RowingChat

What's masters rowing like in the South Island of New Zealand? We meet South Island Rowing chairman, Peter Midgeley.

Timestamps

00:30 South Island of New Zealand has an association who owns and runs the Twizel lake which includes a 2k rowing course. The NZ National Champs and NZ Secondary School champs (Maadi Cup) regatta are held there.

The Cup was first raced in Egypt after the Second World War in Maadi, Cairo, Egypt. It was brought home by returning soldiers and is now presented to the fasters secondary school boys eight each year.

02:45 The Clubs in South Island NZ

One club is only masters, most have a masters section. Many are small (20 rowers) half are recreational and half want to race.

There's a year calendar which Peter sets. There are 5 major regattas a year and the masters have set events within those regattas.

They use the handicap system which counts down additional seconds so everyone finishes at the same time - making a better spectacle for the crowds watching.

Every second year the NZ Masters Championships are in the South Island held in September. And the South Island Masters Champs is in June - starting 22 years ago. Now it's got about 25 cups and has 2-300 participants. It's in the coldest weekend of the year! The format starts with a long distance race the first day, 1k mixed racing with a BBQ in the evening. The 1k regatta is on the second day and has a dinner/dance afterwards.

Peter recalls racing in the snow at Twizel once for that regatta.

07:30 Peter explains that this year the organisers are 'testing the waters' about moving the weekend to Anzac Weekend in April - which is a bit warmer.

The idea of the regatta is to go to the rivers and lakes where there used to be regattas. The size of the regatta now is limiting this.

Peter recounts the story of the New Years Day regatta at Picton when the Interislander Ferry came in with a huge wake disrupting the event. Wise coxswains turned their boats sideways to ride the wave, but one boat got swamped.

Joseph Sullivan is from Picton Rowing Club who won gold in M2x at London 2012 Olympics.

10:00 Innovations in masters rowing.

Rules can only be changed every 4 years - it gets voted on at the AGM. So change is slow to happen.

Masters need to get the clubs on board because in NZ we are very school-oriented. The majority of rowers are under 18.

The masters are the backbone of clubs - they are in the sport for longer than parents. They're only there for 3-4 years while their child is rowing. Many clubs are run by masters who have the time, money and knowledge as well as the staying power. The average master stays 10 years in a club.

Coastal Rowing is going to give good growth for coastal clubs to bring on masters novices. Peter sees the opportunity to advance them faster as they learn to row without balance. This facilitates moving into fine narrow boats later. It's easy to teach the basics of slide control and blade handling.

14:15 What next?

How to get masters onto a more equal footing with young people in the club. Peter says most masters are seen as second rate. Get onto the committee and be positive - be the oil on the squeeky wheel - and get things done.

South Island Rowing has a website with all the clubs and associations including club contact details if you want to visit. There's a club in every town and city in the South Island which has a river.

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Mis-timing the catch causes the boat to slow down. You can go faster for no extra effort.

Timestamps

These three things are super-easy to correct and take no extra fitness and effort. So important for masters to enjoy our rowing and so "speed for free" is great for us.

01:45 Putting the oar in the water at the wrong moment.

Roll forward to full compression - there's a micro second when the seat is stationary. This is the moment when you want the oars already under the water.

Too early - means you miss the opportunity to use all your leg drive.

Too late - means you aren't at full slide; you waste leg drive because you're pushing air not water, and the bows are not at their highest.

03:50 The boat tilts longitudinally during the stroke

At the bows' high point you are generally at full slide and closest to the stern of the boat. This is when you want to place the oars into the water.

04:50 The cure starts at the finish

Get the set-up correct - refer to our earlier episode about Speed Murdering Mistake #2 The Finish.

- Be prepared early for the catch.

- Oars need to be square before you change direction on the slide,.

- Have as few body movements as possible while sliding.

- Instability compromises catch timing

- Loose legs on the recovery creates poise and control during the sliding and means you are doing less

- Sequence off the back (finish) arms - body - legs bend last.

08:30 Ensure you correctly understand the recovery

You should not roll fully forwards before squaring. This movement needs to be earlier in the recovery.

09:15 What to do differently

1 - Look at your knees. They are at their highest at full slide and full compression.

2 - Listen for a moment of silence when the seat wheels stop moving. That's when the seat changes direction - that gives you an auditory timing point to place your catch

3 - Be active with your placement. Make a definite, active movement to place the oars under the water. Try pushing your handles away from you as a drill to practice this using your thumbs at 90 degrees along the oar handles to emphasise the pushing movement.

Following last week's deep dive into blades on the surface .... this week we take a look at Rushing Off The Back. What, how, causes, cures.

Timestamps

01:00 these issues are straightforward to resolve. As a coach I can see the solution and until you realise the solution is there, you're ignorant.

01:30 Rushing off the back

The transition from the oar extraction through to when you roll up the slide is our focus area.

