Discover how to overcome your natural biology to resist movement pattern changes in rowing technique.

Timestamps

01:00 A coach was frustrated his athletes forget from one workout to the next. The cause is not necessary wilful, it's not your coaching skill - it's biology. We are hard wired to keep to the muscle memory we already have.

Rowing Muscle Memory and neural pathways

The solution is multiple repetitions of a drill during an outing is important. Your brain prioritises familiar patterns when under stress. Automaticity means we revert back under pressure.

- Insufficient repetitions is the solution.

The challenge here is inconsistent reinforcement - if you can self-coach this can help. Understand what the coach is teaching - ask questions. Provide drills to the athlete to isolate or exaggerate the movement you are teaching. Increase stroke rate or the power through the water to test your skill under pressure.

Cognitive overload leads to frustration

The solution here is to practice both thinking and doing. Row for 10 strokes without thinking about anything. During those strokes the athlete is maintaining the new movement pattern. Check after 10 strokes if you are doing it right - if not, adjust and do 10 stroke more not thinking.

05:00 The competence model of unconscious competence is your goal. Train yourself by managing your cognitive overload. The challenge is you can think you are regressing because it feels different and awkward. Learn to overcome this to achieve the end goal.

06:00 Athlete receptiveness

You must test your skill under pressure with increasing challenge so that when you're at your most pressurised in a race you are also tired and stressed yet you maintain the technique.

Fear of failure as the new technique is untested. Overcoming this is hard - athletes try hard to perform well.

Poor communication undermines an athlete's ability to take up what you're trying to teach. Explain what you're trying to do and why as well as how to do it.

Peer Pressure - the difference between style and technique. If a leader in the group disagrees they can refuse to change and if you're following someone who is rowing differently it's hard. This requires a different intervention. Ask me if you need this.

09:30 How to coach change and prevent reversion

Approach the change in micro steps. Take a small first step - do the drill in a stable boat with others sitting it level, isolate part of the stroke, row one person at a time.

External cues - can you use video, physical markers, feel, or hearing to assess when you are getting it right?

Train under duress - make it harder for yourself progressively by adding duress to test your skill.

Accountability - crew feedback by asking others if you are doing it right. Agree together to be accountable.

Gain buy-in as a coach so the athletes trust that your teaching will be beneficial. Explaining the why.

Normalise the struggle - we are on a journey seeking the perfect stroke. We are in this together.

How to streamline your workouts in order to maximise your time on the water. Learn how be a good student and arrive prepared for your workout.

Timestamps

00:45 What's it like arriving at your boathouse?

Imagine parking your car and walking through the front door, what's the signage like, is it clean and orderly?

Is the lineup clear? Is the coach boat ready? What about cox box and life jackets?

What do you need to do before you can get safely onto the water each practice?

Masters are often time-poor and busy people. Anything we can do to streamline the necessary tasks means more time on the water for your workout.

02:15 The night before

Get prepared early - get out all your clothing, gear. Know your departure time from home and list all the things you have to do before leaving. What's the weather report - does this affect traffic?

What's on the training program? Who is in your crew lineup and which boat/oars are you using?

Have your rowing electronics, gloves, cap, rain jacket ready and your post-workout clothing too.

03:45 When you arrive

Get to the boathouse in enough time to get everything ready. Be clear about the time of the practice is pushing off from the dock (not walking through the front door).

Know what needs to be done and find out what remains to get ready from others who are already there.

Put everything onto the dock. Ideally, nobody goes back into the building after you have put your boat on the water. Water bottle, oars, stroke coach, PFD, light, cox box etc. Put them on the back of the pontoon so they aren't trip hazards.

Sign out in the safety register - names, boat, circulation, time going out.

Be friendly - say hello to others.

In your crew agree the seating order and who will steer and who will do the calls. Know the workout and the warmup as well as the focus point for the outing (heart rate, effort, technique points).

Confirm hazards like buoys and other water users - where could clashes happen?

07:30 Diverging from the plan

Know about when should you change the outing plan? Weather conditions are often the deciding factor and running out of time. How do you cut it down - the repeats, the rest, turning round early? Decide together what to do in your crew.

Wind direction changes and waves can make it unsafe. Where can you go for safety in flatter water?

Can you see other crews and what decision are they making when a change is needed? Where will you cut across your planned route?

Experienced rowers will know what to do if the wind or tide changes, how to make changes to your safety plan.

