First published in 1997 by

The Crowood Press Ltd

Ramsbury, Marlborough
Wiltshire SN8 2HR
This impression 2000

© John McArthur 1997

All rights reserved. No part of this publication

may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopy,
recording, or any information storage and
retrieval system, without permission
in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication

Data

A catalogue record for this book is available

from the British Library.

ISBN 1 86126039 3

Throughout this book 'he', 'him' and 'his'

have been used as neutral pronollns and as
sllch refer to both males and females.

Typeset by Phoenix Typesetting, Ilkley, West

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Contents
Foreword 7
Introduction 9
1 Rowing Technique 10
2 Sculling Technique 21
3 Technical Exercises 32
4 Rigging 52
5 Training for Rowing 69
6 Effective Coaching 91
7 Constructing a Training Programme 104
8 Monitoring and Evaluating Progress 117
9 Competition Strategies 135
Appendix 1: Recommended Rigging Measurements
for Club Level Crews 150
Appendix 2: ARA Sample Water Training Sessions 152
Index 155
Dedication and
Acknowledgements
DEDICATION to my models, Matthew, Kingsley, Tim, Dave
and Alaister, for their paticnce. for taking the
This book is dedicated to my Nana and Papa time to read the full script and write a
for their endless love and support. Foreword, I extend my most humble thanks
to Peter.
I wou ld also like to acknowledge the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS support of the Amateur Rowing Association
and the Federation Internationale des Socitites
I would like to express my sincere thanks to DJAviron in allowing me to use material from
everyone who helped me get started, offered their respective coach education programmes
their support in times of need and pushed me and to John Shore for the photog raphs on the
to comp lete this book. In particular I would front and back covers . Finally, a special thank
lik e to thank my reviewers , Nigel, Pete, you to Laew for putting up with everything
Simon, Mike , Richard and Mark for their and supporting me throughout my man\'
constructive comments on the content and ventures.
eventual shape of the text. Thanks are also due

6
Foreword

This book should be required reading for gold. As someone who has spent many long
everyone involved in rowing, whether they are hours in a single sculling boat trying to stay
a rower or a coach. It is user -friendly and fully focused, I found his advice invaluable.
written in an engaging and informative style, Over the years I have spent many hours
making it extremely easy to read. discussing with colleagues the best way to
John's obvious knowledge and enthusiasm move a rowing boat quickly. One of the keys
for the sport comes through clearly from the seems to be the need for the rower to be in
very fIrst sentence to the last. He manages to complete harmony with the boat and the
demystify many of the 'secrets' of rowing, water. This is easier said than done, however,
taking the reader step by step through the and can prove very elusive. In his determina -
basic fi.llldamentals of technique and training, tion to make rowing as easy as possible, John
enabling the information to be absorbed with has experimented with many different ways of
ease. helping rowers achieve this harmony and
The building blocks which I believe are somehow manages to convey something of
fundamental to moving a boat quickly are this in his writing. I feel certain that anyone
explored and explained in a refreshing way. who has been coached by him will recognize
John manages to strip away the jargon , clearly many of the sentiments expressed here.
separating the essential facts from the I could almost write a book myself in high -
surrounding complications. In doing so he lighting the other areas that I feel are of
has somehow managed to impart technical particular benefit to readers. I will restrict
knowledge which is applicable whether you myself to mentioning the chapters on training
are a bridesmaid or a master of your sport. and training programmes.
Unlike many authors who only present the Perhaps for the first time a successful coach
information, John helps readers appreciate has managed to present all the factors needed
and understand the multi -faceted approach for success at the highest levels in a clear and
necessary for top class performance . With this .easy to understand way. As with the rest of the
understanding comes the ability to use the book he keeps everything as simple as possible
information to improve your own rowing or whilst passing on the relevant facts.
coaching. Like many rowers I have, in the past, relied
The chapter on technical exercises is partic - on my coach to prepare a suitable training
ularly useful for helping both rower and coach programme for me, thereby allowing me to
appreciate the need for absolute attention to concentrate my efforts on rowing.
detail and for the need to share the same goals, If you want to have control over your own
technical or otherwise. The detailed coaching destiny, however, you need to understand and
points in themselves are worth their weight in influence anything and everything that will

7
FOREWORD

have a bearing on it; this includes the training coaching others and his persistence in
you do . The guidance that John provides will pursuing his own goals. I hope you enjoy
enable you to write your own training reading this book as mllch as I did; I wanted
programme, giving you more influence over it to last longer and relish the opportunity to
your own destiny. At the very least it will give review his next book on the subject.
you a better understanding of what training
you should do, when you should do it and Peter Moir Haining MBE
how much you should aim to do. World Champion, Lightllleight Single Sculls
I have known John for many years and 1993, 1994, 1995
respect both his quest for excellence in

8
Introduction
When I was first approached to write about of training are appropriate, and to provide
rowing, I wasn't sure whether I wanted to take guidance as to how to maximize the effect of
on the task of writing an entire book; although their training. I have also tried to give some
I was flattered to be asked, I did not relish the fresh ideas on how to improve technique.
thought of spending man y hours in front of a Although the book has been written from a
computer screen. However, now that it is coach's perspective, any athlete who seriously
complete I reali ze how good was the oppor- wants to go faster will benefit from reading it
tlll1ity I had been presented with. To be able in its entirety, rather than just the 'interesting'
to share my experiences and thoughts on bits. I would particularly encourage readers to
rowing with others has been very rewarding - study the section on effective coaching
indeed, the reason I became involved in (Chapter 6), as many of the points made will
coaching in the tlrst place was to do just that: help improve rowing technique.
to help others achieve their aims. From a coaching point of view I have
Having agreed to write the book, I had to attempted to dispel some of the myths
establish what I wanted it to achieve. I surrounding rowing. One example that
decided early on that it needed to be aimed springs to mind is the conviction that the
not just at beginners, but also at more ex - hands need to be very fast away at the tlnish of
perienced rowers and coaches, people who the stroke: this is simply not true. You may not
wanted something more than an overall agree with some of my arguments , but I hope
gu ide to rowing. I have therefore tried to that you will at least go away and experiment
answer some of the many questions I am with them.
asked on a regular basis . For example I am If you agree with the points I make I shall
often asked to write a training programme, or be happy. If, on the other hand , the book
to advise on the sort of training that should challenges some of your existing ideas, I will
be done at certain times of the year. Similarly be happier still. And if it forces you to look at
coaches often ask what exercises they might your beliefs and try new ideas, then I will have
use to help their crews with particular tech- achieved one of my main aims: to promote
nical challenges. experimentation, for without experimenting
My main aims have therefore been to enable ~ve can never progress. Remember: 'If you
any rower or coach to construct some form of keep doing what you are doing, you will keep
training programme, to know what types getting what you have got.'

9
1 Rowing Technique
One of the most common misconceptions as no room for improvement and complacency
regards rowing is that there are many diH-erent would set in. Besides, as the biomechanics and
techniques to choose from. Coaches often physiology of rowing are better understood ,
seem to think that in order to be successful so technique has gradually improved. Thus it
they need to know the secret of a particular is rare these days to tlnd the extremes of body
rowing technique, but this is not the case . movements seen in the past, and on the whole,
Most successf1.d rowing nations are in general the movement of the body - and in particular
agreement as to what is efficient, namely that its upward movement - during the rowing
a quick lively connection is required at the stroke has become more subdued and subtle.
moment the blade enters the water, that the The emphasis is on minimizing any upward
blade should be accelerated throughout the movement, whilst putting the body in a
stroke, and that the movement of the recovery mechanically advantageous position
should be as relaxed and controlled as throughout the stroke. In addition it is impor-
possible. tant to guard against any excess expenditure
Where differences do occur is in the partic - of energy in the recovery part of the stroke.
ular emphasis that each coach places on the
elements that make up good technique. For
example, some consider it very important to ACHIEVING MAXIMUM BOAT
develop a fast accelerated finish, whereas SPEED
others will concentrate more on the applica -
tion of power at the catch. What must be Good rowing technique is composed of two
remembered is that there is no such thing as a diH-crent phases: the propulsive phase, when
rower with perfect technique, and I have yet the blades are in the water, and the recovery
to meet a coach (or an international rower) phase when they are ou t of the water. It has
who was 100 per cent satisfied with the tech - been argued that since the boat continues to
nique of his crew. What we see therefore when accelerate during the initial part of the
we look at a crew is the state of its technique recovery, this part of the stroke should also be
at that moment in time, and this is not neces- classified as part of the propulsive phase.
sari ly the end product. However, as a rower is constantly trying to
Many might believe that the technique of minimize the effects of acceleration and decel -
those top class rowers who have been coached eration, I feel that the above c1assitlcation of
by the same coach for many years must have the phases is more appropriate.
reached the stage where it represented exactly In order to achieve maximum boat speed
what they and their coach had been striving to you need to maximize the horizontal applica -
attain. This cannot be the case however, tion of power during the propulsive phase of
because if ever it was considered that tech- the stroke, and to minimize the drcct of the
nique had reached perfection, there would be movement of the crew towards the stern

10
 ROWING TECHNIQUE

during the recovery ph:lse. To :lchieve this, it necessary to minimize this braking eHect.
is essenti:ll that you have an understanding of This movement is perhaps the most difficult
the eHect th:lt you h:lve on the bO:lt speed. part of good rowing technique, involving as it
Thus, there is very little point in trying to does a rapid change of direction. The back and
increase the boat speed by applying more :lbdominal muscles should remain br:lced so as
power at the catch if at the same time you are to absorb the energy created by the leg drive.
rushing up the slide during the recovery , Failure to braee these muscles will result in a
because the one movement would cancel out rapid shooting of the legs towards the bow of
the eHect of the other. You need therefore to the bO:lt, without any commensurate forward
understand from the outset the idea of movement of the boat. This is commonly
economy of move11'tent. known as 'shooting the slide' or 'bum-
At its most simple this means accepting that shoving', and young rowers are often guilty of
for everything you do in the boat you pay a this habit. This may in fact be due to insuf-
price in the form of a certain energy require - ficient development of their back and
ment: so if you :lccept that you have only a abdomin:ll muscles ; they have often devel -
certain amount of energy aV:libble, then you oped relatively strong leg muscles, but have
must ensure that where possible, everything paid insuHlcient :lttention to those of their
you do contributes to the boat speed. In an back :lnd abdomen. Having s:lid this, it can
ideal world, those movements that do not also be caused by insuffIcient attention to
directly contribute to boat speed would be technique during the initial stages oflearning;
eliminated altogether, although in rowing, as too often good technique is sacritlced in order
in other sports, this is not possible. You need to get the crew racing as soon as possible.
therefore to ensure that these movements use In my opinion, far too many junior and
as little energy as possible, particubrly during novice rowers arc introduced to r:lcing before
the recovery phase when the movement their technical ability matches their enthu-
towards the stern should be controlled and siasm (or their coach's enthusiasm) for racing.
unhurried. This lack of attention to basic rowing tech -
In practice this means avoiding all unneces- nique in the initial stages m:lkes it far more
sary movements of the he:ld and shoulders and diftlcult to teach rowers good technique in
the arms and hands ; and perhaps more impor- later years, so that coaching often becomes a
tantly, you need to ensure that when the matter of eradicating long-standing flaws in
correct body position has been reached, it is technique, rather than helping the rower
maintained until the blade is fully covered. It genuinely to progress in technical ability.
should be clear fi-om this statement that the
body plays no p:lrt in covering the blade at the
catch, which should be initiated by lifting the -TECHNIQUE FROM START TO
arms, and not by lifting the body and FINISH
shoulders. The sequence of movements at the
catch is to raise the hands to cover the blade In the following detailed description of
fully, whilst at the same time quickly pushing modern rowing technique I have emphasized
the legs down . You must never lose sight of those coaching points that I consider to be of
the fact that the instant the blade enters the most signitlcance. I have divided the stroke
water it acts as a br:lke, slowing the boat down; into four distinct phases: the entry of the
thus in order to maximize bO:lt speed it is blade, the propulsive phase, the extraction of

11
RO\vINC TEeI I"IQUE

the blade and the recovery phase - although I Your outside shoulder should be rotated
hasten to point out that this division is merely towards the rigger, following the line of the
to enable a proper explanation of the various oar handle, and it shou ld be slightly higher
components which make up an individual than your inside shoulder. Your arIllS should
rowing stroke. It goes without saying that be in an extended position, with the hand~
when actually rowing, the objective should be approximately two hand -widths apart. Your
a smooth continuous mo\,ement fi-OIll onc wrists should be horizontal Uht ), with the
part of the stroke to the next, and fi-om one fingers hooked around the handle. The entry
stroke to another, and there should be no of the blade should be initiated using a
discernible start or stop point throughout rapid lifting of your hands and arms whilst
the entire cycle. If you can identif)f any such keeping your shoulders parallel to the boat.
hiatus then vou
. should examine vour. tech -
nique carefully and should \\'ork on keeping
The Propulsive Phase
everything flowing.
The propulsive phase ~hould be initiated by a
strong, forceful acceleration of the leg
The Entry of the Blade
muscles. At this stage the back and abdom-
Your body should be in a strong, tall position inal muscles should be braced in order to
\\'ith relatively little forward pivot of the upper prO\'ide a strong link between the blade ::ll1d
body. It is essential at this stage that your head the legs; Eli lure to maintain this bracing of the
is held up and that you are looking towards back \\'ill result in the ro\\'er shooting the slide ,
and beyond the stern of the boat. Your shins \\'ith a subsequent lack of efficient boat
should be verrical, with your knees at a natur::d propulsion. At the same time as pushing the
width apart, that is , not e10sed together and legs down, the shoulders should start to
not wide apart. accelerate towards the bow of the boat.

The catch position.

12
 Ro\V[:,\(; TECH:,\[QUE

Rotation of the outside shoulder

The propulsive p hase.

13
ROWING TECHNIQUE

As the shoulders start to l"each the fInish of break in the flow of the stroke. T he o utside
the stroke, the arms should draw powerfully hand sho uld then push the handle away,
to the bodv in order to maintain the boat's whilst the inside lund turns the bbde to the
acceleration past the blade. Particular feathered position. It is essential that the blade
emphasis should be placed on the outside is clear of the water before it is .feathered. If it
arm and shoulder, as these provide the is not, a messy tlnish will result , and this may
maximum leverage on the blade. upset the balance of the boat and will almost
At the fInish of the stroke the bodv should certainly slow it down.
be in a rebxed but upright position. The The hands should move away at the same
shoulders should be just past the vertical point speed as they came in to the body. Contrary
and should be at the same hei g ht , relative to to pop ubr op ini on, there is absolutely no
the boat, as thev were at the catch, whilst the reason for pushing the hands away very fast.
outs ide arm sho uld draw in close to the body Even at high boat speeds, the speed of the
- it sho uld not stick out to the side . hands shou ld mirror that of the boat, and
anything faster will work actively against the
run of the boat.
The Extraction of the Blade
The extraction of the bbde is performed by
The Recovery Phase
tapping down with the outside hand just
before the body until the bbde has cleared the The time -honoured sequence rc)!' the recovery
water. At no point should the oar handle movement of hands, body, slide, still holds
touch the body because this will cause a true today. The aim shou ld be to extend the

.- STOURPORT BC

The finish position.

14
 ROWI0:G TECHNIQUE

The body position :IS you come on to the slides.

arms until they are straight, to pivot from the important P:lrts of the entire rowl!1g move -
hips until the body is in the correct posi - ment :lnd, in a crew boat in p:lrticular, failure
tion for the catch , and only then to start to transfer the weight at the same time will
breaking the knees to slide forwards. disrupt the run of the boat, c:lusing it to slow
It is imperative that the hands are past the down. For the same reason - and this is
knees before starting to move forwards on another key point for crew bO:lts - everyone
the slide. Many coaches teach that the body should begin to move forwards on the slide
should have reached the catch position by the at the same time. Although this m:ly seem
halF-vay stage of sliding forwards. Although I obvious, in practice it does not :llways h:lppen.
can see the merit in this, I prefer the rower to The speed of the movement tow:lrds
reach this position before he starts to rYlOpe the frontstops should be controlled, and again
slide. This allows for greater precision, as it is should be relative to the speed of the boat. It
far easier for him to identity the point at which is essential that as you :lpproach frontstops,
the slide sta rts to move forwards , than to you prepare yourself to change direction
judge when it reaehes the haIF-v:l), st:lge. As quickly: if you rush in to frontstops it will not
with most :lspects of rowing technique, what be possible f()r you to do this, and inevitably
matters most is that everyone does the you will slow the boat down. This means that
same thing at the same time. from the moment the blade comes out of
As the body pivots :lcross, the weight will be the water, you should be preparing your-
transferred to the toes. This is one ofthe most self to change direction at the catch.

15
 91
"JJu:Jnb:Js ;JPldlUO) :JlP - JnblUlpJl TIUI,\\O):1
ROWIl'G TECHNIQUE

17
 81
::JnOINI-D:Il. ~)NIA\(}H
ROvV I NG TEC H N IQUE

19
ROWING TECHNIQUE

The 1996 Great Britain lightwcight mcn's eight, demonstrating the similarities ill techllique
between top crews.

20
2 Sculling Technique
Sculling is slightly more complicated than height, or adjusted so that the bow-side swivd
rowing a~ two oars are used instead of one, is slightly higher. In line with the technique
and the constant adjustment of the hands to discussed, and for the purpose of this chapter,
allo\\' the oar handles to cross o\'er without the bow-side swivd may be set slightly higher
touching is particularly difficult for many than the stroke side. (for more information
rowers. Opinions \'31)' as to the most effective on rigging, see Chapter 4. )
W3y of 3chieving this. Some coaches advoc3te It should be understood that all my
that one oar handle is c3rried higher than the comments in rdation to rowing technique
other, whilst others fed th3t one hand should regarding economy of movement and so on,
be in front of the other. The technique apply equally to sculling. I have also once
currently advocated in Great Britain is that the again divided the stroke into four parts, in the
h3nds should remain Ievd throughout the same way as before.
stroke, with the left hand leading during the
recovery pha~e. This situation is reversed
The Entry of the Blade
during the propulsive phase, where the right
h3nd should lead the left towards the body. It The body should be in a strong, tall, upright
is this technique that we shall look at. position, with less forward body angle than in
There is 3150 considerable discussion as to rowing. It is essential at this stage that the
whether the swivels should be set at the same head is held up and that you look towards and

The catch position.

21
SCULLING TECHNIQUE

beyond the stern of the boat; any temptation point. This is becau se in order to achieve the
to look inside the boat - peering at your feet , correct angle of entry, the 5c uller's hand s will
for instance - should be avoided, as it will be wide apart and possibly just outside the line
entail dropping the chin, which will of the boat, a position which can be very
encourage a rounded back . As in rowing, the un stab le - e\'en sca ryl - and 50 requires
shins should be vertical, with the knees at a considerable confidence. If yo u watch sc ull ers
natural width apart, not too close together on the river yo u may notice that man y of them
and not wide apart; for many sc ullers this row short, and this is ge nerally beclLIse of this
means having the knees under their armpits. basic feeling of insecuri ty.
Whereas in rowing the shoulders are at There is no easy way to overcome this, the
different heights, in sculling they should be best so luti on perhaps being to go back to
level at this point. They should in fact be level sc ullin g at three -quarrer slid es; when you feel
throughout the entire sculling cycle - and if sec ure doing this, g radually be g in to extend
this sounds obvious, just take a look next time your range of moveme nt . Onc of the t hin gs
yo u arc on the water becau se it certainly ,1Cver which I have rCllI nd helps, is to concentrate on
fails to amaze me how many scullers have one feeli ng that yo u feel on top of the sc ulls , rather
shoulder lower than the other. This encour- than the sc ull s bein g a long way in front of
ages an uneven draw with subsequent yo u . If you concentrate on th is whilst trying
problems at the rlnish. to 'ope n yo ur chest out', yo u arc more likelv
The arms sho uld be in an extended to be in the correct position.
(strai g ht) position, with the wrists rbt and the Once yo u have reached the co rrect posi -
thumbs on the end of the sc ull handles. Many tion' the entry of the blade should be initiated
scullers row with their fingers too far down using a rapid liftin g of the hand s and arms
the handle, with a large gap between whilst keepin g the sho ulders parallel to the
thumb and first finger, and this will reduce boat. As with rowing, there should be no
the leverage they are able to achieve. And lifting of the body to cover the blades .
the less leverage yo u have, the less power yo u
can apply to movin g the boat. Another way of
The Propulsive Phase
looking at this is to consider the effect on the
inboard: if you have a large gap between your The propulsive phase should be initiated by a
tlnger and thumb, you are effectively redu cing strong, forceful acceleration of the legs, with
yo ur inboard . So havin g carefull y set the boat the muscles of the back and abdomen
up , yo u will end up rowing with a harder rig. braced in order to provide a strong link
I have also observed many scullers who have between the blade and the legs. I cannot
o nc hand positioned correctly and the other stress th is point enough. If the back and
inco rrectl y, and this will create the situati on abdomen muscles arc not braced, there will be
where slightly more power is applied to o nc a break in the link bcrween the muscles which
blade than to the other. If you arc havin g diHI - provide t he power, and the blade. This will
cul t)' steering, I would suggest that this is onc mean that some of the power produced will be
of the first areas you should check. di ssipated, in other words it will not contribute
Onc of the main difference s between to propelling the boat forward s, thus repre -
rowing and scu llin g is that, whereas the rower senti ng a waste of ene rgy. It is a good idea to
is in a relativel y sec ure position at the moment consciously think abo ut bracing your abdom -
of entry, the sculler is more vulnerable at this inallllu scles as yo u come forwards on the slid e.

22
 SCULLI0:l; TECII0JIQUE

Position of hands at point of l:ntry.

Pmitiol1 ofh.ll1ds .l~ bl.ltk s el1ln the water (l1ote tl1:1t they are outside the line of the boat).

23
SCULLING TECHNIQUE

The propulsive phase showing good bracing of the mid -section.

As the leg movement at this stage is very shoulder nearer the stern. I n practice most
strong, any tendency to relax the mid -section scullers Jdopt a combination of both.
will result in the legs pushing flat whilst leaving It is important to fi.lCuS on the right hand
the torso behind (bulllsho\'ing ); to finish the during the propulsive phase as it is this hand
stroke YOll would then need to open out that controls the balance of the boat. Since it
the body, probably with an clement of upward is this hand, too, which is closer to the body,
lift. This places a tremendous load on the it is also good practice to f(lCUS on accelerating
muscles of the lower back, which if not suffi - it towards the body, because if this is done
ciently strong may end up suffering injury. correctly, the left hand will automaticJlly
Onc of the essential differences between come through rapidly.
rowing and scu lling technique is the synchro - If your swivels are set at diflcrent heights, it
nization of the body parts through the stroke. is essential to maintain the difference with
Whereas In rowll1g the sequence is your handle heights. In other words, if your
Iegs-back-arms, in sculling the sequence is bow -side swivel is [cm higher than your
legs-back-shoulders-arms: thus JS soon as stroke -side swivel, your left hand should
the legs have initiated the drive, the body must always be lcm higher, and this JPplies both on
begin to open bJckwards, followed by J strong the recovery ;lI1d during the draw. failure to
follow-through with the shoulder muscles, do this will upset the balance of the boat,
Jnd filully finishing with the Jrms. which will inevitably slow it down. Onc pJrtic -
As the OJr handles approach the mid-point ular point to watch out for is any tendency to
of the stroke, the ri ght hand should be slightly lift: the right hand as you come through the
lower and closer to the body. There are two stroke. This seems to be a nJtural movelllent
ways of Jchieving this: you CJn either bend for mJny scullers , but it should be ;l\'oided at
your right arm slightlv sooner, or you CJll keep all costs f()r the abo\'e reason, that of upsetting
your body slightly twisted with your left the balance.

24
 SCULLI0:G TECH:-.JIQUE

As the legs approach the end of their move - adopt a more upright position. My own view
ment, the shoulders shou ld start to open out, is that the further past the vertical you go , the
closely followed by the arms. In my view this more you need to weigh up carefully the
is the weakest area in many scu ll ers: in o rd er advantages or otherwise of doing so.
to have a strong fInish in scu llin g you must There are two considerations here: onc is
have strong shou lder and upper back muscles, that it takes time and energy to go fi'om the
because it is impossible otherwise to maintain vertica l to your eventual tlnish position, and
the acceleration of the boat past the blade. back up to the vertical again ; thus the further
Too often you see the blades popping out back you lie , the more time and energy it will
before the stroke has been properly fInished, cost. The other thing you need to consider is
and this is indicative of weak shoulder and that as you go past the vertical your centre of
upper body co -ordination, and / or of weak gravity will become lower, and when you
musculature . It follows that if you bend your come back to the vertica l during the recovery
right arm sooner, you are less able to use the your centre of gravity wi ll become higher; and
weight of your body to maintain the accelera - we have already established that any vertica l
tion of the boat past the blade. Particular movements shou ld be minimized because
attention must therefore be paid to they will cause the boat to pitch, thus slowing
strengthening the upper body if you wish it down.
to scull efficiently. Some coaches argue that the lighter you
It is worth mentioning at this point that in are, the more you need to lie back at the finish,
general, scullers exhibit many more variations their reasoning being that you can use your
on the particular body angles they reach at the bodyweight tor longer - because you remain
catch and finish position than arc seen in suspended for longer - to maintain accelera -
rowing crews. Some lie back at the finish by as tion. I would argu e that this can only be true
much as 30 degrees past the vertical, others for as long as your arms remain straight: as

The fini sh position (note the position of the body ).

25
SCULLI~G TEClI~IQUE

soon as you bend them, you cannot remain handles appro.lch the breast -bone. At no
suspended and therd(xe you will need to use point should the handles touch the body, and
your shoulders and upper body as outlined there should be no more than one hand -
earlier. I therefore coach a relatively upright width between the scull handles at this
tinish position, minimizing the distance past point. The scu ll handles arc then rolled, using
the vertical and it goes without saying that to the tingers and thumb, f,'om the base of the
do this, you need to have a strong emphasi~ hands into the tinger~.
on developing shoulder and upper body
strength.
The Recovery Phase
It is important to keep the elbows high - the
forearms should be at least hori zontal - at the The left hand shou ld le.ld a\V.l)', closely
tinish to ensure that the blades remain t1.dly followed by the right hand; it should be
covered. Also, the stretcher should be carried in f,-ont of and sli ghtly higher than the
adjusted so that at the tinish the scull handles right - ideally the knuckles of the right hand
arc not able to go past the side of the body. If should be just below the left wrist . To
the stretcher is incorrectly adjusted, the blades facilitate this you can adopt a position
will be dragged out at the finish, rather th.m where the left shoulder is sli ghtly in front of
cleanl\, extracted. the right.
Just as \Vc concen tra ted on the righ t hand
during the propulsive phase, so it is important
The Extraction of the Blade
to fcxm on the leH: hand during the recO\'Cry
The extraction of the blades is pertormed by phase. Howe\'er, there is a common tendenc~'
tapping down with both hands as the scull fcx the ri ght hand to mo\'e more quickly than

Hands tinishing just lxlore they touch the body.

26
 SCULUi'\G TECHNIQUE

Left hand leading with right tucked in behind.

the left at this point, and this should be the hips until the dt:sired body angle at the
discouraged because it will impede the correct catch is reached, in a movement which should
~t:quence and may kad to balanct: probkm~. be steady and unhurried . The body should be
One word of caution, though : if tht: probklll in position before the st:at starts to movt:
is that the right hand is moving too quickly, forwards, and when the latter does move , it
as is usual, it is better to concentrate on should do so at the same speed as the boat is
slowing down the right hand, rather than travelling. As you approach frontstops, you
speeding up the left . As tht: movement should roll the handles, using the tlngers , to
shou ld bt: unhurried, concentrating too much square the blade ready for the catch .
on speed ing up the left hand will merely result Once again, just as in rowing technique,
in the ri ght hand spet:ding up as well, thereby you should be preparing to change dirt:ction
exacerbating the probkm from the moment the blades leave the water
A~ with rowing, the body should pivot trom and you begin to come up the slide.

27
 8Z
3nOINI-D3.L 9NI11n :)S
 SCULLI:-":G TECHl'\ IQUE

-
- .~--:"
•
~~-r"~-
----- --~--- ~~- ~=-=------~
. --~--
~~-
- '

---=-
-

--
- - - .... -
~~

29
O£
SCULLIi':C; TECHNIQUE

31
3 Technical Exercises
As with most sports, there arc many exercises a complex movement into a series of smaller
that rowers can use to help improve their tech- component parts, and this enables us to pav
nique. Due to the constraints of space it would close attention to a particular movement
be impossible to list all of them, so what I have pattern and to gain a better understanding of
attempted to do is to describe the ones more its importance in the full stroke cycle. It is also
commonly used. However, before looking at easier to identify weaknesses. In our rush to
the different types of exercises, it is worth teach people to row, or to learn to row as
considering why wc use technical exercises at quickly as possible, wc j()rget to pay attention
all; and 1 shall also highlight some general to the small details. As an example, when
principles relating to their use. rowers arc allowed to progress to full slide
I t may seem obvious to say that the main rowing without spending sufficient time on
reason athletes use technical exercises is to fixed scat rowing, it is very easy to camoutlage
improve their technique. I do feel, however, a weak tinish or poor hip pivot; this is partic -
that in rowing these exercises arc very often ularly true with the larger, faster boats such as
not viewed as an important part in developing fours and eights. By doing this, wc make it
technique, but as an annoying preparation for much more difficult to learn good technique.
the physical work in a training session. Rowers What happens instead is that wc become more
(and coaches!) often seem to spend as little proficient at rowing incorrectly; thus, \\'e
time as possible on exercises, preferring perfect our Haws!
instead to treat them as no more than part of As wc have said, when wc break the stroke
the warm-up routine; they just go through the down in this way it is easier to concentrate
motions of doing their slidework, without any more fully on the area in question - and this
real commitment to, or understanding of is an important point to remember, because if
what they arc trying to achieve. the rower is concentrating more fully, he will
It is too easy to dismiss exercises as a almost certainly become more quickly
tedious, compulsory part ofa training session, fatigued mentally. Many of the rowers I have
especially when there is only a limited amount coached in the past have commented that they
of time available; nevertheless they arc an have felt just as tired after a technical paddle ,
important too l in developing good technique. as they have after an intense physical training
On many occasions I have justified the time session. This is something that should be
spent on such exercises by asking the rowers borne in mind when programming technical
to consider which is going to help them move paddles as a ' li ght session'.
the boat more quickly: tifteen more minutes On the other hand, perhaps onc of the most
of oxygen utilization work, or tifteen minutes common mistakes rowers make is to spend too
spent improving their abi lity to apply power at little time on each exercise. for example,
the catch) doing backstops' paddling for tifteen to
Technica l exercises allow us to break down twenty strokes bd()re progressing to onc

32
 TECl I I\'ICAL EXERCISES

qU.1rtt:r slidt: dot:s 1/ot givt: sutncit:nt tinK for slidt:work, Similarly, thne is littk valut: to be
il11prm"Ll11t:nt to occur. At tht: \'ny kast tt)rty gained in trying to do squart: blade paddling
to tift\' strokt:s should LIL pnt()J"I11t:d for t:ach when thne is a strong cross -wind to contt:nd
slidt: position, with a ckar tt:chnical focus at wi th,
t:ach stage Lt:t us now look mort: closdy at tht: prin -
I rt:gularly ask (pnsuack') my crt:ws to cipal exncist:s wt: can ust: to improve our
spend tht: t:ntirt: training st:ssion rowing with rowing techniqut:,
squart: bladt:s, including tht: work pit:ct:s, and
I will not 1110\'t: on from a panicular stagt: of
tht: slidt: unkss I can st:t: that tht:v havt: SLIDEWORK
imprm't:d in somc way, Whnt: is tht: point in
rowing full sli ck, if you cannot row propnly Varving tht: kngth of slide ust:d is perhaps the
at half slidt:) It takt:s a grt:at dt:al of pLrst:vn- most COI11IllOn eXLrcist: ust:d by rowers, and as
.1nct: and patit:nct: to Lxnefit fully from outlined earlit:r, by considning the individual
tt:chnic.11 t:xLrcist:s, but tht: rt:ward is bt:ttn cOIllpo nt:nts oftht: full strokt: wt: will bt: bntn
tt:chniquc which mt:.1ns tastn Lrt:ws, abk to conct:ntratt: on t:ach ont: and so makt:
It is also important to considt:r tht: wt:.1thn improvLlllents, It is therd()!"t: imperative that
conditions wht:n pnforming t:xncist:s, each slide position has a technical focus:
particularlv wind and cold, Crews should bt: there must be a reason for doing it,
warm, othnwist: tht:ir concentration may There are normally six identifiable posi-
wander - tht:y will be focusing on how cold tions: backs tops with no body swing (arms
tht:ir t-ingns art:, rathn than on tht: tt:chnical only); backstops with body swing; and then
point of the cxncisc. It can be a good idt:a, quarter, half, thret: -quarters and full slide
tht:rd()re, to warm up first by doing SOIllt: The t()lIowing tabk indicatt:s the important
full slidt: rowing and tht:n moving on to tt:chnical focus for each position:

Racksrop, rowing empha,izing the ne ed to keep the bLldes fully covered,

33
' S:lpIiS 01 1I0 lIOl11SlICll :lljl 'illllLlIll lIO slseqdul:l :llP LPI.\\ :lpIJS l:lllCnb :lllO
 TECHNICAL EXERCISES

Pos itio n Technical foc us Pos ition Techn ical foclls

Backstops • Drawing the handle high QJlarter slide • Timing of transition from
(armJ only) to ensure that the blade the backstops position, to
remains fully covered. commencing the move -
• Individual roles of each ment to\\'ards the stern.
hand, ie outside hand Halfslide • Correct height of oar
taps the blade down and handle.
pushes the oar handle • Steadiness of slide move -
away from the body. men t.
Inside hand feathers the • Maintaining body position.
blade .
• Left hand leading Three-quartel' • Preparation for change of
(sculling ). slide direction at the catch.
• Head held steady.
Full slide • Lateral rotation of bod\'
Backstops • Hip pivot. from h ips.
(bo dy SllliNp) • Outside shoulder higher • Ensuring that the outside
than inside . shoulder remains higher
• Timing of transfer of than the insidc one.
weight onto the foot • Opening the hands out ,
stretcher. ic moving the hands out
• 'feeling' for the correct to the side of the boat
handle height. (sc ulling ).

Full slilk tiKusing on opening the hJnds out to the side of the boat and keeping
the he,ld ste,ldy.

35
TEClll'lCAL EXERCISES

Squ<m: blade paddling in the quadruple scull.

SQUARE BLADE ROWING anced. This in turn encourage~ them to ~peed

up their hand movement in order to a\'oid
Rowing with square blades is perhaps the getting their blade caught in at the finish.
most beneficial exercise that a rower can prac - This rushed 1ll00'Clllent can all too easily last
tise on a regular basis. Onc of the most for the entire reco\'Crv. Illovement' thereb\'
.
common technical challenges that rowers bce reducing the chance of executing a successful
is maintaining the acceleration of the blade change of direction at the catch. It is f()r thi~
right to the very end of each stroke . They are reason that, in my view, square blade paddling
often in too much of a rush to get on to the is the best exercise t(lr rowers and one which
next stroke, and so let the pressure slip a little should be pert()rmed in the course of most , if
as they approach the end of the stroke. This not every training session. Now, a~ a coach I
leads to problems with the extraction of the know on ly too well how diftlcult it can be to
blade, causing the boat to become unbal - persuade rowers to ~pend any length of time

Square blade p_Iddling in .1 single scull.

36
 TECHNICAL EXERCISES

rowing with square blades . The seenario is • Carrying the blade at the correct height
alwa~ 's the same: they complain about how during the recovery.
diHicult it will be, how they will get bored, the • The role of the outside hand and shou lder
fact that it is not possible to row with at the finish of the stroke.
square blades rating t<xty, and so on and so • The movement of the hands at the
forth. moment of blade entry.
In m)' experience , however, when they
actua ll~' get down to doing square blade It can be diff-icult for rowers, inexperienced or
paddling, the results are always the same: after otherwise, to appreciate fully how much intlu -
the initi :d tj'ustrations of trying to balance the ence a badly balanced boat has on boat speed .
boat , they find they can do it without Whilst they can feel how uncomfortable it is
thinking, and then when they row with feath - to row in an unbalanced boat, they do not
ered blades they begin to see and feel the always make the link between being uncom -
benefits. There are few more rewarding fortable and being unable to apply the power
sensations than feeling (or seeing) the boat to moving the boat. Rowing in a boat which
sudden ly surge t()rwards because the crew are IS always properly balanced, without
maintaining the acceleration of their blades having consciously to think about it, is a
and releasing their tinishes correctly . necessary pre -requisite to moving that boat
quickly.
When starting to row with square blades it
Technical Focus
is a good idea to focus on how light the oar
As with most exercises , there are seve ral handle feels during the recovery phase. In
different areas of emphasis on which a rower truth, there is no reason why the oar handle
can focus , changing between them when shou ld feel heavy - this is particularly true with
concentration begins to wane. They include sc ulling oars - but if rowers can begin to
the following: appreciate how li g ht the oar handle is, they will
quickly reali ze that it is not necessary to exert
• The 'weight of the oar in the hand'. much downwards pressure to extract the
• Maintaining the acceleration of the blade. blade at the finish of the stroke. Not only is

Rowing with altcrn.lte squaring ofbL1des, ie . onc stroke holdin g the bow side blade square
tilllowed by a stroke with the stroke ~ ide bl.1de square.

