Saturday 21 September 2013

Three ideas for session plans


by Sara Bird


A rowing session is much like a sandwich. You always know the bread and butter - the warm up and cool down, but for less confident coxes it's the filling that is less sure.

This post has suggestions for 3 'fillings' and a bit of guidance for the crusts, and more suggestions from seasoned coxes are welcomed.

The Warm-Up

The purpose of the warm-up is twofold - to warm up the body, but also warm up the mind. Especially after work or first thing in the morning, rowers' minds may be anywhere else but in the boat, so a good warm up will both warm-up and stretch muscles that may have sat at a desk all day, and get the crew rowing in time, with a good technique, and mentally ready to bite into whatever the filling may be. But more on warm-ups in another post...

The 'filling' depends on a few things:
  • whether the crew are uniformly experienced and strong
  • at what point in the training calendar the session falls
  • the weather.
Here are 3 ideas.

1) The Technique Session

If you have a mixed up crew, a crew that know they have a specific issue, it's an unusually sunny day (especially in winter), or a crew that you know have a specific issue, consider a technique session. This involves:
- explain a relevant drill(s): why you're doing it, how it's done, and that it's okay if it goes a bit wrong
- do the drill(s): early in the session while attention spans are at their best
- give EVERY individual in the boat feedback about whether they are achieving the aim, always with one specific suggestion of how to do it better.
- use off/on pressure rowing in the second half of session: in 'off' periods get the technique back, in 'on' periods see if the crew can keep it under pressure. Just 10 strokes at a time is enough, building up to longer periods as technique is held for longer under high pressure. Continue to give individuals explicit feedback and advice if they lose technique under pressure.

We'll put more about specific drills into the blog over time, but in the meantime try one that you have had to do yourself.

2) The Pyramid Session

With a mixed up crew, in colder/rainy weather when you don't want people to get too cold doing techniquey things, or to help build a crew's endurance early in the season, try pyramids, which alternate between mid-rate/mid-pressure (off) and high-rate/high-pressure (on). 

These can be '5 strokes on, 5 off, 10 on, 10 off, 15 on, 15 off' etc and back down, or even '1 stroke on, 1 off, 2 on, 2 off' all the way up to 25 and back down to keep everyone's mind on the ball, or '30 seconds on, 30 off, 1 min on, 1 min off' etc. Or maybe between bridges, buoys, or other landmarks.

In 'off' periods, encourage the crew to focus on technique, sit tall, get posture back, breathe deep, or correct major issues such as blade depth - but don't let the pressure completely fade. In 'on' periods encourage the crew to go all out, counting strokes and giving time checks with positive feedback - and don't let the pressure fade in the final few strokes. In Bristol this is usually to Temple Meads and back.

3) The Endurance Session

This is thanks to Matt Randall, who showed us that it is perfectly feasible to get right up to the top of the Feeder canal and back if you just keep rowing at a good strong rate. Great for cold or rainy days with a strong crew that are rowing well together, to build endurance and fitness. At around 80% pressure: talk to the stroke throughout the session to get to the right rate and power for that crew.

The trick to long rows is for the cox to provide enough direction for rowers to think about so that they don't get distracted or lose focus: call for 20 strokes at a time, and I tend to focus on power for 20, then on technique for 20, with specific calls for each. So examples of power calls are, '20 focusing on levering the boat past the oar', '20 off the stretcher', 'through the glutes', 'off the balls of the feet', 'drive on the CATCH', 'let's see those puddles for 20', 'use the quads', 'ratio' and 'lean BACK as a crew' (focus on speed rather than leaning further). Technique calls may include '20 sitting tall', '20 keeping the lean back and hands away', 'square at the finish', 'draw up', 'hands UP to the catch', 'slow the return' - note all of these allow you to keep or improve power, so should not slacken speed. Perhaps ask each rower in turn to suggest what they'd like the next technique call to be. Allow rowers to drop out in pairs for water but pose this session as a challenge to be achieved in the hour, with a quick turn at the top of the Feeder. 

Timed pieces back from Temple Meads can achieve the same for less fit/experienced crews - if you have a crew that are varied in strength and ability, a long endurance session can take its toll on the stronger people and risk injury, and may result in some pretty miffed rowers who may feel they are doing the lion's share of the work.

The Cool Down

Finally, allow time for a cool down, with no surprise drills or spurts of speed, and maybe use this time to get feedback from the crew. Then go home feeling rather chuffed that there are six people who may not have got a row without you and who do appreciate you, even if they moaned at the time...    

If any other coxes have sessions that would work well for newer coxes, please add them in the comments below, they'd be much appreciated, Sara



Saturday 14 September 2013

Bits of the gig boat...

by Sara Bird


If you're a new rower, much of what you hear from your cox will sound like gibberish...so this post is all about boat bits. When whoever's directing lifting the gig shouts 'hold onto the stringer not the gunwales', or the cox calls 'keep the centre of the leather between the pins' it helps to know what bits of the boat or oar they are referring to...

So, here are a couple of pics - and I know I've spent gunwale wrong...

by Bird

Tuesday 3 September 2013

The basics: the fixed seat stroke


by Sara Bird


One of the beauties of rowing of any kind is that the stroke is so complex that there will always be something to work on: if your brain isn't working as hard as your body then you're probably doing something wrong. The stroke could theoretically be divided into about 30 discrete movements, but we've broken it into 4 phases here…and will expand on these in later blog entries. 

