Remember the Speed Boss? This was one of the first electronic gadgets to provide multiple and immediate feedback, including rate and speed. It also gave qualitative feedback on boat check, defined as the largest negative boat acceleration during the recovery—the thinking being that check was bad, and with feedback, you could reduce it. And that’s exactly what rowers learned to do, mainly by slowing their slide speed and executing a soft entry. But those same rowers also found themselves at the back of the pack. Today we know that a high negative acceleration, or a large check factor, is a sign of proper technique. Top crews actually produce large decelerations, but when graphed over time, the dip in acceleration tends to be very brief. These decelerations result from the change of one’s movements relative to the boat from recovery to entry. This motion is incredibly complex, requiring the coordination of a series of precise movements performed over a short time. Naturally, the ideal way to practice this is to row at race pace. But with most training done at lower stroke rates and corresponding lower boat velocity, the best way to engrain this movement is to row with a slow recovery followed by a quick motion into the catch. This is the source of the so-called micro-pause employed by so many crews today.

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We all learn differently. Whether an idea or a physical skill, people acquire new knowledge and abilities in their own, often unique, ways. Even the same person’s approach to learning changes over time. Coaches need to appreciate this and not attempt one-size-fits-all coaching.

Effective coaches vary their approach for different athletes and also vary it for the same athlete as needed. Alternating between external and internal coaching often works best. External coaching involves showing and instructing athletes what to do. Internal coaching helps athletes focus on what they feel while rowing well. 

Begin with external coaching. It’s what most athletes think of as “coaching” and provides a foundation for further improvement. Good external coaching combines showing with telling. A picture or video is worth the proverbial thousand words. Describe what’s pictured. Highlight the desired behavior. Ask your athletes to imitate it. 

External coaching also consists of instructions and relies heavily on verbs like “push,” “pull,” or “pry.” Talking through the sequence of actions and desired mechanics can elicit a better stroke. The greatest danger with external coaching is overwhelming the athletes by trying to do too much, too quickly. Maintain a narrow focus and take it one step at a time.

Internal coaching approaches the stroke from the inside out. It emphasizes what the athlete feels and relates good rowing back to what he or she already knows. Find something in their background that is equivalent to what you want them to do. They can then bridge the gap from what they know to what they are trying to learn. This is the realm of the insightful analogy. The more relatable it is, the better. 

A variety of coaching generally yields the best learning.

-Bill Manning

Asking “What do you feel?” is often the best internal coaching. By having them articulate it in their own words, they will gain a better understanding of what they’re doing and identify what it feels like when done correctly. To put it another way, when they’re doing it right, make sure they know they’re doing it right and challenge them to identify what they’re feeling so that they can recreate the same feeling consistently. In a race, there won’t be any outside instruction or videos to guide them, but the athlete will still be able to feel what is happening. Once the desired feeling is learned, mature athletes can start to coach themselves.

Getting the athlete to describe in their own words what they’re doing also gives the coach better verbal tools for external instruction. Use their own words to coach them since they fit exactly with the desired behavior rather than your words, which may only be an approximation to them. Similarly, asking “What feels different? …Do you feel a change? …What is that change?” involves the athlete in their own learning and focuses their concentration.

A variety of coaching generally yields the best learning. Coaches can’t simply repeat the same instruction and expect better results. If your coaching isn’t changing their behavior, look at your coaching rather than blame the athletes.

The post Inside Out appeared first on Rowing News.

March and early April in New England are the equivalent to the third 500 of any 2k—that section of the race we rowers lovingly deem “no-man’s land.” Why? For one, it’s often brutal outside. And in many spots, it becomes a waiting game for the ice to melt so you can finally take some strokes in a boat after a long season hammering it out on the rowing machine. Lakes and ponds, meant for oars dipping in and out the water, are instead dotted by ice fishermen still dropping lines. This can be torture.

Back in the early ‘90s, while getting my first competitive strokes at St. Paul’s School, I’ll never forget coach Chip Morgan’s dryland training at the beginning of our spring season. Coach Morgan kept us busy and distracted, waiting for the thaw by being creative with the team’s workouts. We did weight circuits with more bench pulls than I care to remember. We ran hill repeats and charged through the campus woods. We pushed through erg sessions and tests. And just when the ice on Turkey Pond started to loosen its grip, it was a race to the boathouse to grab heavy wooden poles for chopping and shoving ice away from the boat docks. It’s amazing how a few dozen rowers, anxious for a return to the water, can speed up the thawing process.

So, inspired by Coach Morgan, I’m delivering a little something to get you through “no-man’s land” and ready to take on your summer goals. 

15 minute Row:

3 minutes easy intensity, 22-24 strokes per minute
1 minute medium intensity, 24-26 strokes per minute
1 minute hard intensity, 26-28 strokes per minute
Repeat two times.

15 minute Strength Circuit:

Break each minute down by 40 seconds on, 20 seconds off (rest)
1 minute burpees (with push-up and jump)
1 minute V-ups (hold for 10-15 seconds and then repeat for the 40 seconds until able to hold the entire time)  
1 minute box jumps (find a height that is right for you, but 16 inches is usually good place to start)
1 minute push ups
1 minute rest/rehydrate
Repeat two times. 

15 minute Run:

3 minutes easy intensity 
2 minutes medium intensity
2 minutes hard running
30 seconds hard 
One minute walk.

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Verbal instruction, the coach telling the athlete what to do and hopefully how to do it, is the most common form of coaching. This can be incredibly effective or miss the mark depending on the quality of instruction and the receptiveness of the athlete. The athlete needs to both be open to receiving instruction and also capable of digesting it and turning it into action. Many athletes are initially reluctant to change because change is scary. Coaches must first help them overcome this fear before there can be change and with change hopefully improvement.

