Improve the Stroke - Sweep hand on the oar position   (+ 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.
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​Hand position on the sweep oar is essential for power and feathering. If the hands are too far apart, less power is the result and if too close together, then feathering is an issue, but the stroke is shortened due to the finish being compromised.  

Watch to ensure that the hands are appropriately positioned for better outcomes. 

Correct Position:

Here we see Eddy demonstrating the correct hand position in a sweep boat.
Please keep the outside hand on the end of the oar and avoid putting the little finger on the end. See below for more explanation.

• Sweep handle for beginners

The inside hand should be comfortable about shoulder-width apart. Please see the video below for more detail.​

• Sweep Handle Exercises
• How to handle the sweep oar

Hands too close issue:

​​Here Eddy demonstrates having the hands not far enough apart. We suggest using rubber bands to educate the athletes as per the below video.​

• Using a rubber band on the sweep handle - easy way to fix the issue

Tense grip:

It is crucial to have a relaxed grip on the oar as a tight grip causes many issues in the boat, from adversely affecting balance and boat run to health issues in the wrist and upper body.

Lyall discusses relaxed grip in the video below, both for sweep and sculling.​

• ​The vital importance of grip and relaxation

Inside hand too far down the shaft issue:

Here the inside hand is too far down the shaft with a loss of feathering control and less power in the drive phase.

Hence, we suggest watching for this and using rubber bands described in the above video repeated below to correct the issue.

• Using a rubber band on the sweep handle​​