Pushing the stretcher with toes or heels.

[PaulS]

See what you have gone and caused, Dougie?!

Not me. It was Chris Rowe who banished him to his diary on the UK forum.

Oh, sorry... But didn't you suggest what would happen when that was done? It took a few weeks with that, perhaps it never would have occurred without.

[Nosmo]

Small people don't like it too much because it increases toe wheel overlap substantially.

It seems that would be more of an issue for those with bigger feet (or longer toes).

Also more of an issue with bikes that have insignificant trail, i.e. bikes that turn on a dime but don't have much stability.

All true but small bikes have a relatively shorter top tube which puts the front wheel closer to the crank. Even with little trail and large feet, larger bikes rarely have overlap, while short people often have overlap with normal feet. It is because of this overlap that small bikes usually have steeper seat tubes--it puts the front wheel further from the pedals while keeping the top tube short.

[jbell]

What if you can keep your heels down at the catch? I haven't read the article yet, but I will (if it answers this question).

[NavigationHazard]

http://www.biorow.com/RBN_en_2008_files ... News07.pdf

Conclusion: It is necessary to push the stretcher with toes at catch and with heels during the second half of the drive. The ability to shift the pressure smoothly and coordinate it with the trunk movement depends on the rower’s skill and is very important for effective rowing technique.

Nice article. Thanks.

IMO that's actually a somewhat infelicitous translation of what I assume to have been Kleshnev's original Russian:

В захвате необходимо прикладывать усилие к подножке через носки ступней, а во второй половине гребка следует толкать подножку
через пятки. Способность быстро и без разрывов перенести усилие с носков на пятки зависит от мастерства гребца и очень важно для достижения эффективной и результативной техники гребли.

I think the underlying problem is a certain 'looseness' in both languages as to whether "toes" means just the 10 digits themselves or whether it's shorthand for the whole front part of the foot. I personally am inclined to translate the conclusion something like:

"At the catch, it is necessary to apply force to the stretcher via the front part of the foot; in the second half of the drive, it follows to push on the stretcher through the heels. The ability to shift the effort from the front to the heel of the foot smoothly and without breaks depends on the skill of the rower, and is very important in achieving an effective, productive rowing technique."

[igoeja]

It was fairly obvious, that the translation, from Russian/Slavic was less than perfect.

The argument over toes vs ball was much too literal to take seriously, but if it were a little tolerance goes a long way; I work in technology, where much of the staff is foreign-born.

[ranger]

"At the catch, it is necessary to apply force to the stretcher via the front part of the foot; in the second half of the drive, it follows to push on the stretcher through the heels. The ability to shift the effort from the front to the heel of the foot smoothly and without breaks depends on the skill of the rower, and is very important in achieving an effective, productive rowing technique."

While I was watching the Olympics yesterday, it occured to me that the action at the footplate in rowing is closely comparable to springboard diving/trampolining.

At the point of maximal downward force, when the diver/trampoliner starts to move upward, the legs are flexed at the knees and the initial thrust is with the quads through the balls of the feet.

As the diver/jumper extends the legs at the knees, however, as in the rowing stroke, the diver/trampoliner rocks back with the foot and the last part of the knee extension is done with the gluts and hams through the heels.

What is left out of the description of action at the footplate in rowing by Kleshnev, though, is also true of the dynamics of diving/trampolining--and this involves not just the balls of the feet but the toes.

As the diver/trampolines leaves the board/trampoline, the toes are pushed downward and pointed.

As in rowing, the action with the feet in diving/trampolining, then, is not two-part (balls of the feet and then heels) but three: balls of the feet, heels, toes.

All three of these parts of the action at the footplate are important to the overall power of the rowing stroke.

ranger

[Jamie Pfeffer]

Thanks for posting this article. If I remember correctly, you've shared other good ones in the last few years.

I appreciate it.

Best,
Jamie

[HammerHead Sk8r]

I didn't realize I was using good foot technique...I thought I was pushing off the ball of my feet at the catch because I wasn't flexible enough to get my shins vertical without lifting my heels up significantly....dang!! Who knew?

Interesting enough though, in slalom skateboard racing a lot of skaters are now wedging the tail of their boards so that their back foot has the heel raised so that there is more down force on the rear truck coming from the ball of the foot. It is the same principle...pretty cool stuff. The ankle/foot/shin/calf assembly is a miracle of design!!

[Andy Nield]

While I was watching the Olympics yesterday, it occured to me that the action at the footplate in rowing is closely comparable to springboard diving/trampolining.

Yeah, but it's a real pain having to get back into the boat after every stroke...

[HammerHead Sk8r]

While I was watching the Olympics yesterday, it occured to me that the action at the footplate in rowing is closely comparable to springboard diving/trampolining.

Yeah, but it's a real pain having to get back into the boat after every stroke...

Ha ha ha...Hilarious! Good on ya!

[ranger]

Heels should be used in the _middle_ of the drive.

Balls of the feet at the catch.

Toes and front of the foot at the finish of the legs.

Leveraging the swing of the back and arm pull off the front of the foot provides a straighter, and therefore, more powerful angle for the application of force to the handle when pulling with the upper body.

Finish the push with the legs before swinging the back and pulling with the arms.

Point those toes, driving down with the front of the foot, when you finish your legs.

Then swing and pull.

The drive has five (relatively equal) beats.

(1) Quads and balls of the feet
(2) Gluts, hams, and heels
(3) Calves, front of the foot, and toes
(4) Abs and back
(5) Arms

ranger

[HammerHead Sk8r]

(Warning: 2 Year Newbie POst To Follow:)

Ok...I worked on this last night during a recovery 10000 m row (I just started a goal of 750,000m in 10 weeks and have done 55,000m in 4 days)....

I was able to engage the ball of the foot at the catch, be in full contact at the middle part of the stroke, heels down, at the end but I was struggling keeping my toes in contact at full extension. Matter of fact I was literally rocked back on my heels with the ball of my foot not touching the plate at all....I don't use the straps based on previous advice I got so what do I need to do to stay in contact with the plate? Or does it matter?

[johnlvs2run]

I was struggling keeping my toes in contact at full extension. Matter of fact I was literally rocked back on my heels with the ball of my foot not touching the plate at all.

Your heels need to stay in contact with the plates but not your whole foot.

If your forefeet were kept down, then you wouldn't be able to extend your legs properly.

So you are doing it the right way.

[HammerHead Sk8r]

I was struggling keeping my toes in contact at full extension. Matter of fact I was literally rocked back on my heels with the ball of my foot not touching the plate at all.

Your heels need to stay in contact with the plates but not your whole foot.

If your forefeet were kept down, then you wouldn't be able to extend your legs properly.

So you are doing it property.

Thanks John! I greatly appreciate all of the advice. I am feeling motivated about my goal...only 695,000 m to go before Halloween!! ha ha

[Citroen]

(Warning: 2 Year Newbie POst To Follow:)

Since you're a newbie, you may not have encountered Rich "Ranger" Cureton. He has been the bane of http://concept2.co.uk/forum (until his access was restricted by the site admin).

Rich has some interesting theories about rowing, many of which don't bear formal scrutiny, some of which are completely hare-brained.

Most of us like to tease Rich about his complete turn around in performance since his 6:27 in 2003 to something worse than 7:04 at the last competition.

Take most of what he writes with a large pinch of salt.