RowingChat

Reflections on the 2024 Older Athlete and Aging conference learnings. Timestamps 01:00 My learnings from Al Morrow Al Morrow on developing a good "eye" as a coach. Demonstrated the importance of being able to look at your athlete and see where they way they row doesn't line up with the model you are using. First you must have a good model of rowing to compare with. 02:45 Books on sport - most have...

Diary alignment is the hardest thing for masters to figure out. Three tips for you to try Timestamps 01:00 Regular practice in the same lineups helps you to get better faster. What NOT to do. Avoid agreeing crew lineups on the day in the boathouse - fix crews ahead of time so when they arrive they know who they are rowing with, the equipment to use - boat and oars. Prevent people from only rowing...

The athlete pathway for masters is different from other groups. What can clubs and Federations do to enable masters to succeed by changing the structure of our sport. Timestamps 00:40 What is our goal for masters in rowing? Should masters be allowed to leave and rejoin the club? One of the differences compared to youth rowers is that we remain in the sport for a long time. Youth, school, Seniors a...

Top Crew Academy is a coaching service run by Sam Dutney. He explains the differences and how they apply to masters rowing. Timestamps Different modes of training methodology are polarised and pyramidal. Most of the time people use pyramidal so the training intensity distribution is like a pyramid. It has a large base of low intensity, a moderate amount of mid intensity and a small amount of high...

The Head of the Charles and all head races demand a good performance. How to find the ideal stroke rate for your crew. Timestamps 00:30 Do you have a question in your mind about whether you've got the correct stroke rate for race day. A story about a crew and an experienced coxswain - they had 2 races in one day. In the first race he drove them hard, with pushes, focus points and technique improve...

What to take, make a list:- kit, tools, food, comfort, medical. Timestamps 00:50 Regattas are busy times There is a lot going on and so it's easy to forget things. There are many distractions around you and some may affect your race outcome. 01:50 Write it down on a master checklist Start with packing the night before you leave. - 3 complete changes of clothing for racing. If you can afford it buy...

What is normal for you? What to expect when you track your normal waking heart rate. Timestamps 00:50 This is important as we age. It's a free way to track your physical wellbeing. I found out about it from Harry Mahon, the New Zealand rowing coach. Resting heart rate is important for masters because we are too good at "keeping going". Knowing how well you are is key to how you approach training a...

Flexibility and mobility aide our rowing. What you can do to keep mobility will help your rowing and sculling. Timestamps 01:00 How can we stay mobile as we age? Two mornings after a big workout you wake up feeling stiff, tight and tense in your body. Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) has kicked in. Your body does not feel like it normally does. 01:45 Why mobility is important for rowing Mobili...

Do you have a split to aim for during workouts? What to do if you don't hit your rowing 500m split and does this matter? Timestamps 01:00 Psychology of chasing 500m splits on the erg and on the water? Is it beneficial for masters rowing training. 03:45 Before rowing electronics the best way to find out your boat speed was to work on a measured marked distance on your river or lake. Repeating the d...

Getting the correct range of boat types and boat weights to suit your club group is important. What to look for, how to assess your fleet and plan for the future. Timestamps 01:00 Boats to suit athletes Review the stock of boats and equipment in your club and how they align with the needs of your athletes. We realised we needed to workout if our boat fleet matched the masters group needs. Assess t...

London RC won the British Masters Championships Victor Ludorum prize in 2024. We talk to coach and captain James Sexton-Barrow about their approach to training, racing and organising their masters squad. Timestamps 01:00 The plan to win the trophy began with a tracking spreadsheet. 02:30 The common goal for masters at London Rowing Club - it's a very big club membership with 100-120 rowers. The vi...

Learn about what it's like to row in the Netherlands from the Royal Dutch Rowing Federation Chair, Seada van den Herik. Timestamps 01:00 Seada was an international rower prior to Atlanta 1996. She organised the Junior and U23 Championships in the Netherlands before moving into more administration leadership roles. 02:30 There are about 100 masters clubs in the Netherlands. The network is very stro...

Meet Digger Barnes, he is on the Masters Rowing Commission for British Rowing. 01:00 Masters rowing clubs in UK - they tend to be run by masters rowers around the country. The opportunity for anybody to join and learn to row. Digger started at age 45. That's the really good thing about rowing. 03:15 Major regattas and events in Great Britain The British Masters Championships in May - has 2 categor...

