6/28/24 Thursday group pictures from last Thursday are linked from the bottom of the page at Videos. You all row pretty well. Catches are good, blade depth good but a little deep, finishes good but a little short. You all are rigged too high Read Frank Cunningham, The Sculler at Ease, page 114. And watch Stan's video - 14:32 Try to bring the handles back as low as possible at an even height keeping the blade just covered without digging "over the barrel" or dropping the hands at the finish. Next Thursday we will run through catch and finish drills. "Anyone can row in the middle" says Frank. Catches Stan - href=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KJkFZI8v5w Finishes Around the corner with head and chest starting the recovery while drawing the blades to the finish with the lats - but avoid "bucking" - 14:03 We will then do power tens at 20, 24, 28, 30 and maybe 36 strokes per minute with feet out of stretchers. That's how we did seat races at Cornell and also at Cal. See Don Costello on Steve Gladstone Jim 7/4/24 Today was a little hectic. We need more practice but we got the basics .... River Turns - Alternatively backing on owne side (blades turned backward), rowing on the other side with hands and bodies together. Hold Water - "Fly" the blades fethered 6" under the water. The boat is balanced as opposed to trying to stop the boat with the back of the blades which throws the boat to the other side. You can hold water on one side (and turn) with the blades on the other side off the water. Need practice. Catch Drill - Sit at catch, blades fethered on water. On command drive the blades with the legs. The water will square the blades. As soon as the blades bites the water retun to the catch position, blades fethered on water. Finsih Drill - Fully extend legs, lay all the way back, arms straight. On command pull yourself up with your arms and lats as you findosh the strock, around the corner and arms away. End of drill. Go back to full layback arms and legs straight ready to do it again. This is the "ferryman's Finish" sometimes complicated to teach but you have to do it if you row hard with your feet out of the stretchers or you willo fall off the seat. It should be automatic by now but keep your blad in the water at the finsih. Don't drop your hands and wash out at the finish. Try it. Pull with just your fingers on the end of the oar handle which will put a little torque tending the fether the blade but it won't fether becausht the water is holding the blade square. At the finsihd just open your hands and push the handle away. The water will feather the blade. You won't catch a crab, but if you do in reough water or because you are digging, you should be sitting far enough back to let the oar handle pass by your body. On the way back we rowed hard with feet out of the streacherts. You are all good rowers. Practice these drills on your own when you can. When rowing with the Club focus alternatively on blade depth, catcches and finishes - with your feet out of the strechgers or at least not pulling up against the boots. 7/11/24 Windy, rough water, Two new-to-group rowers (Ted and Lara) and Amiee along in launch to help coach. Basically it was frustrating. The boats didn't stay together and Amiee, while a good coach and keen observer, offered coaching tips - square up early and come down to the catch with a backsplach - that were quite different from the scullers catch we have been teaching. We did manage to take some videos. I think the next step is to review the vidios. Becky and Colleen did review vidios with me. 7/25/24 Coaching Plan: (Background - look at videos at http://pocockclassic.org/videos.html Nearly all of you wash out most of the time.) At start - Make sure foot stretchers set close enough to get handles past your body and spacers out. On the water check blade depth and handle height at catch, drive and finish. Warm up out to pole past Boat Haven riprap (boats together) focusing on keeping the blade covered until the finish. Drills - Catch. Reason to drive blade in from a feather position is to not drive blades too deep and to feel where water is in rough weather. Think of no up or down pressure on handle rather than only the height of the handles relative to the body. Finish drill - a new approach. Try catch to finish, stopping when arms are finished but don't feather. Open the fingers and see that the water feathers the blade - no need to feather with the wrists - no crab. After we have that down, take one stroke, pulling the body up with the arms at the finish (the ferryman's finish) arms away fast - and stop. That's "one". Out of bow fast lets you go ever more slowly up to the next catch without checking the boat. Tips Hold the handle lightly between your first and second fingers - no thumbs. A little torque on handle (pull on the top of the handle) as if to feather, but blade won't feather when driving because the water is keeping the blades square. But the blades will feather as soon as the drive is finished if you just open your hand and let go. Be sensitive to not putting up or down pressure on handles - especially down pressure at the finish. Keep the blades in the water. On the way back, with feet out of the stretchers, row the 1k piece with the boats together. Focus on keeping blades in water to the finish. Try to row the 1k piece with as few strokes as possible at 18 strokes per minute. This is not only a good way to make sure you do the ferryman's finish correctly but the piece is an objective way to see if you are improving. You should be able to row the 1k piece in 100 strokes at 18 stroked per minute. Jim 8/1/24 Work on power.

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