 

The Drive

Starting with the oar already placed in the water at the catch (see below), the drive is the act of straightening the legs, pushing your bum up and back over the seat, the controlled 'throwing' of the shoulders back into the bow, and, very last of all, the bending of the arms to bring the oar handle into your chest. The drive should feel aggressive, urgent, yet controlled and mean. The drive can be broken into:
- the acceleration immediately after the catch, where you take the boat from its slowest speed after recovery to its fastest speed in the middle of the drive. Your aim is not to lose an iota of power through any bent arms, loose joints or sideways movement, protecting your back. You should feel your feet pushing down firmly onto the stretcher and be using the biggest muscles in your legs and glutes. Ideally you'll be able to lift yourself slightly off your seat as you are hanging all your power off the oar, building up to...
- the middle of the drive, where you open up your body, throw your shoulders back, use your core, glutes and quads, and generate maximum momentum with the oar perpendicular to the boat. It helps to think of this stage as levering the boat past the oar, using your feet to push the boat past the oar, which itself is almost stationary in the water. Sitting tall, and the muscles down the front of the body start to play more of a role, especially if you can get the ball of your foot on the stretcher.
- the final bit of momentum just before extracting your oar is created by bending your arms, and also using the back muscles between your shoulder blades to generate that last bit of 'send'. Lifting the chest up, military style, and avoiding any sideways lean helps this. Keeping the inside elbow up helps your oar to stay square and provide power, now that the outside hand is coming across your body and cannot add much more. Using your calves to maintain connection with the stretcher can add a last bit of power and control. Creating a cavity in the water behind the blade helps extraction, however you want to avoid big 'clunks' at the finish that upset the boat for recovery. The body should not lean too far back (37 degrees is bandied about) and the oar should remain as square as possible so that it is still pushing the boat past the oar, rather than acting as a sea anchor.



Extraction

Otherwise known as the finish or tap down (as you 'tap' the handle down and away to get the oar out), the oar should come out square, with the focus on a nifty 'down and away' movement with the hands to extract quickly and cleanly and calmly, and with minimal 'clunk' on the pins. The back should be long and tall to ensure you've drawn high and not missed the last bit of the stroke by slumping.


The Recovery

Like the drive, there are lots of stages and elements to the recovery, which should feel smooth, calm, balletic and be a chance to breathe…a very different feel to the drive.
- hands away - keeping your shoulders back in the bow for a few beats helps keep the weight and momentum of the drive towards the bow, but to help minimise the clunkiness of the finish and any rush on the recovery, keep the hands moving slowly and smoothly around the finish. Like icing a cake.

This also helps long legged rowers avoid hitting their knees over waves. Use this movement to feather the oar, using the inside hand, to around a 45 degree angle on waves, or more if on flat water and heading into wind.
- rock forward - looking down the boat you'll see the whole crew's bodies gently swing up and over the hips forward together, sitting tall, hands already away and arms straightening, taking the chance to

open the chest and breathe deep. All movements in the recovery are slow and smooth to minimise any 'check' on the boat, destroying the momentum you created on the drive.

- as the hands go over the knees, three things happen with the hands. The outside hand moves up to bring the oar down ready for the catch millimetres above the water. The outside hand also starts to speed up towards the catch to generate urgency. The inside hand rolls up to hood/square the oar in time for the catch. 

Meanwhile the knees also come up to the catch and the bum bones drop forward off the front of the seat and into the well of the boat. This is the angry gorilla/mildly miffed chimp position: chest up, shoulders back, bum out, knees bent, feet spread, arms straight, as strong and taut as possible in preparation for the catch and drive.

The Catch

You may think it odd that the catch is the last thing we cover here, but it's helpful to think of the catch as the last part of the recovery (rather than then first part of the drive). This is because
- the catch should be before ANY backward movement e.g. straightening of legs, lean back or bending of the arms, otherwise you've lost power before you even get your oar in the water
- the catch should be as you hit the front pin, for maximum length in the water, with the outside hand bringing the handle up to the catch and the blade down to the water
- the catch is simply the act of placing the oar in the water, decisively, without wasting time 'hovering', but without actually moving the oar…yet.
A good catch is quick, has a small 'backsplash' on the back of the oar to show you're not already pushing off the stretcher, and, above all, is in time with the rest of the crew. The better the catch the more sure you are that you've 'got' the water and can hand off the handle with full confidence during the drive.


Simple, no? 


P.S. Click on any pic for a close up and to run through them like a cartoon. It's like you're on the sea :-) 


Kicking off the coaching blog

Claire T getting air! Ladies Newquay 2013

by Sara Bird


Welcome to Bristol Gig Club's new coaching blog: this is where coaches can share their ideas, rowers can pick up valuable tips and anyone can debate any aspect of technique and training.

We'll start by outlining the basic stroke but over time we'll get into the details of the catch, the finish and everything in between (and I"m sure there'll be lots of debate on the way - exactly how far should that layback be? Short and snappy or long and strong?). We'll talk about cross training and how to improve strength and stamina outside the boat. We'll discuss coaching techniques and how to get the best from any kind of crew. But as we know, the beauty of gig rowing is that it's on the sea, and everything changes when the chop gets up, so we'll also talk about racing, coxing and how to make the most of any conditions. There's enough material here for decades to come...

We really hope that not only will Bristol Gig Club members contribute and debate technique and training ideas here, but that the wider gig community may get involved and teach us river rowers a thing or two...everyone is welcome. Sara Bird's written this first entry just to kick things off and because she's a keener, but any coach who wants to get involved is welcome to immortalise their ideas here too.