Coaching Masters

Masters rowers (you can become one when you turn 27) is one of the fastest growing membership groups of our sport. And yet masters rowers are poorly served by many clubs. 

This article covers the (rather long) list of frustrations.... and also has solutions .... scroll down.

So, what is good about masters?

1. They pay their membership dues.
2. They are happy to use club boats at non-priority times.
3. They help with fundraising.
4. They are sometimes parents of junior rowers.
5. They bring life experience, work contacts, tools and skills to the club.
6. Some can coach.

Common frustrations

There are always those whose priorities don’t align with our own. In one club a coach told me the thing he hates most about rowing is masters!  

Some clubs ‘reward’ masters with the worst, oldest boats and no coaching support. How long will it be before they vote with their feet and go elsewhere? 

When people join the Facebook group ‘Masters Rowing International’ they are asked: “What are your frustrations with rowing?” The answers consistently fall into the same themes:

• A lack of people to form age-group crews or crews of well-matched rowers. It can also be hard to find others who are truly competitive.
• There are too few masters regattas. Most other regattas offer only one or two races per day at masters level, or don’t take masters races and the results seriously.
• Finding a coxswain can be difficult. 
• Masters often are not taught to rig a boat and do simple repairs.
• Often they are given boats that are too big and heavy for the crew.
• They seldom get consistent practice in racing boats. 
• It can be difficult to find consistent training times that work for everyone.
• It’s hard to get coaching.
• Federations forget masters exist so there is a general lack of support and no strategy for masters.

How can we address these problems?

The more masters the merrier

Masters membership growth is rapid, and the masters regattas are among the best-supported each year. 

My challenge to everyone reading this is to go to your club committee and ask what the club can do for your masters group.  

• Have you asked for coaching?
• Have you asked masters to help with fundraising?
• Have you given masters access to appropriate boats and oars?
• Can you upskill masters to self-coach most of their outings?

Tell us what solutions you’re finding that work for clubs and masters.

List of Masters Frustrations & Solutions

• Lack of people 
  • To make age group crews. SOLUTION: Use Facebook group Masters Rowers Seeking Competition to find others to fill the seats
  • We don't have enough depth to have well matched rowers. SOLUTION: Pro-active recruitment for returning rowers and learn to row classes
  • Not being able to find others who are competitive and who row well. SOLUTION: Use Facebook group Masters Rowers seeking competition
• Regattas 
  • Too few regattas nearby. SOLUTION arrange private matches against local clubs,  Provide committee boats so you don’t have to trailer over.  Up to 4 clubs can be invited to a private match without having to get event insurance (in UK)
  • Lack of competition in Ireland.  SOLUTION - race down a category, grow your own headcount with Learn to Row groups, arrange private matches, use the handicap system to race across boat classes / age groups 
  • Not enough national competition for experienced masters rowers who came to the sport later in life. SOLUTION - Lobby your federation to copy British Rowing who has introduced a masters novice category. 
  • Having to borrow boats for regattas. SOLUTION - Use the Masters Rowing International Facebook group to find people willing to loan / hire boats.
• Coxswains 
  • Finding a coxswain. SOLUTION: use your juniors (often masters are parents of young people aged 10-14 who are not yet rowing).  Take it in turns to cox using a plank across the gunwale of the boat. 
• Equipment
  • Not enough experienced boat maintenance volunteers. SOLUTION - pay someone to come and teach more of you how to rig a boat and do small repairs.
  • Equipment designed for men. SOLUTION Fund raising or arrange to share boats with the school kids groups.
  • Not having consistent practice and racing boats. SOLUTION get masters representation on your club committee and force the discussion to accommodate your needs along with other racing groups.
• Coaching
  • Being able to find and afford regular instruction to improve my skills. SOLUTION give Masters enough information on drills and training workout to self-coach some of the time.  Or buy remote coaching.
• Time Management
  • Having enough time to train and coach.  
  • Availability of consistent training time, coaches, and sharing boats with recreational rowers at our club. SOLUTION get masters representation on your club committee.
• Clubs 
  • No local organisation. SOLUTION: Get together with others and make a virtual club to suit your needs.
• Training 
  • Trying to get consistent attendance during Masters practice! SOLUTION: Masters groups have to be more flexible than others because of their busy lives.  Use a software attendance system to advance book sessions and attendance FitClub, iCrew, Boathouse Connect and others.
  • The ergometer. A key element of enjoying masters rowing is self delusion. Objective physiological testing ruins this!  There is no solution to this!!

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Marlene and Rebecca discuss
- The Science of coaching masters athletes
- Erg Inspiration - how to make it fun