Remember the water is safe until that you forget that it is dangerous.

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Get better at extracting the oar without being splashy and frantic. And why your elbow position is of critical importance.

Timestamps

00:45 Finishes for sweep

The goal is to get the oar out of the water in a smooth movement and as efficiently as possible.

Start with the correct set up at the finish. Your handle end should be in line with the side of your rib cage. Check the position with our outside hand pointing to the stern and across your side body. (see video).

Check your handle height when the oar is squared and buried under the water. Ideally your outside hand should be on your lower ribs.

Check your elbow position - the outside arm elbow should be pointing backwards towards the person behind you. You do not want your elbow flared out to the side over the gunwale of the boat. Because the most efficient way to pull on the handle is at 90 degrees to the handle. with your elbow flared sideways this is inefficient in terms of the ergonomics of how much forece you can put onto the handle.

03:45 Drills for finishes

Pause at the finish with the oar flat on the surface of the water. This helps you check the height of your handle and your outside hand should be brushing your shirt. The handle height is the same as when your oar is under the water a the end of the power phase. Check you are drawing your finish to the right position.

05:15 Check your hands are doing the right job

Outside hand drawing through with pressure and controlling the height of the handle; the inside hand is squaring and feathering. Outside hand pushes down to extract the oar from the water and then the inside hand turns the oar to feather it. Practice this slow motion or in fours/pairs.

06:30 Wide grip drill

Wide grip (inside hand down the loom) helps to teach you which hand controls the handle. By isolating your inside hand closer to the oarlock pivot, it makes it harder to control the handle height with that hand. Control each hand by altering the grip tightness on the handle - loosen the grip alternately to keep the focus (inside/outside).

08:00 Elbow position affects your hands

If your elbow is lower than your wrist it's hard to push down on the handle with the outside hand.

Progressively move your hands back to a normal grip starting from wide grip. There's a tendency for may athletes to have too much control with the inside hand. You're also unlikely to be only feathering with the one hand.

Keep pressure through to the end of the stroke, holding your oar under the water 1 cm longer.

Work your inside hand at the very end of the power phase - the outside hand loses effective power at the end of the power phase because it's at an increasing obtuse angle to the oar handle. Whereas the inside hand can stay at 90 degrees to the handle. Give a n extra pull with the inside hand at the end of the stroke.

Stationary stability drill free video joining bonus in our Coach Mastermind Group as a joining bonus. Get yours here

https://fastermastersrowing.com/member-register/coach-mastermind/

12:00 Bring focus to elbow timing

And to your hand grip tightness while rowing. Ensure your aren't dominating with the wrong hand.

How to coach the finish so that your finishes are not frantic, splashy or messy.

Timestamps

00:45 Finding room to tap down before squaring.

Start with the correct set-up at the finish with blades buried. Where are your handles? What's the gap between your hands? This is how you ensure you have room to tap down.

If your handles are too close together at the finish, you cannot get out of separation and there's no space to push the handles down without them hitting each other.

02:45 Check your elbows are level with your wrist (or higher) at the finish when the oars are buried under the water. It's hard to tap down if your wrist is cocked and your elbow is lower than your wrist.

03:15 Drills for finishes

Stationary stability drill stage two has a tap down and then feather. Learn how to do this whole crew without anyone holding the boat level for you.

Videos of all these drills are in the Coach Mastermind Group as a joining bonus. Get yours here

https://fastermastersrowing.com/member-register/coach-mastermind/

Pause drill at the finish - it helps to check you are finishing the stroke at the right position. Take the oar out of the water and then feather and return the oar to resting on the water surface. The reason is that your handles are at the same height as at the finish. Helps you to check how high your handles are actually rowing to in the full stroke. Goal in the consecutive strokes is to get your handle to the same place before you tap down to extract from the water.

J-Curve Drill - tap down before feather.

06:30 Check finishes while rowing

During continuous rowing, get your athletes to check handle heights at the finish while rowing - look down or feel where your thumb brushes your shirt.

Hold onto the finish for 1cm longer while rowing. Helps them to keep pressure on the spoons until the end of the stroke before the extraction.

How to train in the week before the regatta race.

Timestamps

00:40 A taper is a reduction in training volume so you're ready to race on the regatta day.

You should feel you are super-energetic, enthusiastic, you should feel ready for anything. You should find your adrenaline is up in anticipation for the event - this can also be due to nerves.

