A Simple Way to Position Rowers At Catch and Finish Angles in Team Boats

by John Thornell, Grok Rowing Founder, Stonington Crew Girls Head Coach

An earlier blog post presented a simple method to position rowers at desired catch and finish angles: string!

This is particularly useful in singles where it’s challenging for scullers to see pre-set angle markings on the gunwales or stern deck—markings that they should align their oars with. (To learn more about setting these angles, please visit the Catch and Finish Angles, Why and How to Set Them blog post).

In team boats, there’s another simple way to position rowers.

Sitting at the finish, rowers can simply reference tape affixed on the gunwales. To achieve the desired finish angle, the oar shaft should be positioned directly over the tape marking.

At the catch, rowers’ stern partners can turn around and check oar alignment. Again, the oar shaft should be positioned over the tape marking the intended catch angle.

In team boats where stroke seats do not have coxswains that can help with the catch angle, a coach in a launch can help position rowers.

The goal is to center rowers between the desired catch and finish angle. Rowers should move their foot stretchers to bow or stern to position themselves properly.

Note: Angles are usually set from the center of the oarlock pin. This is true with the Angle Measurement Tool, too. So, taped markings on the gunwales should be positioned to the stern of the desired angle. This accounts for the offset created by the oarlock, oar sleeve, and oar shaft. This offset, from the center of the pin to the center of the oar shaft, is about 4cm in sculling and 5cm in sweep rowing. Positioning the tape to compensate for this offset will ensure rowers are at the correct angles.

Lineups change. Boats are shared by different crews. Fortunately, this is a quick and easy way for rowers to position themselves properly before practice.

How to Use Isometrics to Improve Rowing Performance

by Joe DeLeo, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Portuguese Rowing Federation, owner of LEO Training, and co-founder of Science of Rowing

If you’ve read our earlier posts about isometrics Can Isomeric Training Improve Rowing Technique? and Isometrics Help Rowers Apply Strength, Improve Performance, you might be wondering how to implement these exercises to get the rowing-specific strength and skill benefits that isometric training offers?

In this post, Joe DeLeo, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Portuguese Rowing Federation, owner of LEO Training, and co-founder of Science of Rowing, gives some guidelines that will help you incorporate these effective exercises into your training.

Isometrics have been used for decades both in the realms of performance and rehabilitation. They are an effective method to build absolute strength, improve strength at a specific joint angle and posture, and explosiveness. It is appealing to rowing programs because it requires minimal equipment and can be done in a variety of exercises.

Each athlete/team has specific needs and goals. I’ve used it with one individual to overcome their sticking point in the kettlebell military press (non-rower). I’ve used it with athletes who cannot yet do a full pull up variation. They can hold the bottom position and spend time under the bar getting comfortable and learning the hollow position for 10-20 seconds. They can also perform an isometric above the bar at the lockout position for 8-10 seconds. This allows the athlete to build strength and confidence in this specific skill while training more volume at an easier variation. 

After interviewing former physiology and strength consultant to Rowing Canada, Ed McNeely (Strength Standards in Rowing) and reading his research paper, I wanted to implement isometrics with the rowing athletes that I work with, including the Portuguese National Team. We are using isometrics to work on the catch and mid-drive phase both in terms of position, connection, and force transfer.

Coaches and rowers who want to integrate isometrics into their training should adhere to the following training considerations:

• Apply force gradually and build it over the duration of the hold to maximum tension

• Total duration of the hold should be no more than 5 seconds

• Keep the repetitions per set low, no more than five

• Rest 15 seconds between repetitions

• Rest 2 minutes between sets

• Limit the total duration of isometric training to 10 minutes (work +rest), for example:

  • 5 seconds on, 15 seconds rest x 3 = 60 seconds, for Set 1

  • Rest 2 minutes

  • 5 seconds on, 15 seconds rest x 3 = 60 seconds, for Set 2

  • Rest 2 minutes…

• This can be repeated 3x - 4x in total to fit within the 10-minute window 

• Begin with three total sets and progress to four sets over several weeks

• If possible, use a dynamometer or similar device so athletes can see the increase and build towards maximum force

• Finish off with relaxation exercises such as breathing and visualization

Due to the high demand on the nervous system, isometrics should only be used in the off-season and pre-competition phase. One to two sessions a week in conjunction with a well-balanced strength and conditioning program is recommended.

Reference: Verkhoshanky, Y., Siff, M. (2009) Supertraining. Sixth edition. Ultimate Athlete Concepts, USA.

Training Aids Help Rowers Understand Their Virtual Coach's Instruction

by John Thornell, Grok Rowing Founder, Stonington Crew Girls Head Coach

Online coaching has become increasingly popular during the pandemic. Today, rowers are receiving much more than a training program by email. They're also getting valuable technical coaching through video conferencing. 

