Head race challenges - how to deal with things like turning buoys, wind and waves, and staying warm at the start marshalling. Something unexpected always happens in head races - caused by you or external factors.
01:00 Your experience base is what will serve you well in dealing with challenges.
02:00 Challenges -expect the unexpected. anything can happen. Get accustomed to rowing with many other athletes and boats around. Know your response to a range of different situations so you know what to do when a challenge arises.
Marcus Buckingham research into why some long distance lorry (truck) drivers had fewer accidents is helpful for us rowers.
06:00 Staying warm in the marshalling area. Wear clothing you can keep on until the last moment. Marlene likes a lightweight wind jacket because it's easy to take off. Can you row in small circles to stay warm? Do the push/pull drill - rowing in place. Keep your muscles moving as much as you can. Are you able to get out of the boat and stay warm on the bank by jogging on the spot?
Keep your hands under your armpits as that's the warmest part of your body. And wear a warm fleece hat.
10:00 Avoid sitting still and not doing anything as it is harder to get up to speed in the race if you are cold. Rebecca likes to hang back when the crews move up the marshalling line towards the start line so she can row hard pressure strokes to catch up the crew in front.
At the Scullers Head Rebecca worked out how long after the race began that her bow number would be starting the race. She chose to park her boat and go to a nearby pub to stay warm and drink coffee while waiting and watching the numbers pass by. You can take a thermos of hot water in the boat if that helps you stay warm.
The Ultimate Guide to Head Racing free ebook download
13:30 Wind and Waves - things you cannot control but you can row them well. Look at a map of the course and a weather app and work out where the wind will be head / side or tail winds. Where will gusts likely happen?
In a headwind, the waves are highest at the start of a straight when you are rowing into the wind. Can you adapt your technique to reflect the wind and waves conditions to reflect the conditions?
Read our podcast on rough water rowing
Seek out some rough water training to practice stabilising, and adjust how high you carry the oars off the water. Cross winds push your boat down on one side. On the high side apply pressure into that rigger with your thumb to keep the boat level.
16:00 Keep your stroke length into the head wind as it will tend to rob you of your length. Don't let the wind rush you. Control the oars with deliberate movements so the wind doesn't snatch the blade out of your hand. The wind may catch your blade as you square and blow it high above the water. Counter this by moving your handles upwards deliberately. If you get a gust of wind, as the gust comes, control your oars and as the gust fades, do a push to get back onto your pattern after the gust interruption.
As a cox or steersperson warn the crew if you see a wind gust coming. Push through the gust.
21:00 Relax and "rock and roll" laughing made Rebecca relax in a head race with bad waves and she got a good result. Ask locals where cross winds happen on the river.
Marlene did the Maine summer head race series on Moosehead Lake with a 5k triangular course. It started getting rough and she thought it was "rock and roll". She focused on one stroke at a time and by the end her footstretchers were under water.
Sight the buoy first and aim to steer directly at it. Hold water on the inside oar close to the buoy then bring it around with the other oar. Check water with as little force as you need to. After turning do a flying (rolling) start to get going again.
Be aware your arm can feel tired after a hard turn as if it's got a cramp. Wiggle your fingers to relax that arm on the recovery as it gets back to feeling normal. Practice turning before the race at full race pace speed. So you know what to expect at speed.
It can be tempting when going around the buoy to row off before checking you have the direction right for the next section of the race. Check over both shoulders and aim straight for the buoy - unless there's a strong current you can do a small steering correction to get around it - it's easier to see big buoys from a distance and to steer towards it.
Rebecca's preference is to go into the buoy parabola curve on a wide approach and to come out of the turn narrow and close to the buoy.
Race plans - overtaking and being overtaken.
00:30 Coach masterclass discussion zoom was about running masters learn to row classes. We learned the diversity of situation and how people problem-solve for their own clubs
02:30 Race plans Free ebook - the Ultimate Guide to Head Racing sign up to get your copy https://fastermastersrowing.ck.page/693a02e0a1
Goal of a race plan is to row the best race you can, technically the best you can as you fatigue through the race. What to focus on as you move through the stages of the race to retain good technique and efficiency. Don't question the competitive desire.
As the stages of the race progress how to maintain your technique is key. Be as consistent as possible and as aggressive as possible.
How much time will the race take? This affects stroke rate choices.
05:00 During your practice work out your most efficient stroke rate with good technique. A race lasting 4.5 to 5k meters is over 600 strokes. Marlene likes to think of this as 600 one-stroke races!
What calls do you include in the race plan? Set a common understanding of words you use.
It doesn't need to be complicated to be effective. What is the focus in this part of the race? You can focus on time or distance for your race plan. Include a plan for mishaps.
The race plan calls are about keeping your performance as consistent as possible through the race.
Slide control in the recovery - Rebecca's crew decided to experiment with how to get the best outcome from our calls. Did it work better with power called first and then slide control called second? Or the other way around? This showcased what was effective for this crew - the coxswain could spot when we needed to be refocused back onto the pattern of movement.
Experiment with what works in practice then discuss whether it should be part of the race plan.
11:30 Trials are important - try different strategies in your practice outings. What is your focus? Do you go out strong or conservatively?
The Faster Masters training workout programs include test workouts which help you to zoom in on what works for you and what you can do in a race.
12:50 Rowing boats take a long time to overtake each other - overtaking it is not a quick thing. You are unlikely to be able to overtake in just 10 strokes. You likely take 10 cm each stroke further than the other crew - overtaking one person in a crew may take 15 or 20 strokes.
Practice scenarios of overtaking on a straight versus a corner turn. Will you approach a turn differently if you are overtaking? Adjust to suit your physiology.
