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Hand
Positions |
Sweep Rowing.
Hold the oar with the hands 4 to 6 inches apart (11 to
15 cm). Turn the blade with the inside hand. Apply power with the outside hand.
Sculling. The oar handles
should be held in the fingers, not the palms. The hands should generally
be at the tips of the oars to maximize inboard leverage, with the thumbs
pressed against the handle nub to generate sufficient outward pressure
against the oarlock. The grip of the fingers around the
oar will automatically increase sufficiently when contact with the water
is made. The arms and hands should extend along a horizontal plane out
well over the gunnels as the blade angle is increased in preparation for
the grasping of the water. The entry of the blade into the water will be
accomplished with a relaxation or slightly positive "flick" of
the hands and arms while maintaining the back angle (notng the
back to achieve the catch).
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The
Stroke |
The rowing stroke is a precise movement. In one fluid
motion, a rower uses their legs, back, and arms to generate power.
Perfecting the stroke requires practice, dedication, and more practice.
The stroke begins with the placing of the oar in the
water and ends when the oar has reemerged and is posed to begin another
cycle. The boat is only as fast as the blades drive it. The power transferred through the blade to the boat is only as
much as the legs supply. A good technique is based on the work of the legs to create
most of the total power.
The rowing stroke can be broken down into
individual components or phases: the catch, drive, finish
(or release), and the recovery. These phases must flow from each other and into each other, producing a
continuous and fluid movement. The figure below depicts
the stroke's components. Turning
the blade horizontally by wrist motion as the oar handle is depressed to
raise the blade clear of the water at the beginning of the recovery is
called feathering. Turning of the blade from
horizontal to vertical in preparation for the catch is called squaring.
The power for the stroke is supplied by the driving down of
the rower's legs and the pulling back with shoulders and back; the
sliding seat helps to generate great power through the rower's legs and
feet. This entire sequence of rhythmical, balanced movements is repeated
from 32 to 40 times per min, depending on conditions, strategy, and
length of the race.
The rowing stroke comprises fast movements and
slow movements.
The essence of good rhythm in the boat is the contrast between them. Done
well, a good motions looks smooth, continuous, and unhurried, so it can
be difficult to see that contrast. The fast movements begin with the
entry of the blade and continue through the stroke and the movement of
the hands away from the body after blade extraction (the finish). The
slower movements begin when the hands pass over the knees and continue
until the next stroke. The inertia created by the power of the stroke
carries the hands down and away from the body when the seat is at the
backstops. The body relaxes immediately as the blade leaves the water so
there is no interference with this natural free-flowing movement. The
seat moves SLOWLY forwards in contrast to its speed during the stroke.
The rower prepares by gathering, ready to spring from the stretcher onto
the next stroke. The movement of the seat must be faster during the
stroke than it is during the recovery. The sooner it leaves the
backstops after the finish, the more time it has to reach the front
stops and the slower it can travel. The hands and then the body move
lively away from the finish to allow the seat to start on its way
forwards. To achieve optimum position for the application of power and
good forward length the rower should stay relaxed but alert and keep:
- Head High- encourages good posture for body and spine
- Chest against thighs -rotation should be centered around the
hip joint, not the upper or lower back
- Shins vertical - strong position for the quadriceps
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The
Recovery and Slide
"let the boat run, rest, and prepare for the next
stroke"
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Although logically the
catch is the starting point of the stroke, a rower will never perfect
the catch unless he/she has learned how to put the body in the
correct position prior to connecting with the water. For this reason,
we'll start with the recovery.
After the finish at the point when the blade is feathered, the rower
executes a quick All hands away followed by a swing forward with the upper
body to an upright position. The rower then moves slowly back up the
slide towards the catch. If a rower zooms back up
the slide, the momentum of the rower puts check on the boat which sends
the boat in the other direction. That's bad. The rower must "sneak" up
on the catch. As the rower approaches the catch, he/she feathers the
oar blade back so that the blade is perpendicular to the surface of the
water or squared."
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Recovery
- Tips |
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The hands should move away from the body at least as fast as they
were drawn into it. This should not be forced, but should flow.
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If the finish has been properly executed, the boat should be
running at its maximum speed and the boat should be level - this the
rower's only opportunity to rest. To achieve this, the shoulders
and arms should be relaxed - stiff shoulders and locked elbows are
to be avoided.
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Physiologically, the most efficient breathing pattern for an
rower is to exhale on the finish and then inhale immediately so
DON'T FORGET TO BREATHE.
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Once the hands are 'away' the body must be rocked over into the
catch position. It is vital that this movement comes from the hips
and not just by leaning forward from the shoulders. The whole upper
body must be rocked without rounding the back - this cannot be
achieved unless the knees are held down until the rock has been
completed. Achieving this in unison is the easiest way to create
rhythm in an eight or four.
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The rock over should also achieve a transfer of the
rower's
weight from the seat to the footplate. The key to achieving the
'push' off the catch is to have the weight on the toes as early as
possible and then to build that pressure as the rower comes
forward on the slide.
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As the rower slides from the recovery into the
catch , he/she must hold the body position achieved in the
recovery, build the pressure on the toes, and stay relaxed enough to allow the accurate placement of the catch.
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Slide
- Tips |
- The body position should remain relaxed and should not alter from
that achieved from the rock over.
- The slide should be at an even pace, with no rush to frontstops.
- The slide should happen under its own momentum as a result of the
'hands away' and 'rock' movements. This should lead to the rower 'floating' up the slide. It should not be necessary to use the
ankles or feet to pull the seat up the slide.
- As the boat moves beneath the
rower and the seat moves towards
the frontstops, there will be a gradual transfer of the weight of
the rower from the seat to the footplate, building the pressure on
the toes.