When we train it puts our bodies under stress. The taper removes those stresses.

01:50 How to tapers work?

In rowing we have one or two big events in the year - winter long distance and summer sprint racing. You can do more than one sprint peak in the year, remember after every peak you have to rest, reduce training volume as a reset before you go back into hard training again.

The taper reduces volume, frequency and intensity of your training.

Generally it starts one week before your event, if you're at a multi-day regatta, choose the day of your main event race as the peak day. Count back one week from that event.

Depending on your normal training frequency, the taper varies.

The workouts in the taper include shorter practices - less time on the water, workouts at higher intensities at or above race pace. Duration of the outing is less but intensity is high.

If you train 6 times a week the days of the week you train should be continued in the taper week.

05:00 Travel is the big problem

You have to load a boat trailer, fly or drive to the regatta venue and this can disrupt your normal training days. You often cannot train after the boat trailer is loaded.

In the Faster Masters Program we recommend you train 3 days a week - Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. If you follow this pattern you get a rest day in between each workout. So your taper doesn't need to change from this pattern because you are already getting a lot of rest.

Athletes who train 6 days a week do a different taper - the program has an asterisk on the 3 key days.

06:50 Practice your starts

Each workout during the taper, you must practice your start sequence. If you are doing many different crews this is good because you get to do starts in your single, pair, quad etc.

We also do race pace pieces which mimic different parts of the race. Some from the first half, some mid-race and some in the sprint for the line. Additionally it's great if you can do at least one of these practices on the race course you will be racing on. Familiarise yourself with the course, the warm up area, the start pontoons and rowing in between buoys. Practice backing into the start too.

08:30 Roll over the course workout

Do every push you have planned in the race plan at race pace and row at firm pressure, SR 24-26 in between the race pace pushes. This gives bursts of intensity, practice on the course, keeps your blood going and makes you familiar with the race course.

Your taper has to cover off your recovery - more rest than normal.

Also optimising your psychological and physiological performance like race visualisations.

Injury prevention is also part of the purpose of a taper because you're doing less and resting so you're less likely to get injured.

Mental and physical freshness brings good energy levels to the event - overcome anxiety and nerves.

Hormonal balance is also a benefit.

10:30 Tapers can also produce viruses

As athletes taper they can succumb to viruses or allergies as the training pressure comes off your body. Do take extra care over personal hygiene, hand washing and face masks on a plane. Be protective of your own body - you've worked hard for this race event. Don't undermine your performance by succumbing to something which is preventable.

Control the things which can be controlled.

The policy leadership masters sport needs if it is to grow. What can public policy measures do to improve and grow masters rowing?

Timestamps

01:00 Public policy for rowing

Sophie Harrington is researching recommendations to improve access to womens and girls sport using public policy measures. Her focus on the male/female side opened up masters sport as a new area where sport for life outcomes could work.

To grow masters sport requires finding the inhibitors which exist and prevent improvement. Some are structural - how we organise, think and run volunteer sport.

03:00 Growth inhibitors

Ways to improve access and people's enthusiasm and interest in masters sport. Constraints include memberships - many clubs are annual fees/dues. Can we offer pay-to-play memberships? Also what about time of day pricing as our rowing equipment lies idle for 22 hours a day. Training at quieter times of day between early mornings and school afternoon sport times. Sweat your assets to get more money in for use when not in demand.

05:15 Coach education

Teaching methods used for youth are not as appropriate for older adults. Consider psychology and physiology of athletes so coaches know how to work with a broader range of athletes.

Competition structure is a growth inhibitor. We need 3 layers - local / regional and national competitions including those which are participatory not races e.g. Park Run. What is the rowing equivalent? Scrimmages, touring row or visiting another club. Some people take years before trying racing. Competition for those new to competing needs to be organised so you can go to hyper-local events with low friction (no equipment trailer).

08:00 Athletic pathways for masters

Ways for those of limited experience to go to races against those whose experience is similar. Age doesn't work as a level playing field when years of experience is considered. Having plural athlete pathways which incorporate fitness rowers with challenges (not necessarily races) that move folks into competition gently.

Social inclusion - having a coffee after the workout is important to build friendships and encourages them to stick around as a group.

Facilitating sport for life is the outcome goal.

How to improve your rowing using self-diagnosis coaching and progressive drills.

Timestamps

00:45 A powerful coaching tool for both coaches and athletes.

