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 If a crew rowed at maximum capacity in all three of these components at the same time, it is doubtful they could row 10 strokes before technique withered and boat speed faded. The number of strokes required to complete 2000 meters is from 200 to 250 and clearly, an equilibrium of power, length and rate must be achieved. Rowing is basically a power endurance sport, but it requires a high level of skill. Choosing the "right" technique and then teaching it is a coaching skill and there are many differing opinions about which method is the best. Whatever the method preferred, power, length and rate are the basic ingredients.

 Rate is the easiest to achieve. Keeping it at its optimum in a race is not the main problem. Length and power are the first to deteriorate when the pressure of the race reaches its peak.

 

LENGTH

 The most efficient part of the stroke is when the blade is passing at 90 degrees to the boat. Only when it is at this angle is its force propelling the boat wholly in the correct direction.

In theory an efficient length of the stroke is from 45 degrees at the catch to 135 degrees at the finish. In practice the body prevents the oar from reaching more than 125 degrees. To achieve 45 degrees at the catch, the reach must extend beyond this angle. A longer finish can be drawn in a sculling boat but it is inefficient to draw more than 130 degrees.

 

POWER = LEGS + Back + Shoulder/Arms

 Maximal power is achieved by appropriate sequencing of the contributing muscles from strongest to weakest.

LEGS FIRST (quadriceps and glutes)  Then the BACK (lower)  Finally, the SHOULDERS and ARMS  (latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, and biceps).

 

The STROKE

The boat is only as fast as the blades drive it  The power transferred through the blade to the boat is only as much as the legs supply  Good technique is based on the work of the legs to create most of the total power

 

THE CATCH

 "FIND the POST in the WATER"

The faster the blade enters the water the more positive will be the grip, the longer will be the stroke & the faster the boat will travel      

Hands guide the blade into the water

Shins vertical, the back relaxed & straight up. Arms stretched but active, wrists in one line with the arms. Blade almost touching the water. Quick movement, just from the shoulders. Push the blade in vertically until just covered.

                      Legs apply the power

Keep the arms stretched and body tilted forward, upper body fixed. Relaxed grip, drive with the legs. No uncontrolled kick; first make sure the blade is ready, then build the pressure.

Trunk and arms link legs to blade (body swing)

Tilt around the pelvis. Keep the back straight. Movement should flow. Maintain the pressure.   Keep the stroke even, do not lift the hands.

 "the most efficient part"

Pull

Hands move in a straight line, kept high. Abdominals tight, back fixed, just work with the arms. Keep your head up. Keep clear of the body to make room for the finish.

 All the muscles are working through their middle range and the blade is at its most efficient point in the stroke. Make full use of this advantage by beginning the draw with the arms before midway. The arms must start to draw well before the legs reach the backstops.

 

THE FINISH

 "send the boat away"

Finish

Chin up, sit up high, do not collapse with the arms. Keep your pelvis tilted forwards and the abdominals strained. Quick movement, just from the elbows. Blade vertical, completely clear from the water. Sweep: do the finish primarily with the outer hand.

 Retain pressure on the blade through to the finish by pressing toes on the footboard, by using the leverage of the trunk, and by keeping the arms working with the body. Although legs reach backstops before the arms and trunk have finished working, the toes should continue pressing hard to give support with the legs until the blade is extracted. The trunk should be moving towards the bow until the moment before the hands reach the body. (if the arm draw starts too late, this timing will be delayed.)

 

RHYTHM

 The rowing stroke comprises fast movements and slow movements. The essence of good rhythm in the boat is the contrast between them. Done well, a good motions looks smooth, continuous, and unhurried, so it can be difficult to see that contrast.

The FAST movements begin with the entry of the blade and continue through the stroke and the movement of the hands away from the body after blade extraction (the finish).

The SLOWER movements begin when the hands pass over the knees and continue until the next stroke.

The INERTIA created by the power of the stroke carries the hands down and away from the body when the seat is at the backstops. The body relaxes immediately as the blade leaves the water so there is no interference with this natural free-flowing movement. The seat moves SLOWLY forwards in contrast to its speed during the stroke. The rower prepares by gathering, ready to spring from the stretcher onto the next stroke. The movement of the seat must be faster during the stroke than it is during the recovery. The sooner it leaves the backstops after the finish, the more time it has to reach the front stops and the slower it can travel. The hands and then the body move lively away from the finish to allow the seat to start on its way forwards.

