Sculling Technique
Good technique moves the boat as fast and efficiently as possible while also putting the body in the strongest position to prevent injury.
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Constantly striving to improve our technique is a lifelong journey and part of what makes rowing so addictive!
The Drive Phase
After the blades have entered the water, the legs drive against the foot stretcher.
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Shins are vertical (don't 'over compress', letting the shins go beyond vertical puts the body in a weak position for the drive and places strain on the knees)
The back is straight and pivoted forward at the hips
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During the leg drive the arms should be relaxed. The weight is all on the feet.
The rower should be hanging off the handles. A common mistake here is to try to use the arms, which are considerably weaker than the legs. Notice in the picture, the rowrs arms are still straight and the body is still hinged forward. All power so far has come from the leg drive.
Towards the end of the drive, the back begins to hinge at the hips.
Notice the arms are still extended, hanging from the handle.
A common misconception is that rowing is an upper body sport, when infact, the legs are the main contributors to the rowing stroke.
At the end of the leg drive, the legs almost straighten (but still maintain pressure on the footplate) and the body swings backward to a 1 o clock lean. The handles are brought in by the arms, keeping wrists flat in a strong position.
The blades are extracted from the water with a tap down of the hands (with the blades still square/at right angles to the water)
Followed by the 'feather', which is the turning of the blade so that it is flat to the water.
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The Recovery Phase
Hands Tap-down and move away from the body first, before the body swings forward.
Body hinges forward.
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Arms forward past the knees before the knees begin to bend.
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Blades begin to rotate back to square.
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The legs compress till the shins are at 90 degrees once again. Arms extended wide and blades are placed into the water before the start of the drive.
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