Concept2 Forum

I just have a question for the rowers out there that have stuck with it for 2 years+. Do you get better?

I am currently going onto my third year of high school rowing and I still feel that everytime I go out, I am just starting again.

My posture sucks, I sometimes forget the difference between port and starboard, and most of all I am just no good at setting up a boat for others.

The only thing in rowing that I am slightly proud of is my 6:55 erg score (2k, of course).

SUMMARY: I suck at technique and common sence and I have been rowing for 2 years.

That's a really solid 2k score, good work.

As for technique, that's where good coaching really comes into play. Do you usually row one side or the other? Or do you get switched around constantly? There's definitely benefit to being able to row both sides, however, especially at the beginning, I think it's important to stick to one side and develop good technique instead of changing constantly and not really getting the technique down.

For me the most helpful thing for my technique outside of usual practice/coaching was watching hours and hours of video on youtube. Just look up rowing videos, there are hundreds if not thousands of them. Another big thing that helped was reading about rowing. I always recommend Rowing Faster - excellent guide for rowing

Keep a Word document in which you write down what you've learned after each practice. Then periodically review that document so that you don't forget.

Easy way to remember port and starboard: port and left both have four letters in them. Port is also a red wine, so red port left, green starboard right. If you are on the water, or just interested in all things nautical, you can't go wrong picking up Royce's Sailing Illustrated:

http://www.amazon.com/Royces-Sailing-Il ... 0911284087

There's a good reason it's only available in print and not ebook: it is filled margin to margin with all sorts of useful tips on just about everything under the sun...most of it pertaining to sailing. But there is also great info on reading the water and weather too.

Thank you all for the great replies! I will do my best to follow each and every one.

Quick note - from the rower's perspective, port is on the right and starboard on the left.

To the cox it's the other way around, but as a rower that's how you view it.

RoidbotPR wrote:Easy way to remember port and starboard: port and left both have four letters in them. Port is also a red wine, so red port left, green starboard right.

There's also a convention of the even numbered cabins on a cruise liner being on the port side.

So the mnemonic I use is: "Even red port left".