British Rowing Technique

5th March 2006 at London Rowing Club With Robin Williams

HPC Women & Lightweights
Organised in conjunction with the Thames Region

Technique
What to do How to do it Concepts Understanding Communication Model technique, not average

Technique 1
Posture positions & angles Grip Recovery sequences Entry Catch Drive sequences Extraction Blade control Sculling Sweep

Technique 2
Concepts : Lever the boat past the oar(s) Push the boat Back connects legs to oar Use body weight (suspend) Combine power with relaxation Long strokes Work with the hull Take time

Posture & recovery sequences

Pelvis rocking over from backstop

Rock over from the Hips

Good organisation of body movement Weight transferred early onto the feet

Rock over to a comfortable and strong posture. Lower back set at catch

Good organisation of body movement

Hands body and slide All body swing by half way up the slide

Shins vertical, no gap between thighs and body

Back set at catch Body in pre stretched position

Put blade in where you reach/slide The catch happens after the entry

Release weight of handles to enter blades Shoulders relaxed No pressure on boat Entry is last part of Recovery

Key points, Recovery

Good posture in trunk Relaxed shoulders Clear sequence, hands body slide Boat slides under you, not you to it Seat position tells you where entry is Entry is end of recovery Entry comes from relaxed hands No pressure on stretcher Boat still running

Seville LM2x training

Entry is last part of recovery Catch happens after entry

Change direction from the seat not handle.

Legs & lower trunk engage blades Hang/Suspend the weight from the handle

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Hanging the weight on the blade. Connection low down in the body

Body working powerfully against legs

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Mid drive, Left hand nearest the stern

legs accelerate through the stroke

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The back opens when the handle is in front of the knees or about 1/3rd of the way through the stroke

As you approach the finish the blade is in base of fingers with very slightly arched wrist

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The legs upper body shoulders and arms contribute to the power

Long efficient strokes move the boat

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Long efficient strokes move the boat

Key Points, Drive

Long but strong catch position Long but strong finish position Stretcher pressure engages kinetic chain from feet to fingers fingers Push first then open powerfully Seat, handle, stern all connected Back connects legs to oar Maintain suspension throughout

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Key Points, Posture

Pelvis rocking over from backstop Rock over to a comfortable and strong posture lower back set at catch Shins vertical no gap between thighs and body Link together kinetic chain Place and push Blades help posture

get the right size hand grips

blade in base of fingers with thumbs on the end of the blade

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Romanian Womens Pair World Champs

grip for rowing approx than 2 hand widths apart get the right size hand grips

Key points,Grip
spend some time looking at this blade in base of fingers with very slightly arched wrist grip for rowing approx 2 hand widths apart get the right size hand grips

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Brush T- shirt with the thumbs Blade square as long as possible

Release the pressure on the blade just before the circle around the finish

Hands down and away

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Finish/ Extraction
Brush T- shirt with the thumbs Blade square as long as possible Release the pressure on the blade just before the circle around the finish Hands down and away

Rhythm and ratio

An increase in the rate should be reflected in an increase in boat speed As the boat accelerates the athlete will move at a quicker speed due to the run of the boat

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Rhythm and ratio

The boat is moving under the athlete not the athlete up the boat Even at 36 the athlete should feel they have time and control into the catch, emphasising the last quarter It is crucial at higher rates that the finish is held in or the rhythm will be compromised

Sculling
Crossover left hand in front of right and slightly above the right. Keep this relationship both during the power and recovery phases

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Sweep

Reach to rigger from finish Weight across on inside leg Entry from outside hand Avoid twisting in/away Work against direction of swivel

Time and Timing

Must have acceleration in drive Must have time in recovery Time effort in drive Allow time off finish for run Allow time on the blade at entry Allow time to release blade at finish Time is relative

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