- When people rush it looks like a hustle, a race to get the oars out of the water and push the handle away.

- The stroke lacks ratio (the contrast between power and recovery phases).

- You lose time for a rest.

- The boat doesn't run on if you rush. This is speed for free. By cutting the finish short the boat won't run on.

- Problems preparing for the catch. Your preparation is left later in the recovery when the boat is more tippy.

- Compromises the ability to get weight on your feet.

05:00 Cures for rushing

- Finish the rowing stroke power phase in the correct finish position. Pressure on your feet; elbow position at the correct height and alignment to the oar shaft; thumbs on lower ribs; shoulders behind your hips leaning into bow.

- The correct finish position sets you up to move onto the recovery correctly without rushing.

- Separate the arm movement from the body movement after taking the oar out of the water. Get the arms straight first and then rock the body forwards. One follows from the other, not simultaneously.

- Soften your knees to bend them slightly and your body weight coming forwards starts the slide movement and enables weight to come onto your feet.

08:30 Things to look out for

- Look down and see if your elbows are partly bent as you rock the body forwards

- Do your thumbs touch your lower ribs?

- Are you finishing with handles horizontal or are they drawing down into your lap?

Get some video so the finish and your body are in the frame.

09:30 Boat speed through the stroke cycle

The fastest point of boat speed is after the finish. This may sound counter-intuitive - the second surge of speed comes after the oars are extracted and as you transfer your body weight. Rebecca calls this speed for free.

Do 10 strokes normal, 10 strokes separating arms from body to spot the difference.

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We start a mini series on things which kill boat speed. And how to fix them.

Part One: Dragging oars along the water surface

Resource Pontoon Floats are a cheap aide to building confident bladework

3 Value Bombs

1. Watch a crew - are blades parallel, is the space between athletes' heads moving at the same time?

2. Gain boat speed by learning how to move with the boat hull on the recovery.

3 Knowing what you will do if you have a lurch/wobble gives you confidence

Timestamps

00:30 We love boat speed, the feel of the boat moving well. Technical aspects which coaches see over and over and are fixable.

02:30 Dragging oars along the water surface.

Why do people do this? Is this using the water as a balancing aide.

Dragging the oars creates friction and slows the boat down.

03:50 Losing boat feel is a consequence of oar drag.

The boat pitches fore and aft in the water as we row. The trim is not constant.

Moving with the boat on the recovery, you can feel the boat surge as the bows lift out of the water.

Skilled rowers go a lot faster because they adapt and adjust body movements to align with how the boat is moving. When blades drag on the water it's harder to feel the surge.

06:30 The causes Confidence, Tension, Fear of the unknown.

Fear - if you worry that the boat becomes more tippy because your oars are high above the water, here's the cure. Pontoon floats give stability and help to build confidence.

Buy Pontoon Floats here

Your ability to recovery from a wobbly stroke is part of the cure for blades dragging.

Watch the Square Blades Challenge - 3 lessons to advance your skill

https://fastermastersrowing.com/square-blades-challenge-lesson-1/

08:30 if you're skilled enyggh to go in a single scull - when your oars are out of the water - once your arms are straight, your oars are perpendicular to the side of the boat - this is the point of maximum stability, sometimes called the safe position. What could happen during the recovery and where do your lurches happen?

If your oars are feathered, the maximum tip/lurch is until one oar touches the water surface. This is like a stabilising pontoon float. You won't flip or capsize.

If your blades are square when you get a lurch - just take that stroke immediately. Never mind how far up the slide you are. Then get the finish stable and focus on the next recovery.

11:00 Know what the worst that can happen is and know that you have a solution.

12:00 for wobbles at the finish, ensure you keep elbows high and finish in the correct hand position. Get weight in the hand too.

Use double bounce exercise, the stationary stability drill, pause drills to practice this.

13:00 Get the sequence correct off the finish.

Do your handles stay at the same height after feathering as they were in the drive phase?

If you flex your wrists to feather you may not be pushing the handle down. Get some video to find out what you do.

How to progressively gain confidence keeping the oars off the water surface on the recovery.

Summary of the cures for blades dragging on the water surface

1. Weight in the hand ensures the extraction lifts the spoons above the water surface

2. Finish sequence helps create stability

3. Get good blade height above the water so if the boat set is variable, you still don't touch the surface.

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Resource

Rowing Blisters And Skin Injuries ebook

https://fastermastersrowing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2022-Rowing-Blisters-And-Skin-Injuries-Prevention-Cure-And-Management.pdf

3 Value Bombs

1) wearing gloves is a good way to prevent rowing blisters.

2) cover band aids and plasters with electrical tape when rowing

3) applying band aids 40 minutes before you go rowing makes it stick better to your skin.

