Separate Handle and Seat Movement at the Rowing Catch
In this video, Ken and Bec discuss the importance of separating the handle and seat movements at the catch.
If this separation is exact, the rower can maximise length and power. The boat doesn't slow as much at the catch, resulting in a faster and more efficient stroke. |
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Video Transcript
If you're not connected then you're trying to push then there's you're just kind of shooting like there's nothing to push against really it's all speed rather than actual weight and connection
i found often it's handy for people to think about it the catch as two movements up push so when you come into the catch you can go and you can say you say to yourself call it out up push up push as they're two separate things okay it's not push up or or pushing upwards up then push okay keep your hands going even when your seat comes to the catch and you've got to stop and change direction so that's kind of the bit where i thought that i need to get my blade in here while my seat's not moving so then that way i can i'll be in and connect it by the time i start actually taking stroke you're working on getting the catch in and connected quickly before taking the actual stroke one thing that i did to remind myself every stroke i'd start coming into the catch and i'd just say so sit so i just say sit inside my head when i get to the catch so that means just sitting at the catch not moving my legs or hips just sitting there and then i'd say up which was up with my hands so just get my blades in the water just drop the drop the blades in so if you sit up sit up so sit being just stop and sit there and get the blade in and up being actually putting the blade in the water i know that um i've got my connection at the catch when i can feel the weight on my toes in on the foot plate so you when you're connected you've got something to push against and if you're not connected then you're trying to push then there's you're just kind of shooting like there's nothing to push against really it's all speed rather than actual weight and connection i just think about making sure that i can feel the pressure of the water on the back of the blades before you put your heels down which is hard to do i think because you often go to push before you can even have that like it's hard to stop yourself but i changed where i was thinking about feeling my pressure of the pressure against the water and going feeling it through my toes rather than through my hands and then that's where i could feel that connection more in my toes rather than like against my toes against the foot plate there rather than through my hands so the concept what we're trying to do by making sure we get the blade in the water and connected before the significant leg drive is the one of the first steps is you need to be able to separate the handle movement from the seat movement a lot of athletes will find that if the handle is moving the seat is moving whereas if you if you come into the catch keep the handle moving and change it so the seat doesn't move whilst the blade starts to go in and then push then you'll find that you get good outcomes so it's about separating the handle movement from the seat movement
i found often it's handy for people to think about it the catch as two movements up push so when you come into the catch you can go and you can say you say to yourself call it out up push up push as they're two separate things okay it's not push up or or pushing upwards up then push okay keep your hands going even when your seat comes to the catch and you've got to stop and change direction so that's kind of the bit where i thought that i need to get my blade in here while my seat's not moving so then that way i can i'll be in and connect it by the time i start actually taking stroke you're working on getting the catch in and connected quickly before taking the actual stroke one thing that i did to remind myself every stroke i'd start coming into the catch and i'd just say so sit so i just say sit inside my head when i get to the catch so that means just sitting at the catch not moving my legs or hips just sitting there and then i'd say up which was up with my hands so just get my blades in the water just drop the drop the blades in so if you sit up sit up so sit being just stop and sit there and get the blade in and up being actually putting the blade in the water i know that um i've got my connection at the catch when i can feel the weight on my toes in on the foot plate so you when you're connected you've got something to push against and if you're not connected then you're trying to push then there's you're just kind of shooting like there's nothing to push against really it's all speed rather than actual weight and connection i just think about making sure that i can feel the pressure of the water on the back of the blades before you put your heels down which is hard to do i think because you often go to push before you can even have that like it's hard to stop yourself but i changed where i was thinking about feeling my pressure of the pressure against the water and going feeling it through my toes rather than through my hands and then that's where i could feel that connection more in my toes rather than like against my toes against the foot plate there rather than through my hands so the concept what we're trying to do by making sure we get the blade in the water and connected before the significant leg drive is the one of the first steps is you need to be able to separate the handle movement from the seat movement a lot of athletes will find that if the handle is moving the seat is moving whereas if you if you come into the catch keep the handle moving and change it so the seat doesn't move whilst the blade starts to go in and then push then you'll find that you get good outcomes so it's about separating the handle movement from the seat movement