Timestamps to the show

04:15 This past week we are supporting masters rowing around the world by:
- attending the Rowing Canada conference coastal rowing course
- Marlene was interviewed on the Science of Rowing with Will Ruth - details below
- listening to James Leath on intentional coaching
https://unleashtheathlete.mykajabi.com/
- Running a scrimmage regatta locally for masters
- Reviewing the "new masters" status for post-novice rowers before they become age group racers
10:30 Erg inspiration when you get depressed looking at the rowing machine
- make it fun. Ear buds, play list; podcast
- Groundhog day
14:00 Training programme for the Head of the Yarra - use the Faster Masters programme if you haven't got time to write a programme. Masters like to know workouts in advance because they like energy planning, time planning and consistency helps.
18:00 Rowing in 6s in an eight. What is the purpose of the exercise? If you want a stable platform, or a drill for the best chance to execute the drill, being stable is good.
When a pair drops out - have an agreed way to hold your oar when you change pairs; also an agreed way to join in the rowing; also an agreed way to hold the oar to stabilise the boat (against your knees or arms outstretched with upward pressure).
Discuss whether you want a "soft set" or a "firm set" in the drill and what the crew should do.
It's important to keep the handle pressure upwards (so the blade is flat on the water) to set the boat.
Facebook discussion
https://www.facebook.com/groups/595853370615544/permalink/1606787526188785/
24:15 The Science of Rowing - Marlene video interview with Will Ruth
[To get the video link, please join our newsletter]
The research article (Nova Scotia) is about coaching masters looking at Autonomy, Competence and Relatedness. The athletes who got coached experienced high relatedness and also greater frustration with autonomy.
To improve your coaching outcomes we need to ask if the psychological needs of the athletes being met?
Perceptions of masters are no different between the group who is coached and those with not much coaching. The sense of belonging is directly related to the amount of coaching the athlete receives.
40:00 Groups in your rowing club - how to enable a range of groups to form, un-form and meanwhile still keep the club stable.

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Further resources

• Volker Nolte on coaching masters
• The science of coaching masters rowing
• Join the Sculling Intensive camp (online)

Rebecca and Marlene go on a rant in this week's podcast - predictably they are feeling taken for granted.

• No, you cannot coach yourself.
• Yes there is free rowing advice on the internet.... and if it's free - YOU are the product.
• What this means for us (and you)

Timestamps to the show

01:00 the Head of the Charles interactive map of competitors
06:00 Virtual races coming up
10:00 Newsletter subscription - if you listen, please join us. Yes, we give you free rowing advice and our "payment" request from you is that you join the newsletter.

Newsletter

12:15 We want feedback from you, our listeners.
What are your opinions on investing in rowing training programmes? Why do you like free rowing advice?
You pay to travel to regattas, to camps, to race... and some people won't pay for a training programme. Why?
16:00 Many rowers read books for knowledge. Compared to having a coach this is curious as the coach is a bridge between knowledge and actual practice. By reading do you get better skills in your boat?
22:00 Explanation of the Northern and Southern Hemisphere parallel rowing seasons and how the programmes take account of this. The 1k and 5k head racing programs. The training cycles align with races.
25:00 Free rowing advice on the internet - how does that affect  your improvement and your coaching? If you are serious about improving your programme should be written to understand your needs by someone who knows masters rowers.The difference between training for improvement or an event versus training for fitness,
29:45 Faster Masters is a business selling paid rowing training programmes. There's a hierarchy of services affordable for most people.

• Event programs 12 weeks training for 1k or 5k Head racing
• One-off advice
• Faster Five ebooks
• Magazine monthly
• Join our newsletter https://fastermastersrowing.com/newsletter/
• Live listeners to the podcast
• We would prefer to get rid of freeloaders.
• You and we understand why we are here. What we both get out of the Faster Masters podcast.

35:00 Tell us more about what you want from Faster Masters.

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Marlene and Rebecca discuss

• Interviewing and hiring a rowing coach
• An inspirational email from your coach

Sponsors

Faster Masters Rowing announces the launch of the Faster Five.
Find out more at https://rowing.chat/sponsors/

Kanghua single for sale
The team at Kanghua has a single scull available for sale. It's an all carbon Spirit design for athletes weighing 60-65 kilogrammes. You can trial a Spirit single scull near your home club by contacting Eric Sims
https://rowing.chat/sponsors/

Timestamps

05:00 Interviewing and hiring a rowing coach. What to do and what not to do. You are looking for communication skills. Getting along with the group. Can they adapt their teaching style to the learning style of the athlete? What’s important to them as a coach - what do they get out of coaching?
09:00 Specify the goal of the programme - is it competition / fitness / recreational? What are the age range of athletes? Boat sizes - big or small. Write the advert for a rowing coach as specific as possible including qualifications needed
14:00 Interviewing a rowing coach. Get references. Invite them to a practice day. Watch how they interact with the athletes. Observe how they coach. Then ask scenario questions - how do they problem-solve this situation. In their reasoning check they have health and safety in mind and check they ask the right questions.
17:00 How would you select a crew? This is a great interview question to ask. Being a team player has a big influence on culture of the club. Remember unhappy members affect the club culture.
20:00 Coaching technique versus coaching people. They have to be effective communicators. Give the novices the best technical coach.
26:00 Have the crews give input into the selection - do a sample coaching weekend. Get feedback from your members. Use a survey which can be anonymous.
Read the article When Masters Can't Find A Rowing Coach
https://fastermastersrowing.com/when-masters-cant-find-a-rowing-coach/
29:00 Starting work with a virtual rowing coach. Several clubs are working with Faster Masters alongside having an in-person coach. It’s powerful to have a common goal for your group.
32:00 If your coach is not comfortable writing a program this can work well - buy the Faster Masters Rowing program and use it alongside your in person coach.

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A client got in touch with us asking a question which we know many of you will relate to.

Hi, I'm a masters rower voluntarily coaching a novice crew; my crew are racing in the first weekend of December so we have 8 weeks basically to get some fitness up.

I'm wanting an erg program for them - ages 35, 59, 50 and 43 - two younger women fitter than the older ones.

Can you help?

YES, Faster Masters can help you coach

Further resources

• When masters can't find a rowing coach
• The science of coaching masters rowing
• Join the Sculling Intensive camp (virtual)
• Can I get fit learning to row?
• Should clubs have a Learn to Row Program?

An open letter to rowing club captains and organising committees

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Further resources

• The science of coaching masters rowing
• Join the Sculling Intensive camp (virtual)
• Coaching a novice masters crew