Timestamps

01:00 Prevent rowing blisters

Hand cream may be insufficient to keep your hands soft and supple enough to prevent blisters forming.

By wearing rowing gloves - padded palm and finger protection. The Crew Stop gloves are specialist - light and flexible gloves.

04:00 Treating rowing blisters

1 - your blister is filled with fluid.

Tape your hands. But band aids and plasters are not good when you row - they roll up and stick to the oar handle.

2 - raw skin exposed.

3 - skin around the edges is inflamed.

4 - raw skin is cracked.

Bind the edges of the crack together with tensioned band aids. A butterfly cut made with micropore plaster.

5 - Trim the hard old skin around the blister wound

6 - Healed blister but a raised callous on your hand. Don't allow blisters to form under the callous - they hurt because they're deep in your epidermis.

rec.sport.rowing discussions about blisters

https://groups.google.com/g/rec.sport.rowing/search?q=blister

Methylated spirits are NOT a good solution - avoid at all costs as it kills living skin tissue.

13:00 Good hand hygiene when rowing

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Adjusting your stroke to match your partner. What to do to adapt and adjust so you align with a taller or shorter partner in the rowing boat.

Timestamps

01:00 In the program this month - peak 1k racing in May - August. Drills to maintain power in the stroke. Video how to get to the start calm and ready to race - Christine Wilson's rate progression warm up. Coachability as an athlete skill and attribute. How to write your race plan.

04:00 Rowing with a taller or shorter partner

Key to this is to worry less about height but instead focus on the arc of the blade through the water.

When you fix up in the boat, adjust your footstretcher so your blades are parallel with your partner's at the catch and finish. Measure distance behind the face of the work / face of the gate. (58-62 cm is a normal range for sweep). To learn more about how to do this measurement watch our webinar Rigging for Masters

https://fastermastersrowing.com/rigging/

Adjust so your oar shafts are exactly parallel at the finish.

06:00 A taller stroke

The oars will converge during the power phase and the recovery phase if you each row to the full extent of your reach and height. The short person cannot make the same arc as the taller person, especially if their oars are the same length and the gate/oarlock span is the same.

When the blade arc is out of alignment, you need to make compromises to get in parallel.

Get power aligned by being in the water together at the catch. So to get catch angles aligned means you will need to make compromises in how you row.

07:00 Compromises in the stroke

For the shorter person - get good body rock forwards at the finish and maintain this through the recovery up to the catch where your shins are vertical.

For the taller person - work out how far forward you should roll. Use a drinking straw and tape it to the side of the boat, pointing upwards. So it brushes the shaft of your oar when you are at the correct catch angle to match the shorter person.

08:30 Rebecca's preference is to align with her partner at the catch rather than the finish. Blade alignments are made at the catch and the compromise is at the finish, she extracts her oars earlier.

By getting the angle arc right you are more likely to optimise the boat speed and power alignment.

Get more length by sitting up tall and letting your arms go wide, over the sides of the boat at the catch.

11:00 Branded merchandise - Waterproof socks for sale

https://www.revolutionrowing.com/collections/rowing-clothing-rowing-gifts/products/waterproof-rowing-socks-by-faster-masters-rowing

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

Coaching adults makes it hard to give feedback. Three things to consider.

Timestamps

00:45 Masters may not have a coach.

We help each other with in-boat coaching. There isn't an obvious person who is a leader.

Feedback is a delicate topic. Some people may not want to hear what you have to say and you may not have sufficient authority in the eyes of your crew mates.

01:30 Ask first

Do you want feedback? Is there a focus for this workout practice? By setting a framework of expectations before you start rowing, there's a structure which everyone can use during the workout and at the debrief afterwards.

Ask each athlete "how did it go?" and "What were you working on?"

So you can align your feedback to their needs.

03:00 Group feedback

The group dynamic risks whatever is said in the first person who talks tends to lead everyone else to follow their theme.

Say one positive thing about the workout. Avoid a spiral of self-criticism.

Give each person one thing to work on and one positive message about the workout.

Strike an appropriate balance that the athletes are ready to receive and understand.

04:45 Video reviews

The tone can be different for this as the whole group watches together.

Set the framework at the start - after watching the video you can say anything you like about yourself and your rowing. But observations about other people can only be positive remarks.

This helps show that care is needed when choosing words.

06:30 What to look for in a rowing video

First ascertain what the athlete can see from their own technique. Playing the short video on a loop means people can watch fast and several times before getting bored.

Up-skilling your "eye" watching rowing and sculling so you know what pattern of technique you are trying to achieve and how that compares to your rowing video.

Can you help the athlete to see what you can see? Do they realise they are squaring late?

Small refinements require skill at looking and seeing subtle movements.

08:30 Unsolicited feedback is never welcome.

Ask if they want feedback or coaching first. The other party has to agree to receive feedback first before you give it.

