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Cooper River
Choosing your head races
17:35

Choosing your head races

How to select the right races for your head racing season. Ways to build up to the big race event. Improving race plans and race execution. Timestamps 01:00 The big event is your focus. It's easy to choose the big event. But the season starts with smaller events. If you are new to head racing choose local events you can do in a day trip. Choose those with uncomplicated courses and reliable water. More experienced racers choose races to help me perform better in your peak event. 3 things to consider when choosing your head races - Conditions - Competition - Steering complexity. 04:00 Check the rowing regatta calendar David Biddulph's rowing calendars https://www.biddulph.org.uk/rowing.htm#calendars Regatta Central, Row2k, Rowit.nz, are other calendars for different countries. Few people are good enough at racing to just do one big event - most of us need preparatory events to test ourselves out. Get a reminder about fitness, steering, race craft skills all need practice. Work back from the date of your big event and get a race, a race simulation or private match every 2-3 weeks leading up to the big event. 06:30 Choosing events to build up to Have something every 2-3 weeks. Marlene thinks every weekend is too much for her preference. Consider the time it takes to travel, load boats, get equipment to the event - it all takes planning. You can do simulated races too - doing a time trial at home is different from a regular practice outing. Your recovery and age are also considerations if you choose to race every weekend. • Time trial at home • Local race with travel + trailering 09:30 Marlene chose low-key Maine races during summer for her comeback season. She raced 6 times just to get ready to go back to HOCR in the fall. 11:00 Race execution Make a list of what to do - improve the list as you practice different regattas in order to refine it. Create a trusted system that works for you. This takes a lot of stress off you because you have a reliable timetable. Carlo Zezza Winning Head Races book https://amzn.to/41Smsih 14:30 Create a simulated race at your home water. Do a warm up, check over the boat. See if you can get another club to come and race against you. 16:00 Improving race plans Next time we talk about race plans. Think about your race, what are your strengths and improvement points? Build skills into your workouts - this is what the Faster Masters training programs include. Each workout has technique as well as workout recommendations. Want easy live streams like this? Instant broadcasts to Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn. Faster Masters uses StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5694205242376192
How to carry a single scull | Faster Masters Rowing Radio
36:49

How to carry a single scull | Faster Masters Rowing Radio

How to carry a single scull | Faster Masters Rowing Radio - the podcast for masters rowers. Tips, advice and discussion from Marlene Royle and Rebecca Caroe. Support this show with a donation https://fastermastersrowing.com/podcast Timestamps 01:00 This Past Week - what we do to advocate for masters rowing. 04:00 How to carry a single scull Marlene was photographed in Steve Kiesling's 1991 book, the Complete Recreational Rower and Racer carrying her single. https://amzn.to/3qZR5Bf 07:00 Watch a video of how to carry a single scull. Rebecca lifts each boat out of the water. Showing how to find the balance point. Lifting to waist height - rest the shell on your thighs for stability. LIfting to riggers vertical and carry on your shoulder or at waist height (in the crook of elbow) Lifting to carry the boat above heads, resting on your head. - Wing rigger - 3 stay rigger - Reverse wing rigger 12:35 Marlene's cautionary tale about carrying a wing rigger on a windy day Carry the boat with your hands in 2 different places to give more stability - not opposite each other on the gunwales. A wider grip is possible when you hold the riggers 15:15 practice by putting the boat on slings / trestles. Pick it up until you find the balance point. Walk around and put it down several times. Put the boat on a rack - a low rack is easy to use as you can rest the boat on your thighs. Practice holding the boat and rolling it over the right way up and upside down using your thighs to rest the hull on while turning. Practice carrying the boat above heads with straight arms Practice putting the boat on a high rack or on your car roof rack. 21:00 Upper body strength is needed - about 30lbs is the weight of a rigged single - in order to carry the boat over your head. Do an arm press up to 30lbs to get stronger. 27:00 Is a wet launch pick up easier for a single scull? Don't leave your oars floating on the water when taking your boat out of the water.
Head Race Steering
31:31

