By Andrew O’Brien
Editor’s note: Not all masters crews have a dedicated coach. Here, coaching refers to the shared work of crew members keeping the training focused and allowing the boat to move efficiently.
Why energy matters in masters rowing
If you row long enough, one thing becomes clear: energy matters. Not in theory, but in practice. There is less of it to spend, and it takes longer to recover once it’s gone.
For masters rowers, that reality doesn’t mean rowing less or caring less. What cannot be done harder must be done more efficiently. Where muscles begin to tire, intelligence has to take over.
This article is about energy-efficiency in masters rowing. It isn’t about climate change, and it won’t fix global warming (nor will it replace a misspent youth), but the idea of sustainability still applies.
Masters rowing thrives on enthusiasm and experience. What it cannot afford is unnecessary work.
The boat is the judge
In rowing, effort is in service to the boat. The boat responds positively and immediately to efficient stroke-making.
Good rowing environments recognise this. They protect the energy rowers bring to the boat by reducing waste. When effort is treated as valuable rather than expendable, performance improves and people last longer in the sport.
Energy-efficiency isn’t energy conservation
Energy-efficiency should not be confused with energy conservation. This is not about backing off, lowering standards, or dulling enthusiasm. It is about providing better service to each other and the boat for the same amount of effort. The goal is not less work, but better work. A simple principle helps here: the rower serves the boat. Not the coach, not tradition, not habit. A boat that is well served is one that moves a given load at a given speed with the least physical cost.
What good rowing looks like
Good rowing happens when individual efforts are necessary, compatible, and free of waste. When that is the case, nothing is working against the boat, and nothing is being added that the boat does not need.
From that point of view, much of the noise falls away. Crews are left doing as little as possible and as much as necessary to move the boat at its optimum sustainable speed. Effort is still present (sometimes considerable effort) but it is directed rather than scattered.
This matters particularly in masters rowing. We do not have spare capacity. Every unnecessary movement, every forced position, every over-correction costs something that is slow to recover. What remains, when waste is removed, is effort that counts.
Natural movement: the simplest path to efficiency
Crews that encourage natural movement save energy collectively. Grimacing, over-tension, and constant fixing are usually signs that effort is being spent without return.
Movements that require ongoing correction are rarely efficient.
There is a strong connection between what is unnatural and what is inefficient. This is why masters rowing gains little from chasing stylised or exaggerated movements, especially those rehearsed away from the water. These are not poses to be assumed, but actions to be lived. What matters is a small number of natural movements, repeated consistently, in the environment that counts: the boat on the water.
Life already provides a useful filter. Movements are chosen and repeated because they do not cause injury, require less energy than alternatives, and achieve the desired outcome. How we balance, lift, reach, breathe, and endure in everyday life often translates well to rowing. What feels natural is usually what is most sustainable. Life commends it.
Repeatability under real conditions
In the boat, these movements are simply sequenced and connected naturally. When fatigue, habit, or unpredictable circumstances get in the way, efficiency drops. The work, whether carried by a coach or shared within the crew, is to notice that early and remove what does not belong, so what remains can be applied repeatedly. The alternative is familiar to most masters rowers: working harder for no gain.
Inconsistent movement, incompatible timing, and effort piled on top of effort. It is tiring, frustrating, and often injurious.
Masters rowing cannot afford that kind of waste.
Responsibility, not authority
What ultimately makes the difference is not authority or instruction, but responsibility. In many masters crews, the work traditionally associated with coaching is shared: paying attention, asking questions, protecting effort, and keeping the group focused on what actually moves the boat.
People rarely change because they are told to. They change when they recognise waste.
Crews that respect the effort each person brings, time, energy, attention, physical capacity, are less likely to squander it. Expectations become clearer, responsibility becomes collective, and improvement becomes sustainable.
For masters rowers, this is not a marginal issue. Power still matters, but it is no longer the limiting factor. The most valuable commodity is an energy-efficient crew.
Every masters crew wants to be that crew.
Andrew O'Brien is the author of the Good Coxswain Guide.