37
TECHNICAL EXERCISES

Practising extracting tht: blade smoothly at backstops.

this wasteful in terms of energy, it also disturbs tively. Thankfully there arc many exerci~es
the run of the boat. that can be used to improve this.
It is also worth spending some time on In order to execute a quick and dlCcti\"C
ensuring that the oar handle does not touch catch it is necessary to be totally relaxed as the
the body at the end of each stroke. If it blade enters the water. U nti:>rtunatel\' this is
does, it will be extremely difficult to ensure a not an easy skill to master, as the temptation
smooth extraction as it will scrape down the is to tense the body just before the catch. The
body, possibly getting caught up in the key to it is to be preparing to change direc-
rower's clothing, and this will inevitably slow tion from the moment that the blade leaves
things up and interrupt the How of the boat. the water at the finish of the previous
To avoid this the rower shou ld t(XUS on thc stroke; and if the body is in the correct posi -
role of the outside hand, ensuring that it is tion to take the next stroke all the way through
tapped down swiftly to take the blade out of the reco\'t:r)', it will be easier to ch:1I1ge direc -
the water. There shou ld be no 'drama' at this tion quickly and with little fuss.
point of the stroke: the emphasis should be on It is important to stress again that the hod\'
releasing the pressure that has built up behind plays no part in covering the blade, and t1lJt
the blade and 'letting the puddle go', rather no discernible upward movement of the
than wrenching the blade from the water. shoulders should be observed. The hands
shou ld rise quicklv whilst the body remain;
perfectly sti ll.
PLACEMENT DRILLS This is known as 'hooking' or 'placing ' the
blade. When the blade is covt:red, the rower
Correct placement of the blade at the catch is should feel the pre~ ..,ure build up in ti'ont of
pt:rhaps the most difficult part of rowing effcc - the spoon and shou ld then pu~h the legs dO\\'!1

38
 TEClINICAI. EXERCISES

rapidly. The co -ordination of the h,md move - you would start with backstops paddling and
ment and the Ieg~ here i~ critica l in ensuring work up to full slide. The important difti.:n:nce
dkctiye boat propulsion: ifthe legs come on with this exercise is that the blade is not placed
too ~oon, the rower will ~hoot his ~Iide; ,1I1d if in the water, but stops short at the water
they comc on too Llte , the strain will be kit in surface. The ~cquence is as fc)lIows:
the ,Hms. Both ofthcse circuIllst,lnccs will Ie,H.i
to indkcti"e, slow boat~ . • Start at backstops;
Achieving this co -ordination between • comc forwards to ti'ontstops;
arm and leg movements should therefore bc • keeping thc bladc just clear of the water,
onc of the m,lin goals of .111 rower~ wishing to stop just before the point you would
move boats quickly and cfticiently. Onc of normally place the bladc in thc water;
the kcys to this i~ being ,lble to ' feel ' the • repcat .
water, to kel the pres~ure building up on the
spoon, and placelllcnt drills arc ,111 cxcellent Thc exercisc is normally performed using
way to hclp .lchie\'l: this. Moreo\'(:r ~ince single strokes (b ut without placing the bl.lde
many rowers sccm to have difficulty in in the water), building up to sevcral stroke at
achie"ing thi~ 'keling', such drills should a time (air strokes). The esscntial components
constitutc a high proportion of the tcchnical to be elllphasized arc that:
exercises performed. The ,lim of placemcnt
drill~ may therefore bc said to bc to enable • ,lllmovcmcnts arc as relaxed as possible;
thc rower to place the blade in the water • the body swings O\'er into the corrcct
quickly and efficiently, with the minimum posi tion ti'om thc backs tops;
of disturbance to the movement of the • this position is maintained for thc entire
boat. duration of the recovery;
Placcmcnt drills can bc broken down into • the shoulders and arms in particular ,He
three different type~, that concentrate relaxed at the point of entry, with the
primarily on the tullowing : blade c10sc to the surface of the watcr.
1. the rccovcry movement , it: prep,Hing fc)r
the catch; Placement of the blade
2. the placing of the blade at the catch;
The next stage is to place the blades in the
3. the keling tCJr the build -up of pres~urc.
water, but without causing any forward mo"e -
Although they have dith:rent emphases, the ment of the boat; the aim is not to move the
important thing is that they all reinforce boat , but to placc thc blades in thc water using
the basic sequence of good bladework, namely the h.lnds, whilst kceping the rest of thc body
place-kel -~queeze. still. This exercise works best u sing single
strokcs. The sequencc is as follows :
The Recovery Movement
• Start at backstops;
These exerci~es arc dc~igned to ensure that • come forward to frontstops ;
the body i~ in the corrcct position to take the • place thc blade in the water, but do not
catch, that the movement forward~ is unhur- push your legs down ;
ried, and that the blade is e1me to the surface • take the bladc out of the water; and
of the water at the catch pmirion. Typicallv repeat.

39
 017
It --__
S3SI:),J:'IX3 lV::) INI-D :ll.
TECHN ICAL EXERCISES

41
TECHNICAL EXERCISES

A vari:nion on this exercise is to perform the Dynamic Placement

lifting movement of the hands whilst sitting at
either the three -quarter or the fi.dl slide position There is onc tinal variation on placement exer -
(ti-ontstops ); the hands should be repeatedly ci~es which is particularly eftCctive in
raised and lowered to place and extract the demon~trating that the blade will enter the
blade in the water. Performing the exercise in water quickly ifit is allowed to, and that there
this way effectively demonstrates the impor - is no need to be overly .lggressive in lifting the
tance of timing the entry of the blade. hands to cover the blade. In this exercise the
It is worth emphasizing at this stage that crew rows at a constant rating, except for onc
very little energy should be required to rower who simply drops hi s blade in at the
cover the blade: if the rower simply lets go of catch in time with the rest of the crew; at this
the oar handle , he will cover the blade quickly. point he can either rest his hand s lightly on
I have often tilmed crews doing this exercise, top of the handle , or let go of the oar
and have found that they cover the blade more completely. It is important that he should not
quickly by just letting the oar handle go, than attempt to row the stroke, but should let the
when they consciously try to cover the blade blade come through the water of its own
quickly' One way of helping rowers achieve accord. When the blade has reached the finish
the necessary quickness is to emphasize that he should place his hands on the oar handle,
the blade will cover quickly if you let it - they regain control and extract the blade .
should think of not slowing down the entry As an example, in a coxless four, the stern
of the blade, rather than of speeding it up. three rowers may be rowing, with the bow
person just placing his blade in; then after
some time the positions can be changed,
Feeling the Pressure
giving the rower at three the opportunity to
The next stage is to concentrate on feeling the try the exercise. All the rowers should be given
pressure build up on the spoon, and an exer - the chance to practise this . It shou ld be
cise to help achieve this is to row for the first stressed that when they recommence rowing
two inches of the stroke only. As with the other as a unit it is important that they continue to
placement drills, it is important to ensure that place the blade with the same precision as
the shoulders do not lift to cover the blade. during the exercise.
With the blade covered the rower should
concentrate on squeezing back off the foot
stretcher. Any tendency to bend the arms SINGLE STROKE ROWING
should be resisted. When you have taken the
tlrst two inches or so of the stroke, tap down A vcr\' useful exercise is to row for onc stroke
with the outside hand to extract the blade . at a time , concentrating on a particular aspect
The arms should be straight throughout of the movement. The objective is to row f(x
the entire movement. The emphasis is on onc complete stroke, stopping at a pre -deter -
tCeling the pressure build up on the blade and mined position of the recovery . The exercise
on moving horizontally towards the bow of can be used to emphasize many aspects of the
the boat, rather than lifting with the stroke and is particularly useful in ensuring
shoulders. This exercise takes some time to the correct timing of e.lch P,lIT of the stroke
master, but it is very effective in minimizing cvele between crew members . It can some -
any upward movement of the body. times be difticult ro detect small differellCt:s

42
 TECIIi'-!ICAL EXERCISES

betwn:n crew member~ when they are rowing arms extended with the bodv rockl:d over
continuomlv, <lIld these ditkrences in tech - ready to move up the slide. The transition
nique m<ly well <lHect h<lrmon~ ' and therd(}re from moving towards the bow, to moving
pert(}rnunce, too . towards the stern, is critical in maintaining
To gi\'C <1 lKr~onal example of how useful an even boat speed. All succe~sful crl:WS
this exercise Cln be , I was once cOJching .1 ckmonstrate the same unhurried movement
coxless pair which appe<lred to be moving \'ery out of the bows onto the slide, and rowing
dtCcri\'c1y. The cre\\', however, complained single strokes is a v<.:ry drcctivl: way to kJrI1
constantly about a small wobble on the WJY how to p<.:rform this movement.
forwards. This wasn't .1 huge problem and did Single stroke rowing can also be used to
not JPpor to Jtkct the boat speed unduly, emphasize the acceleration of the blade
but it \\'a~ Jnnoying. We checked the rigging, through the stroke. With a considerable
adjusted the boat Jnd invited other coaches to pause betwl:l:n strokes, the bo<1t speed reducl:s
help track down the root of the problem, all consid<.:rJbly, n13king it l:ssl:ntial to acccl<.:rate
to no <wail. LlCh stroke. This keling oLlcccl<.:ration can be
finally we tried some single stroke rowing, difficult to senSl: whl:n thl: boat is moving at
in the course of which we t(}lllld thJt there WJS spl:l:d , particularly in the Iarg<.:r, tast<.:r boats
J slight discrepancy in the timing of the such as qUJdruple sculls and l:ights. By kl:eping
transkr of weight onto the toes bcrwl:en the thl: boat spl:ed low, thl: row<.:rs can lKgin to
two roWl:rs . Whl:n this was identitil:d <1S thl: kd thl: prl:ssurl: build up on thl: spoon, and
CJuse , the problem disappeJred almost can Jccderatl: it through to tlK finish.
completl:ly within .1 kw sessiom. By rowing Although Wl: hJvl: tJlkl:d largely about
f(}r J single stroke at a timl: , with J definite single strokl: rowing, the logical progrl:ssion is
stop position , it is considerably l:asier to spot to stJrt rowing for sl:\'l:ral srrokl:s at a timl: ,
such discrepancil:s . and by vJ~' ing thl: numlxr of strokl:s takl:n
As with slidl:work , it is possible to focus Jnd thl: rest p<.:riod in betwl:l:n each strokl:, it
attention on difkrent Jspects of thl: stroke by is easi<.:r to learn thl: most appropriJtl: ratio for
dl:tl:rmining thl: eventual finish position. For a givl:n boat spel:d. The longer the rest
instancl:, finishing with the hands tappl:d period, the greater the need for accelera -
down (the bladl: out of rhe wJtl:r ) but thl: tion of the blade; and the greater the
arms not yl:t extl:ndl:d, CJn bl: vJluJble in acceleration, the more time that can be
ensuring that the blades are released at the taken on the slide forwards . This fundJ -
correct moment . As I pointed our l:ariier, ml:ntal apprl:ciation of thl: rdationship
having thl: confidencl: to sit Jt thl: finish, betwl:en time spent in thl: watn, versus timl:
holding rhe legs down without rushing onto spl:nt out of thl: water , is soml:thing rhJt
thl: ~Iidl:~, is one ofthe most l:ssl:ntial c1eml:nts should bl: rl:inforcl:d Jt every opportunity .
in dlective rowing, and without thl: comfort
of extl:nding the arms it is easy to identify
which I'OWl:rs do not yl:t havl: the confidencl: ROWING WITH ONE HAND
to perf(}rm rhis m(}\'Cment.
B~' gradually exrl:nding the finish position With SWl:l:p rowing it is possible to row using
of rhl: hands it is possible to identif~' most onc lund only Jt J time Thl: bl:ndit of this
discrepancil:s within the ~troke. One of thl: exncisl: is that it reinforccs the rolc l:ach hand
mmt \'aluable tinish positions i~ to have the plays during thl: rowing cycle.

43
TECHNICAL EXERCISES

Rowing with the inside hand down the loom (thi s can be donc a~ an .lltern.Hivc to rowing with
the outside hand only ).

The Outside Hand should be exerted on the oar handle to

extract the blade to the correct height, and
When using the outside hand only, it is also no more, because too much downward
important to emphasize the role of the out- pressure will result in a high blade height ,
side shoulder in maintaining pressure on the which is unnecessary and wastes energy and
blade at the finish of the stroke. As men - time .
tioned previously, the outside hand is
responsible for extracting the blade and
The Inside Hand
ensuring a smooth follow-through from
the finish of the stroke onto the recovery, The inside hand is used prilll.1rily to feather
and it is this aspect that is emphasized mo~t and square the blade . It is abo important to
during single -handed rowing. At the other use the inside arm to maintain pressure on the
cnd of the stroke cycle, the outside hand is oar handle appro.lching the tinish of the
largely responsible tor covering the blade at stroke . I tend to me inside -h.lnd -onll'
the catch. paddling for a particular purpose , such as
When using the outside hand only, it is when a rower has difticulty in feathering the
also useful to concentrate on how little blade or drops his wrist .It the finish .
effort it takes to keep the blade clear of As it is Illore diHicult to support the weight
the water. There is no need to be dramatic of the oar jmt using the inside hand, it is
at the tinish of the stroke: sufticient pressure important not to ()\'erdo this exercise .

44
 TECHNICAL EXERC ISES

Alternate Hands better. When you close your eyes the Erst
thing you will notice is that the timing of the
As J \·Jri.ltion to rowing \\·ith onc hJnd only, blades becomes erratic. This is not reallv
it CJn be fun (not to SJY mentJlly stimulating! ) surprising, as we rely a great deal on sight to
to .1lternate between the inside and the know when to put the blade in the water.
outside hJnd ; thus onc stroke could be tJken I would therefore suggest that you start this
using the inside hand only, followed by onc experiment by concentrating on the timing,
stroke with the outside hJnd. and in order to do this you need both to listen
As you develop this skill you can progress to and to feel the movement of the boat beneath
taking severJI strokes - say, ten - using one you. As you listen you will also hear thc other
hand , followed by ten using the other. As with rowers JS they begin to travel up the slide to
.111 exerci ses, when using alternate hands you frontstops , and the timing of this initial
should understJnd why you are doing so , and movement is critical in minimizing the
concentrate on the point of technique you disruption to the run of the boat; you can
ha\"\: selected to improve ; there is little benefit be more accurate if you listen carefully for the
in merely going through the motions. moment the seats begin to travel.
Alternating between hands gives the opportu - As you approach f'·ontstops you will need to
nity to work on several aspects of rowing listen more intently, so that you learn to cover
technique within J short space of time. the blades at the same time as the rest of the
cre\\'. When the blade is fully covered and
propelling the boat tonvards, it becomes more
ROWING WITH THE EYES a matter of feeling for the timing rather thJn
CLOSED listening for it. It is therefore more d1(;ctive to
concentrate on feeling the pressure building
A most beneficial exercise is to row with the up on the spoon at this point - it should then
eyes closed. Most of us enjoy the tive diHcrent not take long to bring the timing back to a
senses of smell, touch, sound, taste and sight, reasonable standard.
which wc use to construct a mental picture of At this stage you can begin focusing on how
something. In rowing, smell Jnd taste are not much noise is being created - I always say to
used very much, leaving sound, sight and my crews that they should bc aiming for small,
touch as the dominant senses. Rowing with the quiet movcments at thc catch, bccause
eyes closed - on a suitably safe stretch of water anything large or noisy will work against the
- effectively shuts off sight, thus enabling the rLln of the boat. IfyoLl actively try to minimize
rower to focus more on thc other two. the noise created whilst reducing the size
Coaches and rowers alike talk a great deal of any vertical movements, you will find
about the 'feel of the boat', yet it can be a diHi - 'that you place the blade in the water more
cult concept to grasp, and rowing with the effectively, with a consequent increase in boat
eves closed is, in my view, onc of the best WJYS speed.
of helping us to appreciate this feeling. In
order to get the most bendit from this tech -
nique , it is essential to concentrate fully on the ROWING WITH THE FEET OUT
two senses ITmJining , those of touch and
sound. It is not enough SImply to close your A ['·eq LIen tly L1sed exercise is to row \Vi th the
eves and expect the boat suddenly to move feet t'Te of the stretcher shoes. I t can be very

45
TECI-Il':ICAL EXERCISES

useful in illustrating the effects of biling to Although this will not be a populJr move, it
transfer the weight onto the feet at the end will very quickly sort out any problems with
of each stroke. It can also be used to rein- the balance on the way ~()rwards.
force the co-ordination of the leg drive and More diftlcult to deal with is when the
the draw of the arms . During this exercise, if balance goes off during the actu.ll stroke. This
you tail to keep the hands and body moving at can be due to incorrect rigging, such as when
the ~lnish, you will continue to move towards one side of the boat is rigged slightly higher
the bow ofthe boat, and your feet will lift ~rom than the other. Ditrerences in the gate pitch
the ~ootplate . between each side of the boat can also affect
I have found it best to do tCet-out rowing the balance in this way.
for short spells of concentrated etriJrt rather
than for long periods of time as it can be very
btiguing on the lower back and abdominal EXCI'cisc: to PI'CJlC1lt liji:illJl t"e slum/den
muscles .
If the problem is not due to rigging, it will
usually be caused by onc rower not drawing
EXERCISES FOR SPECIFIC his hands level throughout the stroke, perhaps
PROBLEMS because he is lifting his shoulder~ at some
point during the stroke cycle. This is often the
Developing Good Balance case just before the tinish of the stroke, when
he may mistime the co -ordination bet\\'een
Perhaps the most ditriClllt skill to acquire is that tinishing the leg drive and the opening of the
of balancing the boat, and onc of the best ex- body angle.
ercise~ tClr developing good balance is square Problems can also nl.1nikst themselves at
blade paddling at a very low rate, ~or instance the beginning of the stroke, with rowers who
fourteen to eighteen ~trokes per minute. lift their shoulders to COVCl' the bl.lde. If even
onc rowCl' does this, it will .1tlCCt the balance;
and if they all do it, a perkctly balanced boat
Exel'cise: to attain the CfI1TCCt rCCO)/CI,), will be impossible to achieve. As mentioned in
ha11 die "eight the section on technique , any upward move -
ment of the body will not contribute to
Only when the correct recovery handle height Illoving the boat f(lrward~, it will tC)I'Ce it into
is attained automatically can you hope to the water rathCl' than through it. The other
achieve perten balance. If the riggers arc set problem with lifting the shoulders to cover the
high , Illany rowers will use every inch of the blade is that unle~s even'one lifrs at the ~amc
height available; they will be tempted to lower time and by the same m.lgniruLie , it i~ bound
their hands too much at the t1nish , resulting to aHcct the balance advCl'sel\'.
in an artiticially high blade height.
I t should be stressed that unless eVCl),one
carries their blade forwards at the sallle height Exercise: p1"nctisil1Jl 011 tIle CI/lll1J/ctC1'
the boat will not be properly balanced . Good 115111/1 n 11111'1' 01'
handle height can be encouraged by setting
the riggers artiticially low tilr a period and If you tend to litr \'our shoulder\.1t the Gltch ,
gradually raising them to the correct height . a very good eXCl'cise is to practise on the

46
 TECHNICAL EXERCISES

ergonH:ter ming ,1 mirror. To do this you need Improving the Quickness of the
to set up the mirror ~o that it bce~ the front Catch
of the ergometer. With your shoulders at the
correct height, you ~hould try to find ,1 marker As mentioned earlier, onc of the keys to
in the b,lckground, ju~t k\'C1 with your improving the quickness of the catch lies in
shouldcr~. Having established your marker, not slowing down the entry of the blade.
you ~hould then ,1i m to keep ~ 'o u r However, this in itself is not enough, and
shoulder~ level throughout the entire rowing some other exercise i~ requin:d. To begin
sequence. with, all the placement drills already outlined
Ifit is difticult to find a marker at the appro- should help impron: the speed of the catch.
priate height , another idea is to ask a fi·iend -
or your cox or coach - to mark your shoulder
height on the mirror, with either sellotape or Exercise: stJlJ1't bursts at a h(qlJ stroke rate
a marker pen. Once again, the aim is to keep
your ~houlder\ level throughout the stroke: In addition to pl.1Cement drill~' it can be useful
any upward movement should be eliminated. to perform several short bursts often to fifteen
This technique is abo meful in developing the strokes at as high a stroke rate as possible
ability to keep your head steady. without losing technique. The mistake that
many crews make when doing this sort of
routine is to allow their technique to degen -
Digging Deep at the Catch
erate, thereby compromising any real benefit.
Placement drill~ arc .lmong~t the most eHcc - I t is much more beneficial to concentrate on
tive means to minimize the problem of the improving the speed of entry at a rate which
blade going too deep ,It the catch. Depending allows for good technique.
on what is causing it to do this, the best exer- As you get better at a given rate , it is then
cise to use i~ the onc where the arms arc kept possible to increase the rate and to progress
srraight and only the first two inches of the as your technique improves . This is more
stroke arc rowed. It is best to divert attention effective than to set beforehand an arbitrary
from the arm~ during this exercise and to number of strokes to be taken per minute
concentrate instead on ~queezing back off the which may be too ambitious and so to the
foot stretcher. This has the effect of de - detriment of technique.
emphasizing the upward movement of the
sho ulder~, whibt stressing the horizontal
movement that is being sought. Exercise: usin~q tlJree-quarter slide
If the problem arises from a rushed entry
into fi·ontsrops, G1u~ing the rower to bll onto I t can also be more productive to carry out this
hi~ thigh~, the exercise which concentrates on type of speed work using three -quarter slide as
.1 smooth recm·ery may be the better onc to opposed to full slide. Most of the errors in
use. technique that inhibit quick catches occur in
If, on the other h,lnd , the problem origi - the very last moments before the blade enters
nate~ through an entry th,lt i~ too aggressive, the water. If you can ensure that the entrv is
the exerci~e concentrating on tCeling the pres - correct at the three -quarter slide position, you
sure build up on the blade nuv be more have a better chance of doing it correctly at full
,1ppropriate . slide.

47
TECHNICAL EXERCISES

Exercise: concentratillg (nt a specific I would normally start with the three prin -
aspect cipa
placement drills which ensure a correct
preparation on the recovery, the placement of
As with most aspects of improving technique, the blade, Jnd a kel f(H the water. Ha\·ing
it should be borne in mind that as you work gone through this routine I would concen -
on one aspect of your technique, another area trate on the speed of hand movement ,
will probably sufler. As an example, if you followed by the speed of leg drive. If the
decide to work on your speed of entry at the rOll tine is broken down in this way, it helps to
catch, the finish of the stroke will most prob - avoid the problems of overly aggressive entry
ably not be as good as it was before starting of the blade Jnd shooting the slide.
the exercise. This is to be expected, and
should not be viewed as a negative experience.
What matters is that the area of technique Exercisc: Jlidcotnpilllf tIlt: training sCSJi(m
you are concentrating on improves.
I t can often be diHlcult from inside the boat It can be nluable to \'ideotape the session .
to detect whether or not something has Using the slow motion button, it should be
improved, and the majority of rowers assess possible to count the number of frames
the value of a training session by the balance required to cover the blade. It may be that fClr
of the boat: if the balance was good, they onc session (or the start of a session ) it takes
consider the session was good. It~ on the other five or six fi"ames to cover the blade, and this
hand, the boat was not well balanced, many intClrIllation can be lIsed to agree targets for
rowers tend to view the outing as a disaster. the crew to achieve. Thus over a period of time
However, as explained above, when working you may achieve an entry of the blade which
on, say, the speed of entry, the finishes invari - takes two to three frames. This technique
ably sufkr during the initial stages and so the provides a very cas)" quantifiable method of
balance is often upset: this is to be expected, measuring progress, and it is particularly
so trv not to become too upset about it and suited to assessing the speed of the catch as
concentrate instead on how much quicker the quickness is relati\'e and can be diHlcult to
catches arc. define.
for example, the crew may think that they
are alreadv covering the blade as fast as they
Exercise: buaking dOIPn the routine possibly can, and they may not kel the need
to speed up the movement. If you can show
Another way to improve the quickness of the them a wav. to measun.: how bst thev. actuall\'.
catch is to break it down into two distinct cover their blade, it can help theIll understand
phases: the speed of entry and the speed of the the need for work on this aspect of their tech -
leg drive. nIque.
The speed of entry relies on the speed of the
hands, whereas the speed of leg drive relics,
Inappropriate Slide Speed
not surprisingly, on the speed of the legs. It is
more bendlcial to concentrate on one area This usu311y means th~lt a rower is rushing up
first and then progress to the other, rather the slides to ti"ontstops and it is a very comIllon
than trying to concentrate on everything at problem, particularly with beginners or less
once. experienced rowers. I t can also be a difficult

48
 TECIINICAL EXERCISES

problem to overcome. As pointed out earlier, Exercise: l'eillJil1'cill~q the lJood techniquc
it is essential that anyone who rows has a clear
understanding of the relationship between The next step is to reinforce the good aspects
time spent in the water as opposed to time of technique, by spend ing some time rowing
spent on the slide. Any exercise that exagger- at the slide position just bdore the break
.ltes the ratio between time in the water and point: thus if the break point occurs at half
time on the slide should help to minimize the slide , for instance, some t ime shou ld be spent
problem. rowing at one -q uarter slide. This should give
Perhaps the be~t way to approach this area the rower a velY good idea as to which part of
is again, to break the stroke down into its the stroke he needs to focus on most fully.
component p.1rts - it can be too easy to take When he can row comfortably at one -quarter
the "iew that someone rushes his slide and that slide (using our example ), it is then time to try
the problem therefore lies with his C1Itirc some rowing at half slide. However, it is
ITcm'ery routine. This is rarely the case, and absolutely vital that he pert()rms the move -
there is usually onc particular sticki ng point ment from onc -quarter slide to half slide
somewhere on the way forwards. It may be correctly, and exactly as his coach would wish,
that the rower is reasonably in control until and ifthere is any breakdown at any point then
the halfway stage, or that he remains in he shou ld stop, go back to onc -quarter slide,
control until just bd()IT the catch. Whatever and try again.
the case, it is es~entia l to identify the point
at which his technique breaks down
before commencing any work to rectify the Exercise: OVC1'ClJHlill~q tIle brcn/uio)JlIl
problem. problem

There is little point in continuing to row

E.)';cl'c ise: idw tifyilllJ the break point in incorrectly, as this will simply reinforce the
techu iquc error. When the rower can perform the move -
ment correctly, gradually extend the amount
The best way of finding the break point in a of time spent on half slide ; and as he masters
rower's technique is to srart with backstops half slide, so progress to three -quarter and
paddling with no body swing. If this is being per- finally to full slide . But if a breakdown occurs
tormed correctly then a certain amount of body at any time, he must stop, go back a stage and
swing shou ld be introduced , and so gradually try again. As with developing any skill, the key
more slide until his technique begins to deterio- to improving lies in knowing when to apply
rate - that is, when the slide starts to move more stress to your technique and when to case back
quickly than the boat speed during the ITcovelY. ~ little . And this is particularly true with
This is the break point in technique. inappropriate slide speed.
Having identified the break point, it is usu -
ally apparent why the slide begins to speed up.
I t may be because the rower is nying to get
more length at the catch, or because he does not
keep his arms straight as he reaches round Another usdi.d exercise that can help rowers
the pin, letting his scat catch lip underneath control their slide speed is single stroke
him. rowIng. By v~Hying the finish position

49
TECHNlCAL EXERClSES

between strokes it is possible to reinforce the made no progres~. The COJch 5till wants more
correct slide speed. acceleration, quicker c.ltches or greJter relax -
ation on the slide . Monitoring and evaluating
technical improvement would go some \\'Jy
EVALUATING TECHNICAL towards helping rower~ understand thJt whibt
PROGRESS they balle made advances, there is still work to
do in order to achieve excellence .
Onc of the Jspects of rowing trJining most So wlut arc the most effective ways of
often overlooked is the need to eVJluJte implementing reguLu evaluJtion) Perhap5 the
improvements in technique. Wc JII tend to most common way of a~sessing technical
meJsure progress in terms of the rJces wc hJve improvement i~ through the use of video
won (or lost ). However, Jlthough this on cameras. This technique is dealt with in more
provide J rough idea of the improvements detail in Chapter 8.
made, it is In insuHicient meJsure of our true
evolution ~ince the outcome ofa rJce is deter-
The One - to -Ten Scale
mined not just by our own efforts, but by
those of our competitors. I am quite certain Another technique is to ask the rower~ to rate
that most of us hJve experienced the rJce aspects of their technique ming a scale of onc
where wc hJd the best row ever, performing to ten, with ten being best. As an example, you
far beyond our previous best Jnd yet still could Jsk your rowers to Jssess the quickness
coming second: is this J tailure) Ifwe were to of their hands when covering the bbde at the
meJsul"C our progress solely on the bJsis of the CJtch; it nuy be that in their view they scored
OUtCOl-1-lC oftlut rJce, our perception would be six. With the starting point established, it i~ .1
that wc had tailed in some WJy. simple matter to Jgree a target for the
It is also important from a motivational renuinder of the ~ession, or for J longer
point of view to monitor technical progress. It period of time. I n conjunction with their
can be difficult to renuin motivJted, particu - co.lch , they could then identify what they
larly in the depths of winter training when need to do to improve their score. This nuy
rJces arc few and tar between. If wc can seem .1 very simplistic tool , but I would
meJsure, and sce real improvements in tech - recommend you try it. I luve used it with
nique, it would Jlmost certJinly help us retain rowers of JII levels and t()lllld it to be a \'el\'
a sense of progress towJrds our ultinute goal, effective method of encouraging selfanalvsis
whether tlut be Henley, the National and monitoring ill1provement~ in technique.
Clumpionships or the Olympic Games.
One pJrticular JreJ where monitoring tech -
The Coach/Athlete Relationship
nicJI improvement can be invJluable is in the
long-term development of rowers. Rowing i~ This method can alw be used as J wav of
a very precise, skilful movement Jnd as such checking comprehension between coach and
tJkes a long time to mJster; I know from expe - rower. I f the co.lCh 1ll.1ke~ an e\'al uarion of the
rience thJt rowers who hJve been in the sport same aspect ofrechnique , a direct comp.lrison
for many yeJrs CJn tind it difficult to sustain GlIl be made between what the rowers feel thev

the desire to continue trying to improve their arc doing and wh.lt the coach is obsel\'ing .
technique. HJving finished onc racing seJwn, Onc ofthe ch.ll1enges in .1ny coach/ .lthlcte
they start winter training, seemingly having rel.ltionship is ensuring that both p.lrties think

50
 TECIINICAL EXERCISES

.llong similar line~, parricul.lriy with regard to tind it LXtremciy diHicult to mJke the required
technique. The COJch 's job i~ to communicate chJnges to his technique. Coach and Jthkte
to the athlete a clear picture of \\·h.lt good may be working at cross -purposes Jnd
technique is, Jnd how the athlete can best progress will be slow.
.lchie\·e it. This involve~ creHing a lllental Using the Jbove method of evaluation can
picture tlut both ~ides must share. I f the be J \'JluJbk way of highlighting if there arc
.\thkte .lnd coach h.1\'e different lllental any such differences Jnd wlut they arc,
pictures of whJt is required, a breakdown in thereby presenting the opportunity to co rrect
communicJtion will occur and the Jthkte will them.

51
4 Rigging
Of all the areas that contribute to moving a having made the correct adjustments, crews
boat quickly, perhaps the least understood is have problems ranging from poor balance, to
rigging. It is also a subject on which many of the blades going too deep at the catch.
us have unlimited advice from the 'experts' Advice is sought t1'OI11 the rigging person ,
who frequent the club bar' Most coaches and who suggests that the pitch IS
rowers have a good idea of what good tech - increased/ decreased or that the height of the
nique is and what training needs to be done swivel is too high / low. However, unless the~'
to prepare for a race, but when it comes to know the crew and ha\'e observed them
rigging, many people have a limited under- rowing, any advice they offer will have a
standing of the different adjustments that can limited effect. This highlights onc of the
be made to optimize performance. biggest mistakes made when adjusting the
rigging: the tailure to take full account of the
effect the rigging changes have on an indi-
THE IMPORTANCE OF RIGGING vidual rower or on the rest of the crew.

For many years I struggled to appreciate the

'A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous
importance of rigging, and how the simplest
Thing'
of adjustments could sometimes make all the
difference In terms of boat speed. The other common problem is that unless you
Nevertheless, having a good understanding of have a full understanding of the effect of the
why the boat should be rigged in a certain way changes you make, you may cnd up doing
and the effects of what can seem to be tiny, more harm than good. Adjusting the height
minute adjustments to the pitch, for instance, of the swivels, for example, can lead to all
is essentia l for anyone se ri ous about maxI - manner of diffIculties with the balance, which
mizing their rowing performance. will in turn at1<.:ct the boat speed.
Although it is sometimes necessary to adjust
swivel height, it is essentia l that in doing so,
The Club Adviser
the si tua tion does not arise where there is a
Having the confidence to experiment with substantial ditkrenee in the heights between
your rigging to fInd the optimum confIgura - bow and stroke side, otherwise balancing the
tion can, and should bc, your first step in boat will be impossible. Allowing individuals
preparing for performance. Compare this with to adjust their swivel heighr or pitch is in my
a typical club situation where there is probably view , a sure recipe t(Jr disaster: rowers arc no
a resident 'rigging' person who sets up all the ditkrent to anyone else, and will generally do
club boats: if you arc lu cky they will be able to what they can to make life easier for them -
adjust the boat to an initial 'club' set -up selves. Ho\\' often have you seen a ere\\'
reasonably well. The problem comes when, rowing along in a boat where the bow side

52
 RIGGII'G

blades arc two feet off the water on the Swivel heights have become progressi\'e1y
recO\'cry, whibt poor old stroke side cannot higher in recent years, and so manv older
get their blades out at the tinish of the stroke: sculling boats simply cannot be adjusted to
cause and dfect) the correct height without using wedges
under the riggers. This wi ll inevitably affect
technique, espec ially the reach at the catch.
Assess Crew Technique First
Oars too, may be in a poor state: they h:1\'e
The final concern I have with many crews is often lost their rigidity, or the sleeves may
the readiness with which they blame the have become worn which will affect the pitch.
rigging for all their problems. Whilst a badly All of these contingencies make it more
rigged boat will slow a boat down, a well diffIcult for the beginner to learn to row prop -
rigged boat will not go any faster ifit contains erly - and if experienced rowers have problems
rowers using bad technique. It should there - rowing with equipment that is incorrectly set
fore be an absolute priority that before any up, how much harder is it for beginncrs who
adjustments arc nude to the boat, a thorough have to concentrate on each and everv n1O\'e -
examination of the crew's technique is carried ment) Whilst I accept that beginners wil l
out . By far the best way of achieving this is to rarely be allocated the very best equipment, I
film a training session using a video camera, do feel that if they are to enjov rowing and to
and to analyse it in slow motion atterwards develop good technique quickly, they need to
with a video recorder. use equipment that helps, not hinders them.
Changing the rigging should only ever When you consider how long it takes to undo
be done if it is absolutely necessary. The bad habits, the time spent checking the boat
only exception to this, is when you arc exper - is clearly time well spent. Every club
imenting, in a controlled manner, to evaluate shou ld ensure that all of its boats arc correctly
specific changes, such as different spans or rigged, and that they arc checked on a regular
outboard lengths. basis.

Beginners' Boats
RIGGING YOUR BOAT
Although many clubs try to set up properly
the boats used by racing crews, not all pay So how do you set about rigging your boats)
sufficient attention to ensuring that those Depending on the make and morc particularly
used by beginncrs arc properly adjusted. And the age of a boat, there can be up to ten
as beginners tend to be allocated the oldest different adjustments that can be made. The
equipment, it is often in a poor state of repair. riggers can be adjusted for span (spread),
Thus in a boat, the riggers may be bent, ilCight from the water, and longitudina l posi -
affecti ng the pi tch (particularly the lateral tion, whilst the swivels can be adjusted for
pitch ); the height of the swivels may be set too height and pitch, both stern and lateral. In
low, Illaking it difficult to extract the blade at addition, the foot stretcher can be adjusted to
the tinish of the stroke; or the foot stretcher create the optimum distance behind the work,
may be set at too steep an angle, which will height and rake (angle). Finally the slides can
make compression diHlcult. be adjusted backwards and forwards.
Onc point worth mentioning in particular, Oars can be adjusted to alter the ratio
is the height of the swivels in sculling boats. between inb oard and outboard. Some

53
RIGGING

modern oars can also be adjusted to increase more detail. It should be ~,lid ,1l this stage,
or decrease the overalllcngth. however, th,lt , ' (HI should not make any
With so many adjustments possible, it can adju~tments to the boar until you have
be diHicult deciding where to start. However, considered the individu,lb th,H make up the
although the order in which you carry out the crew.
adjustments is largely a matter of personal
prdcrence, there arc so me rules that shou ld be
Knowing Your Crew
tollowed to ensure the correct result. Thus, it
is absolutely essential that the span is set With the be~t will in the world it is impossible
before making any adjustments to the to decide on the most appropriate rig without
swivel, as any differences in the rigger will knowing something about the crew it i~
affect the height and pitch of the swivel. de~igned tix: the more you know about the
Simi larl y, the lateral pitch should be set crew, the better chance you have of tinding
before tackling the height of the swivel, the optimum setting~. It should also be clear
which should in rurn be set before adjusting that you will not neces~,lrily get the rigging
the stern pitch. Other than these simple right tirst time. finding the best rig is a matter
guidelines, there arc no hard and fast rules as of experimenting, over time, whilst making
regards which order to follow. rigorous notes :lI1d observatiom.
Th(; order I personally use when setting the
boat up tor the tirst time is this:
SPAN/SPREAD/THWARTSHIP
• span DISTANCE (TD)
• lateral pitch
• height of swivel The tirst area to be considered is the most
• stern pitch appropriate span tix the crew. The term 'span'
• height and rake of tC)(lt stretcher is used when referri ng to the distance between
• slide position the base of both pins in J sculling boat. When
referring to sweep boats, the term 'spread', or
Having outlined the various adjustments that more commonly ''I'D' is used , where the
can be made, wc can now look at them in measurement is from the centre of the pin (a t

1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 5 6 to 160 an - - - - - - - - - - - 1

fig. I Measuring the span in ,1 sculling bO,l[ ( nSA ).

