coaching the erg
coaching the erg
hi, i'm a rower and my cousin from california is visiting with me for a couple weeks.. he asked me to show him how to use the rower so i spent a while coaching him.. he made all the normal novice mistakes i.e. legs up before hands on recovery, arms broken at catch, shooting the slide. after a while i eventually got him using his legs and he was holding it consistently around 2:20-2:30. his recovery was still pretty chaotic, with the hands/legs out of order, not good pivot towards catch, etc. he was definitely getting a lot better and i am glad to help but i am having trouble thinking of ways to explain the resistance in the leg drive to him. also, it is hard for me to push the correct recovery sequence because i recognize it is a lot to think about from scratch so his drive falls apart if he thinks about the recovery. anyway, i'm sure everyone here has seen these things a million times, but i am trying to coach him into it and would like to see him succeed. it has been a while since ive been a novice myself so i was wondering if anyone here had any particular tricks, drills, or analogies that would help me explain these things to get him rowing well.
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PaulS
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The common way (5 minute max) is to first describe and demonstrate the sequence, beginning from the release, and noting that there really is no end to the stroke, it is a continuous process once started.
Hands away, Body pivot, Slide to the catch, Drive the legs, pivot the body, draw in the hands.. Repeat.
Do each of the three components very distinctly, what we would term "segmented" so that the sequence is very easy to see.
As you demonstrate this, slowly transistion to a more normal stroke where the components overlap slightly and blend into a more fluid motion, making sure to show that the order remains intact.
You can also show them that the sequence is common in every day movement, i.e. You see something on the floor that you want to pick up and look at. - you extend your arm, bend over at the hips, finally bend at the knee to get your hand to the floor and grasp the object, then you straighten the leg, pivot to upright and then bring your hand up to observe the object more closely.
The focus early on should be to get teh technique correct so bad habits are not ingrained attempting to produce a "fast pace" which is not really very fast anyway. Get it right, then do it more forcefully, more fun will be had in the long run.
Hands away, Body pivot, Slide to the catch, Drive the legs, pivot the body, draw in the hands.. Repeat.
Do each of the three components very distinctly, what we would term "segmented" so that the sequence is very easy to see.
As you demonstrate this, slowly transistion to a more normal stroke where the components overlap slightly and blend into a more fluid motion, making sure to show that the order remains intact.
You can also show them that the sequence is common in every day movement, i.e. You see something on the floor that you want to pick up and look at. - you extend your arm, bend over at the hips, finally bend at the knee to get your hand to the floor and grasp the object, then you straighten the leg, pivot to upright and then bring your hand up to observe the object more closely.
The focus early on should be to get teh technique correct so bad habits are not ingrained attempting to produce a "fast pace" which is not really very fast anyway. Get it right, then do it more forcefully, more fun will be had in the long run.
Erg on,
Paul Smith
www.ps-sport.net Your source for Useful Rowing Accessories and Training Assistance.
"If you don't want to know the answer, don't ask me the question."
Paul Smith
www.ps-sport.net Your source for Useful Rowing Accessories and Training Assistance.
"If you don't want to know the answer, don't ask me the question."