When someone says yes they want feedback you have prepared them mentally to receive what you are going to say. They will be more minded to do something about your advice afterwards.

11:00 When coaching masters only focus on one thing per workout,

It's hard to think of more than one thing at a time, So wrap up the discussion with the one thing you want then to work on next time.

Set up the best ways of enabling each other to hear the advice and act on feedback offered.

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

App alternatives for rowing electronics and how to mount in your boat.

Phone mounts and taking a phone in a boat so you feel confident using it.

Timestamps

What's in the programme this month?

- Two programmes - for 1k racing in May or June and another one for July / August peak.

- Land training and strength and conditioning programme.

- Lifestyle - ways to prepare yourself before going rowing.

- Performance - bladework technique versus erg technique and exercises to get your bladework skills back.

- Different warmups for different workouts.

- Bonus gallery of rowing tattoos.

2:30 Phones in boats

Rowing electronics were getting elderly at the club and so we reviewed what we needed.

Alternatives considered were - apps which can be used in boats; Lowering the cost to membership of tracking simple measures like time, split and stroke rate.

04:15 A mount for the phone

I used a Quad Lock mount phone case which includes the female mount. It came with three different lengths of velcro. I loop this around the wing rigger or the footstretcher in any boat.

The Quad Lock I bought was a version for an arm band velcro strap - which is very long.

07:15 Different mounting solutions

3D printed mount that goes over a wing rigger. Has an NK mount on one end. The silhouette of the profile of the curve for the mount is unique to each wing rigger design.

It isn't a very snug fit because you need flex to get it on and off the wing rigger.

The second one has a curve which allows a water bottle to sit on the far side of the rigger. This version has a Quad Lock mount instead of the NK mount.

Thirdly a footstretcher metal bracket which slots into the saw tooth adjustment for your foot stretcher adjustment. It tightens with a screw knob and I chose a Quad Lock mount.

11:00 Rowing Mindset Webinar with Jack Burns - teaching how to train your mind to balance the body training you do. Improve your ability to focus and avoid distractions.

It will be recorded and then available on demand after 23rd April 2024.

13:00 Buy these from

3D Row in Australia

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556918630054&locale=ps_AF

The Flying Boatman in UK

https://theflyingboatman.co.uk/shop/

14:00 Hacks to take phones in boats.

Take a look at having phones in boats as an alternative to rowing electronics you've used to date.

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

What is a rowing mindset? Do you need one? And can it be trained?

Timestamps

01:00 Rowing for life

Welcome Jack Burns from Edge Rowing who has an interesting backstory.

He enjoyed the process of learning to row rather than the external competitions and winning.

His struggles were around injury and mindset. He learned the systems and tactics for mindset improvement in a systemised way.

03:45 What is performance mindset?

Ability to handle external factors, to perform to the limit and ability to visualise what you want to achieve. Where is your attention going, how to handle distractions and nerves while dialling your focus to what really matters.

The Edge Rowing business is about getting the edge. Bringing high performance focus to anyone.

Jack wanted to say he had put everything he could into achieving his fullest potential.

08:00 Rebecca's 19 year old self also worked out how to focus.

09:45 Rowing gives transferrable skills for life.

Jack's early rowing progress was based on his drive and his will. He got injured with a good mindset and a good trajectory. When he returned he had a bad mindset and was lying to himself about this.

He trained inconsistently with poor focus.

Jack now helps rowers shortcut the process of learning rowing mindset.

15:00 Why Edge Rowing is different

The approach is to be athlete obsessed to deliver the best service possible. Row to the best version of yourself. Data analysis and tracking individually which is used to make changes to programs.

The coaching mindset is for Edge Rowing to be so good that it could take someone to the Olympics.

Attitude, motivation, understanding new concepts are all part of the athlete experience.

Masters' ability to recover means we cannot do 12 sessions a week - physiology and balance is key.

Each decade as you age through the sport of rowing is very different.

Jack thinks recovery is overlooked as an aspect of performance. He believes rowing is behind the curve in the application of science to training.

if the athlete doesn't succeed in the programme, it's the athlete's fault. But if the coach changes things and it doesn't work, the fault is laid at the coach's feet.

25:00 Riwing Mindset webinar April 23rd 2024

An early bird discount will be shared with members who receive the Faster Masters newsletter. Sign up here

https://fastermastersrowing.com/newsletter/

It will help you find the process you need to focus on within your mindset.

Get yourself a free self-assessment from Edge Rowing - you get a mark and it gives you a clue to whether you are rowing to the best version of yourself with a feedback report including what you need to improve.

https://scorecard.edgerowing.com/

Racing is 90% in the brain - a lot of successful outcomes can be trained. Set up your rowing in a way that will suit you.

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

I heard today that Jimmy Joy the legendary coach and founder of the Joy of Sculling conference died. Today's podcast is my reflections and memories of his work.