 "Let the boat run, rest, and prepare for the next stroke"

 Hands, Body, Slide

Stretch

Feather the blade with a fast 'click'. Do not repack, hold the oar/scull as you were. Move the hands down and away over the knees. Sweep: do the feathering mainly with the inner hand. Sculling: left hand over right hand.

Pivot at the Waist

Pivot the body forward onto the feet. Bend from the pelvis. Sit up high, the back straight but relaxed, no crook in back. Keep the blade just free from the water. Begin squaring the blade.

Slide

Turn the blade vertical. Slide the seat away from the backstop. Keep your slide speed constant. Move the hands in a straight horizontal line, not down towards the boat; keep the blade just clear of water. Move forward, rest the body and let the boat run underneath you. Sweep: make room for the outer arm by moving the outer leg a little out (just clear of the arms).

 Purpose: To achieve optimum position for the application of power and good forward length.

Head High - encourages good posture for body and spine

 Chest against thighs - Rotation should be centered around the hip joint, not the upper or lower back.

Shins vertical - strong position for the quadriceps

Relaxed but alert - poised like a cat ready to spring

 

HAND POSITIONS

 Sculling - The oar handles should be held in the fingers, not the palms. The hands should generally be at the tips of the oars to maximize inboard leverage, with the thumbs pressed against the handle nub to generate sufficient outward pressure against the oarlock. As Frank Cunningham said, "The handles should be grasped like one was holding a small bird: Firmly enough to hold on, but not so hard as to kill it." The grip of the fingers around the oar will automatically increase sufficiently when contact with the water is made. The arms and hands should extend along a horizontal plane out well over the gunnels as the blade angle is increased in preparation for the grasping of the water. The entry of the blade into the water will be accompished with a relaxation or slightly positive "flick" of the hands and arms while maintaining the back angle (not opening the back to achieve the catch).

Sweep - Hold the oar with the hands 4 to 6 inches apart (11 to 15 cm).  Turn the blade with the inside hand.  Apply power with the outside hand

 

RELAXATION

 Contract only those muscles needed to perform a specific function. This is achieved by relaxation of the hands, arms and shoulders, the areas where tension will be most prevalent. The muscles of the upper body will be more effective if they enter into the catch in a relaxed condition. Muscles will contract instantly when a load is forced upon them.

 

Good BLADEWORK is characterized by

A long stroke in the water

Minimum loss of reach forward

Quickly grips the water

Covered throughout the stroke.

Utilizes power

Grips the water with minimum loss of leg drive.

Works in a horizontal plane

Covered throughout the stroke

Does not interfere with the run of the boat

Clean extraction

Carried forward clear of the water

Balances the boat

 Rhythm - Where to Poise?

 It is always necessary to compose before any dynamic action (ie throwing a discus, lifting a weight, hitting a ball, or rowing a stroke). The question is, Where is the best place to "poise" prior to the action? There are different schools of thought in rowing on where the poise should be and currently, it is popular that it be during the first half of the recovery. The attack on the stroke begins before well before the slide has reached front stops. The seat accelerates forward from the poise position into the stroke and is thought to be the best way of achieving a fast catch. The poise can be at the backstops or it can be halfway forwards.

 The disadvantages are.... The movement is robust and energy consuming.

 The method taught by me is to poise during the last part of the movement towards the front stops. The inertia created by the draw at the finish is used to carry the hands away from the body, the trunk into the catch angle and the seat from backstops. The rower has time to relax, let the boat run under the seat, and to prepare for the next stroke. The poise just before blade entry is sufficient to achieve a very fast catch.

 ROWING STYLES

 Rowing styles differ in where emphasis is placed. The emphasis, for example, may be the catch, the finish, or the rhythm. Body positions and movements will be influenced by this emphasis. The method I prefer is based on rhythm. The stroke is divided into two phases:

STROKE or power phase, and

RECOVERY or resting phase.

Oarsmen are trained to apply full power to each stroke and to rest during the recovery, which will help them apply power to 200 strokes or the number required to complete the race.

 The ability to apply power is an essential physical requirement. Physical capacity is acquired by training, but the coordination of muscular contraction in the rowing stroke is the essence of good technique.

 Martindale Pond