The Perfect Rowing Catch - How 5x Olympian Anthony Edwards thinks about placing the blade

In this video, Anthony Edwards demonstrates what he does to get the perfect catch. Eddy is a 5x Olympic rower who has an uncanny ability to make boats go faster. His fitness was pretty good, but it's his technique that really made the difference.

Video Transcript

​I would say about that much of your slide that last bit running into the catch i could like the boat was running yeah if this is your stern the stern's running and then i just pull up and there we go now in a good eight in a good boat all round that should just run right so that and that what's the most important thing what's it all about the boat so if your boat's doing that we're going to find out a way to make it keep running because if you think as you're coming into the catch and it's pulling up it's not only pulling up you know that much into your catch you're also losing that into the stroke so you know you've got to make that a turn that negative into a positive you've got to be running in continuous to pick it that's where that timing of the placement and the press is critical that's where your boat slows up and if you don't get it right it slows up even more so it's even worse so you've got to try and nail that so you get it right where does this where does the power phase start you know you think you know you're coming up here and how often do you see that before the blade's actually in the water you've already rowed the stroke through and the legs are on and then the blade goes in that's useless so it's going to be there relax drop then it's on all right that's what we're trying to achieve so it's not a hard tense catch that's what you but yeah you feel when in that movement you feel up in the stern end because it's you know it's been taken off them because everyone's already rowing it in and so it's going to be a drop and on and then we talk about timing it the place and the press that's what it is relax bang on that's that blade in execute the hips and legs on they're on all right that's what we're trying to achieve really