Even with fearless athletes, however, not all can adequately process verbal instruction and turn it into changed behavior in the boat.

Some athletes respond better to visual instruction. This can be as simple as the coach or another athlete demonstrating the desired behavior or showing video of good rowing. A picture, accompanied by spoken instruction on what to look for, helps many athletes. Coaches most frequently use video to highlight their rowers’ flaws. Doing this alone typically is not as useful as showing positive examples. “Don’t do that” doesn’t help nearly as much as “do this.” Visual learners can often take what they see and put it into practice.

Other athletes respond well when they can feel a change. Coaches can succeed by creating a scenario whereby the athlete can feel the difference between rowing well and not rowing well. This could involve making the load heavier so athletes can more easily feel what they’re doing. It can also be accomplished by the coach using his or her hands or some other item to indicate exactly where an athlete should experience the connection or hang.

Much of our sport is based in academic institutions. Our athletes are well-practiced in reading for understanding. Taking advantage of this, coaches can provide or post a written description of the rowing stroke as they want to see it performed. Athletes can then read, review, and digest this at their own pace out of the shell. Sometimes just the relative safety of being on land and not needing to row or contribute to the boat while thinking about the stroke is enough to improve understanding.

Ultimately most athletes learn using some combination of various learning styles. They may acquire most of their learning in one particular fashion but gains can still be made exposing them to other methods. Even with athletes who get it using your preferred method, it is worthwhile exposing them to other stimuli. You may be surprised by the unexpected improvement.

Regardless of the athlete’s dominant learning style everyone learns more in the long term when they’re happy and enjoying themselves. We all sustain our commitment for longer when we’re having fun.

The post In the Launch, a New Approach appeared first on Rowing News.

That man is Bob Hurley, a veteran adaptive coach at Louisville Rowing Club and successful inventor of self-feathering oars.

“We had a gentleman who had an issue with his hands and couldn’t feather and square, and if he got out in rough water and windy conditions he couldn’t feather and square,” Hurley said. That problem, common among adaptive rowers, was an opportunity for Hurley.

“I was banging around in my own basement and finally had something that was simple and effective and anybody could use it,” he said. “It’s a metal bracket that fits under the pin and basically the handle is free-spinning; you don’t have to move your hands to feather and square.”

After the video attracted some attention, Hurley took it down for some more editing, but his plans for sharing the gift of self-feathering oars are in the works. A friend who also runs an adaptive rowing program plans to manufacture a kit that anyone could use to set up on their shell. Hurley hopes to keep costs down so it’s affordable to anyone who could use it and plans to return any profit to his own club.

Hurley has watched athletes who have arm, hand, or shoulder issues do indoor rowing for years. A tool like this, he thought, could help make on-water rowing accessible to them.

“That’s part of the fun with the adaptive rowing is it does make you think, and it does make you do things differently,” Hurley said. “You really need to focus on each person.”

Hurley hopes to have some kits ready this spring and has already contacted FISA to discuss certification. Even if it doesn’t receive FISA approval, he won’t sweat it.

“This is something the average rower could use,” he said. 

The post Give Him a Hand appeared first on Rowing News.

There’s little disagreement about the link between proper posture and performance, but what does correct body positioning look like? The most common description of good posture, which has the athlete maintaining a “stick-like” straight back, first appeared in literature more than a century ago when the sport was still heavily influenced by fixed-seat rowing. Legendary coach Steve Fairbairn was the first to introduce a more modern technique featuring curved backs, around 1930. Today’s research confirms Fairbairn’s notion, but for further evidence just look at a photo of any high-caliber rower. None row with a straight back, which is understandable since the human spine naturally presents a so-called “double-s” shape. These curvatures are nature’s very smart way to diminish the load on the spine. Leading scientists now define good posture in rowers mainly on two indicators. First, the athlete needs to row with a neutral or a natural “C-shaped” spine. The nature of the curvature differs by individual and presents the position where the least muscle tension is used to stabilize the spine’s shape. Secondly, the athlete needs to maintain their C-shape during the stroke, which is achieved through well-developed and strong trunk muscles. Knowing your neutral spine shape and holding this position strongly and steadily improves technique and prevents injury.

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As race creator and director of Massachusetts’ Misery Challenge, a four-mile race to Misery Island and back from Manchester-by-the-Sea’s iconic harbor, I know how this goes. I am often told, “Misery Challenge? That sounds horrible.” After filling folks in on the facts—you choose your mode of human-powered transportation, whether swim, kayak, single, or paddle board; you will be greeted with cheers and beers at the finish line—I often can convert a look of despair into a smile and sign-up. In fact, 400 brave souls are expected this July.

So if you’re looking to up your fitness game, I encourage you to put something on the calendar. A 5k or masters race is good, but it may be time to face a little bit of the unknown and get outside your comfort zone. Just get the details, sign up, and start training. To give you a little head start, try this 30-minute speed and intensity conditioning workout and then get after it.

The Workout:

Warm up on the erg or bike for two minutes easy, followed by two minutes at a medium intensity, and one minute hard, and then do 10 to 15 burpees at a slow pace. End with 10-15 jump squats at a slow pace. Stretch and hydrate for two minutes and then go 30 seconds easy, 30 seconds hard at a 24-26 on the ergometer followed by 10-15 burpees and 10-15 jump squats. Rest and recover for two minutes and repeat the entire set two times. Cool down for two to three minutes.    

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