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Splash Point, Marine Parade, Worthing, West Sussex |
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Basic Coxing or coaches commands Most coxing commands are done "in three" or "next stroke". For example, if you want the crew to lift the boat up, you would say, "lifting the boat to shoulder , in one; two; three!" On the word three, the rowers would respond and lift the boat up. Or if you want the crew to stop you would say, "next stroke, easy there!" this gives the crew time to respond and stop together. During pieces, (a term that means whatever distance the rowers are doing, ex. 500 meter piece) a cox will often count tens; for example, "let's take a ten for quick catches". The cox will then count the next ten strokes for the rowers. Hands on - put hands on the saxboard and get ready to lift the boat. To waist - lift the boat to waist level, holding the saxboard with both hands. To shoulders - lift the boat up to shoulder height and rest the saxboard on the shoulder. Above heads - lift the boat over the heads, one hand on each saxboard. Full Crew, Rowing from backstops, Are you Ready, Go! - This is a classic command, the cox specifies who the command is to, what they are to do, gives them time to prepare and when the cox can tell the crew is ready they say Go. Easy There - stop rowing, while maintaining the arms away position and leaving the blade feathered above the water, letting the boat glide over the water. Drop - after telling the crew to easy there the cox will give the command to drop, the crew can then drop their blades on the water, this is a bit like the "at ease" command in the army. Hold it up (or hold water) - put the blades into the water at an angle, causing the boat to decelerate quickly. Firm/Full Pressure - pull on the oar with 100% of your power. Three Quarter Pressure - rowing with 75% of your power. Half/Medium Pressure - rowing with 50% of your power. Light Pressure - stop rowing with pressure and just lightly pull the blades through the water. Back it down - push the oar backwards through the water to move the boat toward the stern - predominantly used to turn the boat around (back it down on one side). Stroke - The rower sitting nearest the stern (and the coxswain, if there is one). The stroke is responsible for setting the stroke length and cadence (with the coxswain's gentle advice). Ratio or Contrast - The ratio of the recovery time to the drive time. The recovery time should always be longer than the drive time (how much longer I won't say ... as someone wrote, the idea is to `move the boat on the pull through (or drive) and take a ride (i.e. relax) on the recovery without sacrificing the very speed that they have generated'). Rating - The number of strokes per minute. Also known as stroke rating. Stern Check - Bad technique that slows the boat down. Essentially, the momentum of the rowers sends the boat in the opposite direction. Any abrupt deceleration of the shell caused by some uncontrolled motion within the shell; an interruption in the forward motion of the shell. The coxswain is probably the most acutely aware of this abrupt deceleration and it has been known to cause whiplash in some extreme cases. Airstroke - The rower starts the drive before the catch has been completed (or even started in some cases). This is also referred to as rowing into the catch. Rushing the Slide - Bad technique that causes stern check. Comes from coming towards the catch from the recovery too fast. Skying - The fault of carrying the hands too low during the recovery especially when a rower dips his or her hands just prior to the catch (i.e. a sort of winding up). This usually results in the blade being too high off the water's surface. Puddles - A measure of your power (and of run). If your blade leaves behind little dinky ripples, then you're not pulling hard enough. If you leave tidal waves after you pull your blade out of the water, then you're pulling just right. Pyramid Rowing - Strength/endurance building drill where the coxswain calls an increasing series of power strokes, then a decreasing series of power strokes. e.g. Power 10 10 normal strokes Power 20 10 normal strokes Power 10. Ergometer (Erg) - An ergometer is a rowing machine that closely simulates rowing in a boat - a coxless quad, to be more precise. Feel the Pain! |
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