How to Set Catch Angles: Start at the Finish

Excerpts of a conversation with Tom Siddall, Harvard Heavyweight Assistant Coach, USRowing Para High-Performance Coach & Boston Training Center Coordinator

Setting catch angles depends on the boat and the athlete. For example, I have used different angles for this year’s PR3 National Team four compared to Harvard eights, which were also different from eights at Tufts and the U19 National Team/ODP system. At a minimum, I target a 54° catch angle. Often, people don’t realize how far the oar has to go to achieve that angle relative to the pin—it may require moving the rigger. As a quick shout out, I owe a lot of my knowledge here to Eric Gehrke and many others!

For me, it also depends on the time of year. The approach changes based on the group and other factors, but early in the season I often start at the back end of the stroke. Initially, I don’t worry about the catch side of things. As we go through the season, I set catch angles and change the rigging to achieve desired catch and finish angles (30° or more) based on factors like the boat speed, watts, and drive time.

Early in the season, it can be a tremendous load on rowers’ bodies to start rowing at, say, a 56° catch angle. This is especially true if they’re not taking the catch correctly or taking it too hard, too fast, or too early. I’ve found that by getting the back end right, crews develop a nice motion off the back that we can build on. Everyone lets go of the water at the same time, in the same way. The boat runs a little bit. Once I see this, I set catch angles and make individual adjustments.

This approach seems to be a confidence-builder for crews and helps us get it right at the right time of the season.

Coaches are often looking for a change at some point during the year. They’re looking for an effect. Looking to take a step in the right direction. Sometimes I’ve used catch angles to produce that effect—and to get athletes to think about it.

When I feel like something is a little off, I will check catch angles. Crews may be working hard and hitting the right rates, but their splits are just a second or two off where they should be. I then check catch angles to see if we can find a little something more by getting everyone lined up a little bit tighter. Usually, there’s not a glaring issue, like everyone getting stuck at the finish or skying the blade, that makes me check angles. It’s just a way to get everyone a bit more aligned.

When I set the angles, athletes will notice the pickup and heavier load around the front end. This is often when I’m transitioning from a back-end focused stroke to a front-end focused stroke. When we do start working on the front, we’re all at the same angle.

Make Your Own Training Guide: Handle Height Bells!

Recently, this device was featured in row2k’s Rowing Hack: Handle Height Bells. Here’s a bit more info on this home-made, hand-height guide and instructions on how to make your own.

First, the guide can help rowers in two ways:

• Keep level hand heights on the recovery

• Practice raising hands into the catch

Level hand height

Position the rower at the catch. Shins vertical, good body angle, arms extended, and hands at the desired height.  Place the guide so the hanging bells are in front of the rower’s knuckles. The bells can be raised or lowered using the round cord lock.

While rowing, athletes focus on maintaining a level hand height on the recovery—from their sternum directly to the hanging bells. They’re rewarded with a satisfying jingle at the end each stroke!

The tactile feedback is an improvement over visual aids. Rowers’ focus often drifts while using tape on the chain guard or other methods.

Raising hands into the catch

Once rowers master level hand heights, the next step is to practice “placing the blade in the water” while on the erg. From the catch position above, position the bells above the rower’s hand by moving the guide towards the rower and raising the bells using the round cord lock.  

At the end of the recovery (with level hand heights), the rower simply raises their hands to ring the bell before they push on the footboards. This can help with catch timing, while on the erg.

If rowers do not have level hand heights, they may “wind-up” to ring the bell by lowering their hands into the catch and raising them on the beginning of the drive. If this is the case, reposition the guide to practice the above level hand-height exercise.  

Materials:

The hand-height guide can be made using simple materials from your local hardware store and hobby shop.

• 1 x Cord lock

• 1 x 20” nylon cord

• 5 x Bells

• 1 x 32” PVC tubing (1/2” dia.)

• 4 x 9” PVC tubing (1/2” dia.)

• 2 x PVC 90° elbow fitting (1/2” dia.)

• 1 x PVC tee (1/2” dia.)

• 3 x PVC end caps (1/2” dia.)

