Why I’m not finished yet seeking to improve my rowing technique.
Timestamps
00:45 There is no stroke I’ve ever taken which is perfect yet why do I keep trying?
My rowing started as a student in a bank tub, a tub pair and then a clinker eight. One of my first videos showed that I lunged at the catch – this fault has stayed with me ever since! I revert and then correct many times.
03:00 The importance of drills
Taught me ways to separate each part of the stroke or exaggerate the movements – so I learned to separate different body parts moving.
04:00 Sculling – a new challenge
Starting to scull I began to learn how to make the boat glide. I could see why people choose rowing because it felt so good. The learning journey is a series of steps – I had jumped ahead and then couldn’t regain that feeling. I needed to go back and fill in the gaps in my learning so that I could consistently make the movements.
Single sculling taught me how to recruit more muscles – how each part contributes to the rowing stroke. Notably, my glutes were a gap in my learning.
It also helped my mental endeavour – anything happening was caused by me and the resolution was also mine. I took on new challenges like steering and sweeping on both sides. Sculling taught me boat feel – how the boat responded to the water conditions and the weather. External stimuli taught me how to adjust the stroke to respond to these. Dissipating negative effects caused by externalities or taking advantage of positive influences. Small adjustments to how I was sculling was a good lesson.
07:00 Style versus technique
The continuous learning journey is a series of steps forward and backwards. I came to understand the difference between rowing style and technique – viewing scullers from a distance, you can recognise individual people.
Now as a masters rower, aging adds another dimension. As my body changes I’m making different adaptations and changes e.g. strength training. And different challenges – learning to blend crews together from differing techniques. The pleasure of making a crew fire by everyone making small changes so we together make the boat go better is high.
My perfect stroke today in this crew will be different from that in another crew lineup. The journey is never only, the challenges continue. Enjoying the process of the journey rather than seeking a singular destination is why I love being a masters rower still working on finding the perfect stroke.
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