Improve the Stroke - Head Position at the Rowing Finish (+ Common Problems)

Please look at the examples below and review your positions or that of your crew. Anthony Edwards, five times Olympic athlete, demonstrates common issues.
​
Having the correct head position at the finish is essential for proper posture. 

We suggest that you sit at the finish position (on a chair) and move your head forward and back to demonstrate the head position's influence on posture.​

• Improve the Stroke - Sweep Finish Body Position

Correct Position:

Here Eddy demonstrates the correct head position at the finish with the head in a neutral position looking in the horizontal plane.

This results in a strong shoulder position and upper back.

​Head down at the finish:

​​There are a couple of issues with this head position in that it tends to inhibit free breathing, which is very important.

​This position also tends to change the back position and reduce the power available at the finish.

Finally, this is common in stroke coach addicts and should be avoided as athletes row better with a good boat feel, and technology can assist but only as a check occasionally.

Head too high:

This position encourages the athlete to lean back too far, and having the head in this position tends to encourage the athlete to lose some contact with the boat as their view is upward.

Head projected forward:

This position is not relaxed and therefore works against good posture.  

You will also find that the finish tends to be less powerful when compared to having the shoulders and neck a little further back, as demonstrated in the top image above. Again, this is because the finish is not fully complete at this point.