54
 lUGGING

di stance from the centre to the pi n (spread)

overlap

height of the ,wivel above the 'C.'lr-""":"---t-t-':"'-iT:::==:::,_-~==::;::::::::::::::;r\

Iw iwl

hc i gt\t of the 'cat above the' h~l, E:=::;=~j::;=~~~--

fig . I b J\ \caslIring the sprc.ld ('I'D ) in a rowing boat ( fI SA ).

the base ), to the centreline of the boat. NOT E: glad to say that I now understand how this
Do not measure t,'o m the top of the pins, as works, and feci contident when experimenting
the amount oflateral pitch can drasticall y alter with it.
the measurement. A larger arc (smaller span ) will result in the
Span was one of the co ncepts I found blades spending longer in the water, which
hardest to understa nd when I first sta rted wi ll , ifall else is equal , increase the boat speed .
coach ing - I simply could not g rasp the fact The problem is , of course, that everything
that by increasin g the spa n, the len g th of the doesn't remain equal , becau se if the blade
stroke would shorten: it does this by altering spend s longer in the water yo u need to be
the arc which the oar works through. I am capable of maintainin g the force o n it for

Decrea se in spread
callses an increa se
in arc length.

fig . 2 Efkct of c11.1nge~ to th e ~p.ln ( rlSA ).

55
RIGGING

longer, otherwise the boat will go slower, and Assessing Overlap

to do this you need to be both technically
more efficient, and fi tter. Striking the right balance between outboard
This highlights once again that before length and span is c rucial. In practice,
making any changes to the rigging, you need however, we tend to use the relationship
to consider the impact on the only thing that between inboard length and span. B\'
actually propels the boat through the water: measuring how much the oar handle extends
the rower. There is no point in making a past the centreline of the boat, wc can assess
change just because mechanical principles the amount of overlap. We do not actually
state that the boat will go more quickly if you need to measure this, as we need only subtract
do. We know that if we row with longer oars the spa n from the inboard to arrive at the
we can, in theory, produce more force on the corrcct fIgure. Thc usual range fiJ r overlap in
blade, which should increase the boat speed. swcep boats when measured in this way is
It doesn't ::dways work like this, however, 29 - 31 cm, and I ha\'e found an overlap of
since everything about rigging a boat is a 30cm to be about right for most of the crews
compromise to accommodate the human I have coached.
factor. Technically speaking, the overlap in sc ulling
Perhaps more than any other measurement, boats is measured as the distance between the
the span should not be considered in isolation ends of the sc ull handles at the midpoint of the
- it is essential to take into account the length stroke. In practice, however, it is calculated in
of the oars and the length of outboard at the the same way as with sweep boats ie bv
same time. You should also remember that subtracting the span from the inboard ,
even relatively small changes in span will have although as wc have two oars in a scu llin g
a considerable dTect on how much work you boat, wc need to double the inboard and then
have to do , and so YOU1' level of fItness needs subtract the span. The usual range when
to be considered too. measured in this way is 14- 18cm.

dlste~~ of tht pln to tht pin (,prrbC)

Irboerd of ch. oc,,11

I_ .! overlap of acull.

"tet above the h~t 6.

swivel abovr tht' .. eat

Fig . 3 Overlap in sculling boars (f lSA ).

56
 RIGGING

Onc word ofcllllion when looking at other GEARING

ITeomnlLnd,\tiom for overlap: many charts
quote range~ Llrger th,ln the ones I have just It is impossible to ta lk about spans and
gi\'en beclme they incl udc an ~ll1owance te)r inboard / outboard length without also
the width of the ~wi\TI. Span is measured b'om discussing gearing. Gearing is onc of the most
the centre of the pin to rhe centre of the boat, misused terms in ro\\'ing; unfe)rtunatciy, it is
\\'hereas inbo,lrd is measured fl'om the inside also one of the most important to understand.
of the button to the end of the oar; there is So what is it, and \\'hy is it so important)
therefore a discrepancy of half the width of the Gearing is simply the term used to describe
swi\·el. the load placed on the rower throughout the
It is \'ery import,1I1t not to exceed the above stroke. It is influenced by the overall kngth of
recommendatiom, as too much or too littk the oar, the length ofoutbo,lrd, the arc of the
()\Trlap will significantly affect your tech - stroke and the span . There arc several different
nique . Too much ()\'erl,lp in s\\'eep boats \\'ill equations that can be used to work out the
tend to shorten the ,lmount or reach vou can gearing fe)r a particular combination of
achie\'e ,\t the c,\tch ,1I1d m,l)' cause vou to kan settings; the most common onc is to di\'ide
in to the rigger at the finish. Too littk O\'eriap, the outboard kngth b~ ' the span, and \\'hilst it
on the other hand, can make it difficult to is by no means perfect, it does provide a simpk
achie\'e a strong finish, as the hands cannot \\'ay of working out the load . fig. 4 shows the
draw past the body. gearing f()r a few common span and outboard
The amount of o\'(:rlap is of particular settings .
significance in scu llin g, because of the need to
uncross the O,\f handles as you come through 80llf LOll!tiJ Ill/lOll I'd ()lItbollrd Spllll Gmrilll !
typ,. oIoll)'
the ~troke. Generally speaking, the amount of
O\'Crlap will be kss for the quicker boats such 4- 31H 117 26 7 1\6 3. 10
4+ 384 116.5 26 7. 5 1\5 ,5 3. 13
as quad sculb. 'vVhen boats are moving as 8+ 384 115 269 1\4 3.20
quicklv as ,1 quad scu ll does, there is \'ery littk
time to lock the blade in the water and so rig. 4 Sample gc.Hillg ratios
propel the boat forwards. To case this, wc (All IllcasurCJllCllt~ cxccpt r.nio ,11'<.: ill Cl: ntiJllc.:trc~. )
need to place gre,\ter emphasis on the first half
of the stroke. This is normall), achie\'ed by As can be seen, there is very littic difference in
rowing through ,1 longer arc, thereby allowing the load between the coxicss pair and the
more time to achie\'e m,1Ximum force on the coxed four, but the load on the rowers in the
blade. eight is greater.
The proportion of the stroke taken before Onc of the fundamentals of moving a boat
the orthogonal position is also greater, and to quickly is for every crew member to row
,lchiC\'e this, the ~t retcher is usually adjusted through the same stroke arc. I f you ha\'e the
further towards the ste rn. It fe)llows that there situation where this is not the case - perhaps
will be kss stroke t,lken h'om the orthogonal onc rower is not as tall as the rest of the crew,
position to the finish, which means there is or has limited flexibility and so cannot get the
kss room to uncross the sc ull handks; the same reJch at the catch - vou . mav. have to
f,lster boats therefore need slightly less resort to adjusting the span (in this case bv
()\·erlap. decreasing it ) to enabk him to achieve the

57
lUGGING

same arc. The problem is that in doing so, you total pitch which acts on the blade i~ made up
will alter the load for the rower at the same of four elements: the pitch on the bce of the
time. The above gearing equation can be used swivel, the pitch (ifany ) built into the oar, the
to ensure that the loading remains constant , stern pitch on the pin, and rinally .1IlY lateral
or at the very least is not radically different pitch on the pin . All relllr will have an dkct on
from everyone else. the pitch acting on the blade throughout the
To illustrate this, see the example as set out stroke. It is essential therefore to take each
in fig. 5 where the rower in the bow seat has into account before adjusting the pitch .
a dirterent arc from the rest of the crew. To
help him achieve the sallle arc as everyone else ,
Understanding Pitch
the span has been decrea~ed by 0 .5c m. With
the outboard remaining the same, the gearing Bdene we look at measuring pitch \\'C should
has increased ri'om 3.15 to 3.17, as shown in consider what pitch is, and why it is important.
(a), which will increase the worklo.ld on the Pitch rders to the angle of the blade whibt it
rower. is in the water. Although in theory we should
By decreasing the outboard by lcm, the be capable of maintaining a horizontal draw
gearing changes to 3.16, as at ( b ) which throughout the stroke, in practice we use an
means that the workload is closer to the rest upward Illovement of the hand to cO\'Cr the
of the crew. Had the outboard been reduced blade at the catch, and drop the hands down .It
by a further 0.5cm, the gearing would have the rinish to extract the blade. Unfortunatelv
been ex.letl)' the same (c) as the rest of the it is virtually impossible to achieve an imtant
crew. change ri-om a vertical to a horizontal move -
ment (catch ) or vice versa.
PosirlllJl LW,lIt" SpnJl 01ltbonrd iJlbollrd GWrlItll lf we did not have positive pitch on the
%nr
blade at the catch, the blade would tend to go
Cre\\' 3S4 IlS. 2611 116 3. 15 deep, making it e\'en more ditllcult to achieve
Bo\\' 3114 114.S 2611 116 3. 17(.1)
the change to the horizontal movement
Bo\\' 3114 84.5 267 11 7 3. 16(b )
Bo\\' 3114 114.S 266.5 11 7.5 3. 15(c) required. SimiLuly, to make extraction e.l~ier
- ic to go ri-om .1 horizontal to a vertical m()\'e-
fig . 5 Ertect on gearing or moving ~f)J1l ment - it is prderable to have slightly less pitch
(All mea~uremcllts exccpt ratio arc.: ill ccntimctn:\. ) at the tinish. Pitch therefore makes it easier to
tlnd the cOITect depth at the catch and to
PITCH extract the blade at the rinish.
So br so good - but there i~ , nevertheless ,
Just as the rake of the foot stretcher i~ the onc a negati\'e side to having positive pitch on the
least likcly to be adjusted regularly (if at all ), blade. The gre.lter the pitch on the bl.1de ,
so pitch must surely be the one we play about the less horizontal the force that will bc
with Illost' To a non -rower, it would probably applied. As the pitch increases, the direction
seem that every single problem in a crew can of the forces will tend to become more
be solved by some judicious twiddling with upward, thereby actively working ag.limt wh .lt
the pitch. we are trying to do . This meam, in effect, tll.lt
When we talk about pitch we normally rder 3 gre.ltcr proportion of the force .lpplied i\
to either the stern or the IateL11 pitch. It is dissip.lted .lnd does not contribute to
important, however, to understand that the propelling the bo.lt I()\ward~ .

58
 RIGGING

Although thL ditfcrLIKe is small, when thL I t is always a good idGl to chLck thL pitch
time which sLparates gold and silver medallists on new oars when thL)' alT tlrst delivered - you
in a race can be as little as rtm or 1~I(lSeC, it would be surprised how often the pitch is not
mav be worth bearing it in mind. what you werL expecting. I once had a set of
Light oars deliverLd, which were all supposed
to have had zero degreLs built in. In fact when
Measuring Pitch
I mGlsured them, thrLe werL as orderLd, two
Pitch should be measllrL d in thL tc)lIowing had 1 degreL whilst the remaining three had 2
order: oar, pin (btera l first, thLn stLrn) and degrLes. Take nothing for granted'
finally on thL ~\\'i\'d face. IftherL is a diftcrence and ifvou do not allow
for this when setting your pitch, you will h~1\'L
an imbabnce. Any diHcrence between bow
The Pitch on the Oar
and stroke side may also atkct the bablKe of
Although dKcking the pitch on the oar is reb - the boat, particularly for singk sculls.
tivdy ~traightf()rward (it is cntainly Lasier than I t is also worth checking vour oars on .1
getting a rdiabk pitch ITading ri'om thL blade regular basis, as the older an oar becomes , the
when the oar is in the swivel ), 1 havL rardy SLen more likely it is that the pitch will have
it done Dqxnding on the make of oars you changed from when it was first manufacturLd ;
use, thne will most likdy be Lither ze ro this is a result of wearing on the sleeve causLd
degrees (as with most modnn carbon -flbrL by the continual turning of the oar. In somL
oars) or 2 deglTLs (3S in traditional wooden cases it may be necessary to rc -sleeve an oar in
03rs) positivL pitch built into thLm. It is Lssen - ordn to get a satisbctory pitch on thL bbde
tial, howevn, that you check the pitch of To measure the pitch on yo ur oars you need
your oars before doing anything else. a pitch gauge and a flat surface such as a

Zeroing the pitch gauge bdc)re measuring the pitch on the oar.

59
lUGGING

Measuring the pitch on the oar (note YOLl need to place the pitch g;luge on the flat side of the slee\'e ).

bench. Zero the pitch gauge on the bench, Stern pitch

ensuring that it is facing in the same direction
as you will use it, and ask an assistant to hold Stern pitch is made up of two components: the
the Oar with the tip facing down on the bench. pitch on the pin and the pitch on the swivel.
You then need to place your pitch gauge There would be no point therefore in
across the sleeve of the oar, just next to the measuring the pitch on the pin without also
button, and take a reading. This will give you measuring the pitch on the swivel. Stern pitch
the pitch of the oar, and you should make a directly affects the angle of the blade through
record of it. the water: thus if it is set at 4 degrees on the
swivel, with no pitch on the blade and no
lateral pitch, the blade will come through the
The Pitch on the Pin
water at an angle of 4 degrees from catch to
There arc two types of pitch which can be finish.
adjusted on the pin: lateral and stern. Stern Although traditionally you would alter the
pitch essentially refers to the angle of the stern pitch by altering the angle of the pin ,
swivel in the fore and aft plane - running along modern swivels allow us to do so without
the length of the boat - whilst lateral pitch is rnoving the pin. The main advantage in this ,
the angle at which the pin lies in relation to is that it allows us to alter the pitch whilst
the centreline of the boat. Of the two, lateral keeping the pin in a \'ertic11 pmition.
pitch can be most diff-1cult to understand. A vertical pin is to be pretcrred as it .11l0\\,S

60
 RJCCINC

for greater control over the pitch acting on the enced rowers would use no more than 4
blade - any deviation of the pin from the degrees.
vertical position will affect the pitch of the I would urge anvone still using boats with
blade throughout the stroke. It~ fe)r example, old -style swivels to change them. If this is not
the pin was set with 2 degrees stern pitch, with possible, you should set the pins vertically and
no lateral pitch, and the blade had 2 degrees then change the pitch by using some tape
built in and the swivel had 4 degrees, the total wrapped around the face of the swivel. If you
pitch acting on the blade at the orthogonal want more pitch you should wrap the tape
position (90 degrees ) would be 8 degrees. around the top of the swivel, and if you
The pitch at the catch and finish, however, want less, wrap it around the bottom of the
would be approximatelv 7 degrees, so there swivel.
would be less pitch at either end of the stroke
as opposed to what we want, which is more
pitch at the catch and less at the finish. Throw Lateral pitch
sOllle lateral pitch into the equation, and it
becollles even more difficult to get the precise Whereas stern pitch measures the rellT and an
variation in piteh that you want. angle of the pin, lateral pitch measures how
The pitch that you choose will depend to a Illuch the pin leans towards, or away from the
large extent on your level of expertise. centreline of the boat. As mentioned earlier,
Generallv speaking, the more experienced you the optimum setting is one where the pitch is
are , the less pitch you will require. Beginners greater at the cateh and gradually decreases
would probablv be happiest with anything throughout the stroke. To achie\'e this varia -
ranging from 6 to 8 degrees, whereas experi - tion, it is necessalY to use lateral pitch.

Mca,uring the stern pitch of the pin .

61
RIGGING

Measuring the lateral pitch of the pin.

The more lateral pitch you have, the greater Adjusting the Overall Pitch
the variation will be from catch to finish. What
you should never have is negative lateral pitch, In my view, the most accurate way to adjust
where the pin leans in to the boat. Depending the overall pitch is to measure the pitch on the
on what stern pitch you have, negative lateral oar, set the pin vertical (sternwards ), adjust
pitch will decrease the pitch at the catch and until you h:l\'e the desired lateral pitch and
increase it at the finish: the opposite to what then measure the pitch on the swivel. Trying
YOll want. to tlnd the pitch by putting the boat on tres-
As a general rule of thumb, for every degree tles, putting the oar in the swivel and then
oflateral pitch you have, the pitch at the catch measuring the blade tip is unreliable.
will increase by approximately 0.5 degrees, Although what matters ultimately IS how
and reduce at the tlnish by the same amount. much pitch there is at the blade, it is extremely
Thus 2 degrees oflateral pitch would give you diffIcult to nll:asure the pitch accurately using
1 degree more at the catch and 1 degree less this method.
at the tlnish. The usual range for lateral pitch Although pitch is very important, I feel that
is between 1 and 2 degrees. we are often too ready to change it. Measuring
As an example, if you had a vertical pin with pitch properly requires con siderable accuracy ,
2 degrees lateral pitch and 6 degrees total which makes it essenti~ll to try to get it right
stern pitch (ie the combined oar and swivel tlrst time and not to change it every couple of
pitch ), the pitch would vary from 7 degrees at sessions. Even the most experienced coaches
the catch , to 6 degrees at the orthogon;t1 and can get diHcrent results when they mea~ure
5 degrees at the tlnish. the pitch of the same swivel.

62
 RICCINC

THE HEIGHT OF THE SWIVEL ditticult to keep the bbde fi.dly covered.

The tin,ll me,lsurement th,\t we should

How to Measure Height
comider i~ height. When we talk about height,
\\'e u~u,lllv retl:r to the distance between the It can be tedious, but the best way to measure
b,lse of the swi\'el ,lnd the lowest part of the height is to h3ve the crew sitting in the boat
ti'om edge of the ~e,H. Although this is ,111 with the oars in the swivels. Thev should sit
import,lnt me,lsurement, I believe that , in the boat level (a spirit b-d is essential for this )
itselt~ it is not sutticiemly accurate to ensure whilst the coach measures from the water to
the most ,lppropriate rigging set-up. the swivel (this should be t3kcn ti-om the mid -
Gi\Tn that mo~t elubs do not ha\'e the point of the rowing face of the ~wi\'el).
luxury of specifying bo,\ts that meet the exact I t can be e3sier to measure this when the
weight requirements of each crew, I would boat is next to the pontoon; 3150 a round piece
suggest th,lt the most important measurement of card attached to the end of the measuring
is from rhe base of the swivel to the surface tape makes lite easier. When ~etting the height
of the water (see hg . 6 ). When we measure in this way the range should be approximately
from the scnt to the swivel, we make the 22-24cl11 for sweep bo:1tS and 24-26cm fix
assumption that the crew is rowing in a boat sculling boats.
designed to si t ,l[ the correct depth in the Rather than trying to set the boat up tj-om
water. This being the case, we can be rea~on ­ scratch using this method, I would recom -
,lbly SUIT that, prO\'iding the height from the mend that you measure the height ti-om the
seat to the swivel is appropriate , the oar will be seat to the swivel and adjust this to between
3t the correct angle to the w,Her (a pproxi - 16- 18cl11 depending on your crew. A height
m,nely nine to ten degree~ ), emuring that the of 16cm is the 1110st coml11on starting point.
height of the draw i~ correct.
However, if - as so often happen~ - the crew
The Consequences of Height
is rowing in a boat de~igned for a heavier
Adjustment
crew, the bo,lt will ~it higher in the water than
it is designed to do . Thi~ will aHcct the 'lIlglc Before altering the height of your swivel, you
ofthe 03r, which will in turn aHcct the height of should understand the potential dkct of the
the dr,l\\' - here it will be too high , making it changes you make. Adjusting the height Ius a

Fig . 6 l\\c,lsuring Ihe height fi'olll the ,,",ltCl' to thc s\\'i\,c! ( FISA ).

63
RIGGING

Using a hcight stick to mcasure the height ofthc swivcl.

Illarked effect on the height at which the On the other hand, if the heigh t is too low
rower will draw the handle through it will make it diHlcult to extract the blade ,
the stroke. Any alteration will affect the degree which will also aHecr the balance, slowing the
to which specitlc Illuscles are used, altering the boat down even more. A further disach'a ntage
power you are able to apply. It will also affect of lower heights is that the lower they are, the
the reach you can achieve at the catch, and the greater the tendency will be to lift the bod,'
balance of the boat. throughout the stroke. Once again then ,
There are Illany views on whether it is more rigging the boat becomes a compromise
eHective to ha\'e the swivels set high or low. In between the theoretical optimull1 and \\'hat
the case of scu lling , the trend has been to works best in practice.
increase the height. This allows more power
to be applied Llsing the shoulder and upper
Sculling Boat Heights
back Illuscles. A longer stroke will also be
achieved, as you can get more reach at the Opinions \'at~' as to whether the nggers on
catch for the sallle body position, if the arms sculling boats should be set at the ~ame height
.\1"<: in a more horizontal position. or not. There are two 1ll.1in ways of achie\'ing
The negative side of this is that the boat the crossover of the hands in the middle of the
tends to become more unstable , and it can be stroke:
difficult to keep the blades fully covered a. Keeping the hand, In'el, with onc h.1t1d in
throughout the stroke, thereby lowering its ri-OtH ofthe other .
dtCctive length. b. Ha"ing onc hand higher than the other.

64
 RIGGING

In this country the technique taught is that THE FOOT STRETCHER

the left hand should lead away from the tlnish
with the right hand tucked in behind; in other Height
words the hands shou ld be level , and not one
on top of the other. In theory, then, there There is a direct correlation between the
shou ld be no need to have the riggers at height of the footplate and the body position
ditkrent heights; in practice, however, it is at the catch. This will also determine in which
difficult to scu ll comfortably without a direction the forces created throughout the
sma ll difference in the height of the riggers. stroke will act. This makes the adjustment of
These are usually set with the bow-side rigger the height of the feet one of the most
slightly higher than the stroke-side one, the critical we can make.
difference usually being in the range of Research has shown that the maximum
0.5-2cm. force produced by a specitIc muscle is partly
Having the riggers at different heights may linked to the alignment of the various joints
lod to diftlculties in extracting the blade on that the muscles work over, and it has been
the lower setting, whilst making it diffIcult to demonstrated that the maximum force is
keep the higher blade fully covered. The other generated when the bones are at right-angles
potential problem is that in order to maintain to each othcr. As the bones move further away
an even balance, the difference needs to be from this position, so the force that the
maintained all the way through the stroke muscles can produce lessens. At the extremes
cvcle, that is , through drive and recovery. The of the joint movement, the torce produced is
difference in heights should therefore be kept considerably lower.
to a minimum, for instance no more than Ifwe take the example ofa bicep curl, when
0.5cm. we initiate the movement, our arms arc
As with other aspects of rigging there arc straight and the maximum torce wc can crene
some genera l rules that should be borne in will be relatively low . As the upper and lower
mind when determining the optimum height parts of the ann come closer together, the
of the swivcis: maximum force generated will increase signif-
icantly, reaching a peak when the two bones
• Start with cvelyone on the same height are at right-angles to each other. As the gap
from seat to swivel. between the bone closes, so the maximum
• Check that there is suHicient room to row force begins to decline once again.
with the blades sq uared on the recovelY Just as with the arms, the same principle
(~qua re blade paddling ). applies to the leg muscles. Ideally then, what we
• In general, you should be aiming to t1nish should be aiming for is to have a 90-degree
with the handles just below your bottom ~ngle between the bones of the lower and
rib. upper leg at the part of the stroke where wc
• The shorter your upper body, the lower want to create most force, ie just before the
the height should be. orthogonal. Ifwe can achieve the same with the
• The optimum height is the onc that angle between the lower back and the top of
produces the fastest time over the race the thighs, wc should, theoretically, be in the
distance. You need to measure this' strongest position to achieve maximum boat
propulsion. I n practice, however, it is extremely
difficult to achieve this ideal scenario.

65
RIGGING

What wc should strive for then, is to avoid have come across countless scullers with foot
having an extremely acute angle between the stretchers that are set at too steep an angle,
upper and lower leg at the catch. This is making it diHicult to get any hip pivot from
achieved by adjusting the height of the foot- backstops. Thi~ will force the body into .1n
plate until the balls of the teet arc just below inetlicient position at the catch, which in turn
the scat. This implies that, for most people , will shorten the length of the Hroke and
the heds arc set at approximately 15- 18cl11 inevitably lead to a slower bo,lt speed. I know
below the scat. that in many older boats it can be ditlicult to
As was discussed earlier when wc looked at adjust the angle, but if you se ri ous ly wish
technique, it is essential to minimize any to maximize your boat speed, you must be
upward movement of the body throughout able to attain the correct position ;It the catch,
the stroke. For this reason it is important not and this is impossible to achieve with an in -
to adjust the footplate too low, because the correct rake. I am also surprised that ~e\'eral
lower it is set the more that the force you makes of new boats arc so ld without the
create will be directed upwards . Having the bcility to adjust the rake . I know that h.l\'ing
feet too low will also tend to make you drop adjustable rakes is just onc more thing that can
your body onto your thighs at frontstops: go wrong, but it really is important to get the
collapsing onto your thighs in this way will rake right.
result in your hands going down, which in Many boats come with the fi:)()tplates set at
turn raises the blade just at the moment an angle of 45 degrees . I would suggest that,
you want it to be closest to the surbce of the whilst this may represent the theoreti ca l
water. optimum, it is too steep fCJr many rowers,
Having the feet set too high, on the other especially male rowers. females .1re generall~'
hand, will make it very ditlicult to swing over more flexible and so can usually cope with this
from backstops, and thi~ will result in an inef- sort ofangle better than males. If you have stiff
ficient body position at the catch and may lead calf muscles or low flexibility in your ankles
to rushing up the slide. It is also important to (Ac hilles tendon), you will need to u~e a less
remember that the higher the ket are, the less steep rake, perhaps even as low .15 38 - 39
reach you will get at the catch, resulting in a degrees. Having said this, you should aim to
shorter stroke. Finally to compound every- increase your flexibility in order to be able to
thing it will be more ditlicult to balance the use a steeper rake, as this otlcrs the potenri.ll
boat. to ;lpply more power.
In general terms, the shorter the body is,
the lower your ket should be. Similarly, if you
have short lower legs , the footplate should be
set higher.

The Rake (Angle) of the Foot

Stretcher
Perhaps onc of the most neglected adjust -
ments in rowing is the rake of the foot
stretcher - that is, the angle between the keel
of the boat and the f()()tplate (see fig. 7) . I fig . 7 Thc r.lkc ofrhe fC)()lpl.llc ( J-'lSA ).

66
 RIGGING

Fore and Aft Adjustment enable the rower to row through the optimum
arc. I personally prefer to l11:lrk the position
The tin.1l .1djmtment to make is the position behind the work. Achieving the correct angle
of the tC)ot st retcher tcm: and aft: (it: towards at the Glteh is influenced by technique and the
the bow or ~tern ) . The proper adju~tment of height of the swivel amongst other things,
the tC)()t ~tretcher is essential if you arc to make whereas once the stretcher position is set,
the mmt of ~'our sp.1n setting . Unless the there is nothing you can do about your ulti -
stretcher is adjmted to enable you to achieve mate finish position .
the correct angles at the catch and tinish of the When you get to the end of the stroke there
stroke , there is little value in finding the is nothing yo u can do except take the blade
optimum sp.1I1 setting. out of the water. A good sta rting position is
There is nothing complicated about about 66cm for men :lnd 62cm fex women
knowing where to adjust the stretcher to, but behind the line of work. I n general, the taller
it seems that it i~ often adjusted in a random you are, the closer to the stern you will need
m.lIlner, rather th.1I1 to a predetermined posi - to ,1djust your Hretcher and \'ice \'ersa. As
tion. All me~lsurements relating to the mentioned earlier, there can be a small difTer-
~tretcher position revolve around the working ence in the positioning of the stretcher
face of the ~wivcl: this is known as the line of between bO:lt types, with the faster boats
work . rut simply, the further the stretcher is having the stretcher adjusted closer to the
:ldjusted tow:lrds the stern, the greater the stern in order to optimize the length of
angle .1t which the blade will enter the W:lter the first halfofthe stroke. It shou ld be stressed
in the c:ltch position. The further it is :ldjusted however that this difference is not great,
towards the bow, the greater the :lngle :It the perhaps 4cm at most.
tinish of the stroke.
\Vhen it comes to setting the stretcher posi -
tion it i~ commo n pr:lctice to decide on a RIGGING FOR INDIVIDUAL
particular distance behind the line of work and CREWS
to adjust to this. The position C:ln be nurked
b~' placi ng :l piece of electric:ll tape next the Although I appreciate that in a normal club
slide at the required point. When the crew get environment, where boats are used by many
in the boat, it is ,1 simple matter to adjust their crews, it may be diHicult to allow every crew
f()ot stretcher until the b:lck wheels of their to individualize their rigging , I believe there
se:lt line up with the piece of tape when their are some fundamental adjustments that can be
legs are fully down. made, quickly and si mply , by each crew at the
However, not all crews set the stretcher in start of their training session .
this way. Some adjust to a specific position to . for example, it never ceases to am,lze me the
thc stern of the line of work; this is known as number of crews I sce on the water rowing with
riistnllce t/;rlll/lT/; t/;e Jl1mk Having identified vastly different finish angles. This is something
the correct position, the slides :lIT adjusted so that is quickly and easily adjusted, bdc)re or as
that the ti'ontsrops arc fr:lctionally ahead of soon as you get in the boat. So why don't they
this point. The crew would then adjust their do it) Because unless all of the crew's finish
stretcher so that they cou ld just about re,1(h angles are the same, it is all but impossible
ti'ontstops with the ti'ont wheels of the scat. to balance the boat. Steering becomes a prob -
The aim of both methods is the same: to lem, .15 docs timing the transter of the weight

67
RIGGING

onto the toes at the end of each stroke. As bal - of the oar. It would onl\' be in extreme
ance and the transtCr of weight are two of the circumstances - for instance , amen's hea\'Y -
kevs to moving a boat quickly, it should be sec - weight crew and a women's lightweight ere\\'
ond nature tor rowers to adjust to the correct sh.1ring the same boat - that this would not
position. This means measuring the distance give .1 sufticient amount of adjustment.
behind the pin, setting a mark on the slide bed
and adjusting to this position.
At the same time as adjusting the position FINAL COMMENTS ON RIGGING
of the toot stretcher, you can adjust the height
and rake. The height of the swivels can also be Before making any adjustments to vour
adjusted quickly between sessions (therctore rigging it is advisable to I()llow these steps:
crews ). If there are two crews using the boat
with different height requirements, it is • Record all existing measurements tirst.
straightforward enough to change this before • Only adjust one thing at a time.
everv session but how manv crews do it>
~. , ~
• Row with the ne\\' setting t(lr at least three
With the new style of swivel, it is also or four sessions.
straightforward to change the pitch between • Keep records of cllcry adjustment made.
sessions. Each crew , or rower tor that matter, • Only change something after analysing
could have their/his own set of pitch inserts, your technique.
for example. Pitch inserts are not expensive • Do time trials to determine the most
and changing them is quick and easy. ctfccrive setting.
Although it is time -consuming and prob -
lematic to change the span between sessions, And tinally: 'If it isn't broken, don't fix it. '
it is very easy to change the outboard length

68
 5 Training for Rowing
I f a rower is to be successful he will need result in the body being capable of coping
training in every aspect of his Jbilities: he \\'ill with the higher stress level. I t is this constJnt
not onl" need good technique, but rlexibility, adaptation of the body to whatever stress is
mobility, strength , power, endurJnee Jnd applied to it, that r<)rJl1s the basis of all sports
speed, and it i~ important thJt he has J training.
thorough understJnding of the role that each Let us tJke the example of a rower
of these has in creating J good rower. attempting to lift a certain weight: if the
Ho\\,e\'er, rir~t \\'e shall look at some of the weight (stress ) is easily manageable, there is
fundJmentJls of trJining. no need for the body to make any adaptation.
H~ however, the load is not easily manageable,
the body will adapt to ensure that, should it
BASIC TRAINING PRINCIPLES encounter that 10Jd Jgain, it will be able to
cope wi th it.
There JIT certJin principles thJt apply to JII The implicJtions of this t()r training arc that
tvpes of trJining, whether it is trJining for if wc want the body to Jdapt, either by getting
endurJl1ce, strength, or rlexibility. These arc stronger or by increJsing its endurance
overload, recovery, specificity, reversibility capacity, there is no point in repeating the
Jnd evaluJtion. same training over and over JgJin. If, for
example, you can lift lOOkg ten times before
failure, you Jre not going to train your bodv
Overload
to be able to lift 200kg ten times by contin -
OverloJd refers to the process whereby J uing to lift only lOOkg. Although this mJY
muscle is systemJticJlly subjected to a seem like common sense, it never tails to
progressively higher stress in order to develop surprise me how mJny rowers use the SJme
and strengthen it. The hun1Jn body is J training programme year in, yeJr out, without
ren1Jrbbly efficient mJchine in that if it is ever reJlly Jdjusting the IOJd .
subjected to a repeated stress, it will adapt to
cope with thJt stress in the most effective way
Recovery
it can. This process is referred to JS 'over-
compensation', Jnd it is discussed in greJter Closely Jllied to the principle of overioJd is
dctJil in Chapter 7. thJt of recovery. It is important to understJnd
Once the muscle has adapted to a particular that when yo u overioJd your body, the adap-
stress or load, no more JdJptJtion should be tation to that load takes place during the
required Jnd so none will tJke place. If, recovery period immediately following the
however, J further stress of greater magnitude exercise, and not during the exercise itself. If
is applied, the body will adapt to this stress in YOll fail to Jllow suffIcient n.:co\'ery time afte r
the SJme wav as it did for the rirst, and this will exercise, the body will not hJve had time to

69
TRAINING FOR ROWING

replenish its energy resources, which means length of time the progress you have made will
that when you start the next training session be undone. Many studies have shown that,
it will be too fatigued to cope. If you continue depending on what specific areas have been
overloading your body in this way, it will even- trained, the body can become 'detrained' -
tually break down and be unable to cope with that is , it can lose the bendit gained from
Jny work at all. This situation is known as training - anywhere up to three times as
'failing adaptation' (sec Chapter 7). quickly . Thus if, for instance, it has taken you
Whatever your aims or your level ofcompe- six weeks to improve your strength, it may
tition, this is a situation you should do your take only two weeks to lose that improvement.
utmost to avoid if you arc to progress as There arc very clear implication s for this ,
planned. particularly in relation to the traditional rest
period at the end of the racing season when
many crews take anything up to three month s
Specificity
off training between the National
A training routine should always be designed Championships and comll1encing winter
to develop a particular aspect of your capabil- training. The other obvious an:a for concern
ities: thus if you wish to develop your capacity is when injury or illness strikes, and it is vital
for endurance, you would not spend hours that , where possible , some form of training
doing strength training, in the same way that should be continued - subject, of course, to
a runner will not spend hours on a rowing medical advice.
ergometer - although having said this , a
certain amount of 'cross-training' can be very
Evaluation
usefiIl tOr athletes in any sport to break the
monotony of constantly performing the same The final principle of training is that of evalu -
movements, whether it is running, rowing, or ation. As much as yo u need to overload the
swimming. In this way cross-training can help body in order to improve , so too should you
significantly in maintaining motivation , be constantly evaluating your situation: as I
particularly amongst athletes who have been have mentioned previously, if yo u do not
in their sport for many years; it is also a way of increase the workload when yo ur body has
avoiding the damage which can be caused by adapted to it, no further adaptation will occur;
repeatedly stressing the same muscles. and the key to knowing when adaptation has
Specificity also refers to the local nature of occurred ;1I1d so when to increase the training
the adaptations that occur with certain load is regular evaluation of your progress.
training routines , as will be explained later in Testing on a regular basis is therefore an
this chapter; other forms of training promote essential part of any training programme.
adaptations which are more centralized. Moreover it doesn 't just give yo u an indica -
tion of when to increase your training load , it
also allows for evaluation of the training
Reversibility
programme itself: it is only through regular
Perhaps onc of the most important principles testing that you can determine whether the
in training is that of reversibility , meaning that programll1e is actually achieving the desired
the body can reverse any of the adaptations it aims or not. Unfortunately, testing is onc area
has made through training. The implications that can often be overlooked - but if vou do
of this are, that if you stop training for any Hot e,·aluate ~f our programme regularly, your

70
 TRAINI:-:G I'OR ROWING

on Iv way of knowing that it is working is when main types, as t(lllows: oxygen utilization 1
\'()u come to r.lce, by which stage, of course, (UTI ), oxygen utilization 2 ( UT2 ), oxygen
it is too I.ne to m.lke any change~. (The su bject transport (TR), anaerobic threshold (AT),
of testing and e\·.lluating training progr.lmmes lactate (L) and finally abctate (AL) training.
is cO\'en:d in more detail in Ch.lptn 8. ) The table below shows these, together with
the rates as recommended bv the World
Governing Body for Rowing (Fedcl'atirJll
TYPES OF TRAINING 11ltcmrttionnlc dn Socdtcs D'AJJil'lJn - fISA ).
The table also shows some commonly used
We shall now look at the ditferent sorts of examples of each (further examples can be
tr.lining we should be doing to improve our tc.ltllld in Appendix 2 ).
rowing pnt<Jrm.\I1cc. Rowing is primarily a
strength -endurance event, and so the training 7;'11111111.11 Wor~' RII Ii ".11 R.-.I % oj' wny j'UiJf ...
IVp,. iJf nrl rntr
should aim prim.lrily to improve these two
characteristics. On the whole it is more pr.\( - UT2 60 '.10 ' IX 22 nOIl(': 63 1 ; I}O 130 I;iO
UTI 4S- 60 ' 20 24 1l01H..: 75 XS% ISO 170
tic.ll and dliciei1t to train t(lr strength in the
AT 2 x 20 ' l-} 2H H 10 ' x;; 90% 170 IXO
gymnasium. Endurance, however, is best TR 6 x 5' 2630 6 X' 90 9;I ~O IHO 1'.10
developed in the bo.lt - although it can be L 6 x 500111 32-42 2 .> '.IS 100% 1'.10- 111.1\
developed on land, it is important to work the Al 10 x 151 111.\\ 301 N/ A N/ A
Kt'\' : I = 'Imkt' , . IllIIlLltl'
precise muscles used during rowing, which
means doing the bulk of this training on the Fig. 8 FISA guideline~ tClr tr.lining, t,lken tj'om the
water. FISA Tmillilllf Mmlllnl.
The reason t()r this is that the main physical ~(nl·.: Heart r,ltc~ a~~ume a maximum he,ln fate
dlCct achie\'ed when tr.lining t()r endurance is of200 beat~ per minute ( bpm ).
an increase in the number of capillaries
surround in g the muscle. This tends to
Oxygen Utilization
produce a loc.llized effect, rather than a
gennal onc. If you wne to do your endurance The principle aim of UT training is to impro\'e
training ming muscles which wne not directly the body's ability to use the oxygen delivered
employed during the rowing nH)\'ement, to the muscles via the bloodstream. To
fcwer cap illario would develop round the achieve this the body must make several phys -
rowing muscles In question, thereby mini - iological adaptations, and those brought
mizing the de~ired training dlcct. about by UT training are namely an increase
As the bulk of your training time will be in the number of cap illaries and mitochondria
spent on the water, wc will next take a closer surrounding each muscle , and an increased
look at the \'ariom methods used in the boat. amount of myoglobin.
These changes lead to an increased oxida -
tive capacity in the muscles. Onc important
WATER TRAINING point re ga rdin g UT training is that most of
the adaptations created occur at the site of the
The tr.lining a rower c.1rries out on the water muscles being st re ~sed, and as mentioned
is designed to impro\'e his two main physio- earlier, this makes it essential that UT
logiLlI clpacities: hi~ .lerobic .1Ild ,1Ilanobic training is ca rried out in the boat whenever
clpacity. This training can be di\'ided into six possible

71
TRAINIl'\G FOR ROWING

Oxygen Transport The Anaerobic Threshold

Oxygen transport (TR) training is designed to A~ the n.lnK implie~, AT training i~ de~igned
increase the body ' s ability to transfer the to improve the rower\ an.lerobic thre~h()ld .
oxygen -rich blood ti-om the heart to the The maximum workload .\t which you can
muscles . Just as wc can train the skeletal exerci~e aerobically il1\'olves working just
muscles to become stronger, so it is possible below the exercise intemitv at which lacti c
to make the heart, which is also a muscle , :lcid begins to accumulate in the bloodstream.
stronger. Oxygen transport training is there - ( Lactic acid is :I byproduct which occurs in the
fore strength training for the heart. muscles as gl ycogen is broken down to cre:lte
This type of training increases the eHiciency energ~' anaerobic:llly .) AT training is therct()re
of the heart in two different ways: it becomes designed to encour.lge development of the
larger through hypertrophy, and the force of aerobic opacity.
each contraction becomes more powerful; and It is es sential when doing this type of
as it becomes larger, the amount of blood it tr:lining th.\t you cxerci~e at the correct inten -
can contain increases. This means that with sity . If you were to exercise above your AT,
every beat of the heart more blood is expelled the excess lactic acid produced would accu -
into the bloodstream than was the case prior mulate in the bloodstream and eventually
to training. cause a decrease in your power output - you
In addition to pumping out more blood per would no longer be able to continue the exer-
beat , the heart is able to exert a more forceful cise at the required intensity. It~ on the other
contraction, which results in the blood being hand, you exercise at an intensity some way
expelled more forcefully. The fact that each below your AT, you will not stress your body
contraction becomes stronger is very impor- to its maximum . In both the~e cases , the
tant because of the fact that with UT training, training eHect will be lower than that hoped
the number of capillaries surrounding each tor.
muscle increases, creating a larger network for The usual method of ensuring that you
the blood to be pumped through. This results exercise at the correct inten~ity i~ to use a
in an increased resistance which must be over- heart -rate monitor, although for this you
come in order that the increased blood supply must know the corresponding heart rate tor
may be delivered to the muscles. your AT. To establish this you would normally
The more forceful contraction of the heart need do an incremental te~t on a rowing
is onc way in which the body overcomes the ergometer in a labor.\tory , where the statT
increased resistance, and this and the bigger would take blood samples ti'om you after each
capillary network both contribute to an work increment. These blood s.lmples would
increased ability to deliver the oxygen -rich then be an.llysed to find out the leveb ofl.lctic
blood to the working muscles . This means acid correlati\'e to your he:lrt r.\te after each
that t()r a given heart rate, more blood is deliv- work increment , and a recommendation
ered to the muscles, and the more blood that nude.
is transported to the muscles, the more It i~ possible , however , to get :In :lpproxi -
oxygen there is available for exercise. This mation of your heart r:lte as it corresponds to
partly explains why athletes who :Ire very fit your AT lIsing an ergometer and a heart -rate
can produce :I given worklo:ld :It a lower heart monitor . This test is de scribed in detail in
rate than those who arc less fir. Ch.lpter 8 .

