing the boat to draw down to
their side if its at the catch someone is likely rushing/lunging if its
throughout the recovery, handle heights need to be adjusted (raising the
 handles on one side raises that side's gunwale - i.e. ports raising their
hands raises the port gunwale)

o Ratio - the amount of time spent on the recovery divided by the amount of
time spent on the drive (at low rates ratio should be 3/1 and at higher rates
(30+ strokes/minute) ratio hovers around 1/1) only at the very highest
rates should ratio ever reverse (i.e. more time is spent on the drive than on
the recovery) focus on ratio throughout practice but especially when
changing rates rates should be changed by adding pressure, which
decreases the time through the drive while leaving the time on the
recovery the same (adding ratio) also focus on re-establishing good ratio
after the recovery strokes following a practice piece within 15 strokes,
you want your crew to be rowing with good ratio again

As Ive said before (and will say again), practice is not just for rowers practice is
critical for coxswains before you get in the boat, you should know exactly what you
want to focus on for your own improvement because when you improve, the boat
improves.

Motivation Fundamental #5

Motivation is where coxswains differ most. There are a large number of styles. Allow
your personality to guide you to the appropriate style. Discern your talents and play to
your strengths. The best coxswains are able to switch from one style to another as the
situation demands. So that during drills, the coxswain might be a calm master
technician but during pieces or races, an ultra-competitive slave driver. Experimenting
with different styles is important. Dont be too quick to pigeon-hole yourself into a single
category and dont be afraid to change your style if your crew isnt responding well.

A word of caution, the slave driver style is common among novice coxswains and
coxswains who think that they can replace value and content with pure volume.
Sometimes, its necessary to drive your crew hard in practice and racing, but make sure
that they know youre yelling at them for a good reason, and always have a good
message. Motivation does not replace communication.

Potential Styles (courtesy Seth Bauer, U.S. National Team, World Champion 87):
- Good cop/bad cop
- Steering master
- Mind reader
- Slave driver
- Stroke/distance master
- Timing moves, race feel
- Master technician
Coxing a Practice

Collaborating with other coxswains

More than anyone else on the team, the coxswains determine how smoothly practice
goes:
Is everyone (rowers and coxswains) properly warmed up when its time to start pieces?
Is everyone (rowers and coxswains) properly focused for drills?
How quickly are the boats aligned for pieces from a stop?
Are boats even for pieces on the fly?

Communicate who is going to be on the inside and outside of turns and what lanes youll
be using. If youre going to be doing a long piece, its typically best for everyone if the
faster crew is in the slower lane/outside of turns and the slower crew is in the faster
lane/inside of turns this keeps pieces competitive for longer.

Dont cut in front of another boat in your program without checking if you have
appropriate space (this is true of any time you move in front of another crew).

If youre not talking to the other coxswains in the workout, you are not doing your job.

Practice
Practice is composed of three major components: warm-up, drills, and pieces. Launching
and docking serve as the bookends.

Launching and Docking

Within a couple hundred meters of the dock is no place for high pressure, high intensity
strokes with your entire crew. AS ALWAYS, SAFETY IS PARAMOUNT AND YOUR
PRIMARY CONCERN AS A COXSWAIN. Therefore, launching and docking are no
time for racing other crews in your program or rivals from a neighboring boathouse
communicate with your fellow coxswain and decide quickly and respectfully who will
yield. Use only a pair or two, as necessary, to move to and from the dock. Take your time,
accounting for wind and current, to make a slow, soft landing.

When your boat is physically against the dock, either to launch or coming in from
practice, be as fast as possible while adhering to safety. This is a matter of respecting the
other crews in your program as well as the other people that may use your boathouse. By
being efficient on the dock, you keep everything moving smoothly at the boathouse.

Warm-up
Pick drill, pick drill alternatives (reverse pick - legs only, legs and backs, full strokes;
abbreviated pick drill arms only, arms and bodies, slide, full slide)

Arms only 12-15 strokes

Arms and Bodies 12 strokes
 slide 10 strokes
slide 8-10 strokes
slide 7-8 strokes
full slide 7-8 strokes

Focus on boat timing during arms only and arms and bodies with such little time
through the water at these lengths, timing becomes the primary determinant of balance. A
crisp, well-timed arms only by all eight should be perfectly balanced.

After the pick sequence focus on steady state by eights at mid-range cadences 22-26
rather than immediately working on tens at higher rates. This is beneficial for a number
of reasons. First, it primes the rowers physiologically for the requirements of the days
workout most rowers cannot immediately go from sedentary pre-practice activities to
tens at a stroke rate of 38. Instead, ideally do five minutes of steady state: two minutes at
18-20; two minutes at 22-24; and one minute at 26. Once youve completed this, youre
crew will be completely ready for tens bringing the cadence up to race cadences.

