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Learning to row a pair
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marko....@gmail.com
Jan 17, 2015, 5:28:59 PM1/17/15
to
Currently the two of us row as stern pair (I'm at stroke) in a 4+. We weigh the same, 65kg, I'm 2" taller and am told I have a very long stroke for my height.
Me: spent most of my time sculling in a 1x or bow in a 2x. Only been rowing sweep for 4 months.
Partner: spent almost all of his time in 8s previous to the 4+
Perhaps a silly question but what is the best way to learn? I'm thinking starting with just doing taps, roll ups and then short stretches of continuous rowing setting off from 3/4 slide. Steering with a rudder would also be new to either of us.
Any advice appreciated. The 2- looks like a rewarding boat to row.
Me: spent most of my time sculling in a 1x or bow in a 2x. Only been rowing sweep for 4 months.
Partner: spent almost all of his time in 8s previous to the 4+
Perhaps a silly question but what is the best way to learn? I'm thinking starting with just doing taps, roll ups and then short stretches of continuous rowing setting off from 3/4 slide. Steering with a rudder would also be new to either of us.
Any advice appreciated. The 2- looks like a rewarding boat to row.
wmar...@gmail.com
Jan 18, 2015, 10:15:47 AM1/18/15
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https://waltermartindale.wordpress.com/2014/02/04/technique-tips/
Try this and in about 20 minutes (if I've written the stuff in a way that works for you) you should be able to start getting in a decent pair row...
HTH
Walter
wmar...@gmail.com
Jan 18, 2015, 10:17:08 AM1/18/15
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sully
Jan 18, 2015, 2:53:18 PM1/18/15
to
starting slow a good idea, long progressions of hands only, body swing, 1/2 slide etc.
I would suggest disconnecting rudder and steering w/ power for a while, one less factor. Once the pair gets comfortable, a steering toe is a good thing to learn.
no need to row 'differently' in a pair than in larger sweep boats, but the consequences of poor strokes are much more noticeable, relax through them.
While pair teaches us a lot, it will also tend to teach us things that aren't beneficial to our rowing, mainly defensiveness. It's very normal that after some time of rowing a pair, even if you've got the pair rowing fairly well, you'll find yourself leaning your bodyweight away from the rigger toward finish, sometimes it's visually unnoticeable to someone watching from stern.
To overcome this, I have a drill where you both row and try to lean dramatically into your rigger into the finish, attempting to bring the boat down to your side (of course likely messing up your finish. During this drill carry oars very high so when boat drops to one side (that side wins), and the oar is recovering on water, the boat is very noticeably leaning. No mistake.
make a fun contest of it, most strokes out of 20 where boat is down to port or down to starboard. The goal of the drill is to go overboard to undo the defensive lean, but the drill is a big winner if you find yourself trying to lean the boat to your side and the boat is balanced. This WILL happen if releases are together.
Similarly, one oar or other might be touching the water on the recovery, but if they both are, you are using blades as training wheels, particularly right after release to 'set' the boat before the recovery. release high, relax, let boat fall where it will.
Achieve all of your recovery height, whatever it will be right at release, this gives boat much better chance of balancing. If one person releases high at finish, and other releases flat, then drops hands to get oar off water and square it mid recovery, that will affect balance with the downward pressure on oarlock.
So some square rowing is good to try for this reason.
Also a worthwhile exercise to find an open area away from traffic and row circle patterns one at a time.
marko....@gmail.com
Jan 18, 2015, 4:04:16 PM1/18/15
to
On Sunday, 18 January 2015 19:53:18 UTC, sully wrote:
> While pair teaches us a lot, it will also tend to teach us things that aren't beneficial to our rowing, mainly defensiveness. It's very normal that after some time of rowing a pair, even if you've got the pair rowing fairly well, you'll find yourself leaning your bodyweight away from the rigger toward finish, sometimes it's visually unnoticeable to someone watching from stern.