72
 TIv\ININl; FOR ROWING

AT Tm in illl! fin' CrCll'J will probably also have followed roughly

similar training programmes in the years
One of the challenges \\'e bce in rowing is that Ic.:ading up to intern3tiona l selection. Both
it is \'ery ditticu lt, if not impossible, to ensure these factors will reduce the likelihood of
that C\'eryone in a crew is working at the having extremes of heart rates at AT within
required intensity. This is more of a problem anI' one crew.
with AT training than with other types of But what about club -Ievd athletes> Here
water training. there is undoubtedly more chance of having
When doing UT training, for cxamplc.:, it is extremes in heart rates at AT, particularly
Ic.:ss (fucial that the rowers are working at the when we consider the way most c1ub -Ie\'e1
same intensity as they will, \\'ithin reason, gain erews 31T formed. With the exception of the
the required bendit t,'om the training. With larger rowing clubs, most are put together not
AT training, howe\'er, this is not the case, and as a result of careful selection procedures,
if we take the o:ample of a coxless four, it is physiological testing and so forth, but purdy
perfectll' possible for the ~tern pair to be ner- on whoel'er is availablc.: and willing to do the
cising well bdow their AT, whi lst the bow pair training. It is for this reason that I fed club
are exercising above their AT. Clearly this crews would benefit t!'om testing t()r AT on a
would mean that the rowers would be getting regular basis (provided they used the intt)r-
a different training effect. Those in the stern mation wisdy).
would be working below their maximum
aerobic le I'd , and ~o \\'ould not receive the
Lactate Training
desired training dfect - they would, ofcoUfse,
be getting some bendit f,'om the training, but Lactate training is designed to enhance the
not as much a~ they would have hoped for. ability of the body to produce work anaerobi -
The rowers in the bow, on the other hand, cally. There are two main types of lactate
would be training a different energy system training: lactate production and removal, and
and so they, too, would not be achieving the lactate tolerance, and these need to be trained
de~ired effect. How then do we overcome this in quite distinct ways. Traditionallv rowers
difticulry> have tended to do lactate tolerance work,
first the crew itsdf must be considered. where the aim is to gradually build LIp the level
Se\'eral nercise physiologists with whom I oflactic acid in the body by performing a series
hJ\'e spoken have commented that, in their of work pieces. The increasing amount of
experience, most international rowers have a lactic acid forces the body to become accus -
similar heart rate at AT, and so it is unlikdy tomed to the high levels experienced during
for there to be a wide range of heart rates at the race.
AT within any such erew boat: the chances arc A classic exam plc.: of this type of training
that they \\'ill all probably be operating at, or would be to row six 500m stretches, with a
very close to, their AT during specifiC AT rest period of between 1.25 and 1.5 times the
training se~sions. This makes sense when we work period. With such a short rest period the
consider that international athletes in any body does not have sufticient time to bring the
Sport tend to t()I'1l1 a very homogenous group, lactic acid levels back to normal. This means
and to be successful at that Ic.:vd, there are in dl-Cct that at the start of each work piece,
cert.lin phvsiological characteristics they will the lactic acid level is slightly higher than at
require.:. This is true for all sports, and athlc.:tes the start of the previous piece. As the work

73
TRAINING FOR ROWING

14

12
1
1
I.ACTIC I
ACID I
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10 1.1' \,1 ' 1 I
/ '\ I
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o
500m R R R R R
I: 500m 500m 'OOm 51111m SOOm
L I I I
S S S ~ S
r r r T I

fig . 9.1 Etfect of lactate toIcrance training (6 x 50(111 ).

14

12 ~ ~ r;"'\ ~ 7\ 17"""'"
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LACTIC I I I I I I I I
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SOOm R SOOI11 R 50001 R SOOI11 R S()()m R 500111

I- I' I I I
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T r T I I

fig. 9b Eftcct OI'I,IC(,\(C production ,lilt! l-cl11m'al tr,lining (6 x 500m ).

74
 TRAININC FOR ROWINC

pieces progress, the lactic acid levels gradually produced in this way is not a limiting factor in
accumulate , with the last piece being rowing, little time is therefore devoted to
performed with the most lactic acid. training specifically to improve it. Training for
A lactate production and removal training speed will nevertheless improve this aspect of
session is similar, but the ",av in which the your performance , as will practising racing
session is structured is slightly different. Using starts; so too will incorporating a series of
the previous example of rowing six 500m short bursts of about fifteen strokes, at high
stretches wc would perform two pieces with a rating and at maximum pressure, during a
rest period of between 1.25 and 1.5 times the longer work piece.
work time, but the diHcrence is that wc would
then do some onc-quarter to half-pressure
paddling for about fifteen minutes. This LAND TRAINING
format would be repeated until all six work
pieces had been completed. Although the bulk of a rower's training is
By ~)3ddling fc)r fifteen minutes wc allow the done in the boat , there arc some aspects of
body the opportunity to remove the lactic acid training that arc best carried out on land. It is,
that has built up, bdc)re commencing the next for example, very dift:icult to develop strength
work piece. from a physiological point of view on the water.
this is a very important diHcrence between the To develop strength it is necessary for the
training methods , because lactic acid actively muscles to overcome a resistance which is
prevents the muscle fibres from contracting, almost maxi mal. However , when a rower
and this will obviously make it impossible for places his blade in the water he does not come
the rower to work maximally . up against a fixed resistance but a dynamic
Ifwe are trying to train the body to become fluid which, whilst it offers a certain amount
accustomed to very high levels of lactic acid, of resistance, is nowhere near the maximal
it is essential that wc actually produce such resistance required to develop strength. It is
high levels during our training sessions. This for this reason that a rower uses weight
is only possible if we are fully rested and do training to build up his strength.
not have excess lactic acid in our bloodstream The other reason for training on land is that
at the start of each work piece. it is not always possible to get out on the
water, perhaps because the weather · condi -
tions are such that rowing would be unsafe, or
Alactate Training
because, as in the winter, it is too dark; or
Alactate training develops the ability of the perhaps crew members cannot train at the
body to produce the instant energy required ~ame time because of work commitments. In
at the start of a race . The production of this this situation it may be possible to train on
type of energy does not produce lactic acid, land using an ergometer , or to use a local
hence the name ':tlactate', meaning 'without gymnasium to supplement a training
lactate' . programme.
As our bodies have enough stored energy
for approximately 3--4 seconds of activity, the
Flexibility and Mobility
energy system used to provide this does not
~ igniflcantly contribute to the rowing race; Of all the areas that need to be trained if a rower
and since the small amount of energy is to be successful, the training oftlexibility and

75
TRAIl"I:-JG FOR ROWING

mobility is perhaps the least understood. Many stronger and flttn can. As already explained,
athletes (and coaches) simplY do not pay SUtTI- there arc two components required in order to
cient attention to developing flexibility, mO\'e a boat quickly: the application of power
perhaps because they do not appreciate how using correct technique, and economy of
import::mt this is when rowing, or because they movement, and the latter is, in many ways ,
do not know the sort of training that is just as important as the ability to apply po\\'er.
required. My own view is that many rowers It is all very \\'ell applying enormous po\\'er,
simply do not understand that being more but if the eff-ect of that power is subsequently
flexible can vastly bendit their rowing perfor - minimized by the rcm'e r not being economical
mance - if they did, then there could be no on the recovery, the overall eHect will be a
reason for their not seeking improvement. reduced poten tial boat speed.
They can sce that if they become stronger and Every movement a ro\\'er makes incurs a
aerobically fitter they can produce more power physiological cost in the form of energy
per stroke, with the result tlut the boat (in expenditure, so when attempting to ro\\'
theory ) will go bster. What they do not always quickly it is important that he minimizes this
understand is the link between tlexibility and cost; this means fill' example that he should
boat speed, so they fail to devote enough time keep his head still \\'hen rowing, as even a small
to it in their training programme. sidewards movement will result in an
Onc of the problems is that flexibility increased - and unnecessary - energy cost.
training is not treated as a separate form of Similarly, ifhe is not sufliciently flexible he will
training but as a necessary evil to be carried incur an increased energy cost just to initiate
out before and - if you arc feeling really the movement a\\'ay h'o m the backstops POSI -
\'irtuous - after a training session. Certainly, tion; with tight hamstrings he will not be able
when so much time is already spent training, to sit relaxed at backstops and will be tempted
it can be diff-icult to justi~' yet more sessions to start the movement forwards before it is
to train for flexibility; but if these were specif- desirable.
ically allocated as a part of the training routine, If this seems an extreme view, ask a group
athletes would be more likely to accept them of rowers to sit in an upright position on the
as necessary and would not use the usual floor with their legs stretched out in front of
excuses such as lack of time . them as though they were sitting at backstops.
In bct tlexibility training can be incorpo- If they have tight hamstrings they will find this
rated into e\'eryday life quite easily. It is really position very uncomf()rtable , and will fidget
quite straightforward to devote a little time to about trying to case their legs and back . No\\'
a flexibility session when you get up in the apply this to the situation in the b03t and tell
morning and just before you go to bed - a ten - me th3t it does not m,uter l Gr,lnted, it will not
minute routine is all that is required, and even cost a great de:d of energy, but when athletes
the busiest athlete should be able to find :111 3re racing in the tinal at the Olvmpic Games
additional ten minutes twice a day. they arc pert()rming at the very limit of their
capabilities, so why incur allY unnecessary
energy cost) Why not use that energy to
Flexibility aud Boat Speed propel the boat forw,Hds ? vVhen you sce
medals being lost by 100th of ,1 second,
Increased tlexibilitv can contribute to boat sudden Iv that energy cmt becomes critical.
speed in exactly the same way as being Befo!"e wc consider how to incorporate a

76
 TRAINING FOR ROWING

tlexibilitv programme into the normal tr.lining It is imporr:l11t not only to know which
routine wc should ensure that wc know muscles to stretch, but also to have some
ex,lctly what is meant by the terms 'flexibility' method of assessing any improvements made.
and 'mobility'. There arc several tests used to measure flexi -
bility, and one of the best for rowers assesses
hamstring flexibility; this test is covered in
Flexibility and Mobility Defined Chapter 8.
I t makes sense to assess which muscles arc
Flexibilitv refers to the range of movement the least flexible and to focus on developing
about a joint, namely how much movement is these first. In my experience with rowers these
obtainable for a specific joint such as the are the hamstring, shoulder and calf muscles:
shoulder. the hamstrings must be flexible in order to
Mobility refers to how freely a joint can allow for the proper execution of good tech -
mo\"(:. When training for mobility you nique, and I have rarely come across a male
increa~e the case with which specific move - rower with suHiciently flexible hamstrings.
ments can be made. Exercises to increase
mobility include arm and leg swinging, trunk
rotation and head rotation. Unlike stretching Trainillg for Flt:xibility
(flexibility ) movements, mobility exercises arc
perf(lrIl1ed at a reasonable speed and generally So how do you set about increasing the flexi -
form part of the session warm -up. bility of your muscles) All muscles can be
Clearly, then, you need to know which stretched, but there arc a number of simple
joints arc used most in rowing so that you can rules that must be observed before
focus your training on these - although having commencing a stretching programme.
said that, in as much as it is important for you First and toremost it is essential to emure
to be strong in both the prime movers (the that the muscles are warm before attempting
muscles that do the work ) and the supporting to stretch them. This means that some form
muscles, so it is important that you arc flexible of exercise must be carried out beforehand for
in all of your joints. This is because the rowing an absolute minimum of five minutes, either
mo\'e ment is dynamic so a rower must be light jogging, cycling or rowing on an
constantly adapting to the balance of the boat, ergometer - whatever you like, in bet. It is
and it is this process that requires him to be so also important to remember why you arc
flexible: t(lr example, if the boat suddenly doing this exercise: not to train, but to warm
lurches to onc side at the catch, a flexible up the muscles, so there is no need to do
rower will be better able to cope with it than anything too strenuous.
someone less flexible. . How long you spend warming up really
The main joints that need training :ue the depends on the climatic conditions and what
hip, the shoulder and the ankle. The main type of stretching you intend doing. Common
muscles that require stretching arc those of sense should dictate that if it is freezing cold
the back (especially the lower back), the and you arc in a draughty boathouse you will
shoulders, chest, legs and arms, including the need to warm up for longer, and that if you
hamstrings, quadriceps, cah'es, deltoids, are planning to do a long, intensive series of
Iattisimus dorsi, pectorab, Achilles tendons stretching exercises the warm -up needs to be
and the erector spinae. longer still, perhaps up to twenty minutes.

77
TRAINING FOR ROW1NG

One other point worth mentioning is that if the muscle , and when it is stretched rapidly
the stretching session is a long one - say, over they will immediately react to this and send a
thirty minutes - your body will start to cool signal to the muscle to contract: but since we
down again after several stretches, and in this are trying to achieve the reverse of contrac-
case it is advisable to do an intermediate tion, namely lengthening, it is clear that the
warm-up; for instance you could perhaps ballistic method of stretching actually works
concentrate on upper body stretches first, agai nst liS.
then do another five -minute warm-up, before It is important when doing static stretching
stretching the lower body. exercises to hold the stretch for at least ten
There are several ways to stretch muscles . seconds, because in this way we actually take
They can be stretched either statically or advantage of another of the body's protective
ballistically, and with the aid ofa partner or on reflexes: the 'inverse stretch reflex'. This
you r own. works in a similar way to the stretch reflex, but
with one important difference: whereas the
stretch reflex prevents the mu scle length -
Static versus Ballistic Stretching ening, the inverse stretch reflex actually
encourages it to get longer. It is activated by
Static stretching , as its name implies, involves a different type of stretch receptor known as
the athlete stretching the muscle in a slow, the 'golgi tendon organs' located in the liga -
precise way. There are no bouncing or fast ments and tendons ; these work by constantly
movements. A static stretch of the hamstrings , se nsing the length and tension in the muscle
for instance , would involve the athlete raising fibres, and when too much tension builds up,
his leg onto a low bench and simply leaning they cause the muscle to lengthen.
forwards, from the hips, until the stretch was Research has shown that it takes approxi -
felt along the back of the leg. I( however, he mately six seconds for the golgi tendon organs
were to sta nd upright and then attempted to to activate, and it is for this rea so n that a
touch his toes by bouncing up and down , this stretch sho uld be held for at least ten seconds:
would be an example of ballistic stretching. then you can be sure that you have left enough
For various reasons static stretching is time for the go lgi tendon organs to activate.
generally regarded as preferential to ballistic
stretc hing, and is the technique probably most
used by rowers. First, with ballistic stretching, Static St1·ctching with a PartnC1""
there is a greater risk of injury, and this is
particularly true if the muscles have not been You can perform static st retch in g exercises on
properly warmed up beforehand ; moreover your own, or you can have a partner to assist
with young children there is the added risk you. The latter arrangement can be a very
that the muscles/te ndons may be pulled away good way of increasing the effectiveness of
from the bone. yo ur stretching routine - although once
A further reason is that the body has a again there are certain rules that shou ld be
protective reflex called the 'stretch reflex': all observed.
muscles have what are known as 'stretch It is essential that your partner knows
receptors' which run parallel to the tlbres that exactly what you are trying to achieve with
make up the body of the muscle. These recep- YOllr stretching and is familiar with the
tors are sensitive to changes in the length of stretches YOll Jre using. Do not attempt these

78
 TRA1NING FOR RO\vING

exercises with someone unfamiliar with the top of the body, usually with the neck, and
stretching methods unless YOll have fully work your way down so you finish with the
explained the protocols involved. Achilles tendon; this will ensure that all areas
An accepted stretching routine is to start at are stretched.

Tilt head to side of body ( neck ). Twist head to side of body (neck ).

Pull arm to oppmilc \ide of body, ie. behind the Pull arm to opposite side of body (shoulder and
head (s houlder and upper arm - Idi arm being upper arm - left arm being demonstrated ).
demonstrated ).

79
TRAINING FOR ROWING

Lean torward whilst keeping upper arm parallel with Hoor and pushed
against upright structure such as doorway or gym beam (c hest ).

Lean to the side (wa ist ). Pull toot toward hodI'; do l10t lc311 tC)f"ward
(q uadriceps , ,\nklc).

80
 TRAINI0:G FOR ROWI0:G

Push hips forward keepin g body upright. Back leg Push forward whilst keeping the bodv upright .
should be kept straight with foot on floor . To Do not bend or lean from the waist. Note the
~tretch the Achilles tendon simply bend the back bench does not need to be high; a gym bench is
leg slightly and repeat exercise. (Calf and Achilles the ideal height. ( Hamstrings. )
tendon. )

Pmh forward whilst keeping the hody upright. Push down the knees keeping the back straight.
Do not bend or lean from the waist. Do not bend or lean from the waist. ( Inner
( H<lJ11'>tnng'>. ) thi g h .)

81
TRAINING FOR ROWING

Push knee (leg ) to the opposite side of the body Lie on back, cross over leg and hold or push
(outer thigh). down slig htl y using hand (outer thigh ).

Pull knee toward body (lower back). Pull forward using hands. There is no need to
arch the back whilst doing this exercise. The
object is to gently stretch the lower back , /lot to
raise the body oift/le fioor, as much as possible.
(Lower back. )

'Cat stretch'. Pull in stomach and push back Arch back slightl)" pushing srol11.1ch towards the
upwards trying to make a 'C' shape. ( Lower back tloor (lower luck ).
and stomach. )

82
 TRAINING FOR ROWING

Developing Strength and Power It~ on the other h:1nd, the task wasn't simply
to lift the box onto the t:1ble, but to do it as
As I lu\'(: indicated, perhaps the mmt impor- quickly :1S possible, then he would need power
t:1nt type of tr:1ining wc C:1n do on land is in :1ddition to strength. Having the ability to
training to improve our strength. But what is gene rate sufficient force simply to overcome
meant b~' ~trength? I h:1ve he:1rd so l11:1n)' the resistance would not, in itself, enable him
:1rgul11ent~ over the years as to whether row- to complete this particular task - he would
ers need to de\'elop maximum !>trength or also need to be able to generate that fc)rce
maximum power that I :1m convinced m:1ny quickly.
of them (:1nd many coaches) do not fully I t shou ld , I hope, be clear at this stage th:1t
under~tand the differences bet\\'een the you can be very strong without possessing a
t\\'o. However, even though in ~port the t\\'o great deal of power, but that in order to
arc inextric:1bly linked, they etl'C very produce :1 lot of power you need to be strong.
different. Looked :1t :1nother W:1Y, you C:1nnot produce
Strength can be ddined as the ability of a lots of power unless yo u C:1n initi:111y develop
muscle to develop sufficient force to over- :1 large :1mount oHc)rce. It should :11so be clear
come a resistance . Thus in order to lift a that the two elements, whilst not entirely
bO:1t from the rack , wc need first to over - independent of e:1ch other, need to be devel -
come the resist:1nce represented by oped in different W:1ys.
the weight of the bO:1t. There is gener:1 11 ), Having an underst:1nding of this simple
no requirement to perform this principle should help you to appreciate the
movement quickly , :1nd so provided we can need to include specific units to develop both
generate sufficient fixce we should be able to power :1nd strength in your tr:1ining
lift it. progr:1mme. So how does this relate to
Power has :1n :1dd ition:11 element: speed. It rowing?
is one thing to be able to cre:1te :1 f(lI-ee using If wc :1ssume tl1:1t our aim is to row :1 set
muscles, it is quite another to be able to do so dist:1nce :1S quickly :1S possible, it should be
quickly , :1nd this is where power comes into obvious th:1t we need to :1pply :1S much force
pby. Power can therefore be ddined :1S the :1S wc possibly C:1n tor the dur:1tion of the r:1ce.
ability of a muscle to generate force 'Ne :11so need to ensure tl1:1t :1S much of th:1t
quickly. force :1S possible contributes to propelling the
To illustr:1te the difference between bo:1t forw:1rds. To ensure the m:1ximum
strength :1nd power, we C:1n use the eX:1mple contribution to bO:1t propulsion wc need to
of someone :1uempting to lift :1 box of work develop :1n efficient technique.
tools off the floor onto:1 t:1ble. We C:1n ~ee th:1t Applying m:1ximum force over the race dis -
there is:1 tixed resist:1nce,:1s represented by the 1::1nce, on the other 11:1nd , involves :1pplying
weight of the box, :1nd that this person needs m:1ximum force on each :1nd every stroke.
to lift it in order to complete the task; whether Applying all the force we C:1n to the bbde, is
he is successfu l depends on how much t()ree not in itself enough: we need to :1pply
he e:1n develop in the muscles which :1re used tl1:1t force quickly, in order to incre:1 se
in lifting the box (how strong they :1re ). The the bO:1t speed. The faster wc C:1n propel the
successfu l completion of the t:1sk depends boat P:1st the bbde, the faster the bO:1t will
therefore on the strength of the relev.lnt move .
mll~cles. In summ:1~' then, wc need to incre:1se the

83
TRAINIt'\G fOR ROWING

n13ximum amount offorce we can apply to the below illustrates the suggested combinatiom
blade per stroke , and we also need to increase of the main elements n:quired to develop the
the speed with which we can apply that torce. various aspects of strength.
To do this \\'e must train tor both maximum
strength and tor power. T\'pL'lI( %II}' NOli}' No lif' WIII'k :I'fJt TypiCflI
traillilllf mnximlJm I'eps SL'tJ rnrill SesSION

GcnCl'<ll 65-75 10- 15 3- <1- 1:2 3 x 12 rep,

Strength stren gth @ 65 % I11JX

Looking tlrst at strength, we know that , as Strength 40- 60 40-70 2-5 1: 1 3 x +0 rTps
with any torm of training , we need to over- Lndllr~ln( @ 50% nux
load the muscles on a regular basis in order to P O\\'CI' 60-75 R-IO 3-5 :2 3 x 10 rep ...
bring about any adaptation, in this case to @70% I11E
develop the ability to increase the amount M axi l11ul11 gO- 95 3-H <I- 6 :3 5 x 3 reps
of force produced. The two usual ways of strength @ 90% nux
improving strength are by using weights , and
by circuit training using bodyweight Fig. 10 AKA guid el ines for strength training.
exercIses.
It should be borne in mind that these tlgures
are guidelines only and do not repre se nt
WeilJht Traiuinlf absolutes. It should be clear that , as a rule , the
number ofrepctitions decreases as the weight
Before beginning our training we tlrst need to lI1creases.
know when we have overloaded the muscles. It can also be seen that in order to train to r
When using weights , the usual way of deter- maximum strength it is necessary to work at a
mining this is by measuring the maximum very high percentage of your maximum lift
amount of f()rce a muscle, or more usually a (above 80%). Although you will get stronger
group of muscles , can produce: this is working at the lower percentages , the effect
normally done by attempting to lift a progres - will be more general and may be deve loping
sively heavier weight until you reach a weight your power capacity more than maximal force
that you cannot lift - in other words, until you production . When lifting s u c h a hi g h
tlnd a resistance that you can no longer over- percentage of your maximum it is impossible
come ( further information on this can be to lift more than six or eight repetitions, and
tound in Chapter 8 ). if YOll can lift more than this you arc no t
It is then relatively straighttorward to working at the correct percentage . I t can also
determine a training schedule to develop be seen that the work -ro -rest ratio is I :3 , and
strength. this is very important as it allows r()r a good
The usual way of designing a weight-lifting recovery between sets.
programme is to determine the total amount The normal way to work is in g roups of
of resistance to be overcome by breaking it three athletes. This is ideal in many ways , <l S it
down into tlve areas: the weight lifted, the allows rc:)r two spotters to watch the persu n
percentage of maximum this represents lifting , and they would be able to intercept
(% max ), the number of repetitions ( reps ) should anv difticulti es bc encountered.
performed at one time , the number of sets The table below shows a sample strength -
(sets) and the work -to - rest ratio. The table training circuit that can be llsed Lw

84
 TRAINING FOR ROWIN(;

experienced rowers; the main emphasis is on bodyweight routine that can be used to
dn'e1oping strength in the leg and back develop general strength, It is important to
muscles, with supplementarv exercises to remember that this circuit is essentially a
develop the abdominal and lower back general tltness circuit with a greater emphasis
muscles, on strength, aimed at beginners who arc just
starting to train o r more experienced rowers
Power Ck.l ll .J- x 5 rep' @9 0% nux returning after a break in training, It should
I'ront'l]u.ll' 4 x :; rep' @ 90% nux
be performed continuously, moving from onc
Bench pull .J- x 5 lTI" @ 90% n1.lX
Bench piT" 4 x 5 rep' @9 0% Ill.IX
exercise to the next, and the training effect can
H.llll'tl'lnl:,!. curl, .J- x 5 ITI" @ 85% n13~ be moditled in one of two ways: if you want a
H~Vl:r-CX(c..:Il~I()Il'" .J- x 20 I'CP' more strength-oriented effect, all sets should
Abdolllllul crunehe, 4 x 20 rep' be performed t(Jr each exercise before moving
on to the next exercise - so do all the press -
Fig, 11 A sa III pie IllJXilllUI1l strength circuit. ups (3 x 20), and only then move on to
a bd 0 m in a I c run c h es,
Clearly, before working at this sort of If YOll want a greater emphasis on
pLrcentage of maximum you need to have endurance, you should perform one set of
de\'eloped a good base of general strength; each exercise and then move on to the next
were \'OU to start training for maximal exercise, repeating this until all sets ha\'e been
strength without having established this base, completed - so do twenty press-ups, then
you would be more susceptible to such twenty crunches, and so on until you have
injuries ,1S strained or torn muscles, In practice completed the circuit.
this means spending at least the first two
months of winter training developing your l're,s -ups 3 x 20 rep'
Abdominal crunche, 3 x 20 rep'
general strength,
Pull -ups 3 x 15 rep'
Rel'Lr'c abdominal curb :; x 20 reps
H ypcr-extemio!l\ 3 x 20 rep'
Circuit TrniuilllT Squat jumps 3 x 20 rep'
Burpee, 3 x 20 reps
Dip, ( using, a b.lr) 3 x 15 rep'
Depending on your training state, it is also
possible to develop your strength using body -
weight exercises, I f you are just beginning to fig, 12 A gcner.ll strength circuit using
bod)'\\'cight.
train for the rirst time, going straight into
lifting heavy weights is not advisable, nor is it
necessary, and a training routine utilizing Jt is also better to develop maximum strength
bodyweight exercises will improve general before beginning to work on power. This
strength quite adequately, for many people makes sense when you considcr that what you
starting out, performing such exercises as arc trying to do in power training is to exert
press -ups, crunches and pull -ups will provide the maximum force you can as quickly as
more tl13n sufficient improvements in possible. There would be little point in
strength without running the risk of injury training for power, only to thcn increase your
through trying to lift weights that are too capability to generate 1110re force because you
hea\'v, would not be able to utilize that extra force
The accomp.lIlying table illustrates a sample quickly enough t()r it to be of any real value,

85
TRAINING FOR ROWING

The preferred sequence of training is therefore Plyomet7' ics

general strength, followed by power, and
tlnally strength endurance. Another method that can be used to develop
power is plyometric training which works by
utilizing the stretch rctlex mechanism
Power
(referred to in the flexibility section ). When a
We(qht Training muscle is stretched rapidly, the stretch recep -
rors sense the change in length and send a
Training to develop power is slightly different signal tor the muscle to contract. When this
fi"om training for maximum strength in that it involuntary contraction is combined with the
involves using approximately 60-75 per cent voluntary contraction created by the athlete ,
of your maximum lifted weight , a lower the speed of the overall contraction is
percentage. Moreover with a lesser weight it enhanced thereby increasing the power gener -
is possible to perform a greater number of ated.
repetitions - eight to ten - as compared with It is perhaps worth pointing out here that ,
training for strength. Perhaps the greatest contrary to popular opinion, plyometri c
difference between the two types of training is training does not increase the magnitude of
that when aiming to develop power , it is the force created - it will not make you
essential to perform all movements as stronger. What it does do is speed up how
quickly as possible. quickly you can reach your maximum tCJrce -
With the lower weights used it is possible to in other words, you become more powerful.
lift the weight very fast indeed, and this aspect The sort of exercises used in plyometric
cannot be stressed enough because unless you training are mostly bounding and depth
perform the movement in an explosive, jumping, and these are particularly suited to
dynamic way there will be little effect on your rowing as they develop the leg muscles. There
power development , thereby wasting the are two steps that need to be followed in order
session. As with strength training, the work- to use plyometrics effectively: you should:
to -rest ratio is approximately 1:3, allowing for
a good recove,1'- • Rapidly pn:-stretch the muscle .
The table below illustrates a sample power- • Follow immediately with a maxImum
training circuit. As with the maximum voluntary contraction.
strength circuit using weights, you could also
add some supplementary exercises such as As plyometric training is very demanding ,
crunches. When doing power training exer - involving as it does rapid , explosive move -
cises it is particularly important to emphasize ments, it is essential to follow so me simple
the leg muscles, as they are largely responsible guidelines before commencing a plyometric
for propelling the boat forwards. training programme. As with power training
in general, you need to have developed a good
Power Clean 3 x 10 rep' @ 75!X) nl ~\X level of basic strength before using plyomet -
Bench Pull 3 x lOreI" @ 75'X, ll1ax rics. Good, shock -absorbing footwear is
Bench Pre " 3 x I 0 rcI" @ 75% ll1ax essential, as is the use of absorbent practice
From Squar 3 x 10 rep' @ 75% Il1E mats . If you arc sutkring or recovering ri"om
any rorm of injury YOLl should not do plvo -
fig. 13 A sample power-training circuit. metric training.

86
 TRAININC FOR ROWI NC

tlywheel to slow down more than normal ;

VCIT ~ood ,rrcngril b.I'C
this mean s that at the start of every stroke
Good li)orll'Llr
Absorbcnr rr.lining mar, yo u need to work hard to accelerate the tl y-
No injuric, wheel.
If thi s is performed with maximum dfort
Fig. 14 Guidelincs t<Jr plvolllctric training. and speed , it will help to develop power ,
primarily in the leg mu sc les. However , you
should bear in mind that using the ergometer
The table below provides some g uidelines for is no su bstitute tor using weights to improve
puttin g toget her a suitable plyo metric training yo u r power.
programme .

Typ,'oj' Ht'(I)/lt of' Ht'ps Sas Tom/,'t'ps Strength Retention

trniliiliB bwclJ pcrsessioli The final aspect that we need to consider
Deprh jump' 25--45(m I Om.l~ 6m.l~ 120m.n re ga rdin g stren gt h and pow e r training is
Bounding N/ A 10mJs 10n1.ls 120m.n maintaining the improvements made as wc
progress through the racing season. As already
Fig. 15 Training guidcli ncs lin plvolll ctrics. described , any improvements achieved
through trainin g are quickl y lost if that
training is stopped , and this is particularly true
Onc final word on pl yomet ri c training: it with strength and power. 'vVhen you work on
sho uld be remembered that there is little po int developing endurance during the winter
in improving yo ur ability to generate yo ur months yo u do not suddenly stop this part of
maximum force more quickly if yo u are yo ur routine as th e racin g season approache s,
unable, through poor technique, to use this but continue to include a great deal of
ability. Thus the majority of club -level rowers endurance work in the training sc hedule. This
would benefit more from improvin g their is not always the case with stre ngth and powe r
rowing technique, than the y would from trainin g, though, and in our bid to spend
using plyometric training. more and more time on the water wc overlook
the importance of maintaining our strength
levels.
Dcvelopinll Power on the RI)JvinB However , the whole aim of strength
Ergometer training is to improve our ability to ge nerate
force which ca n be applied to the blade to
It is possible to develop power usi ng a row- .e nable us to move the boat faster. Thus if
ing ergo meter, and whatever type yo u have strength retention training is not included in
ava ilable , there shou ld be some facility for the summer training programme , any ga in s
adj usting the resistance. I f yo u want to use it made in stren gt h will be lost just at the time
for power training, the principles are the they arc needed most. In fact stre ngth reten -
sa me as yo u would use in the boat: therefore tion trainin g is straightforward to introduce to
just as the boat slo\\'s down between stro kes, the prog ramm e and should be considered a
so the ergometer tl yw he el slows down . By vital part of the s LImmer rOLltine . Always
rowin g at a very low ratin g, say twclye to six - remember that it is far easier to retain training
teen st roke s per minute , yo u allow the gains, than it is to develop them in the fIrst

87
TRAINING FOR ROWING

place. The table below shows a basic strength Front sq uats 3 x -to reps @ 50% IllE
retention circuit. Power dean 3 x 40 reps @ 50% nux
Bench pull 3 x 40 rep' @ 50'Yo nux
Power dean 3 x 10 reps @75% nux High pull 3 x 40 rep' @5 0'Yo 1ll.1X
Bench press 3 x 10 reps @75% max Abdolllinal crunches 3 x 25 reps
Front squat 3 x 10 reps @75'10 Illax Hvper -cxte nsiom 3 x 25 reps
Press -up' 3 x 25 reps

Fig. 16 Strength retention circuit.

