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| Los remeros (the Oarsmen) by Manuel Losada |
There is a dearth of literature on the technique of fixed-seat rowing
despite the fact that are many examples of fixed-seat rowing boats
including Basque traineras, Welsh cogs, English skiffs,
Faroese grindabatars or whale boats, Irish currachs,
Australian surfboats, Quebec ice canoes and Catalan llaguts.
There are other boats types with a more international scope such as
the Atlantic Challenge longboats that are based on 18th
century naval gigs. Most of these boats have origins linked to
specific climatic, geographic and cultural elements. For example, the
French-Canadian ice canoe originated from crossing the St Lawrence
River during the winter, which because of the strong currents and
tides rarely freezes solid. The Catalan llgaut was born of the
necessity of launching fishing boats off the beaches of a coast with
few natural harbours. Whale chasing in the Bay of Biscay is the basis
of the Basque traineras. As with many aspects of everyday life
in the past from the point of view of documenting, recording and
explaining traditional rowing, little appears in contemporary
literature. And it is a situation that continues today.
In contrast to fixed-seat rowing, the literature on the technique of
sliding-seat rowing is extensive. Part of the reason for this
disparity is probably that sliding-seat rowing is an Olympic sport.
Rowing races go back to antiquity but it was not until early in the
19th century that boat racing became an organised
competitive sport in British clubs and universities. It was not until
the 1870s when the sliding-seat was invented, in the United States,
with the intent of deploying more of the power from the leg muscles.
Once the sliding-seat appeared, universities and clubs quickly made
the change. From the later part of the 19th century and
into the 20th sliding-seat rowing spread to most western
nations and became part of the Olympic movement. But the sliding seat
added a complication to the rowing stroke—how to keep the hands
clear of the knees. It was a problem that was quickly and elegantly
solved. To impart that solution to the wider rowing world, very soon
after the introduction of sliding seats, texts on rowing technique
began to be appear. Moreover, there were variations in the technique
of sliding seat rowing and various authors wanted to explain their
particular approaches.
With the growing importance of Olympic sports especially after the
second world war there was a natural impetus to better understand the
physics of how a sliding-seat boat is propelled and how to make it go
faster. While sliding-seat rowing remained a truly amateur sport the
interest in such research remained relatively low key. Gradually,
however, through the 1960s and 1970s the amount of scientific
research increased. It was given a tremendous impetus by the rise of
the East German sports machine in the 1960s. That country's obsession
with sporting prowess pushed scientific research into all sports,
including rowing, to new levels and led investigators in other
countries to emulate that research. Of course, all of these factors
implied that more and more books, pamphlets and other texts on rowing
technique appeared throughout the 20th century.
Meanwhile traditional rowing remained just that, traditional, with a
few aficionados here and there who continued to row their particular
boats outside of the limelight. There was little scientific research
directed specifically at fixed-seat rowing, in fact, a situation that
continues to this day. That is not to say that traditional fixed-seat
rowing did not profit from the advances in sliding-seat rowing, it
did. This is especially true in the matter of materials such as the
use of fibre-glass, carbon fibre and other synthetic materials used
in the making of boats and oars. Today there are few manufacturers of
“traditional” boats and oars that continue to use wood.
Of course there is no reason why modern training methods developed
for sliding-seat rowing cannot be adapted to fixed-seat rowing. Any
coach training the crew of a llagut or trainera cannot
help but benefit from an examination of training methods used by
Olympic-style rowing crews. However, it is important to keep in mind
the differences between the two types of rowing. Fixed-seat rowing is
usually conducted on the open sea or large lakes and rivers where
conditions are very different from what is usually the case for
sliding-seat rowing which is limited to calm weather and protected
waters.
