Training

TRAINING

  • Warm-up thoroughly before hard rowing.
  • Racing and cruising start = quarter stroke, half stroke, three quarter stroke, full stroke
  • Sixty full-power strokes – rest – fifty full-power strokes – rest –forty full-power strokes  … And so on down to ten.
  • Handbrake turns – with the tide and against the tide. Cox warns crew which side will row hard and which side hold water at the mark; then gives count down in distance 50 yards, 20 yards etc; then counts down with strokes  – three, two one; then shouts TURN;  one side then rows hard with quicker , shorter strokes, the other side holds water and leans forward to give the rowers on the other side room to come forward; cox counts down to warn that turn is about to be completed  – three, two, one; cox then shouts TOGETHER to tell the side holding water to start rowing again.
  • Crash stop – Lean forward to take pressure of oar handle. Lower the blade not too abruptly to avoid getting knocked off your seat!
  • Pull in oars … When a collision looms
  • Changing places whilst racing … Develops agility and practises keeping the boat balanced.
  • Feathering
  • Rowing hard for 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, … 40 minutes
  • Endurance rows up to two hours
  • Rowing a complete practice race = putting it all together
  • End with gentle rowing to wind down.
  • Review at end of training session: how did it go and what next?

DRILLS

  • Playing the piano during the recovery to relax the fingers –one hand then both hands
  • Two-only rowing … To improve timing
  • Rowing with eyes closed … To feel the rhythm of the strokes
  • Do a series of single strokes … Develops the co-ordination and balance of the crew
  • Pausing before the catch … Wait until cox calls “In”: gives the feeling of all blades entering the water together.
  • Extra long recovery … Around 15 strokes per minute; Develops co-ordination and timing; emphasizes glide of the boat between strokes
  • Rowing with one arm only
  • “Fast hands” – Move the hands quickly away from the body at the start of the recovery and then slow the down the recovery. This allows more time to plant the blade firmly into the water for the catch.

COURSES

Ladies 

Nwy 0.75mls, Outer Distant marks (to starboard) thence to Ogwen 2mls thence to finish 1ml total 3.75 mls 

Seniors

Friars 1ml , Nwy 0.25 mls, outer  Distance marks (to starboard) thence to Ogwen 2mls thence to finish line 1 ml total 4.25 mls

Juniors

B12 0.25 mls , outer distance marks to port  thence to Nwy 1.25ml, thence to finish 0.5 mls total 2 miles

Mixed

Ogwen 1.25 mls, OD marks to port, thence to Nwy 1.75 thence to finish 0.75 mls 3.75 mls