Fig. 17 A strength mdurance circuit.

The bodyweight circuit shown in fig. 12

Strength Endurance
could also be modi tied to develop strength
It is also possible to develop strength endurance, by providing some extra resistance
endurance on land - this being the ability in the form of sma ll hand - held weights
to exert a large force for a long period of and perhap s by increasing the number of
time. repetitions.
As discussed previously , what wc arc trying
to do in rowing is to produce a maximum
Developing Endurance on Land
force as quickly as possible. We also need to
produce this force for a period of time ranging Although endurance is best developed in the
ti·om five and a half minutes to just over eight boat, this does not mean that there is no place
minutes for 2,000-metre races, to over twenty tor endurance training on land. Whilst it is
minutes for a head race; to be able to do this certainly true that to maximize the benefits of
we need to develop high levels of strength oxygen utilization training it is essential to
endurance. Fig. IO illustrates the combination train in the boat, perhaps the best reason for
of elements needed to develop strength doing a certain amount of endurance training
endurance using weights. As can be seen, it is on land is to minimize the risk of developing
necessary to use a weight representing approx - over -use injuries. As rowing involve s the
imately 40-60 per cent of your maximum, and repeated use of specific muscle groups, it is all
f()r this to be lifted in sets of torty to seventy too easy to develop such injurie s. Other
repetitions. reasons for doing endurance training on land
Onc of the main differences between a include:
strength endurance weights circuit and other
weights circuits is that there is very little rest • It introdu ces variety to the training ,
between sets, the aim being to stress the thereby helping with motivation.
muscles at sub -maximum levels but to do so • I t can be done bv individuals at times that
tor a long period of time. It is therefore suit them.
important that the rest between sets does not • I t provides the opportunity for all crew
exceed the time taken to complete the set; members to excel at sOIllething.
this will ensure that the heart rate is kept at a
reasonably consistent level for the duration of This last point is something that I belicve can
the routine. A typical strength endurance cir- be very useful as a team building exercise. I
cuit using weights is shown in the table have come across Illanv crews in which onc
below. mem ber was perceived by the rest to be the

88
 TRAINING FOR ROWINC

weak link. Although it is perhaps rare to have Although the main aim of circuit training is
.1 cre\\' \\'here everyone is equ31, l13ving an to develop endurance, it C3n also develop
extreme illlbabnce in ability, \\'hether imag- strength depending on your initial level of
ined or real, can turn the best of crews into a fitness. For instance, if you l13ve never tr3ined
hotbed of unrest . before or arc recommencing training after a
If VOL\ have evcr bccn taC\.:d with this situa - lengthy bre3k, any form of exercise which
tion, you will kno\\' ho\\' diHicult it can bc. involves overcoming re sistance will help
Everything that goes wrong with the crew is improve your strength - and this i ncl udes
blamed on the \\'eakest crew member, and if bodyweight circuits.
the situation is not de31t with immediately it WI13tev(f the ability of the group, the
can deterior3te rapidly . Moreover the net gener31 principles remain the same: that is , to
result is always the same : a decrease in perfor- try to keep the heart beating at a relatively
m3nCc. constant rate, usually within the range
Onc solution is to involve the crew in a 130- 170bpm for a prolonged period of time.
r3nge ofdiHcrent training methods; then each As can be seen in the table below, a typica l
member will have the opportunity to be the circuit consists of between eight .1Ild twelve
best 3t something. Every crew has someone diftcrent exercises, mostly using your own
\\'ho is a quick runner, so why not tind the best bodyweight as the resist3nce. To create a
swimmer, or cyclist? If each person can be seen wide -r3nging training dkct, the exercises arc
to h3ve his own area of expertise, this in itself designed to stress 311 areas of the body and arc
will engender respect from the rest of the team normally laid out in such a way as to alternate
members 3nd minimize the chance of dis- between body parts - for example the upper
harmony. body, followed by the lower body, followed
by the mid -section and so on.

Pr~~s ' lIpS Sqll,\t jlllllP~ BlIrp~~~ Crlln~h~~

Pllll ' lIp~ R~l'ns~ ~urb Sr,lr jlllllP~ SqllH rhrll~r~
Bcn~h hop~ D{)r~,ll r,li,~, Sr~p · "p' R(}p~ Lii1l1b~
Perhaps the first type of endurance training
many of us do on land is circuit training using Fig. l8 Sample exercises to develop gener.ll
bodyweight exercises; certainly it has been a endurance.
staple part of the rower's diet for many years,
and it can be a valu3ble way of developing The format fe)r a training session is to choose
endurance . It is of particular bendit at the any combination of the exercises, then to by
start of winter training and can be used 3S a them out in 3 circuit. The group shou ld
\\'ay of casing back into the training routine pertorm each exercise for a given time period ,
.1fter the rest period which follows the r3cing "usu3l1y thirty seconds, before moving on to
se ason. the next onc. It is most important that the
Onc of the biggest advantages of circuit time taken to change from one exercise to
training is that it is possible to tai lor the work- the next should be kept to an absolute
load to accommodate a wide r3nge ofd iftcring minimum . The overa ll time taken to
titness levels within the onc training session. complete the circuit is wh3t determines the
E\'eryone taking P3rt can progress 3t whatever training I03d, not how n13ny repetitions of
p3ce he or she can cope with; this makes it each exercise YOll do . The total duration of
especial ly sllit3ble for use with beginners. exercise shou ld build from twenty minutes to

89
TRAINING FOR ROWING

fony minutes, depending on fitness levels. not. Ergometers :lre static, normally with a
The reason for specifying :l time period for flywheel of some description that decelerates
e:lch exercise rather tlun :l number of repeti - between strokes . I t may also be the difference
tions is that depending on how strong e:lch in the r:lte of deceler:ltion between the boat
individll:ll is, the rel:ltive 10:ld will be different. :lnd the ergometer tlut accounts for the
For eX:lmple, if the group contains men :lnd higher heart rates observed .
women, the women m:ly not be :lS strong :lS Other than the higher heart rate and the
the men, :lnd so m:ly be uluble to complete need to use a slightly lower rate of striking,
the st:lted number of repetitions for such exer- there is no difFerence in the way that wc can
cises :lS pull -ups or press-ups. For them, the use rowing ergometers , so why not experi -
tr:lining effect of these exercises would be ment? Why not do your three -minute piece ~
strength, not gener:ll endur:lnce. or your an:lerobic threshold work on the
ergometer)

DCJlclopi1'l1l Endurallce Oil the Er[fo~netcr

Ot/;er Methods fm ' DevclopillJl £ildurancc
It goes without s:lying tl1:1t the rowing
ergometer C:ln be used to develop endur:lnce As mentioned previously , any fcmn of contin -
- :llthough I :lm :llw:lys surprised :It how little uous exercise that , preferably , involves a large
im:lgin:ltion is used in determining what sort muscle mass will help to improve general
oftr:lining to do on it. Why is it th:lt ill the boat endurance; as long as the heart rate i~ main -
wc use endless v:lri:ltions of repetitions, sets tained at the con-ect level throughout, there is
:lnd stroke r:ltings fex endur:lnce, but :lS soon no limit to the type of exercise you can use .
:lS wc get on the ergometer, wc do twenty Many rowers, including the national team ,
minutes continuously :It :l low r:lte? This C:ln now incorporate swimming or cycling into
be very limiting, not to S:lY boring, especially their training schedule on a regular basi~. If
when there is no re:lson not to use the same you arc going on a skiing holiday, it may be
combin:ltions of repetitions :lnd sets th:lt wc possible to set aside a specific time each day to
use in the bO:lt. do an endurance training session .
Onc essential difference when using the Onc fin:ll word on this subject: although
rowing ergollleter is tlut the he:lrt rate will you can use other sports and fc)rms of exercise ,
tend to be slightly higher for the S:lllle :lmount it is still essential that the bulk of your
of effort. This is true on :lll the rowing traInIng time is spent performing
ergometers tlut I l1:1ve tested. The 1"(:lSOn for the rowing movement, in the boat prerer -
this is prob:lbly tlut, where:ls the bO:lt is :l :lbly, or if this is not possible , then on the
dyn:ll11ic, rast-moving entity, an ergometer is ergometer.

90
6 Effective Coaching
All coaches strive to tind W.1VS of helping their Before wc can set about becoming a more
.lthletes improve their performance, but in eH'cctive cO'lch, wc should consider what is
order to do this it is tirst necessJry to eVJluate meant by the term 'eH'cctive coaching'. The
their strengths and weJknesses . When this is toll owing ddinition is onc that I tt:e1 outlines
done, the COJch will usually prq1Jre some my own understanding of the term:
form of trJining programme designed to
EH'cctive coaching is a process whereby
imprm'e onc or two of the athletes' weJkcst
both the athlete and the coach work
,lreas, whibt m.lint,lining pert(lrIn.lnce in the
together, in harmony, to achieve shared
strong JreJs . Long- Jnd short -term gOJls wi ll
goals, in the most productive and time -
be outlined. Regubr eVJIU.ltion or testing
dkcti\'C way.
sessio ns will be included in the programme, to
ensure th,\! the desired dfect is being Jchie\'ed It is also necessary to examine the reasons tor
and to allow for modificJtions; .1nd JS the your involvement in coaching - what moti -
racing seJson JPproJches, the COJch will vates you to give up some of your leisure time
'tweak' the trJining progrJmme to emurc thJt to coach rowing) It is USUJlly because you
athletes Jre in the very peJk of condition tCJr enjoy helping others achieve their aims. You
the principJI rJce of the yeJr. may I13VC been a rowcr yourself, and although
And when the tinJI race is over and the you no longer tt:e1 able to race competitively,
racing season tlnished, the coach mJY sit down you sti ll want to be invo lved in the sport.
with the Jthletes Jnd eVJluJte how eHcctive Probably most coaches have rowcd them -
the trJining programme has been. Together selves and so have built up experience that will
they would identify areas that had worked well be invaluable to less experienced rowers. Very
and .lreas that could be improved upon tcx the often a rowing club will ask f(lr vo lunteers to
tClllowing year. look after beginners, Jnd this eJn oftcn be the
Contrast this scenario - preparing the first step to\\'Jrds regubr cOJching.
athlete for success - with a typical scenario for If your involvement is becJuse you enjoy
helping the coac/; prepare for success. How helping others, then you alreJdy hold onc of
often, t()r instance, do coaches assess their the keys to becoming J more dkctive cOJCh.
o\\"n strengths and weaknesses) How often do
they commit to paper a training programme
for themselves, recognizing that there will be WHAT MAKES A G OO D C OACH?
,lreas where they can improve their coaching)
\Vhat Jbout setting goals and monitoring Surveys CJrried out to determine whJt makes
their progress towards achieving them? J good COJch generJlly find tl1Jt he is a
fin.llly, what about prep,lring themselves to humJnist in his JPproJch, meJn ing that he
come to a peak in time t(lr the major compe - puts the needs of the Jthlete Jbove evel1'thing
tition of the se.l\On? else. In all his decisions the coach should first

91
EFFECTIVE COACHING

consider \\'hat is best for the athlete, and riot over the coming months. I then asked them
what is best for himself. This makes sense to agree \\'ith me appropriate targets to be
when wc consider the dynamics of the achieved by the cnd of each \\'eek, and they
coach/athlete relationship, because if it is to then looked at the indi\'idual training sessions
be a success, the athlete must place his and set their own targets for these. With ~()n1C
absolute trust in the coach - he Illust know that guidance from mc, they came up with
the coach will always use his best judgement perfectly reasonable targets - if anything,
to choose the right course for him. these tended to be too ambitious! They
suggested, for instance, th:1t they could
progress from being unable to balance the
Athlete Involvement
boat for more than two or three strokes at a
The best coaches actively involve their athletes time, to being able to balance it continu ously
in all decisions that need to be made; and as tor 1,500 metres - all within three sessions. I
an athlete becomes more expericnced, so he is make that 500 metres per session'
able to contribute more effectivelv to the This example highlights an important
decision-making process. I consider that all point: that involving your rowers in the
too often coaches fail to do this, and in mv decision -making process does 110t necessarily
view this is a mistake because it is possible to mean that as a coach you arc relinquishing
involve even relatively young and in expe ri - control. In fact what you arc doing is letting
enced rowers in making decisions - after all, them control their own destiny, and with your
they are the ones who will be affected. Whilst guidance they should be better able to specify
they may not be able to decide on what type and attain their targets. Surely that is a good
of training is appropriate, they should thing'
certainly be involved in the setting of the
goals. One thing is certain, unless both the
Allocating Responsibility
rowers and the coach share the same goals,
progress - if there is any - will be very slow. When rowers are involved in making deci -
There is little point in the coach deciding sions, 1 have found that problems of persistent
the aims for the season if the crew does not lateness or bad 'attitude', whilst they do not
share the desire to achieve them. Having said disappcu completely, arc radically reduced . If
this, I recognize that some crews look to their they have helped to set the goals and have
coach to make these decisions for them, and been involved in constructing the programme
very often the coach can raise the expectations to achieve them, they are more likely to want
of a crew through setting diHicult goals and to ensure a successful outcome.
convincing them that they can achieve them. This is similar to the stratagem of allocating
However, this is very different to setting indis- responsibility to a rower for a particular aspect
criminate goals that the crew does not share. of the training programme, in order to over-
So what sort of decisions can less experienced come the problem of 'attitude'. I have used
rowers be involved with? this ploy with athletes who arc persi ste ntly
I would suggest that they can be included late, with perpetual complainers, and with
in the making of many day -to -day decisions. those who feel they arc better than the rest of
As an example, I coached a Junior sixteen crew the crew. By making a person responsible for
some years ago and outlined the areas oftech- something, you encourage him to feci a pan
nique on which I felt they needed to focus of the project, and to feel also that he has a

92
 EffECTI\'E COACI II~(;

direct intlm:nn: on thc en:ntual outcome, the bce of it , who would W,lllt to be a cox?
This is true whether \\'e are t,llking about a Sitting for hours in a cramped little space
project .It work, or in preparing a crew for a getting soaked, either by the rain or ti'om the
rac(. MOI"(o\'er if e\"(rvone III .1 crew has an 'precise' bladework of the ere\\', sufkring
.1re.l of respomibilit \', they ,lre all encouraged endless abuse and getting the blame t()r every-
to teel part of a tum , stri\'ing to achieve a thing, from the balance of the boat to the bct
mutu.ll goal. This will t()ster .1 c1in1.lte of inter- that the race was lost by ten lengths because
depcndence and respect t()r the abilities of the your steering \\'as terrible (this over a straight
other crew members , Working togcrher as a 500m course)?
team is wmething we often take t()r granted, Nevertheless, just as the rO\\"(rs can bendit
but it is a very real skill and onc that can gener- from being given responsibility for certain
ally be improved upon. aspects of training, so too can the cox - and I
Most coaches (and rowers ) arc only too don't just mean the usual tasks suc h as getting
bmiliar with the problems cre.Hed when there the blades do\\'n and washing the boat, but in
is .1 lack ofharrnony within acre\\', ,md a great other areas such as suggesting race tactics,
deal of time and energy can be spent trying to supervising land training sessions and logis -
smooth out relatiom bet\\'een diftcrent cre\\' tical arrangements. There is no reason why a
members, This is time that should be devoted reasonably competent cox should not super-
to mO\'ing the boat quickly, not wasted on vise land training sessions, or :It least help to
some silly point of little consequence, such as do so, vVhether it is circuit training, or training
whether or not a crew member turned up ten on the ergometer, the cox can be of great help
minutes late t()r a training session, In fact, if to the coach.
you wCI'e to add up the time that some crews For example when running circuit training,
spend arguing with the ro\\'er \\'ho was late, I might ask the cox to do the timing, or to
and compare it with the time lost as a result call out the station changes, or record repeti -
of their lateness, you \\'ould almost certainly tions. He can also help by encouraging good
find that more time had been lost arguing technique when the rowers are doing weight
about it. training; it is far easier to monitor and cor-
rect technique with an assistant than it is on
your own. All of these activities will en -
Involving the Cox
courage the crew to value the contribution of
When rdcrring to 'the cre\\,', I include the cox the cox.
in this. The cox can, and should be an invalu - Rowers are only human , and when for
able , integral part of the team; unfortunately instance they realize that by correcting their
he is often the scapegoat t()r a great deal of technique on the ergometer the cox can help
contlict. It is too easy t()r a crew - or a coach them achieve a better score, they will be more
- to blame the cox t()r the slightest problem inclined to listen when he gives them instruc -
within the boat - but why, t()r instance, is the tions in the boat.
balance always the cox's fault?
Part of the problem is that crcw members
Coaching on the Ergometer
do not always understand or value the contri -
bution that the cox makes to the crew, In This subject raises an important point: why do
some ways this is made worse by the fact that so nuny coaches allow their rowers to train
it can be difticult to tind good coxes - and on unsupervised on the ergometer? When you

93
EFFECTIVE COACH ING

consider how many hours arc spent trJining in world, it is dilticult to be successful at some-
this way these dJys, it is astonishing that more thing if you do not identi~' your goals, creJte
coaches do not spend more time teaching a plan of action to achieve them and per~i~t
their rowers how to use onc properly . How until you reach them . Along the route you
can wc expect rowers to improve their rowing mav come JCI"OSS Jdversitv. and so will need to
"

on the water, if every time they train on the remain positive . Paying attention to the
ergometer they arc allowed to row JS they snullest details will help to enslIre that time is
wish> not wasted on unnecessary bctors . What
Many areas oftechnique in the boat can be is pJrticularly interesting is that JII of the
improved upon using the ergometer. H~ for above arc equally applicable to sllccessful
example, you arc working on the correct athletes.
sequence of opening the body angle in the Perhaps the only bctor thJt sets the COJch
boat, there is no reason why this cannot also Jpart fi"om the athletes is the ability to inspire
be practised when using the ergometer. others to fCJllow his IeJd - although a great
However, if you wish to imprm"e an Jrea of many successful athletes also have thi~ ability
technique, it is necessary to perform the in Jbundancc.
correct movement repeJtedly , and to mini - \Ne can now look a little more closely at
mize the time spent performing it incorrectly. the characteristics required for success as J
If wc allow our rowers to concentrate on the coach. Each of us has a unique combination
correctness of the movement oHfy when they of the ingredients for success: some of us may
arc rowing in the bOJt Jnd nllt when they Jre be better at planning , whilst others mav be
using the ergometer, wc will just be more persistent or may pay more attention
prolonging the time they will need to perform to detail. What unites us , however , is our
it correctly. I would encourage JII coaches to ability to improve upon wlut wc naturally
supervise at least some of the sessions on the possess .
ergometer (o r train the cox to do so) to ensure
that their rowers arc rowing properly.
Recognizing ollr Strengths and
Weaknesses
THE QUALITIES OF SUCCESS Wc arc not all going to enjoy planning every-
thing down to the last detail, nor CJn wc (Ill
Wc hJve already mentioned thJt good coaches be positive every minute of the day as some
Jre humanist in their approJch, putting the appeJr to be. It is important to recognize that
needs of their athletes first, but what other wc arc bound to have ollr own strengths and
characteristics do top class coaches share> weaknesses , just as rowers do ; wc will be better
Some common traits Jre that the\' tend to be at some things than wc arc at others - that is
very well organized, they know \"en' clearly only human. What wc should try to do,
whJt their goals arc, they arc able to inspire however, is to become the best we possibly
others to follow their lead, to think and Jct can in as many areas as we can.
positively, and to pay Jttention to detail, and }-"jrst \ve must be honest with oursekes, and
they arc very persistent. critically anal~' se what our weak points arc,
When wc cxJmine these chJracteristics it is whilst recogni zing those areas where wc arc
easy to sce why they arc important fJctors in strong. Onc way to do this is to draw up a li st
coaching success. With the best will in the of questions which relate to the \'arioLls ar(.1~

94
 EFFECTIVE C:OACHI;-":G

inHlln:d in co.ll:hing, and give yourSelL1 mark The Importance of Planning and
out of ten fc)r e.lCh of them. Preparation
Ifvou
. re.1llv. wanted to assess vour . abilities
\'ou
. could ask vour
. rowers to fill out another Perhaps the easiest and quickest way of
form .1Ild compare the results. Having done improving your coaching is to look at the area
this myself~ I know that others often perceive of planning and preparation. There is no great
our strengths and weaknesses differently to secret to proper planning, but there arc several
the \\,.1)' \\'e percei\T them ourselves. I t may be steps that can help make it as painless a process
th.lt what you sce as a real strength, vour as possible.
rowers kcl could be improved upon; after all, When coaches talk about planning .1Ild
it is only human to be unwilling to admit to preparation, they tend to think in terms of the
weaknesses - the reverse could just as e.1sily be training programme, and whilst this is an
the case . You might consider any of the essential part of the planning process, it is only
following questions: onc clement in the overall strategy . (for more
information on constructi ng a training
• How organized am I in the following programllle, sec Chapte r 7.)
are.1S : writing the training programme in There arc many difkrent elements which
.1dvance, organizing who rows with need to be considered when preparing your
whom each session, making travel plan for success. I t is usual to start by setting
arrangements) out the lon g- , medium - .1Ild short-term goals
• Do I use positive talk a great deal, or do I fc)r the project: it may be that the long-term
focus on the negative aspects? goal is competing in a particular regatta, such
• How easily do I accept a situation as being as the World Championships or Henley Royal
unalterable, for example, a rower's tech - Regatta; medium -term goa ls could be inter-
nique? mediate regattas, while short -term goals
• Do I have clear, identifiable goa ls) might be certain technical improvements for
the crew and individual s.
Having; completed your questionnaire, you
should have a better idea of where
your strengths and weaknesses arc, and be Lon~q- Term Goals
able to dr.1w up a training programme of your
own . In my experience most coaches and crews can
Many of the skills required fClr success in tell you what their lon g-term goals arc, some
coaching can be learned by attending a of the most common being to win a medal at
training course. Many ofthese arc run by such Henley or at the National or World
organizat ion s as the Amateur Rowing Champ ionships . Some are able to say what
Association, till: National Coac hin g their medium -term goals are, quoting such
foundation and local colleges of education. things as becoming stronger or closing the
But what can be done if you have neither gap between themselves and another crew.
the time nor the resources to attend Very fe\\', ho\\'ever, can outline what their
college? In the next section we shall look at short-term goa ls arc.
various ways of impr<l\'ing your .1bility as This is a crucial difference between top
a coach without having to .\ttend any performers and less successfu l ones; it is also
course. onc of the areas where coac hes and crews have

95
EFFECTIVE COACHING

the most to gain, and it is relatively straight - help .1 rower to renuin t(>cused on his tech -
forward to do. nique t(}r a greater percentage of the trainin g
time, \\'e should sce a more rapid improve -
ment in his technique.
Setting S/;ort- TLTlfl GO{lls

So ho\\' do you set about creating short -term Being 0111{llli:::. cd

goals? You must tlrst examine \\'hat is under-
stood by the term 'short term': is it a month, In sport the coach needs to be very well orga-
six months or a racing season? ni zed , not just to succeed, but perhaps just as
In practice , short-term objectives tend to be importantly, to minimize the chance o f
used for monitoring and setting goals for bilun.:.
improvements in technique. This suggests When wc describe people .1S being '\\'ell
that they can range in length from onc se~sion organized', \\'e imply that they appear to be in
to ~l whole month, depending on the nature control of events ; they r.1rely seem to be
of the change in technique required. Ifwe take 'caught out' or surprised by any eventuality.
the example of a rower who needs to improve In fact there is no secret to being well orga -
the quickne~s of his hands at the catch, wc ni z ed : very few things happen totally
can sce that there arc severa l areas that need unexpectedly, ~lIld nuny things can bc , if not
to be considered bet(}re setting a short-term exactly f(m.:seen , certainly anticipated . The
goal. key to remaining in control of events is to
Wc must first find a method of assessing anticipate what may happen, and to h.1ve
how quickly they arc currently covering the strategies to cope with them should they arise .
blade. This achieved, wc need to determine (This topic is covered in more detail in
what would be a reasonable target to aim for. Chapter 9. )
And having set the target and found a method
of measuring, wc then need to determine the
best way of attaining the required goal. This Expcct the Uncxpecrcd
will involve setting sma ller , intermediate
targets, and as can be seen ti·om this example, A guiding principle for all coaches should be
short -term goals can be as small as targets tor expecting the unexpected to happen .
an individual session. When viewed in this way Examples in rowing arc being within OIl(
it is easy to understand why many rowers month of the Head of The River Race and
might gain a great deal ti-om setting specitlc h.l\'ing .1t least half the cre\\' catch the tlu ;
short-term goa ls. raeing into a blazing head - or cross -wind at
from a coaching point of vie\\' the setting Nottingham , or meeting the eventual winntrs
of individual goa ls f(}r each session has many of the event in the tlr~l round at Htnle\'. Some
advantages. Onc of the main tasks that fI ll s to may argue that these eventu.1lities arc not
a coach i~ to help athletes improve their exacrly unexpecttd - but how m.1I1V times do
performance b y advising them on how to wc let them upset .1I1d annoy us) These thing\
improve their technique. By identifying ways l1.1ppen so it makes seme to h.1\'e strategies to
of assessing that improvement and measuring cope with them, and this is .111 part of the skill
it on a regular basis wc help them remain posi - of being well organiJ:ed .
tive and f(>cused on the task. And if \ve can Good organiz.ltional skills .1rt .1bo t\·ident

96
 EHECTIVE COACIIING

in successful athletes, who must be able to arc both very real skills that can be learned. Let
juggle the various commitments that they us now consider these in more detail.
ha\'e, without letting them impinge on
rr_lining; this takes a lot of organization.
Keeping Things in Perspective
Successful athletes will arrange all aspects of
their lives around the need to train. This A key factor is to keep everything in perspec -
extends even to personal relationships, where tive; and always try to tind something positive
girl - or boyfriends become involved in in every situation: no matter how bad an
supporting the athlete. Ifan athlete is training outing was, or how badly the crew rowed in
seven days a week, he will tind it invaluable to the race, there must always be something that
ha\'C someone else take care of the domestic made it worthwhile. I admit that sometimes it
details such as the shopping, laundl)' and so is extremely hard to think wlut that may bc,
forth. Whilst this may sound mercenary, it is a but there arc ways.
fact that cannot be avoided. During the middle of winter training when
the rain is pouring down, there arc white
horses on the water, the crew's fingers arc
POSITIVE ACTING AND numb with cold and you arc doing ninety
THINKING minutes of oxygen utilization training, the
summer may seem a long way away - but each
Being able to think and act positively is one of stroke they take will put them one stroke in
the most crucial ingredients a good coach front of their opponents at Henley.
should possess. Some people arc able to find
positive aspects in even the most desperate of
Positive Talk
situa tions; others need to work hard at it.
Onc of the main goals a coach should aim Everything you say and do as a coach has a
for is to create a positive environment for direct dfect on the members of the crew. Thus
improvement. This is not at all difficult if you if you say something negative, the crew will
follow a few guidelines: respond in a negative way; on the other hand,
if you say something positive they will
• Keep things in perspective . respond positively. Even the most experi -
• Use positive language when gIvIng enced and seemingly contident of athletes will
instructions . look to you for support fi'om time to time.
• Always remember that the athletes arc Also a crew will assess everything you do and
trying their hardest to improve . say, however insignificant, and try to read
• Bc prepared for the unexpected and have ~ome message into it, and this is why a coach
strategies to cope with them . should try to be as unambiguous as possible.
• Set high standards tor yourself and your When you arc trying to get across a message ,
athletes. athletes will very often interpret it in different
• Give your crew the opportunity to impress ways - so you send what you think is one
vou. message, but it is received with eight different
• Place the needs of the athletes bdore your mea n 111 gs.
own. Again, using positive language is another
way of creating the best environment for
Being positive and glVll1g positive feedback improvement. If wc take a typical coaching

97
EFFECTIVE COACHING

session and look at some of the instructions wc them to Lx quicker will not necessarily result
give our rowers, wc will sec that wc do nllt in a quicker catch; so how do wc help them
always use language in a positive way. For achieve it?
instance, wc may tcll the crew 'not to rush To start with, they need to ensure that the
their slides', or 'not to be so hard at the catch '; blade is close enough to the water at the point
or wc might say 'Don't beat the stroke person of entry. And how is this achieved) Ry
in', or 'Don't lift your shoulders at the catch'. ensuring that they carry the bbde at the
But if you stop t<)r a moment and analyse what correct height trom the tinish of the previous
you arc saying, you will sce that rather than stroke. In this case wc might ask them to row
helping the crew to perform the corrcct move - with square blades, concentrating on having a
ment, you arc simply reinforcing what is loose and relaxed hold of the handle, whilst
wrong. carrying the blade at the correct height. Wc
Using words such as 'rush', 'lift' and 'hard' would want them to speed up the entry of the
repeatedly, places them in the subconscious of blade to the water, and this means they would
the athlete. This has a negative effect, and need to increase the speed with which they
what you should try to do instead is to place lifted their hands.
the correct words in the athlete's subcon - "Vc might want to decrease the time it takes
scious, words such as 'slow', 'quiet', tc)r the blade to get 'locked on', and in order
'controlled', rhythm' and 'relaxed'. to do this they would need to increase the
I n a similar way, whenever we use the words speed with which they pushed down their legs
'do not' or 'don't' the athletes will inevitably against the stretcher.
a~k 'why?' and 'what do you want nK to do These arc simple imtructioJ1S but they will
instead?'. The good coach should have a very be Illuch more dlective in hclping the rower
clear understanding as to why he wishes the to speed up his catch than simply telling him
athlete to change an element of his technique, to be quicker. This is just onc example of using
and should be able to explain this to him. positive instructions, and it may Lx useful to
The second question is fundamental to analyse some of the imtructions YOII u~e regu -
dTective coaching, because in effect the larly, to sce if they can be made more positive.
athlete is asking for your help: it means he
has placed his faith in your ability to help him
Avoid Finding Fault
pert<)rm better. By concentrating on what it is
wc want him to do, wc will be better able to \Nhen I am coxhing I never rder to 'hults ' :
hclp him achieve the desired change. the word 'Lwlt' implio lh.n something is
broken and needs to be mended, .Ind thi\ is
simply not the Llse with rowers who arc trying
Using Parts of the Body
to impro"e their technique. Nothing is
I have found that by f(xusing on the various broken: what you do h,I\'e, is .In athlete who
parts of the body and thinking what it is I want h,ls reached .1 cert.lin point in the continuum
them to do diHerend)" it is easier for nK to of 1e,lrning to ro\\' eHiciently. t\1\. pret\:rred
give positive commands to my athletes. For tnm therefore is to t.1ik .Ibout areas for
example, if wc want tl1l:m to be quicker at the improvement.
catch, wc must tirst ask oursclves how the~' Although hclping .1 roWCl' to imprm'e his
might achieve this - what they should do in tn:hnique must necess.lrih· im'oh'e idclHif\'lng
order to have a quicker catch. Simply telling thosc .Ircls th.lt requirc imprm'cnlL'nt, our job

98
-
EFFECTIVE COACHING

as a coach is to tacilitate that improvement in Also, if the last work piece of a training
the most eHcctive way possible, and the best session was not as good as it might have been,
way of doing this is by encouraging him. I ha\'C often asked the crew to do an additional
Thus overt criticism has no place in the shorter piece, not to punish them , but to give
relationship between rower and coach: if you them the opportunity to tlnish the session on
are working as a team towards the same goals, a positive note. In a similar way it is essential
criticism is not an appropriate form of that they do not fInish the work and then row
communication. sloppily back to the clubhouse.
On occasion it is enough simply to ask the
crew to show you how well they can row , to
Letting your Athletes Impress You
show you how much they have learned and
Fundamental to the coach/athlete relation - progressed. If you set high standards, the crew
ship is the tact that athletes arc constantly will raise their expectations of themselves,
trying to impress their coach with their perfor- thereby accelerating the progress made
mance - and it is very easy for us coaches to towards achieving their goals.
become so bogged down in tlnding tault with
rowers' technique, that we forget to praise
them. In fact some coaches seem to take a ROlJlers do not enfo), RO))IinlJ Radly'
pride in fInding as many faults as possible with
their rowers. I think onc of the reasons for this When the team is going through a diHlcult
is that they sce international crews displaying time, they will look to the coach fix guidance
apparently perfect technique, but fail to and support. It is important to understand
perceive the fine details that an international that things do not always go to plan: perhaps
rower is working hard to try and improve; they sessions arc being constantly ruined by bad
genuinely believe that the more taults they can weather or other water users; it may be getting
fInd in their crews, the better they must be as close to a selection trial or a major event; or
a coach. perhaps the crew arc just tired as a result of the
Giving your athletes the opportunity to amount of training they arc doing. Some of
impress you can be a very powerful motiva - the crew members may be sitting important
tional tool, and it doesn't need to be about exams. Sometimes, for no reason at all, things
winning races. Although winning is very grat- will go badly for a time. Wc have all experi -
ifying for both coach and athlete, the enced the session where no matter how hard
opportunity to do so does not come along wc try the boat will not run properly; there
that frequently - the other problem being that isn't always a reason for this - it just happens.
the outcome of any race depends on the Now, wc don't always have control over
performance of others. I n tact it is tar better ·events, but what wc can do is control the way
to allow the rowers to impress you with their we respond to them.
technique during normal training. A simple When faced with these diff-Iculties it can be
example is to try and finish every outing on hard for everyone to remain positive - but no
a positive note: thus, all crews try that bit matter how badly things seem to be going, it
harder when they arc being watched by is simply not acceptable for the coach to
others, so why not capitalize on this by become agitated and grumpy. Rowers do nor
fInishing e\·ery sess ion with a row past the enjoy rowing when the boat is not running
clubhouse) properlv , or is constantly dipping before the

99
EFFECTIVE COACHING

catch, and they will do everything they can to you are, they will feel justified in being
improve the situation. depressed - but if what they sce is a coach
I remember onc very sobering comment explaining that whilst e\'elything is 6r from
made to me by an athlete: he said that I some - rosy, neither is it hopeless , they will respond
times made him and his crew members feel positively.
that they were rowing badly, just to annoy me I
I sincerely hope I no longer make athletes feel
Helping Rowers Remain Focused
like this.
Part of the job of the coach is to help athletes
remain focused on whatever aspect of their
Putting on a Brave Face
performance they arc tIy ing to improve . It is
It can of course be extremely diff-icult not to all very well for coaches to programme in
become irritable and annoyed when things arc hours and hours of steady state rowing, but wc
not going as well as hoped, but as a coach you must remember that it is not easy for rowers
have a duty to your athletes to try. to concentrate on a particular point for long
The overriding consideration for the coach periods of time. Although by its very nature
should be to do what is in the best interests of rowing is extrcmely repctitive , successful
the team. As I mentioned earlier, the crew will coaches must find ways to help thcir rowers
scrutinize your every word, every facial expres - concentrate fully on the task at hand.
sion, 'throw-away comment' and general Onc of the ways yo u can achieve this is by
demeanour, for signs that you too are feeling breaking down the workload into manageable
as desperate as they arc. And if they sense that chunks, with a different focus for each one. In

The 1996 Danish lightweight mcn's quadruple scull showin g excellent focus and conccntration on the
task at hand.

