How to row in rough water

Rebecca June 11, 2020

Marlene and Rebecca kick into a discussion on how to row on rough water.

This is one of the biggest challenges that new rowers face. It is hard because feeling unbalanced makes you tense up, shorten your stroke and feel anxious. All these things contribute you to having a WORSE experience of rowing in rough water.

Our top tip is to gain ONE technical skill which will help you overcome these challenges. When you can handle your oar blades successfully, the relaxation and lack of balance can both be improved with practice.

Every time you go rowing, you should practice this one technique so that when it is rough water, you are ready and skillful.

Image CREDIT: Ellen Braithwaite at Open Water Rowing Center in Sausalito. Photographer Stefan Benton

Timestamps

07:00 Tips for new 1x single scullers. The Crossover hand position. Nest your right hand knuckle under the heel of your left hand

13:00 Sculling in rough water. Feather higher – focus on the release of the stroke and move fluidly round to crossover hands position. Relaxation – an active lack of tension. Lower body – let your hips adjust the balance with the boat hull.

20:00 Greece junior world championships – the “Hurricane” regatta. Relax your neck and focus on quality in a drill to improve your skill.

25:00 Square blade rowing as training for rough water. 31:00 Good drills for square blade rowing. What to do if you have a mental block?

38:00 Align and activate your lats using your scapula. Marlene demonstrates how.

Get more tips by joining our email newsletter.

Additional Resources

Categories: Bladework, Podcast

Tags: choppy water sculling, how not to be fearful, rough water row, sculling in rough water, technique rowing

head race rowing, masters rowing, mens rowing four

Race Plans for head racing

Getting ready to race takes a lot of practice. Fortunately come head racing season there are a lot of different events where you can practice…

Rebecca April 30, 2021

Lightweight masters rowers lined up on the dock for a reunion

Want a better rowing group? Here’s how

Hello again Reader
Things that contribute to a robust rowing group over time can be encapsulated in Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Belonging and esteem are part of the list he identified in 1943.
Masters should have a range of ways to contribute to the overall club goals. Another word for esteem is ‘status’ and the way your club group assigns status is a core underpinning of its success. We masters are not all racing demons – young people gain rowing status by winning races; masters…

Rebecca November 10, 2023

Guidance on adjusting training to align with your race dates

Hello again Reader
Across the world there are events at different times of year. When Marlene and I started this business we researched the major events for masters rowers in English-speaking countries. We designed the training programmes to cater for the majority using our standard training plans. Sometimes, these don’t exactly align with races you want to do.
We got this question from Michael
Do you by any chance have a training program for a single sculler taking part in a 16km head race?…

Rebecca January 26, 2024

Burnt toast or death

Hello again Reader Disasters happen – do you feel that they happen often? I don’t need to define the scale of what happens – you are already thinking about the last thing that happened to you which felt disastrous. And yet….. I was listening to a wise person talking about how they coached their children to face the ups and downs of life. They asked the child “Was it burnt toast or death?”. Meaning what was the scale of the crisis. And that allowed them to put some perspective around what…

Rebecca April 19, 2024