Is biggest fear you have doing a rowing race for the first time? How to prepare, what to expect and the aftermath.
First races and how you can help your crew mates facing their first race. As adults it's unusual to get into a situation we've never seen before. Children are different.
Kim Mulvey wrote to us saying "I'm not ready to race."
The first race fear is mostly about the unknown. You feel out of control and it triggers the flight-or-fight response. Practice in training The way to overcome this is to get familiar with the situations you'll encounter in a race.
One way to do this is to practice in training.
03:15 Practice the racing distance find a simulation as close as possible - how long is it and how intense will it be? Practice being alongside another crew as you race.
Discuss the race plan within your crew - how to approach the stages of the race. Coxing your first race podcast episode will also help you understand what to expect.
Have a checklist for the race day and the night before. Rowing Regatta Checklist article explains the different elements of the list.
The things which help you feel most ready for racing are practicing ahead of time and actually doing a race. Once you've done one race you know what to expect next time.
Stories of first races are fantastic. How the unexpected came about and what they did after it happened. Learn by hearing from your crew mates.
Read Rowing against the Current – Barry Strauss What you experience is unique to you, but you'll have a lot in common with everyone else's first race.
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Daunting? Hell yes. Listen to our guide which shows you what "tricks" you need to have and how to use them with your crew.
Timestamps
I've got to cox a race and I don't know what I should be doing. The broad formula you need.
What's expected of you - steer the boat carefully around the course to the best possible route that you can. Take the straightest route and when you steer, take as tight a turn as you can without disrupting the crew rhythm.
Think of the river as if it was a road and you are driving a car. In general you gent to be in the middle - judge the distance between the tip of the blades and the bank on both sides of the boat to see if you are positioning well. For corners, water flows in a straight line and bounces off the bank as it bends around - think of this as lots of little straight lines and rebounds as the current adjusts for the curve of the bank.
If you are going round a corner to your right hand side - the deeper water is on your left hand side where the current has scoured out the bank (a slip off bank on the right and an undercut cliff on the left). The fastest water is nearer the cliff on the left hand side. So position your boat towards the left hand bank and get one third of the river between the boat and the left hand bank, two thirds of the river on your right hand side. After the corner is done and you're on the straight - re-position the boat so you are in the middle 50:50 of the river on each side of the boat.
Rowing against the stream - it's the opposite - hug the bank so you're close enough so you don't have the stream moving against the boat. The rule of thumb of thirds (one third of the river between your hull and the bank) works quite well as the current is usually concentrated in the middle third of the river. Steering is likely what you won't have problems with as you are an experienced steerer.
Have two calls - technical call - pressure call (working harder).
You should be able to work out what motivates your crew and what they are skilled at doing. For the pressure call - 10 strokes working harder - will increase your boat speed for ten strokes. Your job is to work out what the right technique call is that supports the pressure call. Speak to the coach and crew - what are the aspects of the stroke technique which they find harder to do when they're tired.
You only need ONE technical call.
Use the calls in combination during the race - pressure followed by technique or vice versa. In the race - if you do the technique call first - improve the technique over 10 strokes and then follow that up with a pressure call so they hold onto the technical aspect while they add the pressure. Or do pressure first to increase the boat speed and then use the technique call to maintain the higher boat speed afterwards. You must practice this in training so the crew knows what to expect and the nuance of the two calls.
When to use these calls in the race? Landmarks like a building, a bridge or a bend in the river are good markers. If the landmark includes a steering change - you have to do the call before you start to steer because the boat slows when you steer. Get increased speed before the steering manoeuvre. As you finish the steering, do another call as you are straight and have passed the landmark. Get the crew to look at the bridge / landmark so they can see it moving into the distance.
Big picture - divide the race into quarters. You have to know what's the beginning and end of each section. Have a focus for each quarter.
Other things also happen e.g. overtaking / being overtaken. Build these into your race plan if they happen. "Walking" the crew past another crew - what to say.
Your average speed in the race - the boat speed will change. Your job is to take the crew back up to the horizontal ideal speed line. A good cox can motivate and encourage. Do not talk all the time - silence for 5-10 strokes gives the crew greater focus and clarity of purpose when you do speak. Give the crew enough time to do the things you have called - 10 strokes minimum.