Usually the coach is overseeing the launch of other crews so this is the moment for the
coxswain to set the tone for practice.
In an eight, warmup by sixes (stern 6 and bow 6) then spend as much of practice rowing
all eight as possible you race all eight so you might as well spend practice rowing all
eight.

Paddling
Between warming-up, drills, and pieces, your crew will be doing a great deal of paddling
over a typical week of practice, your crew will literally take thousands of strokes at
paddle pressure. Unfortunately, crews too often see paddling as an excuse for taking bad
strokes. When you spend as much as a practice on the paddle you cannot afford to
take bad strokes.

After a hard piece, tell your crew to take slide strokes for 10-15 strokes these are
recovery strokes after they caught their breath (no more than 20 strokes) lengthen the
slide and call for a ratio shift let your crew know that you expect sharp, technical
rowing on the paddle this is your greatest opportunity to work on technique. Only by
reinforcing good rowing when your rowers are tired can you expect good rowing in the
second half of a race.

Drills have a point

As a coxswain, its important to understand not just the mechanics (the commands) for a
drill, but also the purpose behind it (is this drill focusing on a particular part of the
stroke? Or balance? Or rhythm? Etc). If you dont understand the purpose of a drill that
your coach is running, stay relatively quiet and try to feel the boat to figure out the drill
look at the oars to find the technical reason behind the drill. Once you understand the
drill, then you can really coach it emphasize the purpose.
Typically, your coach will run you through a limited number of drills in a particular
practice usually to emphasize a single point of technique that theyve chosen to focus on
that day the theme of that day may be the catch, or the finish, or proper body over
position. In order to reinforce the drill, refer back later in the practice when your crew is
doing steady state or paddling so that they remember what theyre focusing on as a
coxswain, only focus on a handful of themes each practice and really drill them home.

For many crews, rhythm and timing drills can be much more effective than balance/skill
drills. Remember what drills work best for your crew you might want to insert a couple
strokes of those drills into your pre-piece or even pre-race warm-ups.

Practice Pieces
Be competitive, but not for its own sake. Practice is practice, and races are races.
Winning the race to the dock or starting practice pieces with a lead has nothing to do with
racing. You dont help anyone by starting pieces uneven with the other boat (when ahead,
allow the other boat to draw even; when behind, take responsibility for moving up both
coxswains need to coordinate so practice runs smoothly). That having been said, drills are
about technique; pieces are about boatspeed and racing. Prepare yourself and your crew
to win each and every piece. This approach gives you the best chance for success on race
day.

Below I have broken out general tips and 5 types of pieces to give you a sense of how to
approach each one as a coxswain. Ive defined them on the basis of distance/time from
very long to extremely short. You may find your coach mix and match from different
categories within a single practice. You may also find your coach assign a piece that
doesnt fit neatly into one of these categories. However, by taking the principles below,
you should be able to adjust to nearly any type of practice piece.

A) General Tips for Practice Pieces

o When possible, work next to another crew - its much easier to cox
practice pieces when it feels competitive for the boat. Rowers are far more
willing to maintain pressure if it feels like a race. Its much harder, but
certainly not impossible, when you're off on your own. If you are ahead or
behind another boat talk about walking away or closing distance with that
crew just like you would in a race. If youre ahead, depending on the
piece, you might consider lowering your rate while still trying to hold off
the other crew. Again, depending on the piece, if youre behind, you might
consider raising the rate slightly to get your crew moving again.

o Never start down - This really goes for any piece that you do in practice,
but is absolutely critical for high intensity pieces. Make sure that you put
your boat in position to have a good piece. If you know that yours isn't the
fastest boat on the water, make sure you start even or ahead. A close
starting order mimics the intensity of six-lane races, which is valuable for
both you and your rowers. Only top boats should think about ever starting
behind and only to practice moving through the other crews.
 o Set attainable goals - Just because a varsity boat may beat a JV boat over
the entire piece doesn't mean that you can't focus on small victories. When
I cox a JV boat, I like to focus on setting attainable goals for my crew.
Maybe the varsity boat is faster over the entire piece, but we can stay with
them for the first minute, or two minutes, or five minutes - start with small
goals and build on them. When you tell your crew that the goal is stay
with the top boat for the first minute of the piece and they accomplish it,
extend the goal another minute, or even better talk about moving up a seat.
You'll be amazed by how excited a crew can get when you frame the
workout the right way. Its also a lot of fun to make "supposedly faster"
crews uncomfortable by staying with them when they think they should be
walking away - some of those boats won't know how to handle the
pressure.

