Handle Height – The Rowing Playbook

Catch Placement

admin — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 12:46:42 +0000

Start at the finish, with the boat stationary and blades squared and buried. Then take one full recovery, ending with the blades buried at the catch. Do not take a stroke, but reset to the finish. Watch for correct posture, timing and handle heights. Repeat as needed.

Note

To ensure the boat is set during this drill, in larger boats, have rowers sit out with their blades flat on the water to help balance.

Finish Pauses

admin — Sat, 14 Nov 2020 09:18:02 +0000

Taking full feather strokes, add a pause at the finish before the tap down. Blades should be rolled flat onto the water at the pause. Then rowers should tap down and bring their blades off the water as they begin the recovery, with enough clearance to square before the catch.

Progression

Move the pause to every other stroke, every three, and then go continuous. Ensure the technique is consistent between paused strokes and continuous strokes.

Note

If a blade comes off the water before the pause, that indicates handle heights were too low coming into the finish.

Square/Feather

admin — Fri, 13 Nov 2020 13:39:43 +0000

Taking regular strokes, switch between being square blades and feathered blades on the recovery. The switch could be every stroke, or every two strokes, three strokes, etc.

Note

Keeping the rate high enough and consistent between the feathered and squared boats helps keep the speed higher, helping the balance. Ensure the handle heights are not changing on the feathered strokes.

Square Blades

admin — Fri, 13 Nov 2020 13:25:43 +0000

Take regular strokes, but keep the blade fully squared on the recovery. In larger boats, rowers can sit out with their blades flat on the water to help set the boat. This drill will be more challenging in smaller boats where that is not an option.

Progression

In larger boats, you can decrease the number of rowers sitting out to make this more challenging.

Note

When no one is setting the boat, keeping the rate high enough and the rowing fluid helps keep the speed higher, helping the balance.

Quarter Feather

admin — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 09:39:43 +0000

Take regular strokes, but instead of being fully feathered on the recovery, hold the blades only slightly inclined from square.

Note

Ensure the blade angle isn’t changing through the recovery (except when squaring ready for the catch). Rowers are allowed to slightly drag the bottom edge, especially in smaller boats or bad conditions, but must keep quarter feather.

Finish Pauses

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 22:06:47 +0000

Full feather strokes, with a pause before the tap down at the finish. Blades should be rolled flat onto the water at the finish. After the pause, rowers should tap down and bring their blades off the water. Unlike Dragging Blades drill, should be no tap down at catch.

Progression

Can start by half boats, then progress to full boats. Also switch pause to every other, then every three, and finally go continuous.

Note

Boat should be very set at the finish, so this can be relatively safe in rougher water. Ensure blades are not coming off the water before the pause. Ensure there is a definite intention to tap down after the pause.

Dragging Blades

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 22:05:18 +0000

Full feather strokes, but with no tap down at the finish. Blades should be rolled flat onto the water at the finish. Recovery handle height should be exactly the same as the drive handle height, though rowers will need to flip catch.

Note

Don’t run this too long, as it can teach incorrect handle motion into the catch (rowers have to tap down to catch in this drill).