Masters rowers like autonomy. Enabling the athlete to work things out for themselves facilitates mastery in a self-directed environment. The change is more likely to stick.

Canada research by Derrik Motz, University of Ottawa on athlete coach relationship

Coaching Masters Athletes – Advancing Research & Practice in Adult Sport

https://fastermastersrowing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MOTZ-Faster-Masters_Rowing_webinar.pdf

If you don't have regular coaching, this is a tool to try.

02:00 Start with a model of good rowing

This has to have common understanding across your group. The rowing stroke cycle diagram is a good place to start.

Where your rowing goes wrong - an example of a boat going "wonky" which was caused by the athletes stamping hard on the foot stretcher.

04:00 Progressive movements

Start by working out when you do not have the problem. In this case increase the pressure progressively from 60% pressure, 70% etc and work out when the issue started to happen. Discuss this with your crew about the cause of the problem.

Then decide what fixes the problem? Can you make the change in 1 stroke?

1 - identify the problem is happening

2 - what to do to fix it

3 - fix it in as few strokes as possible

4 - row in the new way so the problem doesn't occur

06:15 An example from sweep rowing - balancing the boat.

The boat is balanced generally when the oars are under the water and the imbalance occurs on the recovery when the oars are out of the water.

Our model of good rowing has the boat balanced throughout the stroke cycle.

Is the boat balanced as the oars come out of the water? Yes. Is it still balanced when we get our arms straight / body rock forwards / roll up the slide? Work out where the problem starts to happen and then decide what to do to effect a change.

The cause might be timing of the oar handle movement at the finish transition to the recovery.

What fixes this? Probably handle heights or sequencing of the finish body movement.

If handle height is the issue. Choose a drill like rowing with the oar flat on the water on the recovery. Then progressively change this to increase the depth of handle push down to take the oar out of the water. Then keep the handle at this height throughout the recovery until the next catch. The progression is to start with a 1 cm tap down; move to 2 cm and 3 cm. Can you keep the boat level at these stages?

The self - diagnosis method helps us to diagnose the issue, fix the problem and then row in the new way.

Use your autonomy to try to fix the issue and see if you can make it work in practice.

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Masters rowing is about rowing with adaptations.

Timestamps:

00:45

Grant Faulkner quote: The speed the clock moves forwards and the things it takes away.

Masters learn to enjoy age and the things we have to adjust for our rowing.

01:45 Recognising when you need to make the next adaptation

Nobody told me it was going to be like this!

Strength and Mobility are the main things you will notice first. Strength diminishes differently between men and women 50s versus 60s.

Your 60s is a 'hold steady' decade.

Read article.

Use the Facebook group to post questions and get answers from people who have the same issues.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/595853370615544/

04:00 Mobility and aging

Range of movement in joints is important - pelvic mobility in the hips to get into the rowing stroke positions. Flexibility is also key.

Programs Page "FREE STUFF" How to test your functional movement and strengthening exercises.

https://fastermastersrowing.com/member-register/functional-movement-assessment/

David Frost's webinar on Functional Strength and Movement is a deeper dive into exercises for body strengthening for daily life - essential for older women who find it hard to lift a boat.

https://fastermastersrowing.com/member-register/functional-strength-and-movement/

If athletes can't get into the right positions for rowing it's difficult to teach them.

05:15 Technique changes with age

Adjustments to take account of mobility issues.

Adapting Rowing Rigging For Masters Physiology article

https://fastermastersrowing.com/adapting-rowing-rigging-for-masters-physiology/

Try to maintain your technique and range of motion as you age.

Adjust rigging to accommodate physical limitations - some are easy, medium and hard - they take tools and more time to set up.

We can still always improve our technique as we age. Despite losing strength, masters rowers can always be more skilful at the catch, get the blade in without slip, get a full leg drive, recruit extra muscles to add to power delivery. Technique has no regard for age - you can improve at all ages.

What is the next horizon for you?

https://fastermastersrowing.com/rowing-and-aging-each-decade/

Most of us delay making changes - if you are losing strength, you should be shortening your oars (Volker Nolte Rigging Webinar has charts for oar designs, Men and Women). Most masters row on oars which are too long for their strength and capability.

https://fastermastersrowing.com/member-register/rigging/

This webinar includes

- Volker Nolte’s oar rigging chart – learn how to rig your oars correctly based on the oar make and spoon design

- Mike Purcer's Masters 1x rigging chart (span, oar length, inboard) different for men and women.

