#rowing advice

[15virtual-diary123]

Ok so I’m a U17 rower and I’m about to move into my varsity year and I’m struggling a lot with a decently bad injury. It hurts to row and I’m never going to hit my potential if I’m always injured. I’m thinking about switching over to coxswain but I’m scared I’m making a mistake. I have a friend who coxes and is ready to support me and help. But I don’t know how ready I am to cox as a varsity without any experience. I know a couple people (a girl and a boy) who have switched and I plan to talk to them but I have no experience and Ive got 2 weeks till regionals and then 1 after till the end of season so I’m running out of time to do this as a novice. I’m worried my coach will throw me in as a novice coach for the women. Which I would be happy doing but I’m worried. Idk rant/would love advice form coxswains and rowers alike.

[thecox-box]

Hi there! So I'm a freshman in high school and a novice and somehow I'm going to be stroking a lightweight girls 8+ at junior nationals this summer! I was wondering what tips you have for not getting too nervous because at every regatta I'm freaking out! Thanks!

Oh wow congrats!! 

Everyone has different things that will help calm them - I get neurotic over checking equipment, schedules etc, - but there are some general things to try and figure out what will work best for you.

So some of my tips for nerves are to:

close your eyes and visualize yourself moving through the race and your race plan.  do this on your own and with your crew, so everyone knows what beats to hit through the race.

know your race plan.  know what you what do in the race, and how you’re going to execute it.

find a way to center yourself, a way to draw your focus inwards (i always used music as an athlete)

triple check your seat’s equipment so you know everything is solid

fake it. honestly this is something I’ve used for all nine years I’ve spent competing. put on a calm face, breathe evenly. act calm, be calm.

hang around someone who is calmer than you, let their confidence rub off on you.

if you need it, ask your cox to reassure you to help with the nerves. 

And if you’re still nervous that’s okay! Some level of being nervous can help you! I’ll even let you in on a secret - every. single. time. I’m in the starting gates I am all nerves, terrified of something going wrong in the first five strokes. I’m literally a ball of anxious energy, covered up by a mean game face. 

Nervousness can stick around for some people, and that’s perfectly fine. Control what you can, and have confidence in your ability and the ability of your crew. Confidence will build with your race experience. You got this!

[thecox-box]

I'm in grade ten, and just started at a club as a coxswain. My coaches havent really been providing me with any coaching at all. I understand that they may be caught up with the rowers, but it's still a struggle to cox when I literally have no idea what to say. The thing I seem to have the most trouble with is speaking during a piece. I just have no clue what to say to motivate my rowers. I only really know how to steer and give simple commands. Are there any tips you could give me? Thank you!!!

-Hi!

Well first off welcome aboard to coxing! Second, as much as it sucks that is often the cases with coxes, we really don’t much (if any coaching) and this can be as simple as many coaches have never coxed, or because we aren’t doing the physical work our need for coaching is often forgotten about.

During pieces often times short and concise calls are best and most effective (the rowers have to think/process your words less).  My go to motivation calls are often:

driiiive

heels

stomp the legs

snap the legs

accelerate

squeeze the finish

push the boat back

kick the catch

aggressive drive

jump/send [said at the catch (jump) and through the stroke (send)]

shift into the next gear

hunt them down (if you’re chasing a crew)

i want water on them (if you’re ahead of a crew)

big send 

I may also have more in my advice tag if you want to browse more calls!

[thecox-box]

Hi! I'm a grade 11coxswain and I live in Canada. I've been coxing for 2 years, and I worked with U23 and U19 boats at my city club during the summer. Not a lot of recruitment goes on for coxswains at Ontario Universities and I'm thinking of going to the US for school. Any tips on how I could possibly get recruited, get a scholarship, or anything along those sorts of lines? I'm a planner (as most coxies are!), and I want to get an idea of what I should do! Thanks!!

Hi!

Well for Ontario universities there’s more restrictions on recruitment of high school athletes. (I’m from Ontario as well).  

As for recruitment from US schools (because lets face it, they like giving you money), from my memory coaches and recruiters are usually at large events to scout - C.S.S.R.A. and Henley week for example as well as erg competitions.  

I would suggest talking to coaches at these events or contacting them and showing interest.  I suggest looking into the universities you want and looking into their rowing teams/coaches, plan who you should talk to.  

Unfortunately my recollections of recruitment are a little fuzzy (it was all the heavyweights in my high school who got contacted and talked to) but I hope this helps.  In my experiences universities are usually in need of coxswains.  

[itsarowingthing]

On the varsity eight we don't have enough varsities to fill the entire thing, so we end up filling the spaces with good novices, and again this makes winning impossible, do you have any ideas on how to get around this problem? (3/3)

I was a walk on so I’m not exactly sure how coaches go about their recruitment but here is what I got for you:

Contact coaches, send in recruitment forms, be proactive.  Since your team is not well ranked it probably wont be looked at and bring in the coaches, so you got to go to them.  You still have a chance to get scholarships.  Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get a scholarship right away when you commit, sometimes coaches can offer them later on after a season.   

[duchessofthebow-blog]

Hey I got the best 2k out of my group but the coach won't move me up to the better boat because my technique isn't as good as some of them and I only started rowing recently. Do you have any advice on what to do

Well first, don’t let technique get you down and don’t let it make you bitter. Technique is a valid reason that can keep many rowers out of the boats they want to be in. I’ve also seen many rowers with lots of potential stay in lower boats because they refuse to change their habits, think that there is nothing wrong with their technique, or they think the coach is not valid in their reasoning. Coaches know what they are doing. And you have to trust them in that key fact. Rowers get in trouble when they start to think they know more than their coaches and get bullheaded about something.

Trust your coach, listen always, and ask questions when you don’t understand. Make sure they know you are really dedicated to fix your technique. Feedback is your best friend. It can be harsh, I’m not gonna lie. But when you can take harsh criticism you will find yourself succeeding. Keep working hard and let me know how things go :)

[duchessofthebow-blog]

Anon

To the anon that asked for 2k advice. Somehow your message got deleted. But anyway, I think a lot of people overthink 2ks a lot. It's important to mentally prepare for them, but also you need to relax. Know that you can execute a game plan, but don't freak out if you miss a milestone in the piece. When I'm feeling anxious in 2ks I count out focus 10s to take my mind off of the pain. I think it's just really important to breathe and not freak yourself out. You can do anything you put your mind to.

[thecox-box]

hello! im a sophmore in high school and i rowed last year as a novice (im a girl) and this year did my novice year over again as a coxswain and im super pumped to go to varsity next year and i was totally planning on staying with women but then i had to cox for varsity men twice this year because they needed another coxswain and all the guys in my boat said i should cox vm next year and also 2 of my friends that are on vm want me to cox varsity men next year but i feel like that would be a +

Hi!

I am a total advocate of coxing men!  If you feel like it’ll be a+ totally go for it!  Especially if you enjoyed your time in the boat with the guys and hey look at that you got a bit of a head start since you know a couple!