You must be able to judge how many strokes it takes the crew to cover a certain distance. Look at a landmark and estimate the stroke count - practice on your home course against a buoy or tree. You must be accurate to decide when to start the call as you lead into landmarks and the finishing sprint.
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Boat weight classes across your fleet can be assessed against members' weights.
Many masters group 'inherit' boats but for optimal club alignment match the boats with the membership needs. Assess the current fleet - look for the manufacturer's label - serial number, year of construction and athlete weight. Log these for your whole boat fleet.
Different boat moulds accommodate the water displacement for heavier and lighter athletes. Variations can be built in by lowering the deck or the saxboards. When my club did the survey we added in a "state of repair" for each boat. Some are used more than others. And the frequency of boat use - we have some which are favourites and get used a lot more than others.
All members were asked anonymously what their weight is in kg and if they are men or women. We had fallen into the habit of calling boats "mens boats" or "womens boats". This was erroneous - we had men and women in three out of four weight categories. Masters do a lot of mixed rowing and so we need boats suitable for mixed and single gender users.
We found a spread of needs across 4 ranges of boat weights. Remember crew weights are averaged to align with the boat. 4 Sizes of boat - Lightweight 60kg boats - Mid lightweight 70kg boats - Mid heavyweight 80kg boats - Heavyweight 90kg boats 48% of our members could fit into a 60kg lightweight boat; 60% of our membership can fit into a mid lightweight boat; 44% can fit a mid heavyweight boat; and 23% fit a heavyweight. Our club is skewed to female members and older females who are smaller in height and lower body weight. This affects the fund raising, boat purchase plan and the boat maintenance plan where club resources are focused.
10:30 Considerations for purchases
The resale value of second hand boats is important to consider. This is not just about the boat's age and state of repair - it's who wants to buy this type of boat. Resale values for coxless quads is high in New Zealand due to a lack of supply. Few clubs choose to buy 60kg double sculls because lightweight rowing is being phased out of schools and international rowing.
Boat builders can advise what size of boat they typically build. Size inflation has happened in boat weights - classified at one weight but will fit a bigger range of athlete weights than previously. It used to be +/- 5 kg and I believe it's larger than this now - maybe 10kg range. I believe that you want the oarlocks to sit half way up the pins for the average weight of the athletes when they sit in the boat with oars squared and buried at the finish.
Too heavy athletes in a boat and you find insufficient freeboard to get the oars out at the finish or to row square blades. Too light athletes in a boat and you find you have to hold your handle higher up your chest in order to keep the oars buried at the finish and you cannot keep your wrists level with your elbows in the power phase.
Gain an understanding of the number of years you use a boat before you replace it. Plan a replacement strategy so you can get the right range of boats for your needs. For example, we boat a lot of quads and now have a quad in three of the four weight ranges. Champagne tastes on a beer budget - we always want more equipment than we can afford to buy!
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Why the blade pathway from crossover to catch is so different between the left and right hands. If you aren't going straight, three things to check.
01:00 What generally causes difficulties?
Beginner errors are straightforward to work out if these are affecting you.
Look from your stern to the horizon and line up your stern with a fixed point (house, power pole, tree) and watch the wake off your stern. You can see if the vee of the wake is symmetrical.
04:30 Blade extraction - are the blades coming out at the same time and are you pressing down symmetrically? If one blade drags that affects the boat course.
05:30 Blade crossover - from extraction to handle crossover it's important the boat is level. The rig is left higher than the right - your handle heights have to reflect the difference in oarlock height. Ensure your hands are "nested" close together.
08:00 Blade catch - the handles have to be symmetrical around a similar arc from the oarlock so the tips of the blades are the same distance from the side of the boat.
The right hand has to move a greater distance from crossover to the catch than the left hand. It's probably 2 cm greater distance. Practice the fine motor skills to make subtle adjustments to the handles using pontoon floats on a single scull. Your arms have to go out to the same distance at the catch (not the same handle height). Listen to the sound of the oars going into the water - you can hear if one oar goes in before the other.
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As a developing sport, there are aspects of masters rowing which we need to improve, change and adapt. Three signs of dysfunction and four solutions.
Timestamps
01:00 What are the symptoms and cures to move our sport forward? Most clubs now have a masters group and a good waiting list of people wanting to learn to row.
