Frequently Asked Questions
Rowperfect
- What is the ideal curve we should be trying to
achieve for a sculler? Is it wide and
flat or with a peak in it? I guess it
should be a smooth curve whatever it is?
You want a smooth curve, yes. A sculler or a rower in a small boat (1x, 2-) wants a symmetrical curve which is wide and fat with a small peak – personally I don’t like a flat top. Look at the curve “Searle” for a good example he did this while in the single and coached by Harry Mahon. Scale it back using the “stroker” programme on the disc to make it appropriate for yourself. For faster boats (4x, 4-, 8o) the peak needs to be before the half way stage so the curve is asymmetric and slightly front end loaded. This reflects the fact that the boat is moving faster and you need to pick up the water quicker.
- Is it normal for the curve to become less smooth as
the rate goes up?
Yes, if you are not very skilled. This indicates that you are losing efficiency as you take the rate up. A skilled athlete can keep a similar shaped curve which is smooth at all rates (even when sprinting at the end of a 2k). This is hard to do.
- What does a kink on the upward side of the curve
generally mean?
It means you are kicking the catch too hard. This is symptomatic of people who have trained on fixed head ergos. In order to change direction at the catch you have to push hard with your legs because the slide is uphill and you have to alter the momentum of your body mass by 180 degrees. It is the equivalent of pushing your legs before your blade is fully covered in the water. To cure this, try a couple of exercises in the boat and on the RP. The first is to make your knees and calves very loose as you come up the slide. They have to be fully relaxed. Then when you start the leg drive start it slowly and gently – then accelerate from quarter slide onwards to the finish. The second exercise is to “pause” at the catch waiting for the blade to fully cover before driving with the legs. Try this in the boat as well as on RP and you should improve your connection. BUT the legs must remain very loose and relaxed in order to engage with the water and not ‘kick’ the catch. See the list of “Exercises for British Rowing Technique” on the website articles page.
- What does a kink (or double kink) on the downward
side of the curve mean?
This shows that the athlete is not making the transition from back to arms smoothly. Power is being lost at the end of the back swing and the arms are coming in and increasing the power making the bulge. Try the sequence of exercises – legs only rowing for 10, legs and backs for 10 and legs back and arms (normal rowing) for 10. Be very clear that the athlete for the purposes of this exercise should complete each body part before bringing in the next one i.e. legs should go straight before starting the back swing. This is an exaggeration and not what you actually do in practice but it helps to illustrate the exercise and as the athlete gets toward the end of the 10 you find they will have blended the two or three body parts appropriately. Look carefully at the curves on legs only. When you move to legs and back the stroke curve should still be a nice inverted U but longer and probably with a higher peak. When the arms come in is usually where you see the kinks coming in so try getting the athlete to do the last part in two steps – half an arm draw and then a full arm draw and see what happens to the curve. I recommend doing this exercise at least two or three times in a session with maybe five to ten minutes rowing in between.
- What’s an average stroke length for a lightweight
and heavyweight woman?
I can give you examples from my own experience. I am 70 kgs and 176 cm tall. I can row 145 cms long in UT2 and around 140- 142 at UT1 and higher rates. My pairs partner, Kate is 6 foot tall and 68 kgs and she can comfortably do 148 cms at UT2. Most of the club women (senior 3 standard) are about 130 cms +/- and the tall ones are nearer Kate’s score. The lightweights are all over 127 cms. The length of stroke is a function both of your height and your skill at picking up the fly wheel at the catch. Try quarter slide push and see if after you do the exercise you can connect earlier and so get a longer stroke.
Coxmate
- Average Rate - Sometimes, during a 2k race, the coxbox suddenly displays 500m average rate (say 39) when the crew is doing 37 - this throws a bit of confusion into their tiny minds! To turn this off, I went to Setup/Av 500m and set to NONE. Is this right?
There is an option to set default display to either AVERAGE SPEED or RATIO and STROKE COUNT - go to SET UP Dsp (display) to change. If TIMER is running you can toggle between the two by pressing START button. However this won't suddenly appear and it sounds like you have a 'SPLIT' distance set - this will cause display to flash averages each time the SPLIT distance is reached. If you go to SET UP SPLIT, you can select NONE.
- Coxless boats - I'm currently looking at the options for a rate meter in my single scull and like the look of the coxmate products. Can you tell me if there are plans to create a non coxing version for coxless boats?
I am delighted you have found Coxmate and our product set. Your question is very pertinent because during June 08 we are expecting a delivery of the very first Coxmate HC - a unit for coxless boats!I have yet to get the full product specification but it is my understanding that it will have a heart rate pickup and there may be a higher spec model which also includes GPS. The 'basic' model will mount onto both an NK speedcoach mount or the Coxmate equivalent, and it will have a micro impeller (about 4x smaller than NK).
- Pace boat setting - the instructions I printed off describe a pace boat setting, but I can’t find it. Can you tell me how to set that up?
To set up PACE:
Go to item 3. In Menu system – PACE. This will display current PACE speed setting and ON or OFF. Press Ent. The PACE setting will flash and ‘+’ and ‘-‘ buttons will adjust speed. When you get to desired value Press Ent. The ON/OFF will flash, ‘+’ and ‘-‘ will turn it ON/OFF- put it into desired state. Press Ent and you will go back to Menu screen – it should display your new speed setting and ON or OFF. Press Menu again will take you back to Status display.
The PACE function is turned off when unit is powered down.
- How long do the batteries last?
The SC/SCT it has sophisticated battery management: The batteries are rated at 900mAH – this means they would supply 100mA for 9 hours. In practice they are a little less, ~850mAH.
When unit is off it consumes around 1mA, approx 850 hours. If unit is ON and mic is not being used it consumes ~30mA without a GPS and ~80mA with a GPS.
The audio will add to this. This is the most variable element. Continuous talking will use an extra ~~160mA. This gives total of ~240mA. If battery is fully charged this would equate to ~3.5 hours use. If used, the backlight will add another 30mA consumption, reducing figure to ~3hours.
We do offer a 12V car charger, which might help in some situations e.g. regattas where the Coxmate is being used frequently.
Dreher Oars and Sculls
- How can I find out which oars are right for me?
- How do I?
- How much?
Magik Oarlocks
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