Yes, I have seen novice pairs with both of the crew leaning away from their riggers more and more desperately trying to stop the boat going down on their side. Since our 4+ is bow loaded cox feedback is limited - yesterday I was stroke in the 8 and the cox mentioned how far over my right leg was; totally mismatched with the left. I'm sure this has come from defensiveness due to our 4 often being down on stroke side.
> While pair teaches us a lot, it will also tend to teach us things that aren't beneficial to our rowing, mainly defensiveness. It's very normal that after some time of rowing a pair, even if you've got the pair rowing fairly well, you'll find yourself leaning your bodyweight away from the rigger toward finish, sometimes it's visually unnoticeable to someone watching from stern.
My potential partner tends to dig and also releases very high so there will definitely be a learning period! At least in the pair fault finding is rather eaiser than larger crew boats.
Carl
Jan 18, 2015, 5:08:47 PM1/18/15
to
However, might I make so bold as to suggest that the pair is no harder
to row than the single is to scull? So much of the problem for rowers
in unfamiliar settings (which especially applied to novices) relates to
fear - fear of something going wrong. And what we all know is that fear
is terribly disabling. It tenses us up & makes us clumsy. Instead of
assuming it'll all go fine, as it should, we set out timidly & tense,
expecting the worse. And the result is not much fun.
Marko: you know how to row, so why's it going to be that difficult? Do
you really depend on the other 3 or 7 blokes in your boat to save you
from a dunking? I don't think so.
I've only rowed a pair a relatively few times. Each time it was a
scratch pair, neither of us having rowed together before. And each time
we agreed to approach it as if we were in a single scull. So we stepped
1 foot in & pushed off, sat down, tightened the gates & "sculled" off.
No pussy-footing (which is all about trying to find what's going to
upset the boat), but a robust approach. It was never a problem.
Besides, ours is an aquatic sport, we can all swim (I trust?) & the
worst that'll happen is indeed a swim. IMHO the chance of a swim is far
greater if your brain is burdened with stuff to worry over. That said,
just 1 word of caution - January in the UK is not the best month for an
unintended dip, so if you're still anxious about pairing I'd seriously
advise postponing until later in the year, or at least wear
close-fitting multilayer clothing which will insulate you from the real
chill of winter swimming by holding a stagnant water layer against your
skin.
Cheers -
Carl
--
Carl Douglas Racing Shells -
Fine Small-Boats/AeRoWing Low-drag Riggers/Advanced Accessories
Write: Harris Boatyard, Laleham Reach, Chertsey KT16 8RP, UK
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Email: ca...@carldouglasrowing.com Tel: +44(0)1932-570946 Fax: -563682
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James HS
Jan 19, 2015, 9:12:08 AM1/19/15
to
some great replies!
I think a pair is great for rowers as I think that you need to really communicate and feel what the other person is doing.
Fluidity of movement and for the bow having a stroke who is readable and followable, and for a stroke having a bow that they feel they can trust.
I also think that you have to remember that there are less places to hide if you think you are going to muscle a pair - they responds much more like a sculling boat with less of the 'on it' approach of a rower, and more of a pick it up smoothly and then apply the power of the sculler....
The other thing for the bow person to remember is that they have by far the most leverage - so they are responding more to the feel of the boat to adjust their power and control the steering.
I am relatively small and have rowed a pair with one of the most powerful in my squad (at the time) and I was able to completely hold his power with much less effort :)
The only other thing I would say is talk to each other in a bigger boat it is easy to blame others - in a pair you both need to start with a good accentuated stroke so it is easy to follow and relax into each other's technique.
I am mainly a sculler now but always jump at the chance to get into a pair as it is one of the best boats on the river!
Enjoy it!
I think a pair is great for rowers as I think that you need to really communicate and feel what the other person is doing.
Fluidity of movement and for the bow having a stroke who is readable and followable, and for a stroke having a bow that they feel they can trust.
I also think that you have to remember that there are less places to hide if you think you are going to muscle a pair - they responds much more like a sculling boat with less of the 'on it' approach of a rower, and more of a pick it up smoothly and then apply the power of the sculler....