Want easy live streams like this? Instant broadcasts to Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn. Faster Masters uses StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5694205242376192

Slowing down makes you faster in the future. What is rowing circles good for?

Timestamps

00.30 Rowing in Circles

I know I could make a lot of progress if I could just practice my stroke over and over.

Yes, this is the purpose of rowing in circles. Get the intense, focused practice in a stable environment.

01:30 One person rows at a time in sweep; in sculling you row one side at a time.

Often done in small boats so that the effect is all about what you're doing - the boat movement isn't muffled by what others are doing. It gives direct feedback and a strong learning outcome.

02:15 What is rowing circles good for?

Level bladework - are your oars going into the water at the correct depth in the power phase and are they staying at the correct height above the water in the recovery phase.

If you row "over the barrel" this is good.

Catch placement - how to time lifting the handle so your blade goes into the water when your seat is just arriving at the change of direction at full compression? Get the oar under the water before the seat stops moving.

Recovery height of blade above the water - Sweep align which hand does the height and squaring/feathering. Single hand or wide grip rowing can be practiced in circles.

How to row square blades - see exactly what is needed to get the oar out of the water square.

05:00 Increase the challenge

Learn the basic skill at light pressure, then make it harder by moving to firm pressure rowing. Try not watching your blade while rowing to keep the same technique.

Remember when you are learning something new - there is a ladder of learning. Step up to make it more challenging but if this isn't working well, step down to re-establish the pattern of technique movement before trying to make it harder again.

06:15 Do it 3 times

It takes time to acquire a new skill - repetitions help you to learn. Rest and reflect while your partner tries the rowing in circles. Many people learn in an interesting way - your brain processes the movement between practices. It may be better at the next practice.

08:13 Coaching rowing circles

Watch this video to see Marlene Royle coaching a single sculler on Rowing Circles.

https://youtu.be/1Jaqv1eiN5Y?si=c6KaXwnAE1pFo4by&t=133

To see the video of this podcast (if you're listening audio only) head over to https://youtube.com/live/_RfJ7Ku3Qe8

Want easy live streams like this? Instant broadcasts to Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn. Faster Masters uses StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5694205242376192

Why thinking like a scientist will fix the voice in your head and harness it to coach yourself in a rowing boat.

00:30 Positive self-talk coaching

When you row you are thinking about what you do - it's the voice in your head. The devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other. Masters work best when thinking about one thing at a time.

Create the outcome you want with different ways of saying it - how will you do it, when will you do it.

02:30 4 competency stages

- unconscious incompetence

- conscious incompetence

- conscious competence

- unconscious competence

When you no longer need to use your brain to think about one technical point, you free up your mind to think about other things. Acquire the skill, learn it and put it into the background in your mind so you can do the skill without thinking about it. The voice in your head is working hard.

04:30 Objectivity is key

The voice in your head can be devilish. It talks subjectively to you which can make a negative spiral of thoughts which do not help you to row better. Train the voice in your head by thinking like a scientist. They are objective (no value judgements), it's an observation only. Assess if you did or did not do the movement e.g. squaring early. It's not "good" or "bad". Keep the voice in your head 'on task'.

06:15 Can you self coach in a rowing boat?

Watching your blade is a good way to start self-coaching. The blade is a good indicator of how you are rowing. Look at it at the catch, blade depth at the mid-stroke, look at the finish. Row in circles watching one oar at a time.

Play games with yourself - on the water have some fun. Take a small challenge - little goals give a focus for self-coaching. Try exaggerating part of the stroke so your body moves with precision and consistency as if you're demonstrating to a beginner. Notice how this impacts your stroke and how the boat moves. You can do it deliberately wrong too. That's great fun. It creates a contrast between the two - find a happy mid point.

10:00 Positive Self Talk

Enable your brain to be a positive thought that adds to your rowing. Try rowing for 10 strokes without thinking of anything. After those ten, allow your brain to focus on your technique point and do the scientist observation again. If yes, continue rowing without thinking; if no, make a small change to get back to the technique and then continue rowing without thinking.

Use this skill to train your brain through the 4 competency stages towards unconscious competence.

A useful article

https://www.craftsbury.com/blog/self-coaching-in-the-single

Train a rowing mindset

https://fastermastersrowing.com/member-register/rowing-mindset/

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