This was the case for 59-year-old Donald Cramb, who decided to improve his fitness through indoor rowing in September of last year. 

"After a couple of months thrashing around on the machine, I got to the point where I was no longer enjoying it," says Cramb. He felt that his technique was lacking, even after he consulted several different online resources. "I felt like I was over-reaching at the catch and that my seat was sliding beneath me. I did not have a good connection at the catch, either."

So, Cramb decided to get help. Given that in-person coaching was out of the question, he looked for online options. (The Feedspot Top 60 Rowing Blogs is a good stepping-off point).

"When I found Coach Neil Bergenroth's site, he had a video featuring the Grok Rowing guides. They immediately struck me as what I needed to improve my technique," says Cramb. 

Setting up the Grok Rowing guides was very easy, according to Cramb. On a video call, Coach Bergenroth showed Cramb how to use them in conjunction with his training program. "This was most helpful. When working on the drills, I could focus on one thing and how best to use the guides," says Cramb.

In a time when coaches can't work directly with athletes, the guides help athletes understand their virtual coach's instruction. "We used the Body Compression Guide and the Erg Suspension Strap to work on length and to hang the bodyweight off the handle," says Bergenroth. “My initial video analysis provided technical direction helped Donald use the Grok tools which reinforced technical points.”

In just three weeks, Cramb improved his 2K time by 43 seconds and his 5K by a minute-and-a-half! But the biggest impact Coach Bergenroth had is that Cramb now enjoys rowing again. He used to dread a 5K. Now, he routinely rows 5K during his warm-up and cool-down. "My improved technique helps me relax, and I now find rowing at steady-state pretty calming and very enjoyable," says Cramb.

Cramb kindly recommends the Grok guides. "You are pretty much guaranteed a positive ROI," he says. 

He also highly recommends working one-on-one with an online coach. “It is extremely useful to be able to communicate directly with a coach to get specific feedback and advice. At the very least, rowing will become more enjoyable."

Isometrics Help Rowers Apply Strength, Improve Performance!

by John Thornell, Grok Rowing Founder, Stonington Crew Girls Head Coach

Since I published the Can Isomeric Training Improve Rowing Technique? post, I had the good fortune of connecting with Joe DeLeo, the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Portuguese Rowing Federation. Joe is also the owner of LEO Training, a resource for strength & conditioning and injury rehabilitation for the sport of rowing, and co-founder of Science of Rowing, a monthly publication that mobilizes academic journals to provide coaches and rowers with practical applications.

When I told Joe I was searching for information related to isometrics developing motor skills and improving rowing technique, he pointed me to a podcast that he produced with Ed McNeely titled Strength Standards in Rowing. A graduate of the University of Ottawa with a Masters Degree in Exercise Physiology, Ed has been in the strength and conditioning industry for 30 years. For 24 of those years, he served as a physiology and strength consultant to Rowing Canada. In the podcast, he touched on how isometrics were used during his time with Rowing Canada:

• Initially, isometric exercises at the catch position were used in training to help athletes develop a feeling of connection.  

• Because of the specific position used, isometric catch exercises turned out to be a better determinant of who the boat movers were, compared to traditional weight room tests, like squats. 

• Over time, changes in force production using isometric tests paralleled changes in force production in the boat! 

• Strength training can only help athletes in one of three ways: build muscle tissue, learn to activate muscles, or learn to use muscles.

These points are discussed in fascinating detail around the 27-minute mark of the Strength Standards in Rowing podcast and worth a 10-minute listen.

The big takeaway is that isometric training increases nervous system adaptations and an athlete’s ability to activate and use muscles specific to a position. Put another way, isometrics help athletes build strength in rowing specific positions that can contribute to rowing performance.

That’s the answer I was looking for. That’s the connection between isometrics, motor skill development, and rowing technique! 

It was also interesting to learn about the “isometric erg bench” that Rowing Canada used for isometric testing. The bench measured the force generated by rowers during the isometric exercise. It’s similar to A Simple Demonstration of Generating Power During the Stroke that I started doing with rowers. Although the approach I use is simple and crude, by comparison, it is an affordable way for programs to conduct similar isometric testing that’s mentioned in the podcast.

While this is an exciting find that could benefit all rowing programs, I still wondered why information on isometrics is not widespread. Why did it take so long to find the material in the LEO Training  podcast, for example?

Isometrics are very effective at improving strength, but Joe believes they may not be used more because they don’t look appealing and exciting. They’re boring! Physical therapists use them all the time in rehabilitation. In fact, it's one of the first things they do post-surgery: stabilize the joint (isometric) and improve lost range of motion. The last three years in a physical therapy clinic/sports performance space has been instrumental in how Joe now writes training programs, including the Portuguese Rowing Federation.

Reference: McNeely, E., DeLeo, J. (2020) Strength Standards in Rowing. LEO Training podcast.