Even after the switch to sliding-seats many British rowing clubs that
focused exclusively on racing continued to teach the basics of rowing
in fixed-seat boats. Some coaches were of the opinion that learning
to row properly in fixed seat boats could be helpful for novices
before advancing to sliding seat boats. British rowing clubs in the
late 19th century would have several fixed-seat “tubs”
for teaching the fundamentals. Such boats disappeared from English
rowing clubs by the time of the First World War and were never much
used in other countries. This interest in fixed-seat rowing as a step
to perfecting sliding-seat rowing is obvious in R.C. Lehmann's
classic book Rowing first published in 1898. While the book is
mainly concerned with the technique of sliding-seat rowing Lehmann
has some interesting comments on the art of fixed-seat rowing that
are worth reading. Keeping in mind this lack of literature on
fixed-seat rowing it might be useful to offer a few comments on the
technique of fixed-seat rowing.
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| An image from the book Rowing by R.C. Lehmann (1898) |
For convenience of discussion the rowing stroke is usually divided
into the drive and the recovery phases which are demarcated by the
catches and finishes. Of course, each stroke is part of a continuous,
seamless cycle that has no start or finish. It is during the drive
phase, with the oar blade immersed in the water and the rower
applying force to the oar handle, that the boat is propelled forward.
During the recovery, with the oars out of the water, the rowers can
relax somewhat as they prepare for the next drive phase. It seems a
fairly simple sequence of actions. In fact, looked at closely,
propelling a boat by the use of oars is a complex exercise. The rower
must perform a number of specific actions at the appropriate moments
while blending them into a continuous sequence that must be
maintained as one stroke flows into the next. And, each oarsman must
be in perfect synchronisation with the rest of the crew, while his
body is under a high level of physiological stress.
If the boat, the crew and the oars are considered to be a single
system requiring an intricate set of actions undertaken at precise
moments in order move the whole, one then realizes how complex moving
a boat through the water is. Because of this complexity it is
essential that the crew members work in synchronization because any
small deviation by anyone will check the boat's run through the
water. While it is especially important that the catches and finishes
be in perfect time, it is also important that the bodies of the crew
swing backwards and forwards in unison. Of course it is not that
simple. A boat out on the open sea suffering the vagaries of wind and
waves will be impeded in its forward motion and tossed about. Under
such conditions there will be missed strokes, wash outs and crabs but
a good crew with experience can deal with such conditions by quickly
adapting or compensating. This ability to adapt comes only from
constantly training together as a crew.
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| An ice canoe on the St Lawrence River. |
The Fixed-Seat Rowing Stroke
Before examining the stroke a few points should be kept in mind. The
rower should be seated comfortably on the aft edge of the bench, or
seat, with the feet shoulder-width apart and the balls of the feet
resting on the foot stretcher. The feet should be lower than the
seat—with the top of the toes no higher than the lowest point of
the seat. The rower should push off with the balls of the feet in the
same way that a cyclist pushes a pedal, using only the forward part
of the foot. If the rower pushes off with the arch of the foot, in
addition to being uncomfortable and ineffective, the toes may
interfere with the oar handle especially in rough water conditions.
Power should is applied equally through both feet. The position of
the bench and foot-stretcher should be adjusted so that the knees are
slightly bent at the catch position—as the rowers lays back during
the drive the knees will straighten. The position of bench and
foot-stretcher relative to the thole pin should be adjusted so that
the rowers knees are in line with the thole pin. This is an
adjustment that requires the eye of the coach and should be done with
the whole crew in consideration.
The oar handle is held with the fingers not the palms of the hands.
The fingers placed loosely on the top of the handle while the thumbs
are on the underside. The hands are one to two hand-widths apart. The
little finger of the hand at the end of the handle should coincide
with the end of the handle or else leverage will be lost. If the
hands are too far apart the centre of effort will move away from the
end of the handle with a resultant loss of leverage. During the drive
the wrists are flat—the forearm and the back of the hand forming a
straight line. This is very important because if the wrists are bent
the tendency is to grip the oar too tightly, possibly causing the
forearms to seize up. The hands, or more accurately the fingers, act
to transmit the power generated by the back, shoulders and upper arms
to the oar and bending the wrists means that the forearms will be
tremendously stressed.
