Sculling

[HonkinOnIt]

So here's the challenge: show us a link to a picture or video of a successful sculler, doesn't even have to be a top elite multi gold medal winner, who uses the Caustic flip catch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UzhGKcAwec

the Ukrainian kid at Junior Worlds last year. In yellow and blue, leads that race for most of it.

By camperison, look at the German rower's blades - they are very high off the water as he's square, and there seems to be a bit of a lag between when he brings them square and when he enters the water.

Well I mean, that German kid doesn't need technique. He goes 5:52

[1xsculler]

Watch the video of all of the veterans coming around the Big Turn. Most of them are doing the drag the blades flip catch, probably because they're just plane old and lazy like me. Some of them are pretty darn fast, though.

[Norm]

Well I mean, that German kid doesn't need technique. He goes 5:52

I think you perfectly describe much of modern coaching thought - in this case a rare German hammer (their bladework is usually impeccable). Trouble for coaches is that it works - at least when you have a gorilla like this guy. I could use a couple apes in my program, but while you can't always make gorillas into smooth technicians, trying to make technicians into gorillas isn't effective coaching either.

I really like the video "Lucern on the Paddle". In it you can see how much better Euro sculling is than ours, based, I contend on the fact that we primarily sweep, do too much sprinting and overly depend on the ergometer as a selection tool .

[bayrower]

As usual, I will have to defer to those with more experience than me. Each and every stroke in my boat gives me another opportunity to make a better stroke. Getting personal coaching probably is not in the cards for me. I'll have to do the best I can by reading and by watching instructional and competition video. I do like the idea of some cross training with something like yoga but I probably won't find the time to fit that in either. I'll bang it out on the water all by myself as that is the most enjoyable, i.e. least painful, way to stay fit. What a great sport rowing is.

You should be able to find coaching. And it will benefit I am sure, for all of us. It is hard to see our faults. Pm me for suggestions.

[1xsculler]

Concerning the catch and squaring prior to the catch I can't imagine any advantage in squaring until the last possible instant if for no reason other than squareing early creates more wind resistance against your blades. The catch where you roll your blades up about 60* and then finish squaring them in the water with the drive seems to me that it would be the most efficient catch. I welcome critisism.

[Steven M-M]

Squaring early or late is not really an issue. An easy, more gradual roll up can help with being more relaxed at the entry position, but in a head wind it is better to hold the feather longer.

We now know that during the early phase of the stroke, lift makes the blades most efficient: no slip and maybe some positive pull towards the finish. You need the blades square and in the water to get max lift. It is, of course, not possible to instantly cover the blade, but the most effective catch is quick, even if the application of power to the covered blade can be momentarily delayed.

The best way to see this is in frame-by-frame video of your entry. How far into the drive does it take you to cover your squared blade? If you are already at ¾ by the time you’ve fully engaged you’ve lost much efficiency. One reason it is a good idea to set the blades with small movements of the shoulders and arms is that it means you can start the leg drive with a fully engaged blade.

So a quick, squared entry taken at the last moment of the recovery is “longer” and takes advantage of lift forces.

[Pry2]

x

[Steven M-M]

Check out Xeno at 0% through the drive: blades are covered and he is at full compression. Wonderful upright posture; no wasted effort here. http://invernessrowingclub.org.uk/perso ... water.html

Then look at Tomkin and Ginn at between 0-4% through the drive. Note their legs don't move, but they set the blade with a little movement of the shoulders. Then the legs engage. How beautiful is that. http://invernessrowingclub.org.uk/perso ... ic/gt.html

[SomeJunior8]

Check out Xeno at 0% through the drive: blades are covered and he is at full compression. Wonderful upright posture; no wasted effort here. http://invernessrowingclub.org.uk/perso ... water.html

Then look at Tomkin and Ginn at between 0-4% through the drive. Note their legs don't move, but they set the blade with a little movement of the shoulders. Then the legs engage. How beautiful is that. http://invernessrowingclub.org.uk/perso ... ic/gt.html

That post is golden for coaches perfecting someones form, or just for those (like my self) who need to visually see the specific parts of the drive and recovery.

