Of all sports, rowing provides the best total body workout with the least amount of impact on the joints. People of all ages, shapes, and sizes can row well and people who learn to row tend to continue with the sport throughout their lives.
You can row as a part of a crew, which will rapidly increase your skill level and provide camaraderie, or you may opt to row in a shell by yourself so that you can progress at your own rate.
To row a single scull, just follow these simple steps:
1. Choose your equipment carefully. You’ll need a sculling shell, a pair of lightweight fiberglass oars, sunscreen, socks, and plenty of water. Make sure that the shell and the oars are of the proper sizes for your height and build.
Examine the boat to familiarize yourself with its features. You’ll see a seat that slides on two tracks. In front of the seat, observe the footwell and footstretcher, where you’ll place your feet. Protruding from each side of the shell, you’ll find the riggers of the boat. At the end of each rigger is the oarlock. The oarlock is opened by twisting the small nut on top and lifting the metal bar to allow the oar to be inserted. Look to see where the bow ball (a small rubber ball that protects the shell from damage cause by accidentally hitting objects) is-this is the bow of the boat, the part that points forward down the course. You’ll be sitting in the seat facing away from the bow ball toward the stern.
Now examine the oars. Comprised of the oar shaft (long, thin fiberglass tube), the handle, the blade (the part that goes in the water), and the collar and button, this will be the lever you use to move the shell. You’ll notice that the blade (if it is a newer type) is rectangular in shape and extends outward from the shaft farther in one direction than the other. You’ll also notice that the blade is slightly concave, which will allow the oar to cup the water and provides for more streamlined progress through the water. The collar is a little less than halfway down the oar and is encircled by the button, which will prevent the oar from sliding out of the oarlock away from you. The handle of the oar is located at the end of the oar opposite the blade, rubberized for easy gripping and to prevent wear and tear on the hands.
2. Stage your sculling oars on the dock or very close to the launching site, unless you have someone to assist you in carrying your equipment to the water. You’ll need to be able to get to the oars and back to the shell before it can drift.
3. Carry your shell to the water. Most people prefer the carry where the hull faces skyward and the seat of the shell rests on your head. Do not attempt to carry equipment that is too heavy or awkward for you to properly control it. Ask for help in launching if necessary.
4. Take one oar and place it in the oarlock closest to the dock or shore. The concave cup of the blade should face the stern of the boat (the direction you’ll face when seated), with the large part of the blade square pointing down toward the dock. Then, install the other oar. Be sure to properly tighten the nut on the oarlocks to prevent your blade from popping free while you are rowing.
5. You are now ready to launch. Remove your shoes and place them in the footwell of the shell, with your water supply. While standing on the dock, grip the handle of the outside oar and run the oar all the way out until the button hits the oarlock. From this point forward, at least one of your hands must remain on both oars at all times. If you release one oar, you will roll the single to that side and you’ll be swimming. (Note: Sculling shell are designed to float, so when (because you will) go in the water, ALWAYS STAY WITH THE BOAT.) Slide the seat toward the bow on the tracks and, facing the stern, place your foot closest to the edge of the dock onto the boat deck in between the tracks. Transfer your weight into the boat and sit down, sliding your feet directly into the shoes on the footstretcher. Do not step down into the footwell as the hull is very thin and may be easily perforated. Secure your feet in the shoes.
6. Gripping the handles of the oars with your outside hand, walk the boat down the dock with your other hand. As soon as you are clear of the dock, grip one handle with each hand, making sure to keep your thumbs around the ends of the handles. Your starting position is called the finish-both hands are pulled into your chest with your elbow pointing out from your body, your legs are fully extended, and you are leaning your torso in a 10 degree reclined position.
7. The rowing stroke is made up of four components: arms away, body over, up the slide, and the drive. The first three are collectively known as the recovery-the oar is traveling over the water to the point where it will enter and complete the stroke. You are moving forward in your seat toward the stern of the boat during the recovery. The drive is the movement of the blade through the water. You are moving backward in your seat on the drive.
8. Breaking down the recovery:
Arms away-sitting in the finish position, you move your hands away from your chest toward the stern at a brisk pace, with your hands held at a height where the blade, parallel to the water (feathered), is approximately four inches from the surface.
Body over-with your hands away and held at the same height, bend quickly forward from your hips toward the stern, keeping your back straight. It is at this point that you rotate the oar handle a quarter turn to make the blade perpendicular to the water.
Up the slide-with your hands away and body over, keep your upper body in the same position and slowly travel forward on the slide until your calves are fully compressed to your thighs, with your knees completely bent and your legs pressed together.
Drop your squared up oar immediately into the water.
9. The drive is performed in the reverse order of the recovery. With the oar traveling through the water, push off with the legs from the footstretcher, then rotate your torso backwards, and finally pull in your arms. You are back at the finish position. Pop the oar out of the water squared and quickly feather it for the next recovery.
You are rowing!
This article is not intended as a substitute for the experience of a rowing coach, but rather, to give those interested a rundown of what to expect on the water. There is so much more to know about rowing than any one article can cover-how to turn the boat, how to dock properly, the stroke ratio, etc.-but this is a good jumping-off point. Rowing is a sport that constantly evolves with the skill and effort of the participant. There is no such thing as a perfect rower, which means that there is always some aspect to learn or refine. The most important thing is to just stick with it. The learning curve is so steep for the first six months to a year, but things will smooth out and the joy you will receive from this sport is worth all the effort.
