Form video

[mg6682]

Hello, hope alls well. A quick vid of me rowing and would appreciate some tips. I've been rowing (erg) off and on for a few years, nothing serious though and all self taught via the net (a few hours w a college level coach). A year or so ago, I switched to rowing strapless 100% of the time. I probably would for a test, but really have no use for the erg other than fitness. The video is short. I'm rowing strapless, about 5-6 range damper and topped at about a 1:35 avg/500m. What do you all think?

Things that I try to focus and improve on:

At the catch, I contract my abs, tell myself, "straight arms", then drive w the legs. I'm finding when I do this I seem to get a lot less of a pull at the ends w my arms. This seems to be improving as my catch timing improves.

I notice at the catch my seat sometimes will roll before the hands do. More work on timing?

Looking at the video, my posture seems a bit "hunched", if you will.

Thanks- Morgan.

[sharp_rower]

Other people can chime in on this, but I don't like the idea of rowing strapless. It prevents you from fully using the backward momentum of your body mass during the drive and really push off with your legs, as you're supposed to. I can tell that at your finish you are seemingly forced to stop your stroke short in order to stop, when you might be able to get more length if you have the straps on.

Also, it seems that you are rushing the slide right at the end of the recovery in order to grab extra length at the catch. And your shins are far beyond the vertical at the catch, which suggests you're using your upper body during the first phase of the drive more than you should. Your posture looks OK to me, except at the catch, when you are reaching in with your upper body further than you should. Also, I can tell that your arms are breaking a little too soon; your arms need to be nice and straight during the first phase of the drive in order to maximize the amount of power you can transfer from your legs into the handle and thus the flywheel. Basically, it looks like your forearms are involved at the same time as your legs, which they shouldn't (other than to provide a sturdy connection to the handle).

[hjs]

Strong stroke for strapless.

Strapless rowing has a lot off plusses, but the minus is not being able to use it at high speed, for that it is not suited. Just like you show in the vid, leaning back is difficult, at lower paces ot can be done a bit better.
To have a fair idea of you technique you better look at piece of you erging at a longer training kind of pace. Not sprinting, not really focussing on technique, but just your normal stroke.
At the moment you overreach, don,t sit up enough at the catch and don,t have layback, mostly fue the pace I guess.

[Cyclingman1]

I feel that rowing strapless distorts your rowing stoke and hinders your rowing. There are only three connections to the rower: hands, feet, and butt, and the butt has no control. When you take away the strap, the feet now lose the control that they contribute. There are momentums in the rowing that the feet can help to control if they are fully contained, otherwise they tend to fly off of the foot stretchers. Rowing strapless is only a tool to help with some aspects of the stroke, but definitely is not intended to be used for serious rowing. I say put the strap back on and then work on your stroke. Now, I'm seeing some sort of funky arm movement on the drive. Not sure what that is all about. It might go away when you get the strap back on.

[hjs]

I feel that rowing strapless distorts your rowing stoke and hinders your rowing. There are only three connections to the rower: hands, feet, and butt, and the butt has no control. When you take away the strap, the feet now lose the control that they contribute. There are momentums in the rowing that the feet can help to control if they are fully contained, otherwise they tend to fly off of the foot stretchers. Rowing strapless is only a tool to help with some aspects of the stroke, but definitely is not intended to be used for serious rowing. I say put the strap back on and then work on your stroke. Now, I'm seeing some sort of funky arm movement on the drive. Not sure what that is all about. It might go away when you get the strap back on.

Re flying off the strechers, that only happens when you finish the stroke and leave energy, one of the main reasons strapless rowing is done. In some classes very strong times have been set training 90/95% strapless. Only real speedwork and races strapped in.

And again this clip is not suited to judge the stroke, a more basic pace should be used.

[Citroen]

Other people can chime in on this, but I don't like the idea of rowing strapless. It prevents you from fully using the backward momentum of your body mass during the drive and really push off with your legs, as you're supposed to. I can tell that at your finish you are seemingly forced to stop your stroke short in order to stop, when you might be able to get more length if you have the straps on.

I disagree. Strapless means you have to have better control everything. You'll stop relying on the straps at the finish (because you shouldn't have any momentum left as the force curve drops down to zero) and stop using them to haul you back to the front (use your muscles to fold the leg instead).