About squaring though; I can't remember what regatta but in one of my races (doesn't really matter) It was like a hurricane (all small boats weren't allowed to race following my event) and I distinctly remember one stroke were I got sloppy and squared really early and the wind just took my blade into the air and brought the boat down to my side (starboard) hard...needless to say I had never gotten a crab in a race (knock on wood!!!) and wasn't planning on it so I squared late almost to the point of flip catching and are set was immediately restored. We won our heat too even as a lighter crew in a heavy event with all that wind.

[Long'n Strong]

I am more than a little surprised that coaches don't teach their rowers how to square late into headwinds. You shouldn't have to figure it out for yourself in the middle of a race.

[lt.wolf]

While at SS I always felt it was best to think about having the blades prepared and sqaured by half slide. You need to be prepared to in order to place the blade in.

As people become better they will learn to get the catch in properly and quickly regardless of conditions and yes the winds and weather will take your blades at all levels or rowing.

[SomeJunior8]

I am more than a little surprised that coaches don't teach their rowers how to square late into headwinds. You shouldn't have to figure it out for yourself in the middle of a race.

Well I mean like I said i got sloppy, can't blame that on my coach.

[1xsculler]

I've watched these videos and many, many others and I see minor differences in how each of the elite scullers execute their strokes and especially their catches. They are all fast and it's not always one technique or another that is consistently faster from my limited poweres of observation. Late squaring, early squaring, start the drive with the legs, start with an opening of the back, shins verticle or at an angle, grip the oar handles on the very end or up to an inch down, straight back, curved back, etc., etc., they each do it a little differently.
I've read Gordon Hamilton's "Nutshell" many, many times and I still can't get a grip on the concept of lift generated by the blades at the entry. What lifts what? What is the advantage to the lift? What possible advantage could there be to hesitating at or after the entry? I have also never heard anybody else discuss this phenomenon. I do try to make my entry fully squared and I try to remain feathered until the very last second but my blades are sometimes entering before the blades are 100% square in which case they finish squaring as they enter, i.e. "the Sculler's Catch" like the duck's foot as Frank Cunningham describes it.
There is a lot of minor variation in sculling strokes. Few things do tick you off more than to have somebody your age leave you in his wake when his stroke looks like garbage and you think you look like Xeno. It reminds me of running a marathon to have somebody pass you up and they look like they're just walking pretty fast and you're cranking out your best stride.

[Nosmo]

Check out Xeno at 0% through the drive: blades are covered and he is at full compression. Wonderful upright posture; no wasted effort here. http://invernessrowingclub.org.uk/perso ... water.html

Then look at Tomkin and Ginn at between 0-4% through the drive. Note their legs don't move, but they set the blade with a little movement of the shoulders. Then the legs engage. How beautiful is that. http://invernessrowingclub.org.uk/perso ... ic/gt.html

Notice the Australian pairs release, particularly the bow seat. The blades come out of the water, then the body starts moving toward stern while the hands are still moving to bow. This in contrast to Xeno, whose body angle is fixed while the hands move a little in both direction.

[singlesculler]

Notice the Australian pairs release, particularly the bow seat. The blades come out of the water, then the body starts moving toward stern while the hands are still moving to bow. This in contrast to Xeno, whose body angle is fixed while the hands move a little in both direction.

That is the "coming around on a bent oar" that caustic is always trying to describe, sometimes better then others. It's just a subtle movement that helps to get the body swing started by using the last couple inches of the drive. Also keeps the body weight from crashing down on the bow. Takes a long time and many miles to master, but is what I feel is the best way to get around the corner, and feels great when done correctly. The Italian 2- in the background are a little more pronounced if you watch their finish.