Gwenda Stevens is the President of the Belgium Federation. We discuss masters rowing in Belgium, the clubs regattas and the new Masters National Championship event. Timestamps 00:45 Gwenda has been president for 12 years and she's also an umpire and masters rower. 02:30 Master rowing in Belgium isn't a big sport. There are 28 rowing clubs in the country - only a few have masters. Gent has hosted r...

Georg Gruetzner is the masters representative on the German Rowing Federation. Resource: Structure of masters rowing slides https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/systems-thinking-for-masters-rowing-1pptx/263741256?from_search=2 3 Value Bombs 1. Use the Block Racing format for masters regattas to enable boat sharing 2. Invest in masters learn to row pays dividends quickly (financial and participatio...

What's masters rowing like in Ireland? Gerry Murphy is Chair of the Masters Representative Committee for Rowing Ireland. A big increase in member registration has happened and masters are now 18% of total rowing registrations. Clubs see the benefit of having masters groups. There are many other regattas offering masters events - they will put in events entries secretaries are generally willing. Ma...

Getting coached sometimes feels like being told you are wrong all the time. What can you do as an athlete to enable yourself to receive critiques and not feel vulnerable? Timestamps 01:00 Criticism is part of the learning process. Improving requires us to know what we are doing right, what we're doing less well and how to change. It is hard not to feel it's personal because it's directed at you. S...

You're preparing to race and are concerned you aren't rating high enough. Why rating matters. Two drills you can do to get the rate up. What prevents you getting the rate up? Resource: Practicing Racing Starts https://fastermastersrowing.com/practicing-racing-starts/ 3 Value Bombs 1 - Know your ideal mid race rate 2 - Precise bladework can always be improved 3 - Over-rate drill helps you get confi...

Staying hydrated for training and racing can give you hidden benefits. It's very easy to become dehydrated and not realise. Performance improvements and recovery gains from hydration. Resource: Home Made Sport Drink Recipe (below in notes) 3 Value Bombs 1. Daily drink plan for hydration 2. Always use sport drinks while training for electrolyte and carbohydrate intake 3. Drinking caffeine can help...

Ever since the 2007 movie, we've started bucket lists for everything. Now it's time for you to plan your rowing event bucket list. Timestamps 00:30 Things we are going to do in rowing before "kicking the bucket". The Faster Masters Rowing self-guided training plan to help get you fit, faster and the confidence you're doing the right thing in your training. How to train as we age - masters rowers a...

What's masters rowing like in the South Island of New Zealand? We meet South Island Rowing chairman, Peter Midgeley. Timestamps 00:30 South Island of New Zealand has an association who owns and runs the Twizel lake which includes a 2k rowing course. The NZ National Champs and NZ Secondary School champs (Maadi Cup) regatta are held there. The Cup was first raced in Egypt after the Second World War...

Mis-timing the catch causes the boat to slow down. You can go faster for no extra effort. Timestamps These three things are super-easy to correct and take no extra fitness and effort. So important for masters to enjoy our rowing and so "speed for free" is great for us. 01:45 Putting the oar in the water at the wrong moment. Roll forward to full compression - there's a micro second when the seat is...

Following last week's deep dive into blades on the surface .... this week we take a look at Rushing Off The Back. What, how, causes, cures. Timestamps 01:00 these issues are straightforward to resolve. As a coach I can see the solution and until you realise the solution is there, you're ignorant. 01:30 Rushing off the back The transition from the oar extraction through to when you roll up the slid...

We start a mini series on things which kill boat speed. And how to fix them. Part One: Dragging oars along the water surface Resource Pontoon Floats are a cheap aide to building confident bladework 3 Value Bombs 1. Watch a crew - are blades parallel, is the space between athletes' heads moving at the same time? 2. Gain boat speed by learning how to move with the boat hull on the recovery. 3 Knowin...

Resource Rowing Blisters And Skin Injuries ebook https://fastermastersrowing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2022-Rowing-Blisters-And-Skin-Injuries-Prevention-Cure-And-Management.pdf 3 Value Bombs 1) wearing gloves is a good way to prevent rowing blisters. 2) cover band aids and plasters with electrical tape when rowing 3) applying band aids 40 minutes before you go rowing makes it stick better to...