6 Mistakes beginners make at the rowing catch - Sweep
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In our video for members, 5x Olympian Anthony Edwards demonstrates the 6 mistakes beginners make at the catch in a sweep boat.
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Video Transcript
In this video we're going to run through the six mistakes that people make withtheir position in a sweep boat at the catch.
At number six we've got inside knee pushed away from the rigger this leads to instability and balance issues in the boat and is easily corrected by encouraging an athlete to leave the inside knee vertical during the recovery. You can see here Eddy is also leaning into the rigger a little bit but the main issue by far is the inside knee pushing away from the rigger at the catch
At number five we've got leaning into the rigger here you can see the position of the knees and the lower body is okay but the heads tilted towards the rigger and this will create balance issues in the boat as the weight transfers towards the rigger. This also encourages the rigger side shoulder to drop doing this leaning into the rigger does not improve the length and the same outcome with better balance will result if the athlete simply rotates the torso instead. Pivoting from their core and not leaning over towards the rigger. One of the main problems with rowing like this is you have to bring the body back to the center of the boat before you can apply any power through the legs so you're essentially wasting all that time before the body gets back to the centerline so it's best to avoid this when you're rowing along. You want to keep nice and upright in a strong position ready to apply the power when the blade enters the water. At number four we've got knees together here the body position in the center of the boat is good but the knees being together prevents the athlete from compressing well into the catch. This results in less length of the catch and more tension in the boat you need to keep the outside knee moving a little away from the rigger at the catch for better length and a more stable position, not too far just a little.
At number three we've got the loose outside knee. Here you can see the body position is good the inside knee position is good however the outside knee is too far away from the centerline. If you bring it towards the center of the boat a little bit more the boat will be more balanced and the stroke more powerful just as with leaning outer out of the boat you have to bring that inside knee back towards the centerline before you can actually apply any power through it. So in this scenario at the catch when Eddie tries to apply the power he'll only be using his inside leg and that's very effective. So you want to keep that outside leg not too far away from the center line at the catch right up there next to the shoulder so you can apply the power as soon as possible once the blades entered the water.
At number two we've got the loose inside knee here you can see the outside knee is in the correct position but the inside knee is leaning too much towards the rigger this can result in less power being available during the drive phase and the power on the inside leg will be compromised.
Atnumber one we've got the inside arm locked issue. In this position while the body and leg and posture are good the inside or rigger side arm is locked straight this forces our upper body into an uncomfortable position and makes it very difficult for the athlete to execute a relaxed and powerful catch. The inside arm should be somewhat bent and the outside arm should be a full reach. This enables a relatively neutral position for the torso and allows maximum power once that blade is in the water.
Finally let's have a look at the correct position. Here we can see Eddie demonstrating the correct position at the catch in a sweep boat. The secret is to keep the core and body positions strong and in the center of the boat rotating around the torso and not leaning towards the rigger. Please have a look at the slight bend in the rigger side arm in order to maintain the correct posture. Without this the body is forced around and it's very uncomfortable. You can also see here how both is inside knee and outside knee although not perfectly vertical are very close to the centerline. So you can see when he puts that blade in and the catch he'll be able to engage both those legs at maximum power and be very strong in that catch position. A good catch position is key to a fast rowing stroke.
So in summary you want to be sitting tall in the centerline of the boat, inside arm slightly bent and knees almost vertical but not quite putting yourself in that powerful position ready to take the stroke.
At number six we've got inside knee pushed away from the rigger this leads to instability and balance issues in the boat and is easily corrected by encouraging an athlete to leave the inside knee vertical during the recovery. You can see here Eddy is also leaning into the rigger a little bit but the main issue by far is the inside knee pushing away from the rigger at the catch
At number five we've got leaning into the rigger here you can see the position of the knees and the lower body is okay but the heads tilted towards the rigger and this will create balance issues in the boat as the weight transfers towards the rigger. This also encourages the rigger side shoulder to drop doing this leaning into the rigger does not improve the length and the same outcome with better balance will result if the athlete simply rotates the torso instead. Pivoting from their core and not leaning over towards the rigger. One of the main problems with rowing like this is you have to bring the body back to the center of the boat before you can apply any power through the legs so you're essentially wasting all that time before the body gets back to the centerline so it's best to avoid this when you're rowing along. You want to keep nice and upright in a strong position ready to apply the power when the blade enters the water. At number four we've got knees together here the body position in the center of the boat is good but the knees being together prevents the athlete from compressing well into the catch. This results in less length of the catch and more tension in the boat you need to keep the outside knee moving a little away from the rigger at the catch for better length and a more stable position, not too far just a little.
At number three we've got the loose outside knee. Here you can see the body position is good the inside knee position is good however the outside knee is too far away from the centerline. If you bring it towards the center of the boat a little bit more the boat will be more balanced and the stroke more powerful just as with leaning outer out of the boat you have to bring that inside knee back towards the centerline before you can actually apply any power through it. So in this scenario at the catch when Eddie tries to apply the power he'll only be using his inside leg and that's very effective. So you want to keep that outside leg not too far away from the center line at the catch right up there next to the shoulder so you can apply the power as soon as possible once the blades entered the water.
At number two we've got the loose inside knee here you can see the outside knee is in the correct position but the inside knee is leaning too much towards the rigger this can result in less power being available during the drive phase and the power on the inside leg will be compromised.
Atnumber one we've got the inside arm locked issue. In this position while the body and leg and posture are good the inside or rigger side arm is locked straight this forces our upper body into an uncomfortable position and makes it very difficult for the athlete to execute a relaxed and powerful catch. The inside arm should be somewhat bent and the outside arm should be a full reach. This enables a relatively neutral position for the torso and allows maximum power once that blade is in the water.
Finally let's have a look at the correct position. Here we can see Eddie demonstrating the correct position at the catch in a sweep boat. The secret is to keep the core and body positions strong and in the center of the boat rotating around the torso and not leaning towards the rigger. Please have a look at the slight bend in the rigger side arm in order to maintain the correct posture. Without this the body is forced around and it's very uncomfortable. You can also see here how both is inside knee and outside knee although not perfectly vertical are very close to the centerline. So you can see when he puts that blade in and the catch he'll be able to engage both those legs at maximum power and be very strong in that catch position. A good catch position is key to a fast rowing stroke.
So in summary you want to be sitting tall in the centerline of the boat, inside arm slightly bent and knees almost vertical but not quite putting yourself in that powerful position ready to take the stroke.