- The rower should use his inside arm to square his blade as it
comes over the toes and should let his hands rise gently into the
catch.
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The Catch
"Aim is to
find the post
in the water. PLACE the blade in the water from the position of
maximum length.
To apply the 'push' to the blade immediately." |
This is the point of the stroke where the blade enters the water. The
rower is at full compression up the slide, and tries to reach as far as
possible to obtain a long stroke. The rower must not over-compress
meaning his/her shins must be perpendicular to the boat to gain maximum
leverage at the drive. When the rower is at the catch, the boat is at
its most unsteady point. At this time, steadiness, and balance is key,
while entering the water and changing direction quickly is of utmost
importance.
The faster the blade enters the water the more positive will be
the grip, the longer will be the stroke and the faster the boat will
travel. The important points are: Hands guide the blade into the water; Legs apply the power;
Trunk and arms link legs to blade.
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Catch
- Tips |
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At the instant that frontstops is reached, the blade should be
placed in the water using the outside arm. If this is not achieved
instantaneously,, one or two things can happen - (1) the leg drive
is applied without the blade being locked into the water (rowing in
the catch), in which case all of the leg drive is forcing the boat
backwards; or (2) there is a pause at frontstops which causes
instability, timing problems and a loss of the run on the boat.
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Avoid trying to 'slam' the catch - it wastes energy, causes
instability in the boat and leads to the development of a two-stage
stroke (catch, followed by finish with nothing in between) rather
than a smooth application of power.
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Applying the leg drive as soon as the blade has been placed into
the water in order to lock the spoon into place. The push should be
applied only from the toes, keeping the back and shoulders locked,
and the arms straight. Avoid using the shoulders or arms as anything
other than a way of connecting your legs to the handle.
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The
Drive
"the middle of the stroke,
the most efficient part"
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The drive is the part of the rowing stroke where the
rower applies power to the oar. This is done in one fluid motion,
beginning with a leg drive - which generates most of the stroke’s
power. The objectives of the Drive are:
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To apply the full power of the leg drive smoothly whilst 'hanging off'
the blade.
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To accelerate the boat to its maximum speed.
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To coordinate the application of the back, shoulders and arms.
eur usd
After the catch, the blade is in the water and the rower drives with
his/her legs against the foot stretchers to pull the blade(s) through
the water and move the boat. For the first half of the drive, the rower
remains upright. The rower's back must remain straight up to preserve
leverage. In other words if the rower shoots the slide, that is, leans
forward while he straightens his legs, all leverage and power on the
drive is lost. With the beginning of the second half (after the knees
come down) the rower leans back and pulls the oar(s) in with his/her
arms. The most crucial part of the drive is keeping the oar blade(s)
just below the surface of the water and making the oar(s) accelerate
through the water, i.e. finish faster than it began.
All the muscles are working through their middle range and the
blade is at its most efficient point in the stroke. Make full use of
this advantage by beginning the draw with the arms before midway. The
arms must start to draw well before the legs reach the backstops.
When your legs are fully extended, lean back, then pull your arms to
your chest.
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Drive
- Tips |
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There should be very little of the
rower's weight on the seat
during the drive. The knees should come down smoothly, but as
quickly as possible. The arms should still be straight with back
locked and the rower 'hanging off' the handle of the blade.
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The
rower should not have used any power from his shoulders or
arms until the legs have been straightened. The back will naturally
' towards the end of the leg drive.
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The
rower should then initiate the first part of the upper body
effort by pushing his shoulders back.
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The
Finish
"send the boat away"
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At the finish, the rower is leaning back and pushing down on the oar
handle(s) to make it come out of the water. Remove the blade from the
water by pushing the oar in a downward and away motion. As the oar’s
blade comes out of the water turn it so it is flat - this is called
"feathering." When an oar blade is feathered,
it is parallel to the surface of the water. The objectives of the finish are:
- To maintain the speed of the boat with a quick
movement of the arms.
- To draw the blade up so as to allow a clean 'send'.
- To extract the blade cleanly and together.
Retain pressure on the blade through to the finish by pressing
toes on the footboard, by using the leverage of the trunk, and by
keeping the arms working with the body. Although legs reach backstops
before the arms and trunk have finished working, the toes should
continue pressing hard to give support with the legs until the blade is
extracted. The trunk should be moving towards the bow until the moment
before the hands reach the body. If the arm draw starts too late, this
timing will be delayed.
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Finish
- Tips |
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Assuming that the drive has been properly executed, it will be
almost impossible to increase the speed of the boat with the arms as
they cannot match the power generated by the legs and lower back.
The best that can be hoped for is to maintain the speed of the boat
and to set up the 'run' between strokes by sending the boat cleanly
away.
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The smoothness of the rest of the stroke can also be lost if the
rower 'yanks' the blade through the water. A properly executed
finish involves a 'draw and squeeze' rather than a 'pull'. However,
this should not be taken to mean that there should be any lack of
effort - the arms still need to produce considerable power, but in a
controlled way. The consequence of a lazy finish can be that the
effort at the catch and drive is lost and no run is achieved.
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The elbows need to be drawn quickly and smoothly past the body,
with the effort being concentrated on the outside arm and shoulder.
The inside arm should steady the blade and produce power towards the
very end of the stroke, but will inevitably not exert the same
effort as the outside arm.
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Both arms should be used to guide the blade up into the chest at
the finish. Without drawing up, the finish cannot be 'sent' as there
is no capacity to tap the blade down and away.
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As the handle reaches the chest, the outside arm should be used to
tap the blade down. The blade must remain square until it is fully
extracted from the water - only then should the inside arm be used
to feather it.
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