Improve the Stroke - Sit Square on the Seat  (+ 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. These problems are more common in sweep boats, but it's also an issue in sculling. These positions tend to cause other issues, particularly with balance.
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​This issue of not sitting square on the seat is straightforward to correct. Two aspects need attention:

1. Sitting square on the seat will assist in boat balance; therefore, please observe and have the athlete in the seat behind keep an eye on the correct posture.

2. Sometimes, you will find that athletes move on the seat between strokes; please encourage them to get it right and don't fidget.

Severe twist to the left:
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Here we see Eddy demonstrating a severe twist to the left, which will cause balance issues and distortion of the catch. 

​Slight twist to the right:

​​Here Eddy demonstrates the athlete reaching to the right. As you can see, this tends to create a balance issue on the right side.

Sitting straight on the seat with an even torso will lead to better balance, and a good catch is likely to result.

Severe twist to the right:

Here Eddy is reaching on the right and swivelling on the seat, creating issues with balance and evenness at the catch.

Uneven on the seat and lunging on the recovery:
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While unbalanced on the seat, you can see Eddy is lunging forward off the back.

You can see postural problems from behind the athlete. Mainly watch for the head dipping down and the shoulders dropping.