15:00 Distance per stroke is the core metric.
You can do this with more power through the water or by rating higher. More strokes per minute - your boat should move one boat length per stroke. This takes energy - you need to be able to row efficiently in this new mode (power or rate).
16:30 Once you start overtaking keep it going - don't drop back after you have finished overtaking. Maintain your length in the water and increased boat speed. Be as tough as nails and stay at it. So many races come down to narrow margins. Don't be comfortable just getting past a crew.
It's different from side by side races. In head races you can't know how fast other crews are going because they may not be near your boat.
If they are faster than you, you should make it hard for them to get past. Keep your stroke length, power and rhythm. Take the straightest possible line without impeding their advance - make them work hard for it. Play within the rules.
Rebecca was at HOCR and was getting yelled at by a faster crew calling for her crew to "yield". They didn't steer well and took a longer route, but Rebecca's crew kept pushing on and it took nearly a kilometer for them to overtake. Take your motivation from the fight with the other crew. It was a fun battle that got Rebecca's crew the best possible result that they could have got and trying to deny a good result for the other crew.
21:30 There may be situations where more than one boat is overtaking at the same time. Avoid getting penalised. You can judge if you are interfering with the other crew and so if you can get a better course than they do, that's your advantage.
Buy the Carlo Zezza Book - Winning Head Races
Get confident steering your coxless boat for long distance racing.
Timestamps
This is the first lesson because if you can't go straight it really affects your steering. Consider your strength imbalances if you have been a long term sweep rower moving to sculling. Equalise your arcs by watching and listening for these three things
If your strength is unequal - don't over-power one side compared to the other, row the same arc.
05:00 steering off a point. Watch your wake - see if it is going straight, keep an eye - your stern. Learn how to set your point off a landmark on the bank like a tree or building. Row away from the point and watch your wake to see if it's going straight. Learn to make small corrections before you are way off course.
06:00 Where the boat pivots is approximately in the middle of the boat.
Not all bridges are created equal. First choose which arch you want to go through in the race. For HOCR at Weeks Footbridge you have to both steer the bridge and make a sharp turn after passing under the bridge. Decide where under the bridge you want to pass - is it in the middle or more to one side or the other? This depends on what you need to do after the bridge. Ideally row the course before the race to learn the course. Line yourself up under the bridge so you can see what your points are as you go through the bridge so you know what to steer off.
10:45 Bridge supports are where to focus your line of sight. Two ways to look around in a rowing boat - a glance over the shoulder and a complete turn to see your bow ball and what's directly in front of you. Look for the uprights of the bridge - these are easier to spot than the gap in between.
For a bridge you want to go through straight. Decide which upright you want to steer off - choose one (right or left), do a glance, then decide if you need to do a steering correction. If there is a stream (racing against the stream) you may choose to be closer to the bank so you minimise the effect. Take a second glance as you get closer and correct if you need.
14:00 For bridges you go through not in a straight line - know where you need to go after the bridge. Relative to the uprights, decide where you want to position your boat. Is the bridge wider (a highway or motorway)?
Rebecca prefers to steer before you go under the bridge so you come out straight for the next part of the course - push off the bridge as you exit it. Line up your stern so you know where you want to go through it. 16:00 High and long bridges like Interstates or motorway bridges. Keep an eye out for posts or markers near the abutments. Bridges often have underwater structures wider than the abutment above the water - these create eddies which swirl the water.
A sharp corner cannot be navigated with pressure. It takes too long to do. Turning to port - use your starboard oar take a short stroke from catch to cross-over, use fast short strokes. Do as few strokes as possible when steering a corner. This is slowing the boat down so minimise the strokes you take.
20:00 Looking and steering corners. Turn your head to look around without disrupting your balance and rhythm. Practice in training, turning your head (it weighs 15 lbs) without upsetting your balance. Alternate looking around then do pressure steering. Don't steer until after you have taken a look around. The exception is if a crew is closing fast behind you but you can see them coming so don't need to look around. Know where the corner begins for a long gentle corner. Start the turn with a few gentle turning strokes. Then look and go straight for a few strokes, take another look. Then make steering adjustments and alternate looking and pressure steering. Expect to look around frequently. Count strokes to help you make a sharp turn in a practice outing so you know what to expect in the race.
24:00 Buoys
Know the race rules - are you penalised if you hit them? Some you can scull over the top of like albano system marker buoy. Or will you be penalised if you hit them? Improve your bladework so you know if you can feather high over the buoys? Turning buoys - if you bump into one they may not turn over and get out of your way. You may need to hold water. as you turn. Come into a turning buoy at an angle. Use a mini restart after a turn to get back up to speed rapidly.
28:30 Carlo Zezza Book Winning Head Races includes course maps and advice for popular rowing races like HOCR, Silver Skiff and London Tideway Head Races.
This month we are talking Head Racing - long distance rowing races with Marlene Royle and Rebecca Caroe.
Timestamps to the show:
01:00 Head Racing - top tips. Own the river. Be aggressive from the start. Focus on your rhythm.
04:00 How to be a strong stern pair in an eight for head racing
07:39 Where and how do you make rhythm with soft knees moving through the transition
14:30 How to learn pace judgement. Do some time trials to learn what rate suits you. Consistent speed is the goal. 7 x 3 minutes with a 2 minute break. Pick a target rate and see if you can hold it throughout.
17:41 pay attention to your release timing if rating is a challenge
20:00 Free ebook on Head Racing for Masters
22:00 Mobility and flexibility - Technique as you age presentation. Shows the challenges for masters.
32:50 Congratulations to Gordon Williams, our first Faster Masters training program medallist. Gold at New Zealand Masters Championships in mens F 1x.
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