Session Five
The focus of todays session is essential manoeuvres such as 'Backing down' and 'Feathering'.
Backing Down
This drill practices the essential skills necessary for turning the boat as well manoeuvring the boat backwards. The drill also reinforces the arms-body-legs sequencing as well as good handle height
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Sit at backstops with legs flat and back straight.
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Keeping the blades square, enter the water at backstops and move the blade away from the body
This should be practiced with both single and double oars.
Lazy Feather Drill or 'Dirty Rowing'
This is a fantastic exercise for teaching proper feathering, handle height and balance.
When performing this drill, rowers will find the boat considerably more stable. This is because with the blades flat on the level surface of the water, the handle height across the rowers are uniform.
This demonstrates how crucial handle height and keeping your hands close together is to the boats stability.
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Rowers go through the drive phase as normal
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Extract the blades from the water letting the movement of the water feather the blades naturally
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Keeping only a light touch on the recovery, let the blades skip across the top of the water
Click on the link below to see a useful video by Australian Rowing, demonstrating this drill.
Tap Down and Feather
This drill teaches flat hands and a loose grip when feathering the blades
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Sit at backstops with legs flat and back straight in the finish position
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Square the blades and dip them in the water. Extract and feather keeping a loose grips and flat wrists
This exercise can be progressed into arms only rowing with extraction and feather.
Recommended Reading
Please follow the link below and sign up to the British Rowing development guide.