Insider Rowing

With my recent emphasis on biomechanics and power application, there are a couple of good documents that I refer back to in order to maintain my vision of good rowing. The first four of these are absolutely free and downloadable, and I would recommend them for any coaches or rowers who are interested in gaining clarity on technique.

Here they are:

1. The Physics and Physiology of Rowing Faster: The Stroke. Authored by Dr. Stephen Seiler, a masters rower, all-around endurance athlete, and sports enthusiast. In addition to his athletic pursuits, Dr. Seiler is a research-oriented exercise physiologist. He has several articles and posts on rowing that are worth reading. (Thanks to Keith Y for sending me this link.)

This article helped crystallized my vision of the stroke and how it relates to the application of power. Seiler concisely ties together the relationships of fitness, rigging, and technique. His theory on the “fat middle” drive was especially enlightening. I would recommend this article first when reviewing rowing docs. Here’s a quote:

The style in which you row has profound and very specific effects on your physiological makeup. I have one study which demonstrated this difference brilliantly by examining the bowmen and the strokes in a group of pair sweep rowers. Because of the positions of the oars relative to the boat, the rowers employed different force time curves in order to keep the boat moving straight. They had different muscular enzyme characteristics and lactate profiles as a result. Physiological adaptation is THAT specific. If you are a rower who has been rowing ineffectively for years, then two things are going to conspire against you if you try to change your technique. They can be overcome, but you need to understand them in order to overcome them.

Seiler references the “Spracklen Method” technique page.

2. The Mechanics and Biomechanics of Rowing, by Jones and Miller. Some pretty hardcore biomechanical discussion here, the physics and engineering geeks will eat this one up. I found section six, where the authors review the four biomechanical principles, to be especially salient. There is also some good discussion on the relationship of rigging to biomechanics.

3. Practical Rowing Technique and Core and Total Body Training, by Tom Bohrer. An 11 page doc where Tom really breaks down the rowing stroke and gives bullet points on each component. Page 2 features takeaways from a handful of elite coaches that Tom has learned from, and the last 3 pages have excellent suggestions for core training. Save this to your harddrive immediately.

4. Level 1 and Level 2 Coaching Manuals, from worldrowing.com. Author is Thor Nilsen. Some good basic information here, although I think it needs updating for serious competitive programs. More freebies though, so you can’t go wrong.

5. You have to actually buy this one, but I recommend the book Rowing Faster, edited by Volker Nolte, and in particular the chapters on technique by Mike Spracklen and Brian Richardson. Again, both coaches really break down the stroke and simply explain the importance of bladework, biomechanics, and rigging. I read this book two years ago and it had a pretty strong impact on my coaching.