Cut the PVC pipe to size. You will need four 9” length tubes and one 32” length tube. One of the 9” tubes, drill a hole 1” from the end. Insert this tube into an elbow fitting and attach an end cap on the end with the hole.

Attach the 32” tubing to the elbow fitting. At the other end, attach another elbow fitting. Insert one of the 9” tubes. At the end of this tube, attach the tee. In the other two openings, insert 9” tubes with end caps on each end.

Cut the nylon cord to 20" and solder the ends to prevent fraying. Fasten the bells to a ring, wire or zip tie. Feed the cord through this ring, then the hole in the 9” tube. Finally, insert the cord through the cord lock. Tie a knot and, voila! You’re done!

A Clever Way to Handle the Suspension Strap Set-Up!

by John Thornell, Grok Rowing Founder, Stonington Crew Girls Head Coach, Stonington Community Rowing, Inc. Director of Rowing

If you have used the erg suspension strap, you’ll appreciate this clever idea.

The strap’s bracket is designed to fit in the Concept 2 erg handle’s u-bolt. But it can be a little snug with the chain connector swivel sharing the same space.

If you have a spare erg handle lying around the boathouse, it can make things a lot easier! Even the older wooden handles work well.

Just leave the handle that’s connected to the chain in the erg’s handle hook or resting against the chain guard (pictured above). Connect the second handle to the suspension strap. Voila!

This is especially helpful when using a scale during isometric exercises to measure force. A second handle that isn’t connected to the erg chain will make it easier to connect to the scale. Since the chain is not connected to the handle, it also makes it easier for a coach, training partner, or coxswain to get a reading off the scale.

Unlearning the Habit of Pulling on the Handle

by Robert Kendrick, cyclist and rower

Many of us grow up swinging bats or racquets or clubs. We go to the gym and lift barbells and dumbbells. We open cabinets and doors. Give us a handle, we want to pull. 

Unlearning this habit is the first, best step on the erg for a novice rower. Unfortunately, many who go to the gym or buy an erg for home are on their own with technique. This can create some frustrations with fitness, or worse, lead to muscle injuries.

I found that out after buying a Concept 2 rowing machine in early 2020. I've been a bicycle road racer since 1980, and I'd used the erg at a local gym occasionally during the winter. When gyms closed down and bike races were canceled due to COVID, I bought an erg for home.

And I pulled on that handle.

My cycling fitness allowed me to rack up meters and post some good times on the Concept 2 leaderboards. I had the erg bug. But, I also began to have problems with strains of my scapular stability muscles in my right shoulder—that I separated in a bike race crash years ago. And I began to get some rib stress. Both had the same roots—leading with my shoulders and hitting the beginning of the drive hard. That sent a lot of stress to all the muscles that connect to the scapula, turning what should be stabilizers into heavy-duty pullers. They got overworked and passed stress on to the ribs.

I found Neil Bergenroth and worked with him to correct my errors—leading with the shoulders and breaking the arms too early. I was still thinking, “pull the handle.”

He recommended the Grok Rowing suspension strap, and it's made a huge difference. Isometric hangs taught me how to relax the shoulders and let the abs brace the torso on the drive. In turn, in my never-touched-an-oar-in-my-life experience, the strap teaches that it's not about legs-back-arms, but about shifting weight over the seat. 

With the slides, this really began to make kinesthetic sense. I felt my weight coming off the seat at the catch and through the drive as I kept the weight on the handle. I rotated the weight over the seat at the hip swing and shifted it back as I finished. That feeling is there on the static erg, but it's more pronounced on the slides, and it’s the hangs with the suspension strap that teach that it's not about "pulling the handle," but shifting the weight.

I still have to keep most of my training volume on the bike and not do too much on the erg because of the underlying shoulder issue, but the technical improvements, and strengthening of the scapular stability muscles from doing isometric hangs with the suspension strap have allowed me to get in five or so hours a week on the erg without overloading the shoulder. 

A proper catch and drive with relaxed shoulders and straight arms is what you want in a boat, but it's also the least stressful way for your musculo-skeletal chain to spin the flywheel. The Grok Rowing suspension strap is a great first accessory (well, a necessity for a novice erger) for a gym or a private owner.