On Water Rowing Course Lesson 5 - Basic Catch and the Finish
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Please print this document and use to remind yourself and the athlete of what is needed to execute s good basic catch.
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It is essential that the athlete has a basic understanding of the correct catch movements before undertaking this skill lesson. If they have not already completed the Ergo series of skills, then we strongly suggest having them view the video in Ergo Skill 2 (click here) We suggest that the first drill to undertake to emphasize that the core needs to be turned on just before the catch and that the shoulders and arms are relaxed is the pushback drill with all in the boat participating. The next exercise is to have the crew with oars flat on the water and holding their upper body in a fixed position with relaxed shoulders move from half slide into the catch and back to half slide many times, this reinforces the body position during the first half of the drive phase. It is essential that the shoulders, arms, and grip are relaxed and the seat moves at the same speed as the handle. If the athlete has their glutes and core turned on, and the seat moves faster than the handle at the catch, then we suggest the athlete undertake more core strengthening exercises as detailed in our video "core exercises for every rower" Once this sequence is understood we suggest that one person in the boat (usually bow to start with) balances the boat and the remainder of the crew practice coming into the catch and placing the blade in the water and pushing with relaxed shoulders. Once they can perform a good relaxed catch have the crew row normally but with oars on the water during recovery and utilising the lazy feather technique. Make sure that they are focussing on taking the catch with a solid core and relaxed shoulders and grip. If the crew are capable of balancing the boat, then they can practice this skill with their oars off the water. Once the catch sequence and posture skill are understood, this lesson focuses on the finish. In the video below we discuss how to teach rowing with the correct posture and sequence at the catch and at the finish to particularly ensure that the athlete has a relaxed upper body and hangs off the handle. The pdf to the right below contains the most essential aspects, and we suggest that you print this and take it with you to follow as needed. |
For Members: Extra videos with further information on a good basic catch: For Members:
For when the athletes cannot achieve the correct body positions we have extra videos with further information, click here: On Water Rowing Course Lessons:
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