Head Race Steering

Get confident steering your coxless boat for long distance racing. Timestamps 02:00 Going straight This is the first lesson because if you can't go straight it really affects your steering. Consider your strength imbalances if you have been a long term sweep rower moving to sculling. Equalise your arcs by watching and listening for these three things - Entry timing - Release timing • Pressure If your strength is unequal - don't over-power one side compared to the other, row the same arc. 05:00 steering off a point. Watch your wake - see if it is going straight, keep an eye - your stern. Learn how to set your point off a landmark on the bank like a tree or building. Row away from the point and watch your wake to see if it's going straight. Learn to make small corrections before you are way off course. 06:00 Where the boat pivots is approximately in the middle of the boat. 07:00 Bridges Not all bridges are created equal. First choose which arch you want to go through in the race. For HOCR at Weeks Footbridge you have to both steer the bridge and make a sharp turn after passing under the bridge. Decide where under the bridge you want to pass - is it in the middle or more to one side or the other? This depends on what you need to do after the bridge. Ideally row the course before the race to learn the course. Line yourself up under the bridge so you can see what your points are as you go through the bridge so you know what to steer off. 10:45 Bridge supports are where to focus your line of sight. Two ways to look around in a rowing boat - a glance over the shoulder and a complete turn to see your bow ball and what's directly in front of you. Look for the uprights of the bridge - these are easier to spot than the gap in between. For a bridge you want to go through straight. Decide which upright you want to steer off - choose one (right or left), do a glance, then decide if you need to do a steering correction. If there is a stream (racing against the stream) you may choose to be closer to the bank so you minimise the effect. Take a second glance as you get closer and correct if you need. 14:00 For bridges you go through not in a straight line - know where you need to go after the bridge. Relative to the uprights, decide where you want to position your boat. Is the bridge wider (a highway or motorway)? Rebecca prefers to steer before you go under the bridge so you come out straight for the next part of the course - push off the bridge as you exit it. Line up your stern so you know where you want to go through it. 16:00 High and long bridges like Interstates or motorway bridges. Keep an eye out for posts or markers near the abutments. Bridges often have underwater structures wider than the abutment above the water - these create eddies which swirl the water. 17:15 Corners A sharp corner cannot be navigated with pressure. It takes too long to do. Turning to port - use your starboard oar take a short stroke from catch to cross-over, use fast short strokes. Do as few strokes as possible when steering a corner. This is slowing the boat down so minimise the strokes you take. 20:00 Looking and steering corners. Turn your head to look around without disrupting your balance and rhythm. Practice in training, turning your head (it weighs 15 lbs) without upsetting your balance. Alternate looking around then do pressure steering. Don't steer until after you have taken a look around. The exception is if a crew is closing fast behind you but you can see them coming so don't need to look around. Know where the corner begins for a long gentle corner. Start the turn with a few gentle turning strokes. Then look and go straight for a few strokes, take another look. Then make steering adjustments and alternate looking and pressure steering. Expect to look around frequently. Count strokes to help you make a sharp turn in a practice outing so you know what to expect in the race. 24:00 Buoys Know the race rules - are you penalised if you hit them? Some you can scull over the top of like albano system marker buoy. Or will you be penalised if you hit them? Improve your bladework so you know if you can feather high over the buoys? Turning buoys - if you bump into one they may not turn over and get out of your way. You may need to hold water. as you turn. Come into a turning buoy at an angle. Use a mini restart after a turn to get back up to speed rapidly. 28? Carlo Zezza Book Winning Head Races includes course maps and advice for popular rowing races like HOCR, Silver Skiff and London Tideway Head Races. https://amzn.to/3CSZdtH Want easy live streams like this? Instant broadcasts to Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn. Faster Masters uses StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5694205242376192

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