100
EFFECTIVE COAC HING

101
HFECTIVE COACHIN(;

the Clse of oxygen utilization traln1l1g for stroke he will have to play. I I' you can get
example, it is possible to take a one-hour across to your rowers this idea of having
session and break it down into five -minute countless opportunities to improve, they will
segments. This means that for five minutes the almost ccrtainly progress more quickly.
rowers would concentrate on onc aspect of
technique, perhaps the speed of the hands
Allowing Time for Improvements to
lifting at the catch. for the next five minutes
Happen
they could focus on the speed of the leg drive,
before returning to focus on the hand speed. When working on a particular aspect of tech -
I have tound this to be a very dFective tech - nique it is essential that wc allow suHicient
nique in helping to alleviate boredom and in time for adaptation to take place. As most
maximizing the improvements gained coaches (and rowers ) know, the longer )'ou
throughout a training session. have been doing something in a certain way
This technique can of course be used effec- the longer it will take to change it. If a rower
tively for much shorter work pieces. has been leaning aW~ly ti'om his rigger f()!· ti\'e
Three -minute pieces on be broken down into years, he is not going to be able to stop doing
three onc-minute chunks, where each minute so in tive, ten or tifteen sessions. It is essential
has a ditlCrent technical tOCllS. During the first therefore, to be realistic about the changes in
minute, the emphasis may be on establishing technique possible for a given time period ,
the correct rhythm and rate. The second such as a racing season. When a particular
minute could t()(US on the quickness of the movement pattern becomes habitual, wc talk
catches, whilst the tinal minute focuses on about it becoming 'grooved in '. Many studies
luving a strong, accelerated tinish. The work - have shown that in order [cx something to
load is more manageable when broken down become a habit it needs to have been repeated
in this way , and from the athlete's perspective a minimum of thirty times.
the time seems to pass more quickly! from m)' own experience this is true. I
spent many years working in private health
clubs and so was able to experience at first
OPPORTUNITIES FOR hand how diHicult it could be tor members to
IMPROVEMENT incorporate regular exercise into their li ves.
for most health clubs, attracting members to
In considering the repetitive nature of rowing, join is not a problem : the problem is keeping
I am reminded of onc of the reasons I enjoy them . The attrition rate in the tirst three
the sport so much: it is that during the course months is very high . One rule of thumb by
of a training session or race , the rower has so which wc operated, was that if wc could hclp
many opportunities to improve - every single and encourage a member to ,lttend the gvm
stroke represents an opportunity to improve three times a week tell' three months, wc h,ld
on your previous best. Even during a race situ - a very good chance of keeping him as a
ation it is possible to improve stroke by stroke. member. \Vlut we were trying to do , of
Contrast this with many other sports, where course, was help him de\'c!0p the liabit of
the athlete operates in a less controlled envi - eXerClSlllg.
ronment; the tennis player for instance, who In rowing it is ex,lCt/\- the S~lme: we ,He
has to respond to his opponent's shot - he trying to encourage our rowers to develop the
never knows what is going to come next, what habit of rowing subconsciomly in ,1 p,lrticul.lr

102
 EHECTIVE COACl lING

manner. In bct what wc arc trying to do is to make them go bster. Using a video camera is
rcplace onc habit \\'ith another. If you have an excellent wa)' of achieving this: showing
e\'cr tried to diet or to stop smoking for them what they need to change, explaining
example, you \\'ill appreciate how diHicult it hOJ)' to change it, and getting them to
can be to bre.lk a habit. agree, will help achieve progress more
quickly.
Finally, encourage rowers to comnH:nt on
Checking Understanding
other crew members whilst they arc watching
You need to check the rowers' understanding the video; this is an excellent way to check
of what it is you arc asking them to do; need - understanding! If they can identitY in others
less to say, if they do not understand, or do both good points and also areas that need
not agree with what you arc saying, progress improvement, it shows that they understand
will be very slow. what is being sought after.
Onc way of doing this is to ask them a great
m:lIly questions. You should always ask them
Throwing down the Gauntlet
how they feel they are rowing, before making
your own observations . And when you have Finally, you should try to devise as many chal -
asked them to make a change to their tech - lenges for your rowers to overcome as
nique, ask them ifit feels diHcrent or better. If possible. They need only be simple, such as
it does, ask them to explain in what way, what rowing with square blades without touching
have they done that is diHcrent? the water t()r ten minutes, or improving an
\Vhen rowers perform a movement aspect of their technique by.l certain amount,
correctly, you need to reinforce this. I often as agreed between you . You should plan t()r a
ask them to close their eyes, to t()(US on the challenge in every session; sLlccess in every
\\'ay it tcels when they are doing it correctly - session; and a variety of challenges; and
that is a gold medal tceling, and anything else remember:
is secund best.
Rowers must also agree that they need to Every stroke you allow your crew to row
change, and you must ensure they are really badly, is a onc stroke advantage to their
con\'inced that what you are suggesting will opposition

103
 7 Constructing a
Training Programme
The first and most obvious area that needs to you achieve them. An example of such a goal
be considered when constructing a training is aiming for a specific improvement in tech-
programme is its principal aim. It may be to nique. Performance goals also include such
prepare the athlete for a specitic race or series things as target times for ergometer or water
of races, or to rectify a weakness in the work. For instance , it may be that in order to
athlete's performance, in strength or flexibility achieve selection for a race you need to be able
for instance. And once the overall target is to row 2,000m on the ergometer in a specitic
established, whatever it may be , then a time. Alternatively, you may need to cover
method of determining progress towards 5,000m in your sculling boat in less than
achieving it must also be worked out, together thirty minutes or so. If you know what your
with intermediate goa ls. overall goal is, it makes it much easier to plan
In rowing, as with most sports, the inter - your training programme.
mediate targets or goals tend to be geared As discussed in Chapter 8, regular evalu-
towards such ultimate goa ls as winning a ation of your progress towards your goals is
medal at a particular event such as the world vital in helping you to remain motivated ,
or national championships. Now, although particularly during the long winter month s.
these goals have their place , they are not Without specific targets to work towards, it
necessarily the best ones to choose. The can seem as though you are just training for
biggest problem is that they depend entirely the sake of training, and very few people find
on outside influences. During the course of a training for its own sake rewarding : they need
particular race , an athlete has no intluence a sense of purpose to make it worthwhile.
over what the other people in the race do, and
so has no contro l over whether or not he
reaches his desired goal. Only one thing is GETTING STARTED
guaranteed: that every competitor in that race
wants to win the gold medal, and so if there Having decided your overall target fexusing
are six crews in the race, all with the target of on performance goals you then need to assess
winning go ld , five crews are not going to how close to achieving these goals you .1re,
reach it. So even if you have the best row of and what you need to do to meet them .
your life , covering the course faster than you It may be that, in order to improve your
have ever done before, you will not necessarily time for 2,000m you need to become stronger
fulfil your objective - does this mean you have in the upper body , or to improve your .1erobic
failed? fitness . Whatever areas you need to imprm'e
I t is f.1r better to focus on perfonnance goa ls upon , it is important to identify them right
which you can directly control, whether or not at the very start of the planning process .

104
 CO~STRUCTI~G A TRAINING PROGRAI'.!I'.!E

There is no point in attempting to improve po rate regular evaluation sessions to 1110nitor

everything, if you only need to improve on how drcctive the programme is. This done ,
onc or two key areas. The essential thing is to you can work out exactly what to do in each
t()(US close ly on specitic areas depending on individual training session. Iml11ediately
\'our needs. tollowing your evaluation sessions, you may
need to modit), the programme content
depending on whether or not you are meeting
Deciding the Intermediate Goals
your aims. The whole process can be summa -
The next step is therefore to draw up some rized as t()lIows:
intermediate goals. I f we use the example of
1. Assess the areas where yo ur pert()rmance
strength training, your overall target may be
is weak;
to improve your maximum bench pull by 30
2. Identi~' your overall goal (pe d()l"Jl1anCe
per cent. Th us if you can curn.:ntly lift 100kg,
rather than outcome);
your target will be to lift 130kg. Your inter-
3. Set intermediate goals;
mediate goals therd"()re nu~' be to lift II Okg
4. Choose appropriate types of training;
after two months, I ISkg after three months
5. Programme in evaluation sessions;
and so on until you reach 130kg. Remember
6. Decide on the speci fie con tent of the
that it is important to be realistic about how
sessIOns;
quickly you can hope to improve your perfor-
7. Evaluate the success of the programme ;
mance.
8. Modi!"), the programme if necessary.
\Nhen it comes to rowing, there are many
variables which contribute to 1110ving the boat The above principles are a useful guide t"()r
quickly, including strength, Hexibility, aerobic preparing any type of training programme.
and anaerobic fitness, and technique. However, before we look in more detail at
Improving just one aspect will not necessarily how to put together a programme f()r rowing,
lead to a radical improvement in your time there are three fundamental aspects that
over the race distance. Nevertheless, you shou ld be considered, the most crucia l of
shou ld identify the areas where you are these being perhaps overcompensation.
weakest and plan accordingly.
Overcompensation
TRAINING METHODS Overcompensation refers to the ability of the
body to adapt to a given load : simply put, it
With your intermediate goals established, you will adapt to any load or stress placed upon it ,
need to comider what training methods are ?nd once it has overcome a specific load, its
the most appropriate to help you accomplish immediate reaction is to make certain that,
your aims. I t is likely that you will end up with shou ld it encounter that load again, it is better
J range of training types, and it is therd"()re able to cope with it.
essential to prioritize thel11. This ability of the body to consta ntly adapt
to loading f(>rIl1S the backbone of all training,
and without it wc would nevCl" be able to
Monitoring Progress
improve our strength or our tkxibility, f()r
Onc of the 1110st important .lspects of example. We would be forced to accept that
constructing a tr.lining programme is to incor- however strong or supple \\'e were, that would

105
CONSTRUCTING A TRAINING PROGIV\J\I~\E

be it, and we would never get any stronger or as it seems, however, because the body will
any more flexible - our performance level not adapt to just any old load, it has to be a
would be set and the only way we could sufficiently difticult load before any adapta -
improve it would be to increase our technical tion will occur. In practical terms, if muscles
protlciency. are to adapt they need to be stressed to a high
This process of adapting is closely linked to level; if the load is too easy, the body will
physical fatigue. Wc know that immediately simply not adapt in the desired manner. In a
following exercise the body goes through a similar way, if you were to train with the same
period where it has a reduced capability - in load f(x days on end, you would not tind any
other words, it becomes fatigued. It is as it adaptation beyond that gained in the initial
l'eCOVCI'S that it adapts, and the crucial differ- few training sessions. I t is essential therefore
ence is that not only does it adapt to overcome constantly to increase the load you train with,
the same load again, but it adapts to overcome whilst allowing sufticient time to recover.
an increased load. (This process of adaptation
is clearly illustrated in fig. 19.) Thus by
Failing Adaptation, or Ovcrtraining
systematically overloading the body, wc can
raise the resistance that it can overcome; in There is onc important proviso to this process ,
other words, wc can lift heavier weights or row and that is that the body must be allowed suffi -
faster, for longer. cient time to adapt. If it is not, you will enter
The process is not quite as straightforward a period of so called 'biling adaptation', where

~
INCREASE IN
PERFORMANCE

CAPACITY FOR WORK

/
/
I
WORK /
/

LOAD /
/
/
./

"\
\
I /
, I

- '-
"-
"" I
/
_/

, I
...... _ - /

WORK REST WORK Rlsr WORK

Fig . 19 OvcrcoJ11pclls<uion.

106
 CONSTRUCTIl'G A TRAINING PROGRA J\ l J\ IE

DH' RI :ASI : IN
PI:RFORMANCE

CAPACITY FOR WORK

WORK
LOAD

\
\
\
\ \
'- \
\
, .....

WORK RI :ST WORK RI :ST WORK

Fig. 20 "'.liling adaptation .

it fails to adapt to training in the desired way . outlined earlier, the adaptations brought
Thus rather than adapting in a positive way to about by training do not occur whilst actually
the stresses placed upon it, it will react in a exercising, but during the rest period imme -
negative way by becoming unable to over- diately following the exercise. If you do not
come the load; and if this ~ituation continues, allow enough time to recover between
the load that can be overcome will deteriorate training sessions , you will effectively start each
until such time as the athlete i~ unable to train subsequent session with a progressively higher
dfectively. level of fatigue, rather than the ability to O\'er-
failing adaptation i~ more commonly come a greater load .
referred to as ' overtraining' , and athletes and . Current thinking on overrraining is to
coaches should always be aware that whilst it acknowledge that whilst training is certainly a
is common tell' athlete~ in serious training to contributing factor, it is not the only onc.
carry with them a certain amount of residual Athletes, like most people , are faced with .1
fatigue , it i~ crucial that this is kept within variety of ditkrent stresses in their everyday
manageable proportions . Athletes can lit<.:, which may include exam or \\'ork pres -
become overrrained in t\\'o \\,avs: simply by sures, financial problems, or relationship
doing too much training, or through not difficulties. The main ditficulty that many bee ,
allowing ~ufficicnt time for recovery . As is the day-to -day hassle of titting the need to

107
CONSTRUCTING A TRAINING PROGRAMME

train into existing work commitments. Some Peaking for the Overall Goal
stresses, such as exams, come and go; others
are constantly in the background . When The flI131 3rea you must consider when
looked at in this way, it is clear that the term drawing up your progr3mme is 'peaking', 3nd
'overtraining' is inadequate, and it is therefore ofJlI the areas involved in prep3ring for 3 r3ce ,
becoming more common to use the phrase it is onc of the least understood. I n fact
'overstress' . peaking is simply 3 planning process designed
to ensure th3t you arc able to give your best
perform3nce during 3 specific event.
Periodization
To perform at your best you need to be
Periodization refers to the way in which capable of giving your 3bsolute maximum
training types arc alternated throughout the from both 3 physiological 3nd a psychologi cal
year. It is not possible to train everything at point of view, 3nd to achieve this you need to
maximum effort at the same time. For be totally rested mentally 3nd ph ysic3l1y . If
example, if you were training every day to you arc suffering from any f:1tigue 3t all, you
improve your maximum strength , you would will not be able to perform 3t your m3ximum
find it very diffIcult, if not impossible , to do 3bility. Peaking aims therefore to remove the
miles of high intensity rowing each day as well. possibility of f;ltigue 3ffecting your perfor-
To resolve this problem we therefore place a mance. So how do you set about peaking for
greater emphasis on particular types of the big race?
training, in turn, at different times of the year, first, peaking is not something that you
whilst at the same time trying to maintain the should leave until the last moment. Although
progress achieved in the other areas. the last few weeks before the event 3re critic31 ,
Although periodization is a relatively if you W3nt to ensure tl13t you give your
straightforward concept, it is an area that can maximum performance on the day, you need
lead to confusion because it is too easy to to St3rt planning for it right 3t the St3rt of your
make it more complicated than it really is. Wc training, that is when you begin winter
know that the main elements that rowers need tr3ining. Peaking is essentially the end
to train arc: product of the periodization of your
training.
• Maximum strength Wc have discussed prioritizing training
• Strength endurance types; the next step is to build in a system of
• Power 31ternating the training load . You should aim
• Flexibility/ mobility to increase the workload through the season
• Aerobic capacity gradually, 3lten13ting between low , medium ,
• Anaerobic capacity high 3nd maximum loadings as you go along;
this is indicated in Fig. 21. This constant alter-
If you accept that you cannot hope to improve nation between the differing loads will
all of these at the same time , it is clear you stimulate the body to adapt and will hopefully
need to devise some sort of prioritized increase your potential performance. What
structure. The usual W3Y to do this is to work will also happen is that you will build up a
b3ck from the most important race of the ye3r certain amount of residual fatigue.
3nd decide on how best to fIt in all of the Residual fatigue is experienced by all
elements. athletes. It is that constant feeling of tiredness

108
 C:Ol"STRUCTIl\G A TRAINING PROGRA~IME

100 " -

xO' " ,----

WORK M
LOA J) /\
(,0 , ,, ,---- X
,----
I
11
M
M I M
I: U
G M
,---- E
D 11 D
L I L I
0 U U
W
0
M W M

4 6
WI' I- K I MO~111I PI ' RIO!)

fig . 21 V.lri.ltion in training load throughout thc YC.H.

you have , that i~ always in the background; it my experience, however, most crews do not
should not be so large that it impinges on you r wind down their training enough in the
training, but it will actually prevcnt you from final few weeks. It can be diftlcult to know
pcrf()rming at you r absolute bcst. As you get what the optimum reduction in training is ,
nearer to your big race so you will need to but a good rule of thumb is to cut down the
removc your re sidua l fatigue if you are to volume of your training by a minimum of 30
perform at your maximum potential; this per cent - so me crews cut down by anything
me.lns reducing your workload in the tlnal up to 50- 60 per cent with no ill dfects. Never
\\'(.:eks bd()re the Llce . In short, the peaking forget that whilst you need to covcr miles ,1I1d
proces~ should emure that you remove all, or miles of rowing in order to dCJJ eiop your
most of your residual fatigue . So how do you aerobic fitness, you do not need to do so to
go about achieving this? During the fInal wai~ltaiH it.
se\"Cn to ten day~ bd()re your main race, the Another rule of thumb often used is that the
quality of your training should be increased, total time spent on maximum (flat out ) work
with a ~ub~equent reduction in thc total quan - for any individual sess ion during the tlnal
tit\' of work. You shou ld concentrate on seven to ten days should not exceed the time
maximum effort for shorter duration required to cover the race distance. In other
pieces , whibt maintaining aerobic fitne ss. words, if the race will take you seven minutes,
There i~ no magic t(>rIllula f<:>r ensuring that you should not do more than seven minutes
all residual btigue i~ removed, or that you will maximum work during anyone training
be .1t your absolute peak for your big racc. In session.

109
COt\STRUCTING A TRAINING I'ROGIV\,vl,\IE

It should be remembered that these are Transition Period

only guidelines and should be treated as such.
They provide a good starting point, but are no The transition phase normally lasts for t(Hlr
substitute for experimenting with different weeks, in September, and is when athletes
workloads and carefully monitoring the have the chance to recuperate ti'om the rigours
results. of the racing season . It shou ld represent the
ideal opportunity to get away from the
constant physical stress of training. Nor
THE ROWING YEAR should the psychological impact of training be
uIH.icrestimated, and mental recuperation is
In practice the rowing year is divided into every bit as important as the physiological; this
three main phases, each of which is designed is particularly true ti.)r rowers who have been
to enhance a particular aspect of training. training at a high level for many year~.
They are known as the transition, preparation Moreover, if you nel'er have a break ti'om
and competition phases. training, it can be extremely ditlicult to ren1.1in
The preparation and competition phases arc h.dl~r motivated towards achieving your goals.
each broken down into two subdivisions : the During this phase you shou ld try to take a
former into periods concentrating on first complete break tj'om rowing. I f this doesn't
general, then on specitic titness; the latter into appeal, you could try doing something within
the pIT -competition and the competition rowing that presents a different cha llen ge. for
periods. I fthis all sounds a bit confusing, take instance, if you normally roll' in a erew boat ,
a look at the table below which Illay help to you could try single scu llin g; alrernativelv, if
make things clearer. yo u normally train in a single scu ll, why not try
a coxless pair? What is important is that you
have a break fi'om the combination you have
I'lm'<f MOllr" AilllS been rowing in for the previous eleven months.
Transition Scprcmber Mcnral and phl"ical This does not mean that you shou ld stop
n:cupcr3tiol1 training altogether: it is better to enjoy some
form of physical activity suc h as playing other
Preparation
sports, swimming or cycling ti.)r example.
Gmer.ll Ocr- N",' Genl:r.ll cndur.\I1cc
I)e.:- ).\I1 M.lximul\\ ,rrengrh
Preparation Period
Specitic Feb - t-I.tr Power
Srrengrh endurance The principle aim of this period is to prepare
yourselft()r competition, .1Ild it is prob.lbly the
Competi tion
Pre -competition Apr-j\l.w Srrengrh rnenrioJ\
most important period of the yt:ar for any
and bo.n 'I",ed athlete. If you cut corners at this time you will
.1lmost certainly bce the consequences come
Competition )un- Aug Srrengrh rercnrioJ\ the reg:nta season, because without a sound
.lnd hO.H 'peed
preparation you cannot hope to achieve any
real degree of success.
r:ig. 22 i\\ain periods of rhe rowing I'car. The lI'ork you lI'ill do during this period is
largely governed by what your ultimate goab
are. The higher the goa l, the more \\'ork you

110
 C00:STRUCTI:-IG A TRAINI:-IG I'ROGRAt\IME

need to put in: there arc no shorteuts in the This stage should not be rushed, because it
pursuit ofcxcellencc. Onc thing is for certain, will take time f()r your body to become accus-
th.lt for e\'Cry mile you row and fc)r every tomed to training again. It goes without
\\'eight -training session you do, there will saying thJt the longer you have been Jway
al\\'avs be someone else who has done more. from training , or the less you have done
Whenever I sce athletes begin to tJke the during the interim period, the longer it will
prep.u.Hion period te)r g ranted , I think of onc take to regain full fitness. You should there -
of m~ ' fir~t co.lch \ bvourite sJyings: fore avoid the temptation to resume
immediJtcl~' the 1C\'Cl at which you were
The will to win is onc thing. The will to
trJining bdore your break. I am sure you arc
prep.lre to win is another.
all Elmiliar with the aches and pains of getting
He Jlw.1\'$ s.lid th.u he would rJther coach back into shape again, pJrticubrly with weight
ro\\'ers with the I.Hter Jttribute, Jnd I hJve trJining.
certJin ly found this to be true, for if yo u luve There arc probably more injuries caused at
not done the work bde)rehJnd, you eJn have this time of year th.1I1 at any other stage of the
as much determinJtion JS yo u like , but yo u season, To help avoid this, it is essential to
will sti ll not win the rJce. pbn the initiJI four weeks of training with
Onc of the cha llen ges thJt wc bce in rowing great care, and to set yourself realistic targets,
at the moment is thJt to be even moderJtely If yo u have lost some strength, as you almost
successful in terms of winning rJces, you need certainly will have, you need to allow yourself
to do J lot of trJining. I t never ceJses to JmJze some time to be able to lift the same weight as
me how unrealistic mJny rowers JppeJr to be. you could previously. This will not happen
They expect to hJve J ciunce of winning within a few sessions, it will probably take at
Henley, but arc only prepJred to trJin for least four weeks. The same will be true for
perhJPs two water sessions Jt the weekend Jnd circuit training: having done rebtively little
nnybe two nights through the week. for anything up to two months, yo u arc asking
UnfortunJtely those tbys JIT probJbly gone for trouble if you go straight into full-blown
tcn good. circuit training.
The prepJrJtion period is divided into two Flexibility, too, will ha\'e deteriorated if you
mJin phJses, as wc have seen, concentrJting hJve not done Jny regubr stretch ing during
on generJI fitness, then on specific Jspects of your break. PJrticubr care shou ld therd()re be
fitness trJining. taken to restore previous level s of Hexibility if
you arc to avoid the risk of injuries such as torn
ligaments or strJined muscles.
Octobcr- N OJ!L'1N ber

The tlrst phase is largely devoted to improving Deccmbcr-ja1'llla ry

.lll -round fitness. Training will f()(us initially
on restoring pre\'ious levels of strength, and This is also a period f(H re storing previous
the .lerobic fitness that may have been lost fitness levels, although the emphasis on bnd
between the cnd of the racing season and the begins to move away fi-om general endurJnce
lxginning of winter training. It shou ld and strength , towards developing maximum
pro\'ide the opportunity to case back into stre ngth . With on ly eight weeks devoted to
tr.lining after your breJk. this area of training, time spent planning

111
CONSTRUCTING A TRAINING PROGRAMME

beforehand is well spent. For instance, in a only do it once a week, you will be verv stitf
typical training programme there may be just the tc)lIowing day, and this will have an adverse
three maximum strength training sessions per dlect on your other training.
week; multiplied by the number of weeks, you As regards work on the water, the bulk of it
can see there are usually on ly about twenty - will sti ll be aerobic, although some sessions
tour sessions set aside for this area of training will be dedicated to higher intensity work.
- so plan very carefully if you want to get the This type of training is necessary, not just tor
most out of this period. improving the anaerobic system, but also in
helping to raise the rating to the required level
for racing.
February-March The question of how best to get the rating
up to racing rate has in my view become more
This period concentrates on specifIC areas of important with the change in overall training
fitness. Having improved your maximum emphasis that has occurred in recent yea rs.
strength, you now need time to develop the Whereas we used to spend anything up to 50
fast, explosive power essential in rowing. As per cent of our training doing shorter, higher
outlined in Chapter 5, maximum power can rate work, we now spend most of our training
only be developed by improving maximum time rating no more than twenty -four strokes
strength, which is why you should train for per minute. This has made it essential to plan
maximum strength tlrst , and then train for just how you are going to get the rate lip to
power. During this period the foclls also the thirty-six to forty strokes per minute
changes towards developing strength needed for racing. This subject is discussed in
endurance. more detail a little later , in the section on
progressing your programme.
April and May should be the hardest
The Competition Period
months in terms of overall level s of training.
As you approach the competition period , so There will probably not be a large variation in
the focus changes more to the precise require - your workload from one week to the next as
ments ofracing; this implies a greater focus on you try to maximize the time yo u have before
developing boat speed. Th is is helped by the the start of the racing season proper .
fact that it starts to become lighter in the
evenings, enabling you to spend more time
training in the boat. Jlm c-AltBltst

For the majority of club rowers, the main

April-May regattas of the yea r will bll between June and
the middle of July/August. The greatest
At this time of yea r it can be all too easy to change to your training at this time will be the
undo some of the progress YOll have made need to alternate you r workload to accommo -
during the preparation period. It is essential, date racing. You should be following a pattern
therefore , that you eontinue to do some of cyclic loading , where you build up the
strength training; this should take the tcmll inten sity ofvour training, followed bv a short
of strength retention work, ideally perf()I"med period of unloading - ie redu ced workload -
at least twice per week. You will fInd that if you immediately bdc)l"C a regatta.

112
 CO;-\STRUCTI;-\G A TRAINING PROGRAi\II\IE

As in April and May, the bulk of your split currently advocated lw the AKA - and for
tr.lining should ~till be long distance rowing at those of you \\'ho have alreadv worked out
low to medium intensity. Probably the single that the figures for each period do not total
biggest mi~take that manv crews - or coaches 100 per cent, the remaining time is dedicated
- m.lke is to neglect this type of training to strength, flexibility and regeneration
during the summer months . Just as with training.
strength training, you need to work to main -
t.lin the improvements in your aerobic titness , Till/fill UT] UTI AT TR L AI.
as thev are all too easily lost. yaIr
Although it is important to do anaerobic Pr~p,Ir.H1011 56 5.5 4 2 0 0
work, there is no need to dedicate endless COlllpcririol1 39 22.S 2.5 7. 5 1.5 0 .5
sessions to it. If you have done the aerobic
work through the winter, it shou ld be rela - fig. 23 ARA recommendations f(lI' tr.lining (ptT
tively straightforward to improve you r cent ).
In.lCrobic cap.Kit)'. Un like the aerobic system,
the anaerobic system can be trained quite There are a few points in the table to which I
quickly and so does not need vast amounts of would like to draw your attention. first is the
time dedicated to it. Specific training sessions amount of time spent on UT training: during
can be used to enhance this aspect of your the preparation period, just over 60 per cent
performance, but don't go overboard; one or of your training should be UT work, and this
two sessions a week will be more than is maintained throughout the competition
adequate. period with the emphasis shifting towards
Always remember that the competition UT 1, rather than UT2 training. This means
period is a time for perfecting technique at that the bulk of your training will be low
racing speed. intensity, long duration rowing at a low
rate.
The other main point, which fc)llows on
PUTTING YOUR PROGRAMME from the first, is how little time is spent on
TOGETHER lactate training - less than 2 per cen t even
during the competition period.
vVe mmt now consider how best to incorpo - I have to say at this stage, that whilst I agree
rate the different types of training required for with the principles contained in the table, I
success into the training programme. know that in reality many crews will race in
Although you shou ld prioritize those aspects various head -of-the -river races . If you hope to
of your pertcJrmance that are we.lkest, there do well in these - and in particular the main
are some general guidelines that apply to head races - you will need to include some
e\'eryone . Moreover, as rowing is predomi - speed work, including lactate training, in your
nantly an aerobic event, the bulk of your programme . This is not a problem, however,
training should focus on improving your provided that the overall bias of the
.lerobic capacity . programme i~ sti ll towards aerobic training,
Whilst there are no hard and fast rules about that is, UT, TR and AT training.
the exact percentage of time you should The final point to consider i~ that a~ yo u
de\'ote to each training type, the t.lble below approach the competition period, the
will gi\'C you .1 good indication of the sort of amount of TH.. training almo~t quadruple~,

113
CONSTRUCTING A TRAINING PROGRAMME

while the amount of AT training reduces PROGRESSING YOUR

slightly. PROGRAMME
In summary, then, the main points are as
follows: When you have worked out the content of
your t.rst week's training, you will need to
• approximately 60 per cent of your decide how best to progress it; to do this you
programme should be oxygen utilization will need to assess the worklo.ld for each
training. training session. This is determined by three
things: the quality and the quantity of work,
• Less than 2 per cent should be lactate
and the rest period.
training, and this should be carried out
during the competition period. Tr.lining JOJt! = QluJiry + QUJntlry + Rc\r
• The competition period should have fig. 24 Tr.lining In.ld.
approximately four times more oxygen
transport and oxygen utilization one
training (UT 1) than the preparation
Assessing the Workload
period.
When \Ve talk about the 'quality of work' we
With this information you can begin to are referring to how hard it is; it is usually
outline the skeleton of your training expressed as the pace it is pertc)rmed at , ell
programme. The following steps will help you 500m split time on the ergometer, or rowing
get started: at full pressure. In the case of weight training
it would be the actual weight lifted or the
• Decide what, and when, your main goal percentage of maximum that you work at.
IS. Quantity refers to how many repetitions or
• Working back from this, divide the sets are pertormed, eg three sets of twelve
programme into the three main phases: repetitions, six 500m pieces, or sixty minutes
transition (onc month ), preparation (six oxygen utilization work.
months ) and competition (five months ). Rest is the total rest between work pieces .
• Subdivide these into onc -month cycles. In the boat this may be the rest between both
• Determine the load for each monthly repetitions and sets. You Ill:l)' be doing two
cycle : working back trom the main event, sets of three two-minute pieces (2 x [3 x2 ' J) ,
divide it into low, maximum, high and \\'ith one minute rest between each two -
medium loads. minute piece, :lnd ten minutes rest between
• Decide on the intermediate goals each set; the total rest would therdc)re be
(regattas ). tc)urteen minutes.
• Programme in testing sessions (usually at If you \V:lllt to progress your progrJmllle
the end of a light week ). you will need to alter one or more of the~e
• Decide on your overall aims for each vari:lbles , by either increasing the quality , or
monthly cycle. incre.lsing the quantity, or reducing the rest
• Determine the content of each individual period. There are some general rules ,
session for the initial month. however, that should be observed: tirst, it i"
• Review each month, and adapt as better to change just one "ariable .\t a time
necessary. because it is then br easier to monitor the

114
 C:01'STRUC:TI1'G A TRAINING I'RO(;RA t\ l t\ IE

efket of the ch3nge. I f, for CX<ll1lple, you the rest between work pieces on the water or
increased both the quality ,1I1d the quantity ergometer by a sma ll amount, so long 3S it
ti'om onc ~es~ion to the next , you would not reIl\3ins within the guidelines specitied.
know \\'hieh lud lud the grc.ner dtt:ct, ~hould
you become cxce~~i\'ely t:nigued.
Monitoring your Workload
The other point worth mentioning is that
you ('lnnot do high leveb of quality work if you I t is essential to monitor your total workload
<Ire <lbo trying to do a high quantity of work . each month and to use this intc)rmation to set
As the level of quality increa~e~ , M) the qU3ntity targets fe)r fllture months. There are several
needs to reduce; simiI3r1y, if you wish to do 3 ways of doing this.
high quantity of work , it needs to be done 3t One way is to record the total <Ul1ount of time
,1 low qu,lliry. In gener,ll, it is abo better to spent doing each type of training, fc)r inst<U1ce ,
progress from qu,lntity to quality of work the total number of minutes spent on UT2
because this gives your body the be~t clunce of trJining. This is simple to do Jnd does not take
adapting to the worklo,ld and helps minimize up much time. H~1\'ing gathered this inti.>nl1,ltiOIl
the risk of injury . The 3nnual training you CJn use the table in fig. 23 to ensure that
programme should te)lIow this p3ttern. the balance of your programme is appropriate.
At the beginning of winter training you As the quantity of work should be incn.:ased
should be doing lots onow intemity rowing - throughout the preparation period , it is
th3t is , high qU3ntity, low qU3 li ty. As you strJightte)l'Ward enough to use this sort of
approach the competition period , so the intcJrlllJtion to set tJrgets fe)r each week. I t~ te)r
emphasis should move towards doing more eX<lmple, Jt the stJrt of winter trJining you arc
shorter periods of high intensity tr3ining - Iow doing a totJ I of 200 minutes UT2 trJining J
quantity, high quality. week, you mJY decide tlut you would like to
'vVhen it comes to rest YOU need to be more increJse this by 25 per cent over a tour-week
careful tlun when you alter the quantity or period. In this eXJmple your target would be
quality of work, because depending on the aim 250 minutes in week four, 225 minutes fe)r
of the training session, you may affect the week two, and so on.
physiological adaptation that occurs by I t is particularly eJsy to meJsure workloJd
increasing or decre3sing the rest period. As an when doing weight trJining: all you need to
example, if you were to incre3se the rest period do is use the following calculation:
between work pieces when doing lactate toler-
(no of sets) x (no of repetitions) x (we ight lifted)
ance training, ~'ou would minimize the total
<lmount of I<lctic acid produced during the This shou ld be done te)r each exercise and
session and this would lessen the training dtcct. then the totJI tc)r eJch Jdded together. for
On the other hand, you cannot reduce the example, the workload tor the circuit shown
rest period by too much without running below would be 9,900kg, as tc)lIows:
the risk of excessive overloading leading to
chronic btigue . Nevertheless, the rest period Power clean 100kg x 3 x 12 3,600kg
can be manipulated a certain amount to alter
Bench press 50kg x 3xl2 I ,ROOkg
the training I(ud : when you are doing circuit
training te)r instance , you can reduce the rest Squat 125kg x 3 x 12 4,SOOkg
period between cxerci~e~ quite e<lsily without
Total 9,900kg
doing any real harm. Similarly, you can reduce

115
CONSTRUCTING A TRAINIl'\G PROGH.A~I~IE

As with the previous example, this informa - Writing a programl11e is relatively straightfor-
tion may be used to set targets for future ward, as long as vou let it be str.1ightfc)f\vard.
weeks. You should keep it as simple as possible.
Other ways to monitor training and set Work out the O\'er all loads that you want tc)r
targets are to count the total number of each week or month as described, and tind the
minutes spent at a given rating or heart-rate easiest way of accomplishing them .
zone. The former is a useful way of ensuring Programmes do not have to be tilled with
that you achieve a sl1100th transition from the complicated combinations of training to be
rebtively low rates used in winter training to effective - remember , 60 per ccnt of your
the rates required for racing. training is what used to be ca lled 'steady state'
rowing, and that lea\"Cs only 40 per cent tcn
the rest.
FINAL ADVICE ON WRlTING A When you have worked out how many
PROGRAMME training sessions you have per week, it is a
simple nutter to caiculHe the number of
Perhaps the biggest mistake that many people sess ion s that should be devoted to each
make is paying too much attention to the type of training, using the figures given in
details of preparing a training programme. Fig. 23.

116
8 Monitorin~and
Evaluating-Progress
Onc of the most important aspects of any siblc to know what type of training you should
training programme is monitoring the focus on. As everyone has a limited amount of
progress made. Unfortunately it is also one of time available for training, it is essential to use
the least valued and so is often a secondary that time in the most effective way.
consideration when it comes to putting the
programme together.
Evaluating the Workload
Having identified what you are going to work
THE BENEFITS OF MONITORING on, you need to know whether or not you are
TRAINING making progress: how will you assess this if
you do not test for any improvement?
Monitoring your progress is essential if you If your training programme is not having
arc to make the most of the time you dedicate the desired effect, it is much better to find this
to your training. There arc many benefits to out sooner, rather than later; with this infor-
be gained fi'om including regular evaluation mation, you can make appropriate changes.
sessions into your training programme. The other thing to bear in mind is that as your
Monitoring your training through regular body adapts to the training load, you will need
testing can: to increase the load if you want to continue
improving. Regular testing is one of the most
• IdentifY strengths and weaknesses; effective ways of finding out when it is time to
• Evaluate if your programme is having the do so, and by how much.
desired dTect;
• Allow you to make adjustments to your
The Effect on Motivation
programme;
• Help you to remain motivated; In my view, the most beneficial aspect of
• Identity when you may be at risk from regular testing is the effect it has on motiva -
overstress; tion. It can be very difficult to remain
• Predict performance potential; motivated towards training, especially during
• Provide information for crew selection. the winter months when the excitement of
racing is still a long way ofT, and this is partic -
ularly true if you (or your athletes) have been
Identifying Strengths and
training for many years.
Weaknesses
By the time you have been rowing for ten
At the outset of training it is important to years or more, the improvements you can
know your various strengths and weaknesses , expect to see may be very small, and when this
because without this information it is impos - happens it can be difficult to keep putting

117
MONITOIUNG AND EVALUATING PROGRESS

yoursdfthrough thc grind of daily training. If, Predicting Performance Potential

howcvcr, you can scc cvcn thc smallcst
improvcmcnt in your pertormancc, it is much Although it may not be particularly rde"ant
casier to find thc willpowcr to continuc. fc>r most clubs or ro\\'er~, tc~ting can be used
Nobody is perft:ct in cvcry scnsc and so thcrc to predict an ath lete 's poten tial pert'(xmancc.
is always room for improvcmcnt - thc trick is At international Ie"ci, many countries usc
finding the bcst way of showing it. testing to 'strcam ' their athletes, focming
resources on thosc that l1.lvC thc 'right'
physiological attributes for top class
Recognizing Overstress
pert'()rmance.
Thc dcmands being placcd nowadays on The diff-iculty is , that although there arc
compctitive rowers havc never bcen so grcat ~ome distinctivc physiological characteristics
and the possibility of bccoming overtraincd is that are advantagcous t()r intcrnational levd
more likdy than at any stage in the past. I t is rowers, therc arc always cxceptions to the rule ,
also generally agrced that thc term '()\'er - athletcs who makc it to thc \'cry top despitc
trained' is in itsdf misleading. having rciativdy 'inkrior' physiology.
Athletes have many stresses to cope with in
the coursc of their day -to -day lift: - training is
A Guide to Crew Selection
only onc of them. Thus, whcn an athlete
shows signs of overtraining, it may not neces - Test results arc undoubtedly an invaluable
sarily ha"e bcen brought on by his training tool t'(:>r coaches when it comes to sciecting
alonc; he may have additional strcsses to copc crcws, providing thcy are used wisciy -
with at work, or be studying tor important although they arc Jlota substitute for knowing
exams, or be having diflicultics in his closest your rowers. They can bc most hdpful in situ -
rciationship for example. These additional ations where it is all but impmsible to separate
strcss factors will contributc to the psycholog- rowers technically. l-'or example, if you have
icalload hc must overcome evcry day. A more whittled a squad down to the tinal nine rowers
accuratc description of overtraining is there - for an eight, and cannot distinguish between
t'(Jre overstress. two of them tor the tinal place, how do you
There is a great deal of research being dccide?
conducted at the moment into overstress You have one of two options: you can make
syndrome: the main problem is that it is very a subjective dccision based on your 'gut '
diHicult to predict when an athlete is about to feeling ; or you can use the results of an
become overstrcsscd. Rescarchers arc there - ergometer tcst. Most athletcs would prdcr the
t()re trying to tind a test that will assess cxactly tinal decision to be based on some t'()rm of
that - and in the mcantime, the best guide is quantitiable data, rather than one which i ~
knowing yourscif (or your rowers ) <lnd purely subjectivc .
being 'in tune' with what your body is telling
you.
If you can recognize whcn your body is GUIDELINES FOR TESTING
saying 'enough' and takc a break ti'om your
training, you will be some way towards being 'vVhatevcr type of tcsting you decide to do
able to dcal with the situation. therc .11'( somc simple rules that should be
applicd. Any test used mmt be :

118
 l\IONITORING Al\'D EVALUAT ING PROGRESS

• Rele\·ant ha\'C improved in any way? for a test to be

• Valid reproducible , you must also be able to get
• Reproducible the same result if it is repeated very soon
• Sports specific afterwards; and if you get a range of
• Standardized ditkrent results, it is very difticult to know
with any certainty whether the results are
valid .
Relevant
It is important to ensure that the tests you
Sports specific
choose are relevant. Although this may seem
obvious, there arc many tests available that arc Perhaps the most obvious rule is that, where
1lot particularly relevant for rowers . One possible , a test shou ld be sports specific. It is
example is the 'one rep maximum lift' test wdl known that runners get different results
used in weight lifting: as power is more impor- when tested on a treadmill as compared with
tant to rowers than absolute strength, there is being tested on a cycle. Similarly, rowers will
no real bendit in finding out how much produce different results when tested on a
weight you can lift on just one occasion for a treadmill as compared with a rowing
give n exercise. Testing over three repetitions , ergometer. All movements carried out during
however, will give yo u sufficient information the test should therefore simulate the rowing
for exercise prescription and monitoring action as closely as possible .
progress.
Standardized
Valid
One area to which you should pay particular
A test is valid depending on whether it attention is the standardizing of the way tests
measures what it aims to . A good example of arc carried out. The more areas you can stan -
this is the 'sit and reach ' test, often used to dardize when testing, the more reliable yo ur
measure flexibility of the hamstrings , but one results will be . If you do a warm -up before -
which in fact is better for measuring lower hand for instance , try to do the sa me warm -up
back flexibility. If yo u have an inflexible lower every time ; if you plan on doing a battery of
back, it is this that will prohibit you reaching tests in a session, make sure that you always do
forwards rather than your hamstrings . them in the same order. And if you are going
Another example of a test that is not neces- to use an ergometer, always use the same one;
sarily valid is the sit -up test to indicate do not assu me that you will get the same
abdominal srrength . I n fact the hip flexors are results from each machine , because you will
used more during sit -ups than the abdominal not'
mu sc les, making the sit -up test invalid as an Onc area of particular importance is
indicator of abdominal strength. measuring the heart rate , which is probably
more variable than any other physiological
parameter you are likely to measure . It varies
Reproducible
from week to week , day to day, even hour
You mu st be able to replicate the test for it to to hour, so if you keep a record of your own
be of any practica l use: if yo u are unable to heart rate , .1lw3Ys measure it at the same time
replicate it, how will you know whether you of day .

