Pairs Rowing:
This exercise is for use with any exercise but especially those, which are hard balance wise. Also for use by itself to try and reaffirm the rhythm between two athletes, work round the crew, trying attain the same rhythm, not matter who is stroking/following.
Square Blades:
Square Blades is used for 3 main purposes: 1 to highlight the balance and make sure that the hand levels are correct to enable a steady platform, 2 to assist with the idea of clean catches and finishes - the blades should always enter and exit the water square. To highlight that the athlete must be sitting tall at the finish to allow sufficient room in order to tap down and release the blades from the water. When doing square blades, at first, you will find that you have to tap down further at the finish to allow the blades to clear the water. This amount of tap down is ideally what you want to be doing when you go back to normal rowing, I.e. you keep the tap down but go back to feathering the blades. Think about sitting tall, clean extraction and even hand heights.
Early Squaring:
This is similar to Square blades. Square the blades up over the knees on the recovery to enable yourselves to be ready for the catch. Think about the weight of the blades coming down to the water for the catch - because they are squared, the proximity to the water is highlighted but try to get as close as possible in the last 4 inches.
Late Feathering:
Again this is similar to square blades: tap down and extract the blades on the square before feathering at hands away. This focuses on the clean release and level send of the boat at the finish. Need to sit tall at the finish to achieve this and give yourself room to extract the blade by tapping down - use the hands, not the shoulders or body. Try to think about fluidity.
Pick Drill:
This exercise segments the stroke and allows the athletes to concentrate on a small amount of the stroke. Working from backstops, try to concentrate on the tap down and flow around the backturn before moving on to thinking about hands, body, slide, weight onto the toes and being ready for the catch - being square and close to the water. Start at hands and arms only, move to arms and body and then build up the slide, maintaining concentration.
Pause Drill:
This exercise consists of pausing during the stroke and can be done at any position within the stroke. Usually the pause occurs at either the finish, hands away, body over, quarter slide, or half slide. The idea is that the pause occurs at the position for 3 main reasons. One so that the whole crew reaches the position at the same time and in the same way. Secondly so that once their good posture and form is demonstrated and lastly, so that the same good technical move away from the pause position is achieved by the whole crew. Concentrate on drawing through properly at the finish, moving away from backstops hands, body slide, relaxing on the slide and reaching front stops sitting tall and prepared for the catch.
Eyes Shut:
This is not an exercise for steers. Close the eyes and concentrate on feeling the rhythm within the boat rather than looking for it: the timing should be able to be maintained by feeling the boat and the way it moves. Keep doing it until a sense of boat feel becomes apparent. Do this exercise often to help with rhythm and timing.
Kingston Rowing:
At the finish tap down and move to hands away, then stop, move the hands back to the body (without putting them back in the water), then continue with hands away from the body, body over and up the slide, as normal. It’s like taking a tiny stroke extra between each stroke without putting the blades in the water. This makes you think about the balance and hands body slide, but also slows the boat down which makes the balance more delicate.
Piano Playing/Fingers Off:
Relaxing the fingers and let them "play the piano" as you row - this helps relaxation of the forearms - not gripping too tight and not being too anxious at the catch - getting a softer catch and allowing proper acceleration. Try also taking the fingers off the handles whilst sculling, one at a time starting with the pinkie and moving towards the forefinger, taking another one off (in addition to the ones already off) every 5 to 10 strokes.
Hands down the loom:
This is not really a sculling drill. Only do in pairs in the quad. Move both hands further down the loom, off the handle and continue to try and scull normally, with this exception. This exercise highlights the hand levels on the recovery as well and helping demonstrate the balance on the drive as well as the recovery. Try and pull as hard as normal.
Front stops rowing:
Sitting at the catch lift the hands so that the blades pop in and out of the water. Then, start to add in the top quarter of the slide - trying to make sure that the hands are putting the blades in, not the shoulders and that the legs are initiating the drive phase, not the shoulders or the back. This exercise is good for ensuring a good strong connection with the legs and an early pick up of the boat. It is also good, if done correctly for ensuring that you are sitting tall at the catch. You can move on from the top quarter to about half slide before this exercise gets compromised by the idea of the smooth transition between leg, back and arm power. This exercise is done square blades.
Feet Out:
This is quite a hard exercise. The theory is that if you are connecting properly at the catch and suspending through the stroke correctly then at the finish you will have been able to accelerate correctly to the finish without coming off the foot plate. Think about suspension during the stroke and sitting tall at the finish (not back) and tapping down smoothly.
