How to improve your strength and get good drive

Advertisements

Tebow

How to get a good drive in rowing

Get strong and flexible!  The drive is a complex series of movements under load and the aim is to apply maximum power to the boat. In order to do this an athlete needs flexibility, strength and coordination in order to perform a few go0d strokes and fitness to do it frequently and at high ratings.

There are plenty of land based exercise programmes available to help with flexibility and strength. The Home Exercise routine or another similar callisthenic routine is a basic tool that is highly recommended. A good core stability and strength programme is also vital; we will include some on this site and others are readily available.

A good simulation of the drive sequence is the squat jump. If a group of rowers and scullers is asked to perform a series of good squat jumps there will be an extremely high correlation between those who jump well and those who drive well. If you can’t jump you can’t row.

In particular short or inflexible hamstrings, inflexible ankles, weak and inactive gluteal muscles, weak or unused core, all make good drive or jumping difficult.

The ultimate exercise for preparing rowers and scullers to drive well is the Power Clean. This an Olympic Weightlifting lift. Cleans simulate the rowing action well and are an excellent form of strength training. All top level rowers and scullers should be able to power clean.

The ability to perform a power clean well isn’t something that is acquired over night, the athlete needs a properly structured programme using simpler lifts to prepare the body and learn the skill before attempting the full lift.

Advertisements

Subscribe to our Newsletter for more information:

Our Rowing Network

Did you like this post? Support this blog and our network by donating

Feel like Rowing again? Visit the Shop at coastal-boats.eu!

Shop
Accessories, equipment, boats, clothing

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Posts

Whether it’s sports, nutrition or equipment, you’ll find what you’re looking for in one of these categories

Categories

Everything about rowing – browse through our large archive or search for articles of your choice

Archive

Search Blog

Search

Rowing Network

Do you like our posts? Support this blog and our network by donating

Newsletter

Get all latest content and news!