o Practice taking moves Pieces are perfect for practicing set moves for
race day. Talk to your crew prior to the piece about a couple of moves at
set locations (or times) that you want to focus on. Make sure that everyone
knows when the move(s) will take place. Practice moves where the rate
remains the same, but you want to generate more boatspeed (accomplished
through adding pressure, tweaking ratio, sharpening technique to achieve
greater efficiency at a given rate). Also practice moves to bring the rate up
(where appropriate). Ideally you'll want to take at least one move right
next to another crew so you can simulate the race experience.

o When rate goes up, boatspeed goes up - the boat should get faster when
the rate goes up. NEVER FORGET RATIO - look at the spacing and feel
through the shell. Dont be afraid hold your crew responsible, but work
with them to make the correction. Talk about being faster through the
water while maintaining the same slide speed on the recovery.

o When rate goes down, ratio increases NEVER FORGET RATIO.

Generally when bringing the rate down, talk about slowing the slide while
maintaining the same speed through the water. The boat should feel like its
gliding out over the longer recovery. You should hopefully see the spacing
improve.

B) Steady State Practices (45-60 minutes)

These are typically the longest, lowest-rate workouts that a crew will take part in.
They are also the most technical. As a coxswain, youre goal should be to help
your crew achieve maximum efficiency and excellent ratio at the given rate.
These workouts should be very calm generally use a soft-to-normal volume to
talk your crew through the workout. Often times this is an excellent opportunity
for you to focus on a handful of technical themes you may choose to reinforce
drills done earlier in the practice or earlier in the week by focusing on a particular
part of the stroke.
C) 15-20 minute pieces
This type of piece should probably be the most exhausting workout that a crew
does in a given week - this is where we log miles and build fitness (increasing
aerobic capacity, lactate threshold) - this fitness ultimately allows your crews to
outlast your competitors on race day.

From a coxswain's seat, this can be a tremendously difficult practice to cox

effectively. The goal is to maintain effective boatspeed (the result of both pressure
and clean, efficient strokes) within each piece and throughout the workout - the
challenge is to maintain motivation in every rower as they become more and more
tired during the workout. Some suggestions:

This is not the type of piece where you want to scream and berate your crew the
entire time (as you might in a shorter piece) - they'll just start to ignore you and
once that happens the workout will go downhill. Instead maintain a calm,
professional intensity using a firm, normal-volume voice always communicate
with your crew rather than yelling at them.

Focus on both pressure and technique - the pressure should remain constant (look
at the spacing of the puddles [how far the bow pair's puddles travel prior to the
next catch] at the beginning of the piece and try to maintain that spacing).
However, its a long piece so take a minute here or there to focus the crew on
something technical - talk them through the catch or the finish or ratio or
hang/suspension or the draw through. Do this when you aren't side-by-side
another crew but don't allow the pressure to drop as you do so.

Finally, don't give them the time constantly - this only makes the workout feel
likes its taking forever - give time sparingly in the first half of the piece.

D) 8-12 minute pieces

Depending on wind, current, water conditions, and boat class, a 10 minute piece is
roughly 3000 meters long (plus or minus a couple hundred meters considering the
factors above) - knowing the distance rather than just the time should help you
develop an appropriate, cogent race strategy for each piece i.e. where to take moves
so that it reinforces your race plan.

Compared to the longer pieces above, the intensity should be significantly greater
in this workout - almost equivalent to racing whereas a calm and technical approach
is often appropriate for longer pieces, a 10 minute piece calls for a more competitive
approach - without disregarding the importance of technique, these pieces are an
opportunity to generate some significant boat speed at rates similar to racing as well
as an opportunity for each crew to practice taking moves

E) 1500-2000 meter pieces (5-7+ minutes)

 These pieces are often specifically to practice your race plan. Talk with your crew
and your coach to make sure that everyone understands what the race plan is.
Together with your crew, focus on executing that race plan as well as possible.
Occasionally, simulate an event that would cause you to alter your race plan
these things happen in real races. This will prepare your crew if you need to make
an adjustment to the race plan in a real race.

F) 500-1000 meter pieces (1:30-3:30 minute pieces)

Make sure that your crew is ready for full pressure at race pace for the first piece -
do whatever you need to have them fully warmed up. Get them amped up to jump
out off the start against these other crews - every rower should be like a horse at
the gates of the Kentucky Derby - chomping at the bit and ready to explode off
the line.

These pieces should be hyper-competitive - any crew can win a short piece.
Whether youre the Varsity, JV, or Third Varsity coxswain, always put your rowers
in a position to win never, ever start down even if it means you have to row
hard in between pieces to catch up.