In addition to its technical aspects rowing is a sport of endurance
and strength. Not all crews are out to race, many simply row for the
pleasure of being out on the water. But having a basic level of
fitness including endurance and strength will add to the enjoyment of
the sport. Simply going out and rowing will increase fitness levels
but if a crew is serious about racing it may be necessary to undergo
additional training such as running, weight lifting, ergo-meter
training, etc. A crew with the help of its coach must assess its
goals, and answer the basic question: what are its objectives? If it
is to simply row for pleasure two or three times week it is not
likely that additional training is necessary or even desirable.
However, if a crew has the goal of competing and winning specific
races then a rigorous training program may be necessary. In any case,
whatever a crew's objectives or fitness level they should strive to
develop and maintain good technique.
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| A Catalan llagut racing on the Orio River in the Basque country. |
The Catch
A decisive and quick entry, or catch, is one of the most important
elements of rowing technique but mastering it is the most technically
difficult aspect of the stroke. That is due to the rower's relatively
unstable position at the catch position—bent forward from the waist
with arms outstretched. It is much easier to achieve a quick catch
rowing at half-stroke where the body is more upright. During the
recovery as the rower's body swings forward from the hips the hands
reach the ankles—any further simply results in over reaching and
needlessly stresses the lower back—the blade enters the water
quickly and cleanly. This is done by simply raising the arms and
hands, with the arms pivoting up from the shoulders.
The catch is critically important as it is the transition between the
recovery and the drive phases—when the bodies of the crew change
direction from astern to bow. That change in direction must coincide
with the catch or else the boat's run will be checked. With a quick
catch the blades will enter the water cleanly, with no back splash
and no unnecessary checking of the boat. The quick catch is followed
a gradual acceleration of the oar throughout the drive to the finish.
Only the blade of the oar needs to be immersed during the drive.
Going too deep with the blade is ineffective as it can cause the oar
to crab at the finish and it will slow the boat. On the other hand if
only part of the blade is immersed the oar will tend to wash out
making for a weak and ineffective drive.
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| A Basque trainera from an old postcard. |
The Drive
Once the blade is immersed the muscles of lower back contract
providing most of the power for the drive but especially until the
body swings back to the vertical position. This implies the need for
strong back and abdominal muscles—the stronger the better. The body
swings through an arc from the lean forward, to the vertical position
and finishing with the lay-back. In fixed-seat rowing the lay-back is
much more pronounced than in sliding-seat technique. The arms remain
straight until the body has reached the vertical position. It is only
then that the arms really come into play and contribute to powering
the stroke. The arms and back should finish at the same time. As the
arms bend the elbows should stay close to the body, and not splayed
outwards. The hands come right in to the abdominals with firm
contact. Bending the arms at the catch or before the body reaches the
vertical position will result in a weak and ineffective drive. Even
with fixed-seat rowing the legs do contribute some power to the
stroke. At the moment of the catch the knees are slightly bent but
will straighten toward the finish making a not insignificant
contribution to the drive.
How the generated force is applied during the drive can vary from
crew to crew. It is possible to employ a hard catch, or exert more
power in the middle part of the drive or to emphasise a strong
finish. This is a matter of variations in technique. I would however,
discount using a technique that emphasises a hard catch mostly
because of the stress this puts on the rower's lower back, especially
considering how heavy most fixed-seat boats are—some llaguts
weight as much as 300 kg. A hard catch also adds a vertical component
that is detrimental to moving the boat forward. It is more effective
to gradually accelerate the oar through the water emphasising either
the middle or finish of the stroke. Whatever technique is chosen the
blade must—this is very important—continue to accelerate in the
water right to the moment that the blade is extracted.
The Finish
The acceleration at the finish is accomplished by using the arms to
quickly pull the handle into the abdominals. Acceleration of the
blade at the finish greatly facilitates its extraction from the
water. It is the secret to a clean finish. As long as the blade
accelerates there will be mass of turbulent water behind the blade
which will allow the blade to cleanly slip out. Once the blade leaves
the water, by quickly dropping the hands into the lap, the hands are
pushed away quickly from the body.