119
MONITOIUNG AND EVALUATING PROGRESS

TYPES OF LAND TEST also help to explain rigging problems. A coach

once sought my advice on what he could do
There are many different categories of test about the technique of onc of his junior boys,
that you can choose from, but the three most who was having great difficulty with his
common are anthropometric, physiological finishes. In bct wc had adjusted his foot
and psychological tests. stretcher to what was the correct position less
than three weeks previously, so I went out in
the coaching launch , made sure that he was
Anthropometric Tests
adjusted 'prope rl y', and then observed his
These tests measure height, arm span, sculling.
shou lder width, leg length and trunk height, It was obviom straightaway that his tC)ot
and although , strictly speaking, weight is not stretcher was positioned too near the bow of
an anthropometric test, it is usuall y included the boat. This meant that hi s finish position
in this category. They are of most benefit to was too far towards the bow, allowing his
those coaching juniors who are sti ll growing, hands to come past his body. As it happened,
because if you measure their various parame - he was due to come into the laboratory that
ters regularly, it is a good way of assessing their evening for testing, and so wc duly measured ,
stage of development . among other things, his height - and discO\'-
This information can be invaluable in ered he had grown by over half a centimetre'
helping to explain why some of yo ur rowcrs T he relation ship between leg length and
sudden ly start to struggle with their training. trunk height can also alter the effect of
It may be that they arc experiencing a spurt in rigging. If, for example, onc of your rowers
growth - it is known, for instance, that boys has grown by two centimetres or so, their legs
peak in growth rate for both height and may remain the sallle length, but their trunk
weight around the age of fourteen, reaching height will have increased , and this will have
their tlnal height by the time they arc seven - an effect on which IllUSCleS are utilized during
teen or eighteen. Girls develop much earlier, the draw part of the stroke. This is of partic -
having their peak height spurt at about twelve ular signitlcance in sculling where you should
years and their weight spurt approximately six be aiming to draw the oar handle through at
months later. The other major difference a relatively high position .
between the sexes in this respect is that girls
reach their tlnal height earlier than boys, typi -
Physiological Tests
cally at about tlfteen years.
Growing uses a lot of energy, and if a rower Physiological tests fall into seven specifiC areas :
is developing rapidly it can be very difllcult for maxilllulll strength , strength endurance,
him to cope with the demands of the training power, aerobic capacity, .1I1aerobic cap.lcitv ,
programme ; you may, as a result, have to flexibility and speed. With the possible excep -
review it. And if ch ildren arc still growing tion of speed, rowing programmes should
there is an increased likelih ood of injury, include tests f(lr all of these.
particularly to their epiphyseal plates (growth Within the limited sp.lCe of this book it is
plates ) shou ld they lift hea\')' loads. Only when not possible to gi\'C ,111 exhausti\'e evaluation
children have stopped growing is it satC tc)r of all the tests that are J\,.lilable . I h,l\'e there -
them to commence heavy weight training . fore tried to expLlin the procedures of those
Taking these measurements regularly may that arc most common l" used . You should

120
 ~IONITORING AND EVALUATING PROGRESS

bell" in mind, however, that if you cannot do Maximum Strelll1th

a p,lrticuiar test for any reason, perhaps
through I,lck of equipment, there may be Testing for maximum strength is a relatively
others that you could do instead. straightforward procedure. The easiest way is
The number one rule for testing is that it gradually to increase the weight on the bar
must be carried out on a regular basis. Doing for a particular lift, for example, power clean.
a te~t once will not give you much informa - When you reach a weight that you cannot
tion, and ,1S a general guide, I would suggest lift for three consecutive repetitions, this
that you incorporate testing sessions into your should be recorded as your maximum.
programme approximately every four to six There is, however, one important proviso:
weeks. You don't need to do tests for all areas the lifts should be executed with good
in the one training session - you wouldn't technique.
want to test for aerobic capacity on the same It is absolutely essential that good tech -
night as doing a maximum strength test, for nique is maintained throughout the tests,
example. By staggering the tests over a series particularly with lifts such as the power clean.
of sessions, it is far easier to incorporate them Failure to do so will result in excessive training
into your programme. Besides, as discussed in loads being recommended, but this will only
Chapter 5 , your training programme will encourage bad technique in training and lead
emphasize certain types of training at different to a greater risk of injury. If, for example, an
times of the year, and this will determine what athlete uses bad technique but is able to lift
tests you should carry out at that time; thus if more weight, you should record as his
you are training for maximum strength, you maximum the last weight he lifted using good
should test for maximum strength. technique.
There are, of course, some tests that can be Lifts that should be included in a test
done throughout the year, such as flexibility battery arc the power clean, the bench pull ,
and anaerobic threshold. the bench press, the leg press and squats (the
The schedule of tests I would recommend half or front squat fix prefen:nce ).
you do is shown in the accompanying tablc,
and wc will now look at them in more detail.
Strength Endurance

Characteristic Type of Test E'lllipmmt The test that I recommend for assessing
strength endurance is the bench pull test. It
Maximum Strength 3 rep maximum Weights
is widely used by the national team and is
Maximum power 10 strokes Ergometer valuable in identif\,ing weaknesses in the
Strength endurance Bench pull Weight, tipper body. As the latter is used to a
Aerobic capacity 2,000/ 5,000m Ergometer greater extent during the sculling movement,
Anaerobic capacity 30 seconds Ergometer this test is of particular importance to
Anaerobic Incremental Ergometer: scullers, and they should place a considerable
Threshold Heart rate emphasis on bench pulls as a training
monitor
method.
Flexibility Hamstring Floor mat The protocol for the test is as follows:

Fig. 25 Recommended test battery. • Select the weight required (see table);

121
MONITORlNG AND EVALUATING PROGRESS

• Adjust the bench height (sce note 1, Notes :

below);
• Lift the bar at a rate of 28- 30 lifts per 1. The bench shou ld be adjusted so that
minute; whilst ho lding the bar with arms fully
• The bar must strike the bench each extended , the weight discs arc just clear of the
time, and the arms extend fully between floor, that is, they do not touch the floor. It is
lifts; a good idea to place some mats below the
• The test is completed when the rower weights.
either:
• tails to touch the bench three times in 2. It is important to find a weight that
a row, or you can lift for approximately six to
• is unable to maintain the rate of seven minutes. If you cannot achieve this
liftin g; using the recommended weights , use a lighter
• Record the total number of repetitions. weight.

Cnft"!l0ry HcnJl.l'"lfi..lJiJr LtlJbtJllctlJbr JIII/illr POIJl er

~L1k 40-50kg 3S-4Skg 30-40kg
1-'~Il1.lk 20- 2Skg 20-2S kg lS-25kg Onc of the simplest ways of monitoring your
maximum power is to do a ten -stroke test on
fig . 26 Guideline, for rhe bench pull resr. the ergometer. All you need do is set the

The srart posirion for rhe bench pull resr.

122
 J\I()~ITORI~C AN!) EVALUATING PROCRESS

Th~ tinish position fCII' the bench pull test.

ergometLr on whate\'Lr ~etting you prefer, training and then alternate this with a 5,000m
perform a brief warm -up, stop, make !>ure the test after t(H1r to six weeks, thus 2,000111, tiKn
flywheel is not mo\'ing, and then do ten a 5,000m, then a 2,000m.
Illaximum pressure strokes. If you want to assess improvements in efti -
Depending on which Lrgometer you use, ciency at the same time, you can simply set a
you can then simply record the .wLrage watts rating for the tests. Setting a standardized
o\'er the ten !>troke!>. It is bettLr, howe\,Lr, to rating makes it very straightforward to work
disregard the first few !>trokes in order out power output pLr stroke, because all you
to compensate t(Jr the bct that you need to have to do is divide the distance covered by
get the flywheel l11o\'ing. In this case you the number of strokes taken. This can be an
!>hould record the !>core!> for the tinal ti\'e dfecti\'e tool in ensuring that you increase
stroke!> only.
T~,r d"r.IIK~ 2,000m
T1I11~ l.lk~11 H 111il1l1tl:\
Aerobic Capacity R.lIl11g 26 ,trokc, p~r mil1ul~
Tor.lll1ul11bcr of ,trok~, 2011 ( ll x 26 )
J)l't.lIK~ c()\Trnl Tt:,r di,t.1llL~
ThLre arc an\' numbLr of te!>t!> \'ou can do
pn ,rrok~ l1umbn of ,rrok~,
to 111 on i tor aLrobic Llp.1Ci ty, the 111.1 jori ty
= 2,000 di\'llkd by 2011
of them being done on the Lrgol11etLr. Two of = <) . 6Im /'rrok~
the l11o!>t cOl11mon distance!> arc 2,000111
.lnd 5,000111. I would recol11mend th.lt VOLI do rig. 27 Working out th~ di,t.lncc co\Trcd per
.\ 2,OOOm tnt .It thc !>tart or your winter \trokc.

123
MONITOIUNG AND EVALUATING PROGRESS

your power output per stroke, rather than A naC7"obic TlJ1"eJ/;old

getting a better score simply by increasing the
rating. Fig. 27 shows how to work out the To get an accurate measurement of your
distance covered per stroke: power output per anaerobic th reshold ( AT ) you really do need
stroke. ) to do an incremental test on the ergometer
with someone taking blood sample~ at the cnd
of each workload . Unfortunately, not
Anacl'obic Capacity everyone has access to a laboratory where this
can be done; it may be that the cost invol\'ed
As your total pertC)[IllanCe is made up of both is prohibiti\'e, or perhaps there isn't a labora -
your aerobic and your anaerobic capacities, it tory within a reasonable distance.
is important to assess both of them. The test It is quite possible nevertheless to assess
used for measuring anaerobic capacity can be your AT with a heart-rate monitor and an
done using an ergometer. As with all tests you ergometer - although I have to say that whilst
should do a warm -up beforehand. Set up the the procedure is relatively straightforward , it
ergometer for a thirty-second work piece and is not foolproof. Some stud ies have shown
to show watts; after warming up, perform a that, in anything lip to 50 per cent of cases it
maximum, flat -out effort over the time, and is not possible to identit)I with any degree of
record the average power output (watts ). accuracy where the AT occurs using heart rate

200

ANAEROBIC
180 TII R ESIIOLD

160
II EART
RATE
(bplll)
140

120

100

75 100 150 175 200 225

WOR K (WallS)

Fig. 28 Heart rate plateau at Anerobic Threshold

124
 t'vIONITOIUNC AND EVALUATINC PROGRESS

alonc Without going into too much detail, Maximum test 300 watts
the problem is that heart rates can at best only
predict where the AT occurs. AT tnr proro((l/ Work/on rf
1 ha\'e measured many rowers Il1yselt~ under 5 ' .1t 50% max 150
laboratory conditions, using the protocol 3 ' .1t 65% nux 195
described later. When my colleagues and I 3' at 70% nl~1X 210
tried to identify the AT by looking at the 3' .1t 75% 1l1aX 225
3' .1t 80% max 240
heart-rate data alone, wc found that, whilst it
3' .H 85% max 255
was possible in many cases, in others it was
not. Wc also compared the heart rate Fig. 29 Predicted anaerobic threshold test.
predicted AT with the AT determined
through blood lactic acid samples, and found
that there was a good correlation. Effectively • Plot against power ou tput (watts )
this means that, if you can identify the AT
using heart rate , it is likely to be correct. Once you have identified your AT, you can
Before doing this test, it is necessary to have use the information to set your heJrt -rate
completed a maximum test, such as the zones for your training. As a guide you should
2,000m test outlined earlier. You should allow a range of approximately ten to fitteen
record your maximum power output from this beats per training method. If, tor example,
test and use it as the basis tor working out your your AT occurs at a heart rate of 170bpm, you
work increments tor the AT test. would aim to do your AT training within the
To do the test itself, you should start by range 160- 170bpm. For UTI and UT2
doing a tlve -minute warm -up at 50 per cent of trJining, the ranges would be 145- 160bpm
your maximull1 power output (watts); this and 130- I45bpm respectively. Oxygen trans -
shou ld be followed by three minutes at 65 per port trJining should be done at heart rates of
cent of your maximum power. Do a further I70- 185bpm , whilst any training done at a
tour three -minute pieces, raising the workload heart rate above 185bpm would be appro -
by 5 per cent each time, ie 70, 75, 80 and 85 priate for lactate training. If all this sounds
per cent. This is performed continuously, and confusing, take a look at Fig. 30 which shows
will give a total test time of twenty minutes. the above example in table format.
The heart rate should be recorded every
thirty seconds throughout the test. When the AT test UT2 UTi AT TR L
test is finished you should take the final three heart mte
hean rates tor each workload and calculate the 170 130- 145 145- 60 160-70 170- 18 5 185 +
aveLlge valuc This should then be plotted
against the workload, ie power against heartrate. Fig. 30 Example of heart-rate zones following AT
The AT will show as the point at which the hean rest (bp lll ).
rate slope begins to level off (sce Fig. 28). The
table below outlines the protocol used for One tlnal consideration is that heart rate is
identi~!in g AT using hean rate. affected by many dinerem things , including
temperature, humidity , personal hydration
• Record heart rate every thirty seconds. levels and the time of day. For instance , it
• Average final three readings tor each tends to be lower in the morning than in the
workload. evening, which means that it can be diHlcult

125
t\\ONITO\UNG AND EVALUATING PROGRESS

to reach your desired heart rate during early leg, keeping it straight, until a point is reached
morning sessions. You should therefore aim where the rower can no longer extend the leg .
to train at the lower end of your heart-rate Using the example of a clock 6ce, the tester
range for these sessions, and at the higher end then needs to make an estimation of what time
tc.>r evening sessions. For this reason it is it is, as represented by the position of the leg,
preferable to schedule any AT, TR and lactate eg. three o'clock. You should aim to reach
training for evening sessions. to the onc o'clock position at least, but
preferably twelve o'clock.
Having identified the flexibility of your
Flexibility hamstrings, it is important to stress that,
should you need to improve in this area, you
Although it is possible to measure the flexi - cannot do so simply by doing a five -minute
bility of most muscle groups, the most stretch before training: it is essential to set
important area for rowers to assess and aside time in your training programme to do
monitor is the flexibility of the hamstring developmental stretching exercises .1S outlined
muscles. Manv athletes use the 'sit and reach' in Chapter 5.
test to do this, although it is actually better
suited to assessing the flexibility of the lower
back. Rather, the test described below has Mlwitoyinll your Daily Hca1"t Rate
been recommended to me by several physio -
therapists, as being far more effective at The final physiological test I would recom -
measuring hamstring flexibility than the 'sit mend is that you monitor your heart rate on a
and reach' test. daily basis. As you become fitter , so ~'our
To carry out this test YOLl first need to make resting and exercise heart rates will become
sure that the rower is sufficiently warmed up lower, and by recording your heart rate first
to minimize any risk of injury. With the rower thing every morning, you will have a detailed
lying on his back the tester should raise the record of improvements in your fitness . This

Hamstring rkxibility test. The position sho\\'n H.1mstring tlexibility test. The pmition 5ho\\"ll
corresponds to .1pproxim.ltely t\\'o o'clock. corresponds to .1ppro xim.1lc!1' onc o ' clock . Thi, i~
the minimum pmition ,'ou ,hould he .1hle to
re.1ch r()r dlicient ro\\'ing .

126
 J\lONITOR1NG AND EVALUATING PROGRESS

prJctice nu)' also be helpful in that it can be 'in tunc' with your body - in other words,
prm'ide an orly indicator of when you arc you l1lust be able to identitY what feels normal.
o\'erstressed, or when your body is Although some coaches have suggested that
succumbing to some viral infection whose this limits its usefulness to experienced
s~' ll1ptoms h,\\'e not yet ~hown; you will then athletes, I have used it to help less experienced
be able to m()di~' your training before any rowers learn how to recognize the 'warning
m,ljor problem occurs. signs' in their bodies when they have been
Generally speaking, should your heart rate doing too much. I would therefore still
increase b~' anything over ten beats or so of recommend it as of help to younger athletes
your normal range, you should reduce your in developing their own body awareness.
training load until it returns to normal.

TYPES OF WATER TEST

Psychological Tests
There arc mal1\' excellent book~ on thc market There arc just as man~' tests th,1\" un be used
which deal specitically with psychological on the water to monitor training progress, and
titness , so I have outlined only one evaluation in this section we look at how to use diHerent
tool which I think is of particular benefit: the assessment procedures to Illonitor perfor -
'Daily Analysis of Lite Demands of Athletes' n1.1nce, select crews and prioritize events.
(B.S. Rushall, 1981 ). A tool f(lr measuring
stress in elite athletes is to be found in Y. Hanin
Long Distance Trials
(ed. ), Stress mid AHxiav ill SjJlwt (Moscow:
Physic.ll Culture and Sport Publishers ). There arc many ways to monitor the perf(lr-
This test consists of a questionnaire mance of your crew throughout the year, and
containing thirty-tclur questions which aim to during the winter months it is usual to do long
assess the levels of stress an athlete faces . distance time trials. These arc normally run
Twenty -five of the questions relate specifically over a set distance which can be anywhere
to the symptoms ofsrre~s , while the remaining between 6 and 16km depending on your state
nine look at the sources of stress. The ques - of training. Ideally they should be on a
tions arc graded from 'worse than normal' to straight course, with still water. Don't worry
'normal ' to 'better than normal'. The test only if you do not have access to this sort of water
takes a few mOlllents to complete. (very kw people do ); what matters most, is
By completing rhe questionnaire on a daily that you do the trial on a regular basis.
basis, a picture is built up of the athlete's When it comes to the length of the course,
'normal' response to the various stresses you should if possible choose a distance that
encountered. If the response begins to Illove \vill take you more than fifteen minutes to
out of the usual (normal ) range, adaptations row. This will help minimize the disruption to
can be made to the training programme to your training. If the course is too short, you
allow tClr this. This makes it a useful test fClr will tend to go over at a rating which is too
dcrecting signs of overstress (overtraining ), and high for the time of year. You can, if you like,
felr gauging the athlete'!. response to new situ - set yourself a cap for the r3ting just as you
ations, fClr example, when travelling, Jt training would on the ergometer; this will allow you to
(,lmpS, to new training schedules and so on. monitor your power output per stroke at the
To get the mmt fj'OIll the test you need to same time.

127
MONITOIUNG AND EVALUATING PROGRESS

During the summer it is perfectly acceptable stroke side and bow side. However, because
to continue with the long distance trials - you one side may be stronger than the other, a
can simply include them as part of your matrix should not be used to provide a rank
training. You may also incorporate time trials order for the squad as a whole.
over a shorter distance, for example, 1,500m. During the course of the matrix, ever~'
One word of caution though, should you stroke-side rower will have the opportunity to
choose to include shorter distance trials, and race in a pair with every bow -side rower over
that is, you need to ensure that they do not a distance of 1,000 to 1,500m. Anything
conflict with your racing schedule. It is too above this distance will lead to excessively high
easy to end up doing one time trial after levels of fatigue without providing any addi -
another with regattas in between, and if you tional signi ficant information.
do this, you will end up with very little oppor- Fig. 31 illustrates a typical pairs matrix for a
tunity left tor actually training. squad of sixteen rowers . Stroke-side rowers
Long distance trials can also be very useful are numben.:d 1- 8, whilst bow-side are coded
for reducing a large squad of rowers to a A-H.
smaller 'core' group. I f you had a group of There are several things you need to bear in
twenty sm ilers, for example, you could do a mind when using a matrix of this sort. Firstly,
long distance time trial, identity and take out the matrix will favour those rowers who can
the slowest five, and then concentrate adapt quickly to rowing with new partners -
resources on the remaining fifteen. in the same way that those rowers who cannot
As you get nearer the competition season, adapt quickly will be at a disadvantage : this
you may well face the prospect of having to does not necessarily mean they cannot move a
identif)l the fastest combination of rowers for boat quickly, however.
the particular events you want to race in. The other main point is that caution must
There are two main ways of doing this: seat be used when forming larger boat combina-
racing and a pairs matrix. tions using this method . As with seat racing ,
having the ability to adapt to new partners and
move a small boat quickly, is not the same as
Pairs Matrix
being able to move a large, fast boat quickly .
A coxless pairs matrix is used to identif)l a rank Th is is particularly true in the case of selecting a
o rder for rowers on both sides of the boat, ie quad scu ll by using single sculling results.

Rn ce J Rna 2 Rn ce 3 Rnce 4 Rnce S Rn ce 6 Rn C<" 7 Rn ce 8

I +B 1+C 1+ D I +E I +F 1+G 1+ H I +A
2+C 2+D 2+E 2+F 2+G 2+H 2+A 2+B
3+ D 3+E 3+ f 3+G 3+H 3+A 3+B 3 +C
4+E 4+F 4+(; 4+H 4+A 4+B 4. C 4 + 1)
5+F 5+G 5+H 5+A 5+B 5+C 5 + I) 5+E
6+G 6+H 6 + /\ 6+B 6+C 6 + I) 6+E 6+F
7+H 7+/\ 7+B 7+C 7+ D 7+E 7 + f' 7+(;
S+ A S+ B S+C S+ D S+ E S+F S+ G S+II

fig. 31 Pairs nutrix tor sixn:cn rowcrs (takcn trom AKA SilllC/" ConclJillJ! All1nrri Hnllrfbook ).

128
 ,\ IONITORING AND EVALUATI:-\G PR()GRES~

Seat Racing IS neverthekss a valL1.lbk tool in helping to

identi~' quick combinations of rowers,
Although a pair~ m.1trix is lI~dul tc)r identi - To run seJt racing successfully, you need to
" 'ing.l r.lnk order tc)r ~troke ~ide .1nd bow side, observe some bJsic ruks:
scat racing is used to hdp tind the t:lstest
combination tix .1 gi\'en boat, It can provide • Use matched bOJts; coxed tor prdi.:rence
ill\'aluabk intixm.1tion on the comp.1tibility of (this c1i minJtes steering complications ).
rowers within J crew, • Do not tell the rowers in Jdvanee what the
DUrIng scat racing, a rower is ~wopped fi-om combinJtions for each race will be.
onc erew to another , in order to rind out Rowers mJY influence the results if they
which combinJtion is the quicker. [f wc tJke know the tormJt'
the eXJmpk of two coxkss fc)urs, wc would • It is important thJt rowers do not know
stJrt off by doing onc rJce, timing it and tl13t they are being seJt rJced, for the same
nuking Jny notes on conditions, steering reason,
mishaps and so on , then wc could swop two • Only change thc stroke men to assess their
rowers Jnd repeat the race, ror Jrgul1lent's ability to stroke the erew. Identit~,
sJke, kt us suppose that crew number onc their Jbility to move the boat, using the
won the rJce, beating crew two by lOsecs, ror number two scat beforehand.
the second rJce wc n13Y decide to swop the • Record any steering problems, pJrticu -
rowers in the three seJt it: the number brly shipwrecks or hitting buoys ,
three rower from crew onc (A) would • Above JII, do not make your decision
chJnge pbces with the rower Jt three in crew solely on the basis of onc rJce, especially
two ( B), if the time difkrence is minimJI (If kss
If erew two \\'on this r.lce by IOsecs, wc than 3- 4secs,
would infer thJt (A) was better thJn (B),
Rower (A) would hJve beaten rower ( B) by J
total of 20secs it: lOsecs fi'om race onc, plus PREDICTED GOLD STANDARD
lOsecs from rJce two. Supposing, however, TIMES
thJt erew onc lud won rJce two by 15secs,
then rower (B) would have beJten rower (A) The final assessment procedure to consider is
bv 5secs overall it: 15secs minus IOsecs, Llsing gold standJrd times, Jnd it is onc of the
Onc of the biggest problems with seJt simpkst WJYs to determine which event you
rJcing is the time it can take to tind the right hJve the best chJnce of getting J llledJI in, ti)r
combinJtion, It is therefore better to do it instJnce the coxkss four or the coxkss pair.
over severJI lbys, Jlthough this does, of Put simply, if you CJn predict whJt time the
course, make it difficult to en!:>ure similJr "winning crew will do for eJch particular event,
conditions tC)l' JII race~ , you on compare this with whJt your crew can
The other probkm is that wc .1re trying to do,
tind the faste~t crew, it: rhe crew which will be I Jppreciate thJt lllJny crews Jre not
the quickest o\'Lr the r.lce dist.lnce, during onc composed as a result of extensive seJt racing
performance, By its very nature, seJt rJcing or triJls; when it comes to club crews, the deci -
fl\'ours rowers who un '~urvive' the process, sion as to which event to enter is brgcly based
rather than those rower~ who can produce In on how many people JIT prepared to train: if
absolute 1ll.1Xil11Ulll pertilrll1.1nCc. Se.1t racing there arc tClLlr peopk they will row in J t()ur,

129
l\\ONITORlNG AND EVALUATING PROGRESS

if there are two, they will row in a pair. Even the National Championships. As can be seen ,
so, for those who want to maximize their the boat with the best chance of a medal
chances of winning or of getting a medal, you is the eight, as it has a higher percentage of the
need to be a bit more calculating. It may be, predicted gold medal time when compared
for instance, that you would have a with the other two boats.
better chance of a medal rowing in a coxless Predicted gold medal times can also be used
four than in a coxed one - but how do you when you do long distance timed pieces. The
know, if you don't compare the likely winning equation used is shown in hg. 34, together
times? with an example of the calculation.
Standard times really come into their own
where you have a large squad of rowers to resr predicred
choose from. It may be that you have suftl - di,rance
x
gold medal
.
rime x 100 = % gold tim e
cient rowers to enter an eight and a four at r.leC di~t:lnLC reM nnH.:
Henley, but are not sure which offers the best
prospect for a medal. fig. 34 Equation fCJr percentage gold medal tinK!>
To use standard times, you need to predict using longer di stancc work pieces.
what the winning times will be for the events
you are considering. You would then do a
series of timed pieces, over the distance, in the 5,000 x
360 x 100 = 2 .5 x O.37 x 100 = 92 .5%
ditferent crews, ror example the coxless four, 2,000 960
the eight and so on. The rlnal step would be
to calculate the percentage gold medal time eg 5,000m re,r piece wmpkred in 16 minure" wi th J

ror each event; Fig. 32 shows the equation gold mnbl time of 6 minure,

that would be used to work this out. Fig. 33

uses the example of a squad which is fig. 35 C.llcuiarion for pen:entage gold medal
timcs o\'cr longer distance work pieces (example ).
undecided between entering an eight or two
fours, one coxed and one coxless, at
USING A VIDEO TAPE
predicred rime RECORDER
x I 00 pucenr,l~e ~old rimc
3Lru3l rime ~ ~

The final and probably the most important

fig. 32 Calculating fxrccntagc gold time. way to monitor your progress is to record
training sessions in the boat using a video
camera: of all the tools available to a crew to
ROM Till/cj;)" l'ralittcd Tnt Pcrcc11 tfl..tJC help them improve their rowing, it is by br the
200011"1 I)old medlll dllfll ,I)old medlll
(mill) ri))lf ( miJ/) rimt" (%)
most effective. Regularly recorded training
sessions can provide as much feedback to .\
X+ 6 .00 ' 5.50 ' 350 x 100 97. 22
crew as can;] good coach - and therein lies the
360
nub of the situation, beclUse very few crews
-t - 6.35 ' 6.20 ' 3XO x lOO 96 .20
3%
use the video on a regular enough basis for it
to be of any real va lu e.
4+ 6 .46 ' 6.2H' 3XX x 100 95 .57
406 To get the most benefIt rI-om video, ideal'"
vou should try to record a se~sion on a
Fig. 33 Examples of gold mClLlI time. weekly basis; and if this is not possible , f()rt -

130
 ,\ \O:--:\TORI0:G A:--:n EVALUAT\:--:G PROGRESS

nightly, or even monthly recordings are Training Kit

better than nothing. Manv of you probably
think that getting e\'erything organized to One \Try simple and dlccti\'e idea is to make
record jmt onc training session, much less sure that the crew comes down wearing
o nc se~~ ion a week, is far too much trouble. appropriate training kit, because this can make
You need to locate a camera, organize the a significant difkrence to the quality of the
launch ( and dri\'Cr ) and make sure the final inl.1ge. Moreover, if everyone wears
batteries arc charged, amongst other things , the same kit, it is much easier to make com -
and whil~t I know it can be difficult to parisons in body movement patterns. I I' they
organize all this, the benefits arc just too wear the usual assortment of different tops,
great not to do it. leggings etc, it makes it more ditlicult to sce
'vVhen you consider how much time and this. Light, skin -hugging clothing works best,
eHort you put into rowing, the sacritlces you preferably with a stripe down the legs and
make every day of the year and the goals you arms.
,et yourself, it does seem ridiculous not to
make time for what is onc of the most
Stream Conditions
powerful aids wc have to improve our rowing.
I am often surprised that so many clubs do not When you are t1lming from a coaching launch ,
ha\'e a video camera costing a few hundred the image will be less shaky if you film when
pound~, when they have a fleet of boats worth the crew is going with the stream . If the con -
thousands of pounds. But how can we maxi - ditions arc windy, filming shou ld be done with
mi ze our use of the video, apart from using it a tail wind for the same ITason .
regularly)
Telephoto Lens
Planning What to Film
All video cameras have a zoom facility , but this
firstly, plan what you want to film and stick should be used with caution because
to it' Avoid the temptation of trying to film constantly zooming in and out is distracting
the crew from every possible angle and to to watch on playback. You shou ld therefore
capture every single aspect of technique in one try to minimize this by t1lming at a set distance
session . If you do this , you will simpl y end up for twenty strokes and then zooming in tor the
with a collage of images , none of which will close -up shots, if required.
give you suHicient time for any real analysis; Whilst on the subject of zoom lenses, there
you will cnd up constantly using the fast is a greater chance of camera shake when you
forward and rewind buttons. !..Ise the lens on its maximum extension, ic on
maximum zoom (close -up ). To minimize this,
you shou ld try to have the launch as close to
How Many Strokes to Film
the crew as possible for the particular shot you
When filming each rower you shou ld aim to ;ue filming.
record at lea~t ten to twenty strokes from each
,ide of the boat. Thi~ will g ive the rowers
Watching the Video
~no ugh time to process the information,
Ivithout the distraction of rewinding and so Now that you have a perfect film of the crew
>11 , when they come to watch the film . rowing, you can analyse the technique. For

131
j\\O;-.JITORJl\'G AND EVALUAT\l\'C; PROGRESS

maximum effect this needs to be done imme - Depending on what your plan was at the
diately after the filming session and preferably start of filming, there will be many areas that
in betwcen outings, for instance at the could be looked at during playback. Onc thing
weekend, when you have two training that should not be done, however , is to try and
sessions. If it is not possible to go back on the assess how Illanv areas you can find that need
water immediately following playback, you to be improved. I t is Elr better to confine your
should tly to spend even five minutes going obseryations to the particular technical area
over the main points just before your next you have been working on in the boat. If, for
training session. example, you have been trying to improve the
To optimize the opportunitv for learning, it timing of the placement of the blades at the
is preferable to watch the entire video, in real catch, you should comment on that, and not
time, before making any comments. Each on whether the boat was balanced or not. As
rower should be encouraged to focus on and with all learning, progress will come more
identify what he is doing well, and only then quickly if you concentrate on one or two areas
should he try to identit)! areas ft)r improvement. at most. I then try to find onc individual area
As already discussed, rowers should avoid using that each rower has improved upon, and a crew
the word 'faults': they arc Hot faults, but point that has improved as well.
opportunities for improving their rowing.
The coach should only offer his views on the
Using Freeze Frame and Slow
video once the crew has gone through it. He
Motion
should also ask questions to check their
understanding of what is required. Simply Using the slow motion and freeze frame
telling crew members what they arc doing facility ofters an ideal opportunity to look at
'wrong' or what they need to work on, is no individual differences between the crew.
guarantee that they understand how to make Depending on how proficient its members
the change required. Without under- arc, it may be difficult to identifY very small
standing and acceptance of the need to diffCrences in timing. As discussed previously ,
change, no progress will be made. onc of the keys to moving a boat eftieiently is
Encouraging rowers to analvse other crew the timing ofthe transtCr of weight from back -
members' technique is a policy that can be stops onto the slide. Using the slo\\' motion
invaluable in helping to create crew cohesion: bcility is onc of the best wavs of checking for
if all members ofter advice to each other, it is this.
a golden opportunity for the coach to check When it comes to both the speed and
their level of understanding. I use this tech - timing of the catches, the free ze tj-an1C button
nique regularly, and have found it invaluable is pcrtCct. By stopping the film when the crcw
in dealing with athletes who are not ha~ stopped tr~l\'elling forwards, Jnd then
progressing as quickly as I feci thev arc capable adv<lncing it frame by frame, it should be
of. If a crew member seems unable to change possible to assess how long it takes each
his technique in the way you havc suggested, person to cover the blades at the catch.
it may be that he simply does not understand, Counting the number of frames it take~
or accept, what it is you arc asking him to do. provides an objective measurement of how
Asking rowers to analvse other crew members' bsr the placement is. This information can
technique is a good way of identit)ling where then be used to set targets for improvemcnt in
the problem lies. the coming weeks.

132
 i\1()~ITOIU:-\C Al'\) EVALUATI0:C; PROCRESS

-, =

--
Freczc ti-;II11e and slow motion filming of a \'cry bst boat such as an octuplc scull can help pinpoint
individual .lrl:a~ telr impro\'emcnt.

133
l\IONITORING AND EVALUATIl'G PROGRESS

Another area where slow motion and freeze a vcry usdi.d excrcise when dealing with less
ti-ame are invaluable, is in assessing the work- experienced rowers for demomtrating to
to -recovery ratio. As with measuring the time them what the correct ratio ~h()uld be. You
taken to cover the blades, it should be possible can show them a more accol11pli~hed crew and
to freeze the fIlm at the end of the stroke and ask them to measure the ratio.
then advance it, counting the number of Another way of using this technique , is to
frames it takes to reach frontstops. This measure the diHcrences in r.ltio t()r diHcrent
process can then be repeated as the blades ratings and boat speeds . This can reinforce the
comes through the water to give the ratio need to have a large ratio at low ratings to
between work and recovery. I have found this achieve the correct ratio at racing speed .

134
9 Competition
Strategies
I n order to compete successfully you need to PRE -COMPETITION STRATEGIES
emme that you arc well prepared: there is linle
point in entering a race and expecting to win Onc of the most often O\'eriooked are.1S of
if you have not done any training beforehand , race preparation is that of the pre -coll1petition
tor example. There arc three main areas you strategy ( PCS ) . Opinions differ as to its
need to comider when preparing tor compe - importance; some coaches and .nhletes do not
tition : training , which wc have already looked take the time to devise an effective PCS ,
at in detail, pre -coll1petition strategies ami arguing that by the time they get to the
race strategies . competition it is too late to change anything ,

Racin g at Henk~' Royal Reg.ma . (M. BirclIlllshaw .)

