™ Common Senses Approach By Paul Fuchs and Jenny Rudoiph Better Rowing: Sight, sound and sensation help bridge the communication gap between athiete and coach “Relax. Relax your shoulders!” the coach's voice ricochetod off the water. [exhaled squinted ‘ow does a person communs- cate the concept of relaxed shoulders” of round finish” or "ight Fidewayys ac the coach and — Conch or “aggresewveness” oF any 9 willed my shoulders 10 rez, theapparentiyconticung ‘whatever that mexnt components of high-performance rowng? How does somenne who “Relax your shoulders hough — varus these capabaliies moet the drive! Keep ‘em down at the efecivety acquire them? “Relaxed Gnas Rela them through the spoulders” in one person's woabu- Gree? How cold that NOPPIR? ary may have No MEST. Of 3 The coach just id me “more torent mmearung in another ack om the drive. How dows pemon’s. An aphorsm—“The maps that go unith relaxed shoulders? on ow the ceritory”—is hep ex Techaled again and held th understanding how to beige hese wm rele” ny re. imasmacches. A person's way of Won cs act to vetoed (the Dercerng realty (the map) may der sigificancy from realty (the ‘erntory). Sach of us has our own unsque way of percesving meaty: we ach have our own “mage” of how the workd works, and those maps. shape how we experience things, So, when a coach tesa rower to “Relax and the rower doesnt respond in a way thatthe coach dentifes as relazang, their concepts (or maps) of “relaxed” may not ‘match. To make ir more complicated, each rower it 3 boat probably has different understandings. ‘The tick is to develop bridges from common vocabulary tothe way we each experience words and actions internally, or demonstrate competence exzernally. Usually there are a vanecy of deseripave methods or expresisons that relate ro che subject, but without 3 ‘common vocabulary to create a baseline, communication wl be sfificut. This article suggests three ways to bridge from one person's ‘experience to another's—three methods for ssecuing people's internal maps to match suiciendy 50 that they can communicate effectively and share, acquire or enhance rowing sls. These ve methods are Reference Expenences. Representanonal Systems ane Pereepeual PS Reference Experiences provide memories or ‘nowiedge of an action or feeling (eg relaxed shoulders) that let you know when you have achewed it Representational Systems provide sensory-baved (visual, auditory or kinesthetic) information that alows you and others to use sensory-venfiable evidence that an action is occuring. Being clear about which Percepasal Position you or someone ets i in (I direct experience: 2 putting yourself in someone else's shoes: 3. observer) allows you both to ‘Adjust to ctferences in position, making communication more AArecesve “Your shoulders Retax theme Guess moe, Reference Experiences: The Key to Coaching Yourseif or Others ‘Tha rater 20s glassy. AS we tid toner the bridge, I could ear, obmost as though far away, the Cenk of ne ors atthe catch [role up 1 the caich as ina dream, folourng the ‘ocion ofthe seroka’s back i front of me. My hands rested. Lghaty on de oar, and | could hear rey power, rhyltree orwaitang. Trough ths wes an anaerobic resold cork { noticed we were tapping dhe boat along, tke a basketball player spring a ball mis Fenger. the last five mareutes our aquared Dace hacin't once Wit the water except 20 Cropped in at each catch Amazing. Checking the wich on my shoe, [noticed oe had omy Bo memes 1 90 in our 15 mame proce. Fel he | could re forever ‘As you read hat descrip, it may have evoked certain sensations sounds, sgh, or smels you rave expenenced. Your resenon to the paragraoh may rave been elated ois content ort sie. wich you erpenenced ina cermin way. Maybe as you were reading, our ‘nind dete off or was cestracted by outside ieemuptions Whatever your experience whe reading the paragraph, chat experience has certain characerstis. Let's tak the example of experiences woke bythe deseiptive concent of the paragraph. You may have pictured ‘Bampemater where you have rowed: you might have ft the sensation ~ of your hand on an car. The paragraph might have remunded you of the whote sensaon ofa sum row you have experienced, complece wittssounds, sights, smells and views, Reference experiences may also be generated through other than direct sensory input. This is important to be able t teach or learn someding that you have never personally expenenced. Common methods used to do this are videos and secondary exercises or ‘armulations. These secondary exercises are amportant for a ange of experiences trom relaxing the shouiders co winning a race. especially :{ neither has been dane before. Whether incernal or external these reference expenences are then developed int “books” in your leary of experknce that tell you ‘what “sling to the catch,” “hand resting lightly on car” or “winnung the Head ofthe Charles” are. ‘Couches can communicate more efectvely and Jquickly wieh rowers, ad cowers can enhance ther ability to learn new skills by determining the specific decals of reference experiences which are relevant toa speciic goal The accion may then be ‘examined forthe presence or absence of these particular detais. This verification of ccomplish- ment is critical tothe