Remember how short these pieces are compared to some of the longer practice
pieces and even the full race distance there is only enough distance/time for 1-3
short moves so every stroke should be maximum effort.

Time in the Launch

Time in the launch can be absolutely critical in the development of a coxswain. It allows
you to see your own crew or other crews in your program from a completely different
visual perspective than that afforded by your usual coxswains seat. Its also an
opportunity to pick your coachs brain on technique, race plans, etc. When sitting in the
launch with a coach, try to think aloud. When you think you see an oarsmen rowing
particularly well or you think you see a particular mistake, point it out to your coach
this will often start a conversation about that technical point that you can learn from. You
may just learn something that you can bring to your crew when you get back in the
coxswains seat.

During my sophomore year of college, my team had two varsity eights and three varsity
coxswains so I spent nearly the entire spring in the launch with my coaches. This was
probably the single more important year in my development as a coxswain by paying
close attention to my coaches, fellow coxswains, and learning my rowers inside and out,
by the time I was a Junior, I was a far better coxswain than I would have been without
that experience.

Coxing a Race

If you have honed all of the skills above during practice every day, it should not be hard
to apply them to a racing situation. However, races can bring nerves/anxiety for both
rowers and coxswains so its important to remember the basics and focus on executing a
well-established plan. If youve truly been reinforcing all of your coxing skills in
practice, coxing a race becomes as simple as trusting your instincts. In that way, its just
like any other piece that youll do in practice. Focus on four things in the following order:

1. Steering
2. Position, distance, time COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR CREW
3. Race plan tactical feel, know your own crew dont be afraid to adjust
4. Motivation

Races can vary significantly in length from head races of the fall season to the sprint
races of the spring (for most high schools this is 1500 meters; for colleges this is 2000
meters) to unique races (like the Harvard-Yale and Oxford-Cambridge races which can
feel like a hybrid). Work with your coach and your crew to choose an appropriate start
and race plan. Make sure that you go over that race plan more than a day in advance so
you have time to memorize it inside and out.

After weeks or months of practice, you should know your crew, your equipment, what
theyre capable of, and what you can ask of them. Dont end up as a slave to your race
plan if the race isnt going the way that you wanted. Remember communication calmly
explain the situation to your crew and offer a solution a new move that wasnt in the
original plan, a change to the rate to achieve greater efficiency and boatspeed, etc. After
dozens of pieces, your crew will trust you if you lead them. Together, do whatever it takes
to put your bow ball across the line first.
Final Thoughts

Coxing is as much an art as a science mastering the skills above is only the beginning
of a successful career as a coxswain from there we need to develop our own style and
trust our instincts.

Remember that every boat steers differently and every crew requires different
things from its coxswain.

Listen as much as talk - make the association between what the coach is saying and
what youre seeing and feeling. Use your time off the water with both coach and
individual rowers to learn how you can improve your coxing.

Be a catalyst - remember, there are straight four and quads. Rowers have brains. Youre
there to add to boatspeed everything else is filler that may actually be slowing you
down.

Translate coaching into feel - coach for speed, not aesthetics speed comes from
rhythm, and rhythm comes from the drive. It doesnt always have to look pretty to be fast,
and pretty is not always fast.

Finally, build on your breakthrough moments.

Ultimately, you may find that you disagree with many of the things presented in this
guide. That is perfectly ok - each coxswain develops their own style and, as long as the
goal is boatspeed, there are many ways to be successful. This is simply meant to be a
guide for beginners - to give them five basic skills to focus on and a framework to apply
to coxing.

About the Author

Michael Ciccotti EA04 Yale 08 began coxing in 2001 as a freshman in high school at
the Episcopal Academy in Merion, Pennsylvania (Episcopal has subsequently moved its
campus to Newtown Square). During high school, he was lucky to work alongside and
learn from Mark Adomanis EA 03 Harvard Lightweights 07. After deciding to pursue
the sport in college, Michael was recruited by the Yale University Mens Heavyweight
Crew team. At Yale, Michael had the great fortune of working with two extremely
talented coxswains in the two years ahead of him, both of whom had a tremendous
impact on his development as a coxswain. After coxing the freshman eight, Michael
spent much of his sophomore year of college in the launch, learning from his coaches and
fellow coxswains, before coxing the JV as a junior and the Varsity as a senior. Since
graduating college, Michael has continued to compete at the club level. Since 2010,
Michael has served as an assistant coach at the Episcopal Academy. Michael is extremely
passionate about the sport of rowing, particularly helping young coxswains through
hands-on instruction to develop at a greater pace than he was able to.