Change the way you think about opening the body when rowing
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The way you open your body is crucial; you can convert the power in your legs to boat speed or negate them entirely. In this video, Lachlan Davey discusses why you need to change how you think about opening the body. When and how to open the body is often a source of confusion for rowers and coaches.
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Video Transcript
so there's a fair bit of confusion with
rowers when it comes to opening the
body and what that actually means a lot
of people and coaches as well think that
opening the body means sort of opening
up with the shoulders like this like you
know like changing the position of the
upper body like this when we're talking
about opening the body up at the catch
so you come in to be coming to the catch
we're talking about opening up with the
lower body so the lower body against the
legs at the catch and then the upper
body towards the finish and so what
we're talking about with upper body you
know from the chest up think about that
is upper body it's the shoulders so you
don't want to be lifting at the catch
with the shoulders you don't be lifting
up like this you want to be starting to
get that power through the lower body
and using that push against the legs so
come into the catch hang with the arms
so at the catch place the blade push
with the legs and at the same time start
to engage this lower body and then
towards the end of the stroke open up
with the upper body
so the catch place hang with the arms
push with the legs and start to open up
with this lower body here so you really
want to connect the strong muscles of
the legs the strong muscles in the back
and hold that through that first part of
the drive phase pushing down holding and
then the upper body comes into it so
when we're talking about opening up the
body at the catch that's what we're
talking about we're talking about the
lower body and what we're really doing
is talking about engagement it's very
hard if you're pushing with the legs and
you're well connected and hanging with
the arms to actually open that body up
at all and that's what you want in a
sense you want to be loaded up but you
don't want to be opening up because that
would indicate that you're not pushing
hard enough with the legs so it's a bit
of a mental trick to try and get you to
become more engaged so engaging the legs
through the body and into the arms
so at the finish tap down come forward to
set your position off the back come into
the catch place the blade push with the
legs engage the lower body start opening
up or un-curling as Ken would say and
then as you get towards the finish you
start to open up with upper body and tap
out go on to the next stroke so try and
think about opening the body up but
we're talking about the lower body of
the catch the upper body at the finish
and we don't want to be you know making
any big movements it's just a very
continuous open opening up that's not up
like this it's not like any big
movements with the shoulders it's hang
push open with the lower body finish
with the upper body continue on to the
next stroke
rowers when it comes to opening the
body and what that actually means a lot
of people and coaches as well think that
opening the body means sort of opening
up with the shoulders like this like you
know like changing the position of the
upper body like this when we're talking
about opening the body up at the catch
so you come in to be coming to the catch
we're talking about opening up with the
lower body so the lower body against the
legs at the catch and then the upper
body towards the finish and so what
we're talking about with upper body you
know from the chest up think about that
is upper body it's the shoulders so you
don't want to be lifting at the catch
with the shoulders you don't be lifting
up like this you want to be starting to
get that power through the lower body
and using that push against the legs so
come into the catch hang with the arms
so at the catch place the blade push
with the legs and at the same time start
to engage this lower body and then
towards the end of the stroke open up
with the upper body
so the catch place hang with the arms
push with the legs and start to open up
with this lower body here so you really
want to connect the strong muscles of
the legs the strong muscles in the back
and hold that through that first part of
the drive phase pushing down holding and
then the upper body comes into it so
when we're talking about opening up the
body at the catch that's what we're
talking about we're talking about the
lower body and what we're really doing
is talking about engagement it's very
hard if you're pushing with the legs and
you're well connected and hanging with
the arms to actually open that body up
at all and that's what you want in a
sense you want to be loaded up but you
don't want to be opening up because that
would indicate that you're not pushing
hard enough with the legs so it's a bit
of a mental trick to try and get you to
become more engaged so engaging the legs
through the body and into the arms
so at the finish tap down come forward to
set your position off the back come into
the catch place the blade push with the
legs engage the lower body start opening
up or un-curling as Ken would say and
then as you get towards the finish you
start to open up with upper body and tap
out go on to the next stroke so try and
think about opening the body up but
we're talking about the lower body of
the catch the upper body at the finish
and we don't want to be you know making
any big movements it's just a very
continuous open opening up that's not up
like this it's not like any big
movements with the shoulders it's hang
push open with the lower body finish
with the upper body continue on to the
next stroke