Coxing Drills Flashcards
Accrilia/Pick Drill
Starting with tapping square blade, then arms only, then with body swing, then quarter slide, then half, three quarter full, then feathered rowing.
Though a warm up exercise, it is very good at getting body motions in time, as well as for crews with tap down problems, etc. Therefore can be done multiple times a session if necessary, also call back down accrilia (half slide back to quarter slide, etc) to make it really stick.
Check Points/Pause drills
either every stroke then every three of five strokes, call a pause at a certain part of the stroke, i.e hands away, body over, half slide etc.
This will aid timing and balance as you have to do that in order to remain balanced at the pause, though only have them pause for 3 seconds or so before saying “go”.
Cutting the Cake/air strokes
every stroke then every three or five, tell the crew to go out to hands away, then back to their chests then take a normal stroke.
This too will help with getting the crew truly in sync during the recovery phase as they focus on timing and reaching the same parts of the stroke together. Also helps with handle heights
Square blade rowing
aids tapping down and handle heights.
Again, useful doing it alternately with normal rowing, with ten strokes on then off. Also you can call only some of the crew to square blade, i.e “stroke and 7, square blades, balance the boat for them guys”, or even bow side/stroke side or in fours.
Inside/outside hand rowing
This is good for crews having blade depth issues or generally for any crew that could do with a bit more blade work practice.
The deliberate handicap makes normal rowing so much better afterwards, particularly when combined with inside hand down the loom, followed by power strokes. Therefore as an exercise you can do ten outside hand, ten outside and inside hand on the loom, then ten inside hand only, then power ten.
Windmills
similar to inside hand rowing, the rowers take their outside hands off the blades during the recovery and bring it around in a circle, only putting it back on just before the catch. Allows inside hand rowing at some power.
Feet Out Rowing
Useful for any crew for a variety of reasons. The lack of shoes will stop rowers pulling forward with their feet on the slide, and will teach them to drive off their toes and not their heels. Whole Sessions can be done feet out.
Karzanovski Catching Exercise
Useful for a crew to really sharpen up their catches, to be done in fours or pairs as appropriate. Call the rowers to front stops and have them simply catch for five strokes. Check that they aren’t lifting with the back but just dropping it in with the hands and have the right amount of backsplash, then call them to do a full stroke. Repeat then have them take a stroke every three strokes, then more often until their catches at front stops are the same as their normal rowing.
Backsplashing
An exercise for warm weather. Call rowers to over- emphasise the backsplash by telling them to attempt to splash the person behind them, then calming them down and looking for the backsplash every stroke
Building up from the front end/Reverse Accrilia
Start the crew (or pairs/fours) at front stops simply catching, checking all is correct as per the catching exercise above, then have them use one quarter slide, checking they’re only using their legs and are together, then half slides, three quarter and then full. After this call backs on and there should be a power change as they swing back together, then bring the arms in for some power strokes. Useful for any crew having synchronisation issues and to ensure a shared power profile.
Single Power Strokes
Call the crew to the catch and have them take one stroke through the water at power, call it until they have the power profile completely together and there is a nice send on the boat as they pause at hands away, then check it up and return to the catch. Continue until perfect, then do every three until the good power profile is incorporated into their normal rowing.
Suspension Drill
Call four/pair to the catch and have them kick down at right angles to their foot board so that they literally come off their seat. You are looking for them both to be in time and to be able to suspend themselves in the air for some time and not come crashing down immediately. Follow this with some power rowing where they think about doing the same thing but on their seat.
Kicking Catches
For a crew with slow hand speed compared to slide speed, very useful when doing racing practice. Tell the crew to focus of quick hands, and then call them to half slides. Then increase the rating for ten, then again for ten, then again after that before calling them down and repeat as necessary until hands are appropriately fast. In racing season can be incorporated in Accrilia at half slides easily as part of the warm up.
Blades Locking In Exercise
To ensure rowers are fully locked in before they take a stroke. Call this in pair/fours first then whole crew, have the rowers
pause momentarily as they catch, and only then pull through. If you wish you may combine this with accrillia, therefore have the pause at hands away, body swing, etc… As you go up the slide, slowly decrease the amount of time at the pause, or indeed as you row along, until the crew rows normally with a fully locked on blade.
Eyes Closed Rowing/ Very slow slide rowing
Increases the focus level of advanced crews to allow them to really feel out the stroke, therefore good for crew cohesion, but not to be tried with less proficient crews. For the slow slide rowing, bring it down to 12 or to really make the crew feel it out.