process and achievernent of the previously discussed goal (relaxed shoukders) Coaches and athletes working together created 2 ‘rare vision and in tis way the goals are understood and the rests venti (see side bar, “Retuved Shoulders"). Establishing and then communicating those components ofa ski that are verfabie with the senses i the linchpan to effectively coaching oneself or others. Ama Rowing Sewanee 85Representational Systems: Using the Senses to Enhance Performance Aggin referring to che paragraph on reference expert- ‘ences, che sensations you expentenced were created through 3 variety of systems. Theve systems include visual, asin “glassy” and “under the bridge”; auditory, as lerhearing your breath” and “biades going ito the water”: Isnesthenc asin “rolling up to the catch” and “hand on the car,” and finally, chrough “word piccures” such as “tapping it along, ”“bail spinning on a finger.” and “able 00 cow forever.” its Dossible wo evoke a specific response through the use of these senses which we (end to favor in rowing. We experience the world through our senses of sight, sound, feeting, sell andt pacers of reaizing or emphasing different senses. Some people tend to 200m in on visual informacion, focusing. for examele, on the motion ofthe oars into and ‘out of the water, the spacing between puddles, che shape ‘of the mound of water in front of their blade. Sorme people ‘may tune into sounds such as the synchrony or lack of synchrony as blades enter at the catch, the water slapping against the boat, bubbles whizzing by underneath the boat, or their own intemal dialogue. Other people may lock onto kinesthetse sensations, such as thesr feet pressing firmly into the fot stretchers on the drive, of the ‘motion of the seats wheels as they rollup to the calc. Evidence suggests that people may tsvor a particular cepresentational system at all times. Whether or not this is the case, itis useful to be aware char people vary in their bli to process auditory, kinesthetic and visual lnformation, and to adapt yourself consi. For ‘crample, often video is considered the ultimate conching ‘took. To have the rowers see themselves will enhance their aengory map of what they are doing. There will be considerable difference, however, ints value a person who is visually based versus one who favors kinesthetic oc auditory systems. While watch- {ng the video it may be valuable to remind the rower ofthe sounds oF feel to acd significance to the recorded moment Rowers who are having trouble scquiring 3 new sill or changing an old hab car‘ identify what sense(s) they are Exvoring and try to add oF ‘aubstnute others 1o process new information that may allow them to make the change they desire. Especially when trying to communicate a ski to lager boar, a coach who uses all three representational systems in j ance" See stocider throagh the sk Uo your eck hang opePutting it All Together Levs take another look at the coaching and learning scenario we started wath: “You can relax your shoukders now.” The wotce drifted ower to me from the lexench. [has heard this bafore ak land practice last twrek but coudcn' put i together with rowing now. “Drop your shoulders down into the sockets: that’s, now drop your jaw open roo.” (Reminding the rower ofthe reference ‘expenence exerase for relaxed shoulders) /t was coming back 40 ‘me now: nse shoulders ip, relacced shoulders down. { raised thera and lowered them once to remand mae of the difference. “That's ic Here's what | see: your shoulders are down: the skit around your eyes looks smooth, and the muscles it Your Jaw arent bugis out” At this poant a description to the rower tram the third. = position gives him positive visual informanion about his rowang to reinforce his own vision. This can laxer be usedt .6 by coach and rower to overtay the mapofthe rower's J {Est person Kinestnece experience onto the thirt person visual information when they watch the video of the row. (To check this for yourself. let your shoulders rex inthe 3 sockets, Dot pullin toward the nc let your upper and lower teeth separate, not clench together, bndgang ower to frst position, kinesthetic information.) [scanned my shoulders and jaw at each finish for few strokes, noticing that though my shoulders seemed. to be resting coum i dhe sockets, ry teeth seemed 10 get clenched during ihe dria. [ook a deep oreash end mescructed my jaw to stay loose. Some- ‘mes i complied: somerimes it didn't, Sut at least I ioew exactly whas {was shooteng for: Practical Applications Inthe nex issue of American Rowing, Part (fof tis accie will focus on the practical aspects of using these vechnsques, incuding how to develop 2 reference expenence, how to effect a positive outcome, and 2 vanery of speciic reference experiences to be used in modifying sroke protests, —== Pol Fuchs competed for Detrott Boat Club and New York Auhlacic Club As a scullar he was a six-time national singles champion. cand aon mals ‘nternasiomally om the U.S. eum, 1981-58. He's a naval arcitiact and has coached a number of nasional team. Jenoey Rudolph rowed for Radetif, was a member oy Bosom Rowe Center ores Peonaer Vaile Rowe ren cola omer Ef am alternate on the ‘3S and '36 US. igheoright toms. Sha wortes ed consuls om acoseraied skill