[Cyclingman1]

Strapless means you have to have better control everything.

Really? Better? I think it is more like you can get away with it if this ... or that ... limiting conditions. I think strapless rowing is akin to bicycling without feet locked into pedals. Yes, one can do it, but at what costs? I'm waiting for some really good rowers to post and say just how it is that they don't need straps. I'm thinking the count is not going to be high.

[Edward4492]

i made a serious attempt at strapless rowing; in fact got to where I could do 2000m at a 2:00-2:05 pace. But I got some pretty serious lower back muscle pain and spasms.Seemed like it took a lot more effort to stay on the erg and resulted in a lot of muscle tension.I gave up the experiment. For a pure indoor rower, can't see the point. For someone who is a real rower (OTW) perhaps the control is necessary for sculling. I watched video of Mike Van Buren at B's last year; he seems to have a very refined, controlled stroke that I can envision he carries over to sculling (along with being a WR holder on the erg). Rowing appears to be a much different endeavor than erging.

[MartijnvBebber]

I rather do a 5x2k max than to row strapless.

[Cyclingman1]

I got some pretty serious lower back muscle pain and spasms.Seemed like it took a lot more effort to stay on the erg and resulted in a lot of muscle tension.

Why am I not surprised? The feet are not immobile on the rowing stroke. When the heels come down and the legs straighten the foot is going to come up unless restrained by a strap. In addition on recovery, the hamstrings pull the rower up the rail because the foot is anchored against the strap. Without the strap, one is forced to slow and/or use muscles awkwardly. If someone wants to row strapless, then so be it. No way can anyone convince me that it has more merit than locking down the foot.

[mg6682]

Thanks for the replies. I'll do another video, strapped, and at a normal pace to see if there is much difference. A normal workout for me is generally intervals of 3-5 mins (along w other exercises). Yesterday's workout was 4 x 5 min intervals at about 1:51/1:52 pace (strapless).

[Hillclimber]

Do competitive rowers go strapless when racing otw? or perhaps it is a training technique more common to otw rowers, as edward posits?

but if otw rowers strap in for most of training and all racing, then 'nough said.


i have trained one-legged on cycling trainers, climbed (on the road) with hands off the bars. these are purely training techniques to work on form, and to isolate some muscle groups perhaps. making up some tiny fraction of total training volume. no one would compete on a bike using such strategies, nor be allowed to in fact.

[Citroen]

Strapless means you have to have better control everything.

Really? Better? I think it is more like you can get away with it if this ... or that ... limiting conditions. I think strapless rowing is akin to bicycling without feet locked into pedals. Yes, one can do it, but at what costs? I'm waiting for some really good rowers to post and say just how it is that they don't need straps. I'm thinking the count is not going to be high.

I found a discussion that Tom Bohrer was recommending strapless on the ergo, but the link to the PDF (which was hosted on http://concept2.com) is dead.

[jackarabit]

Bad rower (read weak, small, slow) here but I'm up to rate 27 strapless. Certainly encourages a quick elbows back handle to abdomen finish which checks body momentum and equally quick hands away which pulls the trunk over fwd. The strap buckles on our YMCA gym machines are very prone to slip and work loose to the point that the strap falls free. In the last two months I've noticed while rowing cinched down that I'm no longer creating the foot movement that loosens the straps. This can only mean that toes of my shoes aren't lifting off at the finish.

I only row strapless for warmups and warmdowns and believe doing so has influenced the mechanics of my stroke for the better. My angle of backward lean has definitely increased over the last few months whether strapped or strapless. Of course I do use my feet as the anchor point for pulling myself back to the catch when short stroking at rate 32. Who doesn't? Jack




'

[hjs]

Do competitive rowers go strapless when racing otw? or perhaps it is a training technique more common to otw rowers, as edward posits?

but if otw rowers strap in for most of training and all racing, then 'nough said.


i have trained one-legged on cycling trainers, climbed (on the road) with hands off the bars. these are purely training techniques to work on form, and to isolate some muscle groups perhaps. making up some tiny fraction of total training volume. no one would compete on a bike using such strategies, nor be allowed to in fact.

Racing is never donr strapless. You are always slower.