Rowing is designed to take a beginner towards higher performances. As we age we generally have diminishing strength each decade. Many of us love rowing but don't want to compete - so masters rowing is different.
12:00 How can these be set in place? How to bring your board / committee along with you so they understand what the masters group is trying to achieve.
What are solutions we haven't yet thought of?
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Go on rowing camp! The pros and cons of going on training camp. You'll either love it or hate it.
Timestamps
01:00 Going on a camp refocuses your attention on rowing. Are camps useful? There are lots of different types of camp - training camp - selection camp for racing crews - finishing camp before a big regatta
You don't have to go with your whole club. Doing a camp at your own club has disadvantages - people keep their other life commitments and so tend to rush off after the workout. So you lose one of the good aspects of going away to camp which is the luxury of un-pressured time.
Athletes get a lot of individual attention on camp compared to home training. There's time for debriefs, for mini tutorials, one-on-one time, sit next to coaches at meals and pick their brains. Coaches get a captive audience of athletes and can get messages about focus points across to them all.
05:00 Camp issues Increased training load - if normal rows are 60-90 minutes once a day camp workouts will be shorter. But you may do two or three workouts a day.
Overtraining is not an issue in the long term. Camp is only 3-5 days plus travel days when you're resting. Schedule an off day when you get back home while you rig boats. Then pick up your regular training volume.
If you come into the camp injured or recovering - that's a big red flag and needs management. When athletes don't tell the coach that they are injured that causes problems. Doing only part of the camp program is still beneficial.
Getting injured on camp does not mean your time is wasted. Volunteer to go in the coach boat with the coaches, volunteer to film crews, volunteer to help the coaches. Hanging out with coaches, you learn by listening to their discussions. You can train your eye watching crews rowing to find out where improvements are needed. Illness on camp - take care a virus doesn't spread to everyone. Good hygiene practices are needed.
Crew bonding and learning accelerated in a focused period. Plus fitness gains and technique input from coaches. Camp also allows you time to work on technique on your own. Self-coaching discipline and practice is also good.
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A key concept needed for sculling well, this challenging skill is essential for setting up the recovery. One drill to practice which helps teach how to control the oar handle heights.
00:50 Teaching a course for those who can already row and want to try single sculling. There are 4 key concepts for essential skill in rowing and sculling. Weight in the hand is the most challenging key concept.
At its simplest, having weight in your hand enables you to hold your oar handle and keep downward pressure on the handle to keep the oars off the water.
It starts by controlling the finish as you extract the oar using a downward "tap down" of the handle. Use the outside hand in sweep; use both hands in sculling. It helps you to keep your body and the boat stable at the finish and keep pressure on the pin. If your button comes away from the oarlock at the finish you have not got this control.
It also helps to facilitate the transition from body weight into the bow towards body weight towards the stern on the recovery.
If you can do weight in the hand, you can row square blades. And you can feather high over the waves and keep your boat level in a side wind.
The stationary stability drill teaches you how to control the handle using weight in the hand.
Sit the oars square and in the water at the finish. Then press down on the handles twice so just half the spoon comes out of the water. Then do a full press so the oar spoon comes fully above the water and hold this position in a pause, then return the blades under the water. Stage two is to do the same two half presses and a full press and then feather. Stage three is to add straightening the arms after the press down and feather. Your body and legs stay stationary throughout this drill.
Sculling Intensive Camp A self-guided tutorial to improve your single sculling skills over 7 days. Includes drills for the whole stroke cycle including checklists to take in the boat with you.
If you want to learn how to row square blades, take our three-part mini course [free] Square Blades Challenge Part 1.
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Meet Chair of the Indoor Rowing Commission, Filip Ljubicic and hear about the future of indoor rowing including an exciting announcement about the e-sports Olympics in 2025.
01:00 The global World Rowing strategy for indoor rowing - rules, events, innovations, collaborations with erg manufacturers, digital apps and new tools. Indoor rowing is important - around 20-25 million people use a rowing machine at least once a year. A pathway or goal is part of the strategy for all participants. 2018 was the first Indoor Rowing World Championships.
03:30 The goal is to do both physical in person events and virtual events. Being able to compete is an opportunity for those who cannot travel. A new format for 2025. All the age categories are offered in addition there will be a World Champion for Indoor Rowing for the first time.