135
COJ\lPETITI0N STRATECIES

and many others genuinely believe that at this Transport

stage it is too late to influence the outcome of
the race anyway - after .111, if you have not It makes good sense to emure that all arrange -
done the right amount, type and quality of ments regarding transport of equipment and
training beforehand, yo u will have little crew to the event are thought our well in
chance of winning. Although this is largely advance. And .1S with all alTangemenrs of this
true, failing to devise a properly constructed type, it is better to .1gree with e\'cryone
pes will in itself reduce the chances of concerned as to who is respomible for doing
performing to your best. It is fc)r this reason what. Anything that is left to chance, or is not
that I believe the time taken to construct a specifica ll y allocated to someone, will almmt
pes is time well spent. certainly not be done. Nor is it any good
So what is a pes, and what is its purpose? assuming that everything will be taken care of
It is a plan of action designed to minimize the - it will not. Unless everyone has an agreed
likelihood of anxiety affecting your perfor- task, each person will assume that it is another
mance. The period it covers can vary, but it person's job.
should be from the end of the previous I t is also usually a good idea that everyone
training session until the cnd of the competi - is agreed as to the best time fc)r dc -rigging.
tion: this may be anything from onc hour in This should avoid the problem of only two or
the case of a domestic regatta, to a week for three people turning up, or - as is more usual
international competitions (or Henley Royal - having some athletes give the excuse imme -
Regatta). The li st of areas that need to be diately after the outing that they have to rush
considered for possible inclusion in a pes is off to a meeting.
potentially endless, and may concern almost It goes without saying that you should
any aspect of life over which you have control allow plenty of time to drive to the regatta : a
- and those you do not - such as transport rule of thumb is to allow an additional hour
arrangements, food and water, accommoda - fc)r every two hours of the estimated tra\'elling
tion and equipment. time, because it is far better to arrive early and
At its most simple, a pes may be designed to have to keep yourself occupied for an hour,
to ensure that yo u dc -rig your boats, load the than to be rushing around to get to the start
trailer, arrive in plenty of time to rig your boat on time. Similarl y, it is better fc)r the crew to
and reach the start of the race Oil ti~llc. Most arrive at least 21/2 hours betc)re the race time ,
of this is common sense of course, but how if the boats still need to be rigged ; otherwise
often do you cnd up with jmt one or two between I and 11/2 hours arc required .
people to de -rig the boats and load the trailer) fina ll y, when travelling abro.1d, it is essen -
And on race day itself, how often do you sce tial to ensure that proper insurance is taken
crews turning up late and /'1/ShillJl to rig boats out to cover any breakdown tlut may occur;
and get to the start on time? Is it any wonder the last thing you need is to be stranded in rhe
that under these circumstances they fail to middle of nowhere with no \\ 'a~' of getting to
perform at their best) Having spent the best the race .
part of a year preparing for a race, rowing fc.>r
mile afte r mile, lifting weights to become
Accommodation
stronger, and making coun tless personal sacri -
fices, why do crews efkctively give their If you need to stay in .1 hotel ()\'ernighr, it i\
opposition an advantage in this way) essentia l tlut as much infi.lI"Ill.uion .1S possible

136
 COMPETITION STRATEGIES

is found out about it before booking. Details of the right type. I f staying at a hotel, check
should include how t~lr away it is fi-om the with the head chef that the kitchen will be able
regatta, and how long it will take to drive to provide the type and quantity of food
there; how easy it is to get to public transport required. I have been to places where th<.: hotel
in case of a breakdown; and perhaps most simply could not understand that we needed
important, does the hotel have experience in about ten times thc amount of food that
catering for the needs of rowers? Rowers, like normal people do, and had to pay an addi -
most athletes, have their own special require - tional premium to guarante<.: that sufficient
ments , and unless a hotel has a prior would be provided . Had I checked before -
experience of dealing with them or has an hand, I could have agreed the price
open -minded approach, problems may very supplement in advance, or gone somewhere
well arise - usually about food. else.
If~'ou arc planning on staying some time , it Most hotels are willing to help, however, if
is a good idea to find out how close the hotel they have suftlcient advanc<.: warning of what
is to the nearest town centre. It makes a big is required. This allows them to plan their
difterence if you can walk to the cinema or buying and menus, and avoids last - minute
restaurants, rather than having to spend time problems in th<.: kitchen. It also means thev
in a car or bus. can work out the additional cost involved and
Crews can become quite isolated if they decide whether to pass this on to you, and this
spend all their time in individual rooms, so ask will help you in preparing the budget for the
whether the hotel has communal lounges with trip. It is bettn to know in advance what
a television and video recorder. And does it the likely costs arc, than to find out whilst
have a swimming pool, or a gymnasium or at the regatta that you need to pay more than
similar leisure faci lity> These may not seem anticipated.
important, but if you are going to be spending Where possible I try to agr<.:e menus with
more than a day or two at a hotel , you will the hote l in advance so that I know what to
need to occupy yourself in the hours between expect; it is important to sp<.:cit)I what tood
practice sessions and racing. you would lik<.: to b<.: provided. There shou ld
Other details you need to know are, is there be plenty of carbohydrate in th<.: form of pasta ,
a laundry service or easy access to onc> If you potatoes, rice and bread, as well as m<.:at and
arc spending a week in a hotel, you will accu - vegetables, and the tood should not be too
mulate a lot of kit that will need washing (or greasy_
at least drying ), and th<.: situation can be made Water must be available throughout your
much worse if the w<.:ather is cold and wet. It stay - and this does not Illean ha\-ing to ask th<.:
is not particularly relaxing to b<.: surrounded kitchen staff if you can fill up your water
by h<.:aps of damp, smelly training kit. bottle_ If you are visiting a COllntry where it is
It is also worth tinding out where th<.: doubtfld ho\\' safe the water is to drink, it is
nearest hospital or doctor's surgery is located, wise to take p lentiful supplies with you or to
particularly when staying abroad . purchase bottled wat<.:r in bulk when you
arrive; the hotel may be happy to store th is for
you.
Food
If there are vegetarians in th<.: group it is
Rowers have specific nutritional require - especially usefu l to agree I11<.:nus in advance.
m<.:nts: namely, they need a great deal offc)()d And a word of warning on this subject: shou ld

137
COMPETITION STRATEGIES

I t is essential to explain to hotels that vegetarians do not always eat eggs or tish I

some of the group not eat fish or eggs, this I t can be worth asking fClr breakb!>t pack!> to
must be explained because the term vegetarian be made up felr the li ghtweight rower~ in the
can mean difFerent things to different chefs; group on race days. Those who ha\'e tra\'elled
some will assume that you can cat eggs and with lightweights will be bmiliar with rhe
fish, others that you eat nothing but salads, scene at the hotel breakbst: as the hea\'\'-
and when the chef is in doubt, the old standby weight rowers consume as much fc)()d as they
of an omelette seems to be the bvourite vege - can, the lightweights surreptitious ly srutf as
tarian dish. This is tine fC)J- onc meal, but not many bread rolls and pacb of jam / honey
for every day of the week, as once happened down their short~ as possible , to be c.Hen at
to me' And onc final word of ad\'ice: verv the race - COl1r~e after the oftici~ll weigh -in.
often the vegetarian option will be a pasta rar easier to inform the hotel of \'our
dish, which is quite acceptable - but beware of requirements - Ies~ tlln, certain ly , but Illore
non -vegetarians arriving.H the counter first' If practical.
they don ' t like the other food options they
won't hesitate to help themseiYes, which
Equipment
means that by the time the vegetarians arrive,
there is no past.1 left - the pertCct opportunitv 'vVhen tra\'e1ling to anv regatr.1, common
te)r the chef to prepare an omelette' sense dictates that vou take .1S Illuch spare

]38
 COMPETITION STRATEGIES

equipment with you :lS you on. It may not Assessing Your Strengths and
be possible to take :l spare boat, but you Weaknesses
should certainly t:lke plenty of spare parts,
especially those that may be difficult to There arc three main areas that should be
obtain ti"om other sources. This may seem considered when assessing relative strengths
rather obvious, but it is amazing how often it and weaknesses: as a rower you should ask
is o,"Crlooked - Iltlw often are spare parts yourself how strong you arc physiologically,
assembled the night before the trailer leaves psychologically and technically. Onc of your
for the regatta, only to fInd that certain pieces physiological strengths may be that you arc
arc needed but arc not available at such short very tIt aerobically and so can maintain a high
notice. Had the collection of P:lrts been cruising speed throughout the race. On the
included in the pes these could h:lve other hand you may not have a large anaerobic
been ordered in advance. capacity, which would affect your ability to do
At the start of the racing season, it is a good bursts of higher speed.
idea to designate a regatta box and fill it with Psychologically you might be very strong,
all those spare parts that might be needed; it with the ability to row most of the race behind
should contain a list detailing the quantities the other crews, confident in the knowledge
and types of parrs contained within, and this that you will come through to win in the
list should be kept up to date and new parts closing stages. However the reverse could also
ordered as required - there is little point in be true, and perhaps you arc liable to panic
having a spare parts box which gets progres - when your competitors take the lead. You
sively empticr" as the racing season progresses. will :t1most certainly have nerves of some
It is Murphy's law that the part you need sort on race day, but how will you cope with
before the final at Henley will be the part that them)
is missing from the box. On the technical side you may be very weak
into a head wind, but strong when rowing
with a tail wind, or vice versa. Perhaps you can
RACE STRATEGIES only maintain good technique at a relatively
low rating, or maybe it deteriorates rapidly as
What should ,·our aims Lx during the course you become fatigued.
of the r,1ce itselP There an.: many opinions on The answers to these questions will provide
the be st " "a,· to win a race. Some coaches you with information for your race strategy,
.ld'·oc.lte 'blasting ott' at the start and then and they will also highlight which areas you
'hanging on' for the remainder of the race; need to strengthen in your day - to -day
others favour a more cautious approach, training.
emphasizing the need to maintain an even
pace. Whatever your views, just remember
Knowing Your Performance
there arc m;1I1Y ways to win a race, but what
Capabilities
matters is th:1t you know the best way for Y01lr
crew to win a pa7"tiwln.r race. It is therefore ldentitying your strengths and weaknesses is
important to know the strengths and weak- only one aspect that needs to be considered
neS5es of the crew, for without this, you when drawing up a race strategy. Another verv
cannot begin to decide what the optimum important factor is your actual pertcmllance
race strategy might be. capability - there would be little point in

139
CO~lPETITION STRATECIES

devising J rJce strJtegy tl1Jt you Jre simply not order to monitor your progress. Knowing the
cJPJble of doing. rate at which you can best achieve your
Where possible you should try to Jssess the cruising pace is every bit as important as
following three JreJs: your maximum boat knowing the actual pace itself. Moreover,
speed (meJning tht-out speed over ten to tor those crews who do not have access to a
twenty strokes); your mean boat speed for speed - measuring device, the rating can
the distance you will be racing over; Jnd the provide a good indicator of whether or not
rating at which you achieve your mean boat they arc ro\\'ing at cruising pace. That said, it
speed. Of these the most important is your is important to remember that the rating is
mean boat speed: this is normally called your just a number - it is not an inbllible guide to
'cruising' pace and is a vital part of any race boat speed.
strategy. Very often it is possible to achieve the same
boat speed (or even a higher speed) by drop -
ping the rating a pip or two. One of the
Cruising Pace
interesting side effects of using a speed -
All your training is geared - or should be - measuring device is to sce the effect of
towards increasing your cruising pace: this so-called 'pushes' during a race. I havc moni -
represents the maximum speed you can row tored many crews in this way and can report
at, without Jccumulating too much lactic acid that in several cases the boat speed actually
in your bloodstream. If you do not know dropped when the crew put in what they
what your cruising pJce is, how will you know thought was their big push!
the most efficient speed to row at during the
race) Get your pace wrong and you will either
General Race Tactics
'blow up' before the cnd of the race, or t1nd
yourself feeling too 'ti'esh' as you approach From a phvsiologieal point of view , the most
the line, either of which could cost you a economical way to cover any race distance
medal. is to maintain an even pace from start to
Identif)ling your optimum cruising pace has finish: this is what the majority of top class,
become considerably easier in recent years international crews try to do when racing. The
with the development of the various instru - problem is that in the real world of racing it is
ments that measure boat speed; the only way very difticult to achie\·e.
to do this before was to row over a set distance If wc take the example of a 2,000m race,
and time how long it took. This was tine as what normally happens is that the tirst and last
long as you had access to a calm, still stretch 500m Jre rowed faster than the second and
of water of the req uired distance, but with third 500m, and not ~urprisingly, the tirst
only two 2,000m courses in Great Britain, 500m is usually the bstest. Ne\'ertheless, you
neither of which can guarantee still condi- should still aim to row each 500m in the same
tions, it was difficult to assess cruising pace time, and it may also help to think about
accurately. rowing both halves of the race in the same
Even with the speed -measuring devices that time - and if you arc to do this, you will need
arc available, however, there is still a place t()r to work hard to maintain your boat speed
doing regular pieces over a set distance, during the second halfofrhe race. By the time
because there is really no substitute tor rowing you reach the I ,OOOm stage, btigue will ha\'C
over the race distance on a regular basis in begun to aftCct vour performance, and so it

140
 CC}J\II'ETITION STRATEGIES

After SOOm there is little to choose between these crews, but which has the fastest cruising speed)

will be essential to focus on maintaining your selfin a better position to win. Although with
race pace and race rhythm. good pacing you should not need to do this,
Unfortunately it is at this stage that many there can nevertheless be a strong psycholog-
crews decide to put in an almighty push to try ical advantage in doing so because if you
to break away from the other crews. The suddenly start to move away from your
trouble is that, rather than consolidating the competitors, they can become unsettled, and
race pace and rhythm , they strive to increase may begin to question their ability to win.
the rate , but don't actually achieve an increase Several studies have shown that anywhere
in boat speed: rather than going faster - or at between two -thirds and three -quarters of the
least maintaining speed - the boat actually way through a race, athletes will ask them -
slows down' Although it is common practice selves two questions: why am I here (this is
to try to increase the boat speed during the painful), and can I win; and the answers they
third 500m, you need to ask yourselfwhy you come up with will almost certainly intluel1ce
want to do it, and then what the best way is of its outcome. But if you have trained hard , and
achieving it . know you are fIt enough to increase your boat
The reason f()r trying to increase the speed speed and then do it, you have a better chance
at this point in the race is simply to place your- of answering the questions correctly.

141
CO~!PET!T!ON STRATEG!ES

With regard to the best way of increasing boat speed, there arc some simple guidelines
the speed, there arc severa l things to consider: that will help you achieve it effecti\·c1y .
the physiological impact of increasing the Basically there arc two ways to move your boat
speed; the relationship between boat speed more quickly: increase power output per
and power; and the boat type. As outlined stroke ( meaning that the boat travels further
earlier, your cruising pace should represent per stroke); or increase the rating whilst nuin -
the maximum speed you can row at without taining power output. If, for example, you ,lre
accumu lating excessive amounts of lactic acid travelling at your optimum cruising speed and
in your bloodstream. From this it is clear that rating thirty-six strokes per minute (spm ), you
increasing your boat speed will increase the can either ,lCcelerate the boat pa~t the blade
amount oflactic acid your body produces; .1l1d more quickly by applying more power, or t.1ke
as lactic acid has a negative effect on your your rate up to 37- 38 Sp ill - although as
ability to produce power, there is a tine line to di~cussed e.lrlier, you should avoid incre.lsing
negoti:lte between generating more boat your r.lting unless you can maintain your
speed and producing so much Llctic acid th.\t power output per stroke.
it affects your perfC)fIllance. If yo u arc already travelling at a relatively
high speed, it can be very diHicult to increase
your boat speed by increasing power output
Boat Speed versus Power
alone; this is particularly true for the taster
The other consideration is the dispropor- boats such as quadruple sculls and eights.
tionate relationship between boat speed and What normally luppens in practice, therefore,
power: put simply, the taster the boat travels, is that both power output and rating increase
the greater the resistance created, and the - but how do you achieve thi~? I have experi -
more resistance there i~ , the greater the mented with many diHcrent ways of increasin g
.lmount of power yo u will need to produce in the boat speed, with varying degrees of
order to overcome it. In short, you have a two- succes~. What I have found is t1ut ifvou follow
t<>ld problem because, firstly you need more two simple step~ , you should be able to
power just to increase the boat speed, and achieve the increase in speed you arc
~econdly you need extra power to overcome looking for with the minimum of fuss (and
the greater resistance. energy ).
Attempting to increase the boat speed by ror most bo.lt\ you need to focus on
any signiticant amount will therefore require increasing power output tirst by emphasizing
a large increase in power which you mayor the finish of each stroke: \'ou should aim to
may not be able to sustain until the cnd of the increase the acceleration of the blade through
r.lCe. It is also important to realize that \'arying the water - or more properly, the bo,a past the
the bo.lt speed by alternating between blade - and then increase the emphasis on
cruising pace and short bursts of higher inten - applying pOWCl' at the catch . My crews do two
sity work will actually Ie,lli to a SilllPCI' mTrall strokes 'sitting b.lck', emph.lsizing the outside
time, than rowing at an even pace for the shoulder/ arm sequence, followed by two
duration of the race - provided , of cour~e, strokes focusing on quickening the hJnds at
th,\t you have rowed at the correct cruising the catch ( to COVCl' the bLlde ) and '~queczing
~peed. off the roes'. If you j()lIow this ~equence you
It~ having t,lken into consideration all the can quite clsily inCfe,lse YOllr bo,lt ~peed,
above fKtors, you still \\',lnt to increase your whibt incrcl~ing the r,ning by two pips .lbo . I

142
 COJ\IPETITION STRATEGIES

use this technique to achieve the rating per cent of their energy to moving the boat
changes required during different training efficiently. If you becoll1e frustrated with the
methods, too. In SUll1ll1arv, then, you need to balancc, for instance, there is little point
do two strokes working on the finish in banging vour hands down at the finish
followed by two strokes working on the in disgust because this will not make the
catch. boat balance: what it will do is use up even
Onc thing I cannot emphasize enough is more of your energy, annoy the rest of
that in crew boats, any changes made must the crew and ultimately slo\\' the boat down.
be done at the same time by all crew There are few things more annoying than a
members. It can very tempting, particularly constant stream of calls from different
for the stroke person, to try to take the rating members of the crew during a race . It is best,
up , or to increase the boat speed on his own, therefore, that just one person in the ere\\' calls
but this is incredibly wasteful of energy and any changes required. Every ere\\' should
ineftective - and yet I see it almost every day decide for itself as to the person best qualified
of the week. to take on this responsibility, and it is impor-
tant that the rest of the crew respects him and
has the confidcnce to let him get on with it.
Who Calls the Shots?
Clearly it is better to have someone who is
Rowing is all about teamwork, about ensuring experienced in racing. Many crews choose the
that everyone in the crew is able to give 100 bow person simply because of his position in

The 1997 Oxt(Jrli and Cambridge Boat Race crews passing Chiswick .

143
COMPETITION STRATEGIES

... followed by their supporters'

the boat, and this is fine as long as that person waiting until halfway through the race to
is the best for the job; but you may be better decide that you can go taster, or that you need
off having the rower at three make the calls if to slow down.
he has the greater experience. Onc of the keys to head racing (as with
other races) is to focus on maintaining your
boat speed, and to try to minimize variations
Head -of- the - River Races
in speed. Above all, remember that the hard
Although the example used earlier was for a part orany race is getting the boat up to speed,
2,000m race, the same general princi pies and from there you should aim to not let the
apply to all races, and one of the biggest boat slow down for the rest of the race ..
mistakes that crews make when it comes to Just as with 2,000m racing, you shou ld start
head races is to approach them as long training offhard for the first two to three minutes, and
pieces. Time and again I have listened to crews then settle down into your race p,lce and race
telling me that they found themselves at the rhythm for the bulk of the course. To tlni~h
halj-\vay stage of the race and reali zed that they oH~ gradua ll y increase your speed as you reach
would need to row harder for the second half. the closing stages of the race.
As with any race, you need to know what your The other common mistake made in head
optimum cruising pace is; there is no point in races is to go offwo hard so that you blow up

144
 CO ,\IPETITION STRATEGIES

bet()/"(: the hal t\\'ay point. Once again, the only sprint and longer distance races being that the
wav to aH)id this is to know the crew's capa - cruising pace will be higher. This means
bilities, and to stay within them. that \'ou need to know your cruising pace
for the length of races that you wish to
enter.
Sprint Races
Sprint races demand the same approach as
Racing Starts
longer distance races. It is commonly believed
that to win sprint races of 500m, t()r example, There arc COlllltiCSS possible permutations of
you should blast off at the start and hang on racing starts and the number, length and
tor the rest of the course. This is simply not power of strokes contained in each can be
true , however. Even in athletics races, such as vJried endlessly - but to what cnd) A racing
the lOOm sprint, athletes train tor cruising stJrt serves onc purpose only: to transfer the
pace ; although obviously they also need to boat t,'OIll a stationary position to race pace as
de\'elop the ability to accelerate very quickly, quickl\' and efticiently ~lS possible. There is no
there is a substantial part of the race where other reason t()r doing a racing stJrt, so why
they arc cruising. The only difference between do coaches ( and rowers ) devise so many

The start at Henley Royal Regatta.

145
COMl'ETITIO:-: STRATEGIES

combinations to achieve something that is rower~ have ditkrent Iength~ of body parts -
relatively simple? arms, legs, body - and the~e diHerences need
Watch any top class crew racing and you will to be taken into <lccount \\'hen setting up your
sce that they all demonstrate the same charac - cre\\' t()f the racing ~tart (as they do \\'hen
teristics off the start: on the first stroke, the rigging the boat ). for instance, telling
boat begins to move forwards gently - it everyone to use three -qu<Hter slide will not
doesn't leap forwards or suddenly begin to guarantee that they will t<lke the same length
accelerate; then during the next tive to ten of stroke; and the other thing to remember i~
strokes, it gradually increases in speed until that even if you do a~k everyone to sit at three -
the crew ha~ reached the desired speed. This quarter slide, the~' may have different
speed is then maintained for anywhere perceptions as to what thi~ i~1
between 200 and 300m, before the crew The ~econd stroke in <1 st<lrt is normally a bit
strides down to its cruising pace. shorter in length tlun the first and i~ generally
So, how should you do a racing start) taken very quickly, but again with the
hrstly , keep it simple; there is no need for empha~is on pmhing otT the foot stretcher,
complicated combinations of stroke length . I I\uher than litring the shoulders.
have heard of so many dinerem combinatiom, The strokes that follow ~hould quicken
nw particular favourite being two three - gradually in line with the speed of the bmt.
quarter length, two half-length, onc full, a Never t()rget that no m<ltter wlut you do, the
further three -quarter, three full, and tinishing boat can only accelerate at a given rate . Thus,
of-Tby hitting it for ten. I a~k you, do you think during the tirst fe\\' strokes you need to over-
yolt could remember all that at the start of a come the inertia of the boat , and there is no
race? quick way to do this; it will take time, and
The tirst stroke should always be the same: nothing you can do will ~peed it up. In
you should just squeeze off the foot essence what you need to do is de\'elop
stretcher, persuading the boat to move a feeling for how quickly the boat picks
forwards. If you try to apply too much up speed, and adjust your m()\'(ment~
power on this stroke, you will in fact accordingly.
push the boat backwards. It helps to Once the boat is moving you need to
think about keeping everything parallel! lengthen out, reaching full slide as economi -
horizontal. cally as possible. Once again , though, thi~
It is particularly important to minimize needs to be staged, became you cannot expect
any vertical movements at the start of a race, to go r,'om half~lide to full \\'ithin two ~trokes;
and to do this it is essential that the blades in practice it may l.lke three or four ~trokes to
are fully covered, and that any slack is taken reach full slide.
up between the swivel and the O~lr: the oar H<l\'ing reached full slide, the emphasis
should be pressed against the face of the changes from merely getting the boat
swivel. 11l00'ing, to making it mO\'e quickly, and this
Somewhere between half- and three - means ming maximum power and rating -
quarter slide is probably <lbout right. It i~ anything bet\\'een ten <lIle! t\\'enty strokes may
worth stressing at this stage, that e\Tr~ ' One be used for thi~ p<Ht of the r.1cing st.Ht.
must take the same length of stroke, although Talking of the rating, you should not use
this does not nece~~<Hily nlC<lIl that e\'ery crew cxcessi\'elv high Lues unless you .He C.1p.lblc of
member will ha\'e the same body position . All applying n1.lximum power .H them : what

146
 COMPETITIO?\' STRATeGIES

\tVhcn racing is this close, ensuring a smooth transition to your cruising pace is vital.

matters is how far the boat moves per cannot leave it to chance that you will be able
stroke. to do it on the day. I make a habit of always
incorporating some longer pieces when prac -
tising starts, so that the crew can develop the
Transition to Cruising Pace ability to change to cruising pace. The best
By this time you shou ld be \Veil into the race way ofachieving a smooth transition, is simply
and so will need to start focusing on other to hold the legs down a fi-action longer at the
areas, perhaps the most crucial of these being end of a particular stroke, allowing the rate to
the transition to cruising pace. To mv mind, .come down sli gh tl y. This process may be
this is onc of the most important times in a repeated over severa l strokes if necessary. It
race . If you do not achieve a smooth transition shou ld go without saying that all
to your cruising pace, you run the risk of going crew members need to do this at the same
over the tirst half of the course at too high a time!
speed, one which you cannot sLl stain during
the second half. But how often do wc practise
Preparing for Racing
this transition, other than in the race itselP o
It is essential to incorporate this transition How can vou best prepare for yo ur race) first ,
~tage into vour weekly training; you simply you should try to incorporate into your

147
COMPETITION STRATEGIES

training situations that you may face during has a different purpose, and you should focus
the race, such as having to row from behind. on this when practising your starts. Thus, if
If you achieve an even pace over the race but your first stroke could be better, don't prac-
end up trailing the other crews, you need to tise tcn stroke starts because you will onl~'
have confidence to know that you will come mJ.sk the inefficiency of the first stroke. What
through them before the tlnish line. How will you Jhould do, is practise the tlrst stroke until
you achieve this without having experienced you get it right. You can then focus on the
it) second stroke, and so on until the start is
By training alongside another crew it is complete. It is also a good idea to practise
possible to replicate all manner of race starts when you arc physically and mentally
scenarios. For instance, the distance between fi-esh.
crews can be stJ.ggered at the start of a piece finJ.lIy, it is important to practise your race
so that the taster crew starts off behind the tactics during training. You should also agree
slower one; in this way it will be having to row the tactics you J.re going to employ during the
fI·om behind, whilst the other will be having race several days beforehJ.nd; this give~ time
to work that bit harder to stJ.Y in front . This for everyone to become accustomed to them.
will benefit both crews, becJ.use the slower On the day of the race itself, J.II you should
onc will gain the experience of maintaining its need to do is run through them briefly before
technique whilst being pressured by a crew taking to the water.
from behind. By a lternating the crews After the race you should have a brief
throughout the session you can cover a multi- meeting, but do not attempt to analyse what
tude of race situations. happened too thoroughly. Depending on the
It is also important not to underestimate outcome, it is usually wiser to wait until you
the ctTect on a crew of suddenly tinding them- can reflect on the race calmly; then you will be
selves in front of the rest of the field by J. able to assess it more rationally and decide
considerJ.b le distJ.nce. This happened in a where you could have done better, or what
most spectacular way with one of my crews tactics worked best.
recently. Having been dumped off the start in
the heJ.t, wc decided that in the tinal wc
needed to start really well. So I geJ.red the FINAL THOUGHTS
crew up for this, emphasizing how vita l it was
to get offquickly - J.nd the result was that they I hope that you have enjoyed reading this
found themselves in the leJ.d by a considerable book and that you will be able to use some of
margin at the 500m stage, and were still in the ideas in it to improve your rowing. Before
front J.t 1 ,000m; in the final 500m, however, I finish I would like to leave you with onc last
they watched J.II the crews come back on thought: Onc of the world's top athletes \\'as
them, J.nd eventually tinished lJ.st' Talking once asked the question, 'What is the secret to
with the crew afterwards, they said that it achieving success)' He replied:
had come J.S such a shock to them to be in
There arc three steps to achieving
front by so much, that they didn't know
success:
what to do and so never reallv settled into the
1. Decide what it is vou \V,lnt to
race.
achieve;
It is also important to practise eJ.ch and
2. Work out the cost of achie\'ing it;
every stroke of the racing start. Each stroke
3. Pay the price.

148
 C:O~lrETITI()0: STRATEGIES

I would add my own thoughts to this: many I hope that many of you will go on to pay
athletes make it to step I; some will reaeh step the price.
2; but only champions reach step 3.

149
....... >-
"?
CJl "?
o rr.
Z
:::;
x

APPENDIX 1
RECOMMENDED RIGGING MEASUREMENTS FOR
CLUB LEVEL CREWS (cm )
MALE 018 AND ABOVE ) FEMALE (J18 AND ABOVE )
BOAT SPREAD LENGTH LENGTH INBOARD SPREAD LENGTH LENGTH INBOARD
TYPE (TD ) OF OARS OF OARS (TO ) OFOAR OF OAR
(J\lACON ) (CLEAVER) (MACON ) (CLEAVER)
2- 86 382 374- 116 86 378 371 116
2+ 87 382 374 117
4- 85 382 374 115 85 378 371 115
4+ 85.5 382 374 115.5 85.5 378 371 115.5
8+ 84 382 374 114 84 378 371 114

IX 159 298 288 88 159 296 286 88

2X 158 298 288 87 .5 158 296 286 87.5
4-X 158 300 291 87.5 158 298 288 87.5
 MALE (16 ) FEMALE (16 )
BOAT SPREAD LENGTH LENGTH INBOARD SPREAD LENGTH LENGTH INBOAR..D
n'PE (TD ) OF OARS OF OARS (TO ) OF OAR OF OAR
(l\1ACON ) (CLEAVER) (MACON ) (CLEAVER)
2- 86 380 116 86 376 116
4- 85 380 115 85 376 115
4+ 85.5 380 115 .5 85.5 376 115.5
8+ 84 380 114 84 376 114

IX 159 296 87.5 159 294 87.5

2X 158 296 87 158 294 87
4X 158 298 87 158 296 87

PLEASE NOTE

The essential difterence in the recommended rig between male and female rowers is the Length of oar. This
is also true of junior 16 rowers. The above recommendations are designed to provide a starting point for
experimentation. Do not attempt to use these rigs with oars that are longer than those stated as this will
significantly increase the work load . If you do not have oars of the correct length of oar you may need to
ease the load by increasing (a) the inboard or (b) the span. For younger rowers the oars should ideally be
shorter still. For more information see Chapter 4.

>-
'"'"
~
>-' %
(Jl :::;
........ ;/,
i-" >-
Ul
N Appendix 2 '"":l
'"":l
iT,
z
ARA Sample Water Training Sessions Ci
><
Preparation Period (Oct-March )
Type Reps/ Sets R:1te %M:1x He:1rt Rest
He:1rt R:1te R:1te (bpm )
UT2 1 x30-45' 18- 22 65-75% 130-150 None
UT2 1 x60-120 ' 18-22 65-75% 130-150 None
UTl 1 x45-60 ' 20-24 75-85% 150-170 None
UTl 2- 3x20 ' 16- 18-20- 22 75-85% 150- 170 None
5 ' e:1ch r:1ting 18- 20- 22- 24
16- 18- 20- 22
UTI 4- 6x 10 ' 18- 20- 22- 24 70-85% 150- 170 None
(4 '+3 '+2 '+ 1 ')
AT 1 x30-40 ' 24- 26 85- 90% 170-180 None
AT 2- 3x20 ' 24-28 85-90% 170-180 8-10'
AT 20 '+ 20 '+ 20 ' 24+26+28 85-90% 170-180 None
AT 2- 3x 12 ' 26-28 85- 90% 170- 180 8- 10 '
AT 2- 4 x l0 ' 26- 28 85-90% 170- 180 8- 10 '
TR 2-3x l0 ' 24+26+28+30 80- 95% 160- 190 8-10'
(4'+ 3 '+ 2 '+ 1 ')
TR 2- 3x 10 ' 26 +28 +3 0+32 85- 95 % 170- 190 8- 10 '
(4 '+ 3 '+ 2 '+ 1 ')
TR 2-3x7' 28+30+32+34 85-95% 170- 190 8-10'
(3 '+2'+ 1'+ 1')
TR 2-3x 20001l1 26- 28 90% 17:;- 185 8-10'
(6-9')
TR 3-8x5' 26-28 90-95% 180- 190 6- 8 '
TR 6-10x3' 28-30 90-95% 180- 190 5'
LT 0iont
A-LT 0ione
 Competition Period (April- Aug )

T1'Pe Reps/Sets Rate %Max Heart Rest

Heart Rate Rate (bpm )
UT2 1x30-4:i ' 18- 22 65-7 5% 130- 150 None
UT2 l x60- 120 ' 18- 22 65-75% 130- 150 None
UTI 1 x60- 90 ' 20+24 65- 80% 130- 160 None
alternate 5 ' rating 20 and 24
UTl+A-LT 1 x60 ' 18 65-95% 130- 180 None
+10-15 stroke bursts (A-LT ) rating 32- 34 every 5 '
UTI 1 x60-90 ' 22- 26 75-85% 150- 170 None
UTI 2-3 x20 ' 18-20- 22-24 75-85% 150- 170 51
5' each rating 20- 22-24- 26
18- 20- 22-24
AT 2- 3x30 ' 25+27+29 85-90% 170- 180 None
AT 2- 3x12 ' 28- 30 85-90% 170-180 8- 10 '
AT 2- 4 x l0 ' 28- 30 85- 90% 170-180 8-10 '
TR 2- 3x l0 ' 26-28- 30- 32 80- 95% 160- 190 8-10 '
(4 '+ 3'+2 '+ 1 ') or
28-30-32- 34
TR 2- 4 x7' 30- 32- 34-36 85- 95% 170- 190 8-10 '
(3'+2 '+1 '+1 ')
TR 2x20001l1 30- 34 90-95% 180-190 10- 15 '
TR 2-3 x 1500111 28-30-32 90-95% 180- 190 10-12 '
30- 32- 34
28-30-32
TR 3- 6 x5' 28- 32 90-95% 180- 190 8- 10 '
TR 4- 8 x3' 32- 34 90- 95% 180- 190 6- 8 '
TR 2- 3x( 1Ox20/( 1OI L)) 30-36 90-95% 180- 190 8- 10 ' >-
2
TR 1-2 x( 1Ox30/( 15/ L)) 32- 36 90- 95% 180- 190 8- 10 ' ~
>-' TR 1-2 x( 10 x17/( 5/ L)) 32-34 90- 95% 180- 190 8-10 ' %
Ul ::;
W x
....... >-
-::l
(JI -::l

*" io
x

COMPETITION PERIOD (APRIL-AUG)

PRE-COMPETITION WEEI( AND
PREVIOUS WEEIZEND ONLY

Tvpe Rl.:ps/ Sets Rate %Max Heart Rest

Heart Rate Rate (bpl11 )
UT2 1 x60-9 0 ' 18-20 6S-7S % 130-1 SO None
TR 2xlS00111 32-34 90-9S % 180- 190 8-10 '
TR 2x ( S- 1 Ox30/( 1 O/ L )) 32- 36 90- 9S % 180-190 8-10 '
LT 3- 6xSOOm Max Max Max 2 - ;.)"
LT 2-4x 1 000111 Max Max Max 5-10 '
LT 1 x I OOOm
1 xSOOI11 Max Max Max 10 '
1 x2S0111
A-I. lx30 ', \\'ith 18- 20 6S-95 % 150-190 Nonl.:
6- 12 x l0-1S/l11ax rating bursts

NOTE: 1. These models assume an A T of 170-180.

2. Rate fm' a Single should be two less per minute.
3. Codes used are as follows: I = minutes) 11 = seconds and / = strol?es
Index

.1I1.lerobic threshold 7? pe.lk IIlg f()r regattas IOH

.1\\e\\lIlg the worklo.lll 11-1 penodiz.ltion IOH
pitch 5H
b.ll.lncing the bo.1t -I() pl.lcement drills JH
plannlllg Jnd preparation <)S
CIrCUit tr.ul1Ing HS. H() po\\'L'r tr.linlIlg HJ. H6
competiti oll penod 111 pre-competition strategies 135
crtnslIlg pace 1-10 predicted gold st.lIldard times 11<)
prep.lr.ltIOn pen od 1 10
endurance tr.unlng HH
LIce tactics 1-10
(lIll1lg adapt.lt lon IO() r.IClng starts 1-15
flexib Ili ty 75 r.lke (,()
recovery ()<)
ge.l11llg 57 reversibility 70
golgl tendon org.lm 7H
se.1t r.lcing 11<)
head of the nvcr r.lclllg 1-1-1 se ttlll g go:! IS 104
height of SWiVel 63, 6-1 'p.lIl 5-1
specl ticity 70
IIlbo,lrd length 57 spre.ld 54
IIlverse stretch retlex 7H SqU.lIT blade rowlIlg 35
stern pitch 60
I.lter,ll pitch () 1 strength
long distance tr,uls 117 endurance HH
tr.lIll1ng H3, H-I
lllobIl Ity 77 retention H7
stretc h reflex 7H
overcompem.lt10n 105 stretcher adjustment 65
overl.lp 56 stretchlllg 7H
overlo.ld ()!)
oxygen tr.lmport 7? th\\,.lrtship dist.lllce (TD) 54
oxygen lIt1iIz.ltIOn 71 te,h
aerobic capac ity 113
.1Il.le rob ic cap.lc ity 11-1

155
 9S1
11:1 lp'illl;l.llS lllllllllXl'lll
01: I l;lA\Od
<)1: I Al1 Il q lX;>Ll
oI I pou;ld llOlllStte.ll 01: l )uPlllOdO.llPUC
11:1 '~Jlll'"ll1Pll;l Ip'illl,).IlS t1: l P IOqS;l.llP )lqO.l;lCUC