Three innovations to improve your learn to row classes and prevent drop-outs. Time to get your club organised for LTR 2025. What's new that you could do this year?

Timestamps

00:45 Innovations in adult learn to row

Clubs do these to grow their membership. New joiners are an investment in time and effort - it takes time before that pays off.

Around one third of all masters rowers started to row as adults. There are two pathways into masters rowing - people who started in their youth and then come back later in life, and those who start as adult beginners.

02:00 How to run a good adult learn to row class. Buy the book Masters Rowing by Nolte & Fritsch - the chapter on how to structure and teach LTR is really good.

Masters Rowing – Training for fitness, technique and competition – Volker Nolte & Wolfgang Fritsch

https://amzn.to/3sYSXJB

03:00 First Lesson Experience

The experience of your first lesson is very important to the success of the program.

Can paperwork be done ahead of time?

Rebecca starts with an interior tour of the boathouse, the oars, the boat types, the changing rooms. Handling the oars - how to hold the oar handle. How to put the oars on the dock, positioning so nobody trips. How to do the sculling crossover. Parts of the boat - how to open an oarlock, the button position, how to adjust the foot stretcher. Carrying the boat, getting in and out of the boat safely.

06:00 They start rowing.

We don't give instruction about how to row in the first lesson. They do some confidence drills and then start rowing - working it out for themselves.

This may sound like they've being pushed quickly into doing something they haven't been told how to do.

This method serves a purpose - they work stuff out for themselves - take personal control. There is a lot of rest and waiting while others row in the first lesson. Short periods of rowing then stopping and talking or watching - a learning from Tony Buzan (the Mind Mapping man).

08:00 Involve the club

You need volunteers to help, give support and be alongside the beginners. Ask those who did the prior learn to row class to be the helpers - they know enough. It helps the new beginners to see how quickly they'll learn. Invite them to coffee after the lesson.

09:40 Pricing a learn to row class

Don't be afraid to charge for what you deliver. Do check prices of courses in nearby clubs. You do not have to be the cheapest class. You can offer payment plans.

11:00 Innovations in adult learn to row

Bingo game - Michael Merwin gives a card to all participants - they have to do a lot of different things during the course. As they complete each cell, they check it off and a line of 4 wins a prize.

Flexibility - teach in different types of boat

Pontoon floats - enable a lot of different configurations of experienced and novice athletes.

Each lesson, move people one seat down the boat. When you get to bow, rotate into the cox seat next lesson.

Crew Bingo card https://fastermastersrowing.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/bingo.png

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