The other thing for the bow person to remember is that they have by far the most leverage - so they are responding more to the feel of the boat to adjust their power and control the steering.
I am relatively small and have rowed a pair with one of the most powerful in my squad (at the time) and I was able to completely hold his power with much less effort :)
The only other thing I would say is talk to each other in a bigger boat it is easy to blame others - in a pair you both need to start with a good accentuated stroke so it is easy to follow and relax into each other's technique.
I am mainly a sculler now but always jump at the chance to get into a pair as it is one of the best boats on the river!
Enjoy it!
tjhco...@googlemail.com
Jan 19, 2015, 1:05:58 PM1/19/15
to
I'm coaching a pair at the moment and am finding it both challenging and rewarding! I'd recommend the following:
1. Check the rig on the boat and blades before you take it out for the first time. If the pitches, gate heights, or spreads don't match the two of you, then you might end up having a torrid time before realising that it's not your fault!
2. Initially, just go for a paddle. Get used to the steering (with the rudder to begin with), head up and down the river a bit, enjoy the novel experience! I'd also recommend spinning the boat a few times in each direction, alternate bowside backing it down a full stroke and then strokeside pulling-on a full stroke until the boat is around. Then spin the boat in the other direction. Spinning the boat like this teaches you a lot of the balance, touch and poise that are useful when it comes to rowing a pair. Practise taking the run, holding it up etc.
3. If you come off the water and you decide that you like it and want to try it again, then start rigging the boat to suit you. Stick some straws on the saxboards and start to set the catch/finish angles so you can both row your full length while remaining relaxed. (If you don't know how to do that then either search for an old RSR topic on the subject or PM me!)
4. Once you're feeling happy in the boat, take the rudder out. It'll help you learn to balance the power much faster and row the boat more cleanly. It's worth revisiting all of the really good, basic exercises to help you start to find your way: squared blade rowing, pause paddling, arms only --> arms and bodies etc.
5. Other stuff: sticking a bungee cord on to add resistance during the warm-up can really help you to develop the power on the drive; keep an eye on your stern, if it drops suddenly just before the catch it can be a sign that you're applying work to the stretcher before your blade is connected (i.e. missing water and checking the run); keep an eye on your stern, if it moves from side to side during the drive then the two of you are not applying the power evenly (drop the power right down until you can keep it straight, then start bringing it back up by degrees).
Good luck!
TC
1. Check the rig on the boat and blades before you take it out for the first time. If the pitches, gate heights, or spreads don't match the two of you, then you might end up having a torrid time before realising that it's not your fault!
2. Initially, just go for a paddle. Get used to the steering (with the rudder to begin with), head up and down the river a bit, enjoy the novel experience! I'd also recommend spinning the boat a few times in each direction, alternate bowside backing it down a full stroke and then strokeside pulling-on a full stroke until the boat is around. Then spin the boat in the other direction. Spinning the boat like this teaches you a lot of the balance, touch and poise that are useful when it comes to rowing a pair. Practise taking the run, holding it up etc.
3. If you come off the water and you decide that you like it and want to try it again, then start rigging the boat to suit you. Stick some straws on the saxboards and start to set the catch/finish angles so you can both row your full length while remaining relaxed. (If you don't know how to do that then either search for an old RSR topic on the subject or PM me!)
4. Once you're feeling happy in the boat, take the rudder out. It'll help you learn to balance the power much faster and row the boat more cleanly. It's worth revisiting all of the really good, basic exercises to help you start to find your way: squared blade rowing, pause paddling, arms only --> arms and bodies etc.
5. Other stuff: sticking a bungee cord on to add resistance during the warm-up can really help you to develop the power on the drive; keep an eye on your stern, if it drops suddenly just before the catch it can be a sign that you're applying work to the stretcher before your blade is connected (i.e. missing water and checking the run); keep an eye on your stern, if it moves from side to side during the drive then the two of you are not applying the power evenly (drop the power right down until you can keep it straight, then start bringing it back up by degrees).
Good luck!
TC
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