drills Archives | Rowing News

Drills for the Double

Rowing News — Sat, 24 Jun 2017 04:01:10 +0000

Doubles are an enigmatic boat class. Doubles are an enigmatic boat class. Some doubles fly. Others don’t go anywhere. One of the keys to moving the double is blending styles with your partner and syncing up your timing, swing, and power application. Start by focusing on your release. Line up the angles of the oars and set your foot stretchers so the blades exit together. Use a 30-degree angle as a reference or row for a while with square blades to feel the release point. Then match your follow-through and setting your body angle. This will allow you to maintain momentum from the drive through to the point the slides starts. For your initial technique sessions, warm up alternating 20 strokes stroke seat, 20 strokes bow seat, 20 strokes together. You can row one series of each starting at quarter slide building to half-, three-quarter, and full slide. Then row for 10 minutes with your feet out of the shoes to focus on releasing simultaneously and keeping the handle speed moving through the transition. Spend 40 minutes rowing four minutes at an 18 and one minute pausing arms and body away. Let your knees rise to your chest as you compress. Keep the handles moving around the swivel and time the entry together.

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Boat Speed, Explained

Rowing News — Sat, 18 Mar 2017 06:30:00 +0000

To get your boat going faster with ease you need momentum. To carry that momentum down the race course you need swing. To capture swing you need rhythm and suspension on the drive. Sounds easy enough, right? It’s not. First, the recovery has to be spot on. To release the energy of the drive you need to release the blade cleanly and let the boat run. From there, focus on sending the boat when you follow through and pivoting at the hip to set your reach out of the bow. Hold your body angle stable as the wheels on your seat turn until you set the blade. To capture swing on the drive you will need a solid entry. Bury your blade properly so you have a secure hold on the water. Think hips as you press off the foot stretchers. Engage your glutes and then squeeze to slightly lift and unload the seat. Simultaneously stabilize your shoulder blades and draw down against your rib cage. Try to create a connection between your trunk and the handle. When you start to swing your shoulders over your hips, keep your weight between your feet and your handle. Stay light on the seat. Gather in the arms when you feel your weight starts to settle onto the seat. Keep the same lightness of the hips that you felt at the initiation of the drive through the release. Complete the leg drive and hold pressure to the footplate as you pivot over again out of bow.

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Hard to Handle

Rowing News — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 16:33:30 +0000

Holding your sculling handles properly allows for a better application of power and cleaner extraction at the finish. For good grip, place your thumbs around the ends of the handles with your fingers close to the end and knuckles slightly back from the leading edge. The only contact with the handle should come from your fingers and thumb, but not the palms of the hands. Think of how you hold a suitcase handle, suspending the weight in your cupped fingers without squeezing the handle or making contact with the palm. Watch that you are not attempting to reach too far by allowing the handle to slip out from the cup of your fingers and area under your knuckles. At first, you may need to lift your wrists to square the blades until you can roll them square with your fingers. Use your thumb to keep the handle in the cup of your fingers. As your arms draw to the release, your hands should push down to lift the blades from the water while your wrists drop for the feathering motion. Grip the handles hard enough to keep control of the blades, but not so hard that your forearms cramp. In choppy waters, the natural tendency is to hold on tightly. Resist the urge and keep it light.

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The Art of the Start

Rowing News — Fri, 10 Feb 2017 15:09:58 +0000

The impending arrival of the scholastic racing season doesn’t leave a lot of time to work on one of the most critical aspects of a sprint race: the start. To get up to speed quickly, try building starting sequence drills into your workouts. Add in 20-stroke accelerations at quarter slide and then half slide every five minutes during steady state. Push the envelope on these short pieces by aiming for stroke rates as high as 50. Focus on release timing and precise blade depth.

Flying or moving starts are also good to incorporate into long-distance training.

When the boat is already moving, row directly into your starting sequence. This will allow you to practice multiple starts without becoming overly fatigued or cold from sitting up for long periods of time during standing starts. Incorporate starts into daily practices so they become second nature to your crew. Begin every training piece with a start and when your crew is rowing intervals settle to your target stroke rate after a complete start sequence. During long rows, a flying start is just the thing to get heads back into the boat and your boat swinging together.

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