Soulmas Abbasi Azad

Selma is a rower and coach from Iran now based in USA. She’s a multiple Asian medalist, experienced Junior coach (former national Iran rowing team Junior Head Coach). Soulmas uses Selma as a nickname. She is mentored by Paul Thompson (Rowing Australia). 01:00 A sporty childhood with her Father who was a wrestler. She competed […]
Improve your race preparation

Learn from each event you do so that you can personalise your pre-race preparation. Timestamps 01:00 Pre-race checklists – how to prepare before the regatta and how to improve through the season. Ritual of things to do to get ready for competition. One day before, get everything you need together. Add elements of structure by […]
Getting in and out of a single scull

Nobody wants to look like a lump clumbering around. So what’s the best way to get into a single? And how can you adapt that if your mobility isn’t what it once was? Timestamps 01:00 Single sculls – how to feel safe getting in and out. 02:45 The basic method demonstrated Nathan Benderson Park – […]
Rowing a pair

Pair oar boats are fun and a huge challenge. We discuss what you should do when trying a pair for the first time and what makes pairs go fast. Timestamps 03:00 set up the rig correctly – handle at the right position – release at the same place – oar handle height. Set up to […]
James Thompson World Masters Rowing Regatta 2023

James talks about the South African hosts of the World Masters Regatta 2023. He runs the venue services team for what may be the only African World Rowing Regatta for a while. 02:25 Roodeplaat Dam is 65 minutes from Johannesburg and 40 minutes from Pretoria. It’s close to the OR Tambo airport. It’s the venue […]
Toe steering a race from bow

Steering is hard to get perfect. Learn the key issues as we get ready for racing season. – positioning the foot – roles in the boat – how to steer and how much Timestamps 01:00 Who steers – bow or stroke? Considerations – bow for head races, stroke for a straight, buoyed lane course. 02:15 […]
Get a horizontal drive

Going deep is a common technique issue, as is “corrugating” through the drive where the blade goes deeper and shallower. In this podcast Marlene and Rebecca discuss how to get a horizontal drive in the rowing and sculling stroke. Timestamps Horizontal Drive – what is a horizontal drive? 02:00 Why it matters? Stroke length is […]
12 tips for teaching learn to row

Things you wish you’d been told or learned earlier before teaching learn to row. You’ll never stop learning because this is rowing – it’s normal! Timestamps 03:00 Marlene’s first learn to row class 1982 07:30 Use lifting a box to demonstrate the stroke sequence. 09:00 Port is on the right. Port wine is red, red […]
Different technique for men and women

Should we row differently based on our strength or sex? Marlene and Rebecca discuss lower and upper body strength in relation to rowing technique. Timestamps 03:15 Differences between men and women in general. The standardised testing difference is about 15%. For a standing broad jump – can you jump your height? 05:30 Boat speed differences […]
Coaching the “empowered” athlete

4. — Woaching masters is not the same as youth rowers. Adjust how you coach, how the athlete interacts with you and with the rest of the crew. Guest Duncan Holland explains his framework for the empowered athlete. Timestamps 02:27 Debunking the myth of masters being uncoachable. Duncan says “I find it relatively easy & […]