More detail about 2025 World Indoor Rowing Championships.
It starts with open heats where everyone submits a time. Top 150 in each continent plus top 10 age category races progress to local timezone races the next weekend. Expect more tactical racing and a different mindset and challenge. First score submit date is 20th January 2025. There are endurance and sprint relays being offered including an age group 40-44 and 45-49 age group relay championship event.
08:30 Are drag factors recommended? No you choose your own. Finals day the top 50 will race live at once. The top 20 go through to the Grand Final giving the World Champion top 3 placings as well as age group champions if you get through to the last races. From this global standings will be produced for everyone.
Looking at sport as entertainment. We are competing for the audience's leisure time and how to make the sport interesting. Other sports like athletics have different distances, formats that suit different types of athlete. We are enabling this for indoor rowing. The Versa Challenge - 5 events over 2 days with points (like heptathlon). A 20 minute race, the person with fewest meters every 2 minutes gets cut - enabled tactical racing and new uncertainties as it was unpredictable.
In 2025 there will be a virtual series through the year including standalone monthly challenges. Also World Rowing has submitted it to be part of the Olympic E-Sports - Virtual environments and physical activity category. World Rowing is waiting to hear next steps. The plan is to grow the ecosystem around indoor rowing. Saudi Arabia is the host country for 2025.
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Hear how people deal with an illness but keep up their rowing. Overall advice is "do what you can".
Timestamps
01:00 Many masters try to keep on rowing after a major illness or trauma diagnosis. Getting out on the water feels good - the challenge is around what is possible for you.
Cancer treatment often has regular chemo and radiotherapy and you know the frequency of each session. One solution is to go rowing immediately before the hospital visit. Row when you can with a supportive friendship group. For surgery - muscular rehabilitation and strength training follows a simple pattern over weeks. After a stroke - lingering physical restrictions continue months afterwards.
As we age our bodies may require us to adjust / adapt our stroke. For hand tremors difficulty holding a thumb on the end of the handle was hard. Suggestions include occupational therapists advice, gloves which tape onto the handle, hand exercises using old grips at home, para rowing has many solutions (adaptiverowinguk.com), baseball grip adhesive on your hands, use the little finger or side of your hand to make lateral pressure instead of your thumb.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a repetitive stress condition - the suggestion was to hold your handle with thumb and index finger curled around the end of the handle and to turn the oar with the middle and ring fingers.
Lady with bone cancer continues to row and to go to regattas to enjoy herself with her friends.
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Midlife brings challenges. Rowing is a pathway for getting your spark for life back. Join bestselling author, Rachel Marie Martin for tips and to hear her journey.
01:00 Rachel has a long background in technology and she uses this to communicate her message about life, motherhood and the ups and downs that life has dealt her.
Be diligent and keep on trying. Get your spark back book is about Rachel's realisation that she'd lost her spark for life. What made her realise that life wasn't sitting 'right' with her. During the pandemic she said she didn't know who she was any more. Were was "me"? She was uneasy and went on the journey to re-find her soul without realising that was happening. In mid-life how to find your soul's journey. As a runner Rachel had to push past uncomfortable.
When you're young you have all the time to do something in the next decade. Looking at her friends and parents she realised time is finite. She couldn't keep postponing things. It was an awakening, not really frightening.
09:00 Choose to set your bar in the present, not based off the past. Why do I believe this to be true? Is the key question to ask yourself. We aren't taught to challenge our beliefs - we don't have the introspection to think. The story of the Easter ham. Why we do things? Are they applicable to your present? Choosing to do things that keep you 'small'. Review your own story and where is your bar - low or high?
I hear these in athletes' rowing frustrations - their mindset shows how their beliefs are limiting. Be willing to wonder about your beliefs. What is within your realm of possibility? Pay attention to the words you say. Are we keeping ourselves from something greater? This is the only shot I have in this life now. The audacity and risk of learning to row and not telling your family.
Ask your community to help you spot your potential. What do they think you could do?
18:15 The story of the green shorts
Rachel used these as a "benchmark" size. The person who wore the shorts didn't do what Rachel had done. Her success and happiness is defined differently now.
https://youtube.com/live/WvyKWbppJDo
https://soundcloud.com/rowingchat/get-your-spark-back
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