Find out where you are on the masters rowing journey- check off the skills you have and find out what you can learn next.
The three stages of masters rowing and a checklist of the skills learned in each stage. When learning to row you move up through experience and grades.
ROWING SKILLS
checklist
The major stages of learning to row.
This is a summary checklist - you can get a more detailed one if you join the
Coach Mastermind Group - customise this to suit your waterway and local safety practices.
- You can safely lift, carry and launch a boat without assistance
- You know how to do a basic boat safety check before getting on the water
- You can steer left and right and follow the traffic navigation pattern
- You can execute an emergency stop and turn the boat 360 degrees in place
- You can back the boat effectively for 30 strokes
- and more...
- You can row or scull with your blades off the water, feathered, during the recovery
- You can hold a consistent rate up to stroke rate 28 for five minutes
- You are confident stroking a boat and following another rower's hand speed
- You have experience in both small boats (1x, 2x) and larger crew boats (4x, 8)
- You can de-rig and re-rig a boat and adjust oar gearing
- and more...
- You can assess weather and water conditions and judge whether your crew can handle them
- You can row square blades at firm pressure and ratings up to stroke rate 30
- You can land a single scull unassisted, approaching from an angle and docking cleanly
- You can place the oar in the water before driving the legs at the catch
- You can coach others from inside the boat and suggest drills appropriate to what you see
- and more...
Want to understand how the stages connect?
Watch our podcast episode on the ladder of learning — we walk through how rowers progress from beginner to advanced, what holds people back at each stage, and how to know when you're ready to move on. It's a practical listen whether you're coaching yourself or others.
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The free checklist you've just downloaded is a summary. The full Rowing Skills Checklist — available from the Coach Mastermind Group — breaks every stage down in detail. It's US$10 and worth every cent.
Get the full checklist →