One aspect of the stroke that varies between the various types of
fixed-seat boats is the feathering of the oars. In some boats the
oars are not feathered while in others they are. Usually feathering
is determined by the method used to secure the oar to the side of the
boat. There is no doubt that feathering is advantageous not only when
rowing into a headwind but also when rowing in turbulent conditions.
Most fixed-seat boats do not have oar-locks like those found on
sliding-seat racing shells which precisely control the angle that the
blades enter the water. There may be a single tholl pin to which the
oar is fastened to it by a grommet, or there may be a simple notch in
the gunnel. There is a complication when squaring the blade when a
tholl pin is in use. The oar and tholl pin combination means that the
oar shaft does not have a flat which allows it to seat itself to the
proper angle when the blade is square. That means that the correct
angle of the blade as it moves through the water must be controlled
by the rower, so that it neither digs or washes out. If the blade is
not feathered, it is a simple matter to hold the oar handle so that
the blade enters the water at the at the correct angle with each
stroke. In any case, the feathering action coincides with the drop of
the hands as the blade is extracted, and is accomplished by turning
the wrist closest to the tholl pin. To square the blade the wrist is
turned during the recovery but making sure that the correct angle is
set before the blade enters the water.
The Recovery
Once the blade is clear of the water, the hands quickly move away
from the rower's body. As the arms straighten and the hands move out
over the knees, the body then swings forward from the hips. When the
hands move quickly away from the body it facilitates the body's swing
toward the stern. However, this swing has to be controlled, the
rowers should not throw themselves to the stern, rather they pivot
from the hips in a deliberate and controlled movement, even when
rowing at a high rate. The rower should have the sensation of
swinging forward and back both during the recovery and the drive
respectively, while keeping the hands moving at all times.
Recovery implies that the rower can rest somewhat and gather strength
for the next effort. Muscles should be relaxed, the grip on the
handle firm but not tense, and the head held up without tension in
the neck muscles. The recovery is also the part of the stroke that
will set the stroke rate. The speed of the swing forward determines
the stroke rate. Whatever the stroke rate, the hands should always
come away from the body as quickly as possible. By letting the boat
run of its own inertia, especially if there is a following wind, the
recovery can be lengthened (i.e. the stroke rate lowered).
Timing
It may be redundant to say that the timing, or synchronisation, of
the crew is of critical importance. The crew must make each and every
movement together: the catches together, the finishes together, the
swing in unison, the power application in the water must match. It is
of course essential in side-by-side boats like llaguts,
traineras and whale boats that the two rowers in the stroke
positions be in time. Whether the boat is in-line or side-by-side the
rate is set by the strokes and the rest of the crew should follow
them and no one else.
Finally....
It does no harm to emphasise again that good catches and finishes are
critically important. This aspect of technique is sometimes called
bladework. For some coaches of sliding-seat rowing it is their
primary focus when dealing with technique. They reason that if the
bladework is good the rest will fall into place: i.e. the rower's
body movements will adapt themselves to good bladework. While such an
approach does make some sense, good technique is more likely, in my
opinion, to be achieved sooner, and with less trouble, if the coach
works on both the bodies and the bladework simultaneously. When
assessing a crew's technique the catches are usually the element that
first catches the knowledgeable observer's attention, especially when
a boat is viewed from a distance. The instant a technically
proficient crew reaches the catch position, the blades will disappear
in a flash. A crew that has mastered quick catches and clean finishes
will likely have a high level of overall technical ability whatever
their level of fitness. A crew that has slow catches where the blades
pause in mid-air before entering the water is checking the run of the
boat, and will therefore be slower for its effort. A crew that has a
high level of technique can train and race harder because good
technique facilitates power application. Rowing in a boat where the
technical ability is high is a pleasure. Rowing with a crew with poor
technique can be tiresome and demotivating for everyone involved.
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| The Fog Horn, by Winslow Homer, |
Bibliography
Rowing, Lehmann R.C., originally published in 1898. See especially
pages 14 to 37 for the author's comments on fixed-seat rowing. Even
though the book may today be considered somewhat long winded, and
typical of the era, for those with an interest on the history of
rowing it is worthwhile perusing.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/34950/34950-h/34950-h.htm
