Concept2 Forum

Has anyone had much experience rowing in tandem? I having a difficult time getting in sync with my partner. We both can row on the single slides with little movement. should the base be level? Any suggestions? thoughts?

Point 1: Communication is essential in order for rowing on slides.

One thing I recommend is for the bowman to put down his monitor and rely on the stroke seat calling out stroke rating changes. A lot of times the monitor can be a distraction, and having it either lowered, or down, lets one focus on the rower in front.

In my mind, the biggest thing one can do is communicate with your partner about how it FEELS. Obviously, if you are bouncing off the slides each stroke its no good, but talk about what you feel at the catch and the finish. It could be that someone is catching early, rushing the catch, or needs to get hands away faster. Constructive dialogue leads to better form and happy rowers.

Point 2:

On slides, visualize yourself as bringing the erg to you, rather than bringing yourself up the slide to the erg. I know it sounds silly, but concentrating on bringing the erg to you really helps. Watching a rower on slides from the side, and you'll see very little horizontal movement in the rower as compared to the motion of the erg.

Point 3:

Don't get discouraged if you bang off the slides, keep rowing and follow points 1 and 2.

PSU you row in the LTWT 4 last year at Dad Vail/are you in that boat this year?

Hey Elamonta,

The answer to your first question is no, I was a freshman novice last year. The answer to your second question is I honestly don't know, it depends what sort of boat(s) my coach wants to make with the team's lights. I'm guessing you rowed in a LTWT 4 last year. Who did you row for?

jksisk wrote:Has anyone had much experience rowing in tandem? I having a difficult time getting in sync with my partner. We both can row on the single slides with little movement. should the base be level? Any suggestions? thoughts?

Definitely make sure that the slides have been leveled. Once you are sure of that it's just like being in the boat, there is a leader and a follower, decide who will be who and go from there. My wife and I row together in a 2x and Slides, no talking is required, simply feel what is going on and work with that.

Closed eye drill? (no danger of running into anything, as when in a boat)

I don't think communicating is that critical - just like OTW. The stroke sets a rhythm and everyone else matches it. Now sure if your stroke is getting lazy, cuss' him out and get moving..

Seriously, I think when you follow your stroke, make sure you focus on him/her more than on your monitor.

There used to be a video at youtube with two good rowers on slides. It mentioned it was their first time as a double on slides, but they looked good. If I remember right, they even added music to the video. I tried to bring it up recently and it had been removed.

Paul, maybe sometime you could post a video of you and your wife on the slides?

Byron

Byron Drachman wrote:There used to be a video at youtube with two good rowers on slides. It mentioned it was their first time as a double on slides, but they looked good. If I remember right, they even added music to the video. I tried to bring it up recently and it had been removed.

Paul, maybe sometime you could post a video of you and your wife on the slides?

Byron

I'll work on that if we manage to see the sunshine one of these days.

In a boat one can see the the oars making following easier. You can tape a thin rod to the handle so that the hand movement of the stroke is visible. This allows one to match hand movements and see changes in stroke rating more easily. DOn't do this all the time, because one wants to learn to go by feel but this can help a lot especially with novices.

A couple of years ago five of us did a Quint and didn't seem to have too much difficulty, even though we had never rowed together before.

(Fred Dickie 'coxing' Paul Flack, Rick Martin, Rick Bayko, Frank Knight, & Will Haskell)
I must admit that our attitude was more one of having fun doing something oddball than of serious training.