Re: Evers-Swindell technique

donal.casey@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
Its an interesting topic.. I was often criticised by my coaches for
precisely this approch which Id managed to more or less iron out. I
still lock on early at the catch and do relatively better in quads or
sprint sculling than 2000m or long distance sculling(oh and theres the
lack of fitness aspect which I have to take into consideration) Anyway
I today tried to lock on in such a way tonight and it seemed artificial
but achievable. Im more interested though as there is a young sculler
at the club who has similar blade depths and Id been trying to coax him
out of it..his mentor is Arnold Cooke who has a similar technique (and
much success) and Im now wondering if I should have kept stuhm.
Certainly you (I)can "dig " at the catch and let the blade drift to an
easily removed finish - it is however agains the general british
sculling technique that is being pursued and I would think would harm
someone progression in crew boats in this country though would not
necessarily harm their individual aspirations.

Thoughts please


Just one: if a technique does improve a sculler's speed, what long-term sense does it make to not apply it just because for some coaches actual speed matters less than style? Seems we're back to awarding points for style once more. Better that those who can do so & are either competing or coaching should fully explore & discuss the benefits of rational but non-U aspects of technique which appear to offer theoretical &/or practical benefts. Those features that can regularly be shown as beneficial ought then to come to influence the thinking of the wider (& higher) coaching system.

If it is good for coaches to be charismatic & have a good understanding of training methods & biomechanics, then it must be better that coaches also have a good appreciation of the range & consequences of the various hydrodynamic & mechanical interactions betwee blades & water. And that's only for starters. In most other fields of human endeavour, people seeking improvements don't deliberately close their minds to the more advanced technical aspects just because they fear finding themselves out of their depth. They roll up their mental sleeves & study what had hitherto been a closed book to them. But rowing seems rather special in the way people shun whole areas of existing mechanical sciences.

Cheers -
Carl
--
Carl Douglas Racing Shells -
Fine Small-Boats/AeRoWing low-drag Riggers/Advanced Accessories
Write: The Boathouse, Timsway, Chertsey Lane, Staines TW18 3JY, UK
Email: carl@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Tel: +44(0)1784-456344 Fax: -466550
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