Rowing Sessions Summary

Below is an outline of our Sessions 1-4 for our Rowing lessons. Click on any one of the Session links to see more details about what we will cover during the session.

Session 1 will cover:

1. Sit up tall at the catch (beginning) and release (end of the stroke).
2. When taking a stroke, keep your oar handles parallel to the water.
3. Have a soft grip on the oar handles at all times.
4. At the catch push with the legs and swing with the back at the same time.
5. Let the arms hang straight until after you back starts to go past the up-right.
6. At the release (end) of the stroke draw the oar handles to the sides of your ribs.
7. Do an emergency stop by pushing up on the oar handles with your knee caps.
8. Turn the boat in a circle with little, gentle backing and paddling strokes.
9. Steer the boat by periodically looking over your should at the release position.

Session 2 will cover:

1. Able to do a 4-way safety check of access holes, riggers, "pins", and gates.
2. Do a 4-way boat adjustment for: leg length, rib touch, crossover, & oar height.
3. Enter the boat using hip transfer, two-leg, one-leg, or river send off methods.
4. Be able to push away from the dock by safely pivoting off the stern or oar.
5. Show 4 drills that will continually improve your rowing..
6. Demonstrate a full-cycle quick out drill without getting oars stuck in the water.
7. Go through warm up drills: open hand, hooked catch, and quick out drills.
8. Successfully use a 6-banana recovery drill before the next stroke.
9. Successfully propel the boat at least 50 meters in fewer than 10 strokes.

Session 3 will cover:

1. The stroke motion is continuous, not broken into jerky pieces.
2. Have the blades (oar tips) enter the water at the same speed the boat is moving.
3. Have the blades (oar tips) enter the water with a knifing motion that produces little splashing of the water.
4. Swing your back at the same rate your legs are moving, all the while keeping your body weight over the middle of the boat.
5. Your head and nose height remain unchanged throughout the stroke.
6. At the end of the stroke, you recover by swinging out of bow quickly and smoothly, sending your hands and arms immediately away from your ribs.
7. At the end of the stroke shift your abdominal weight to the stern and set the angle of your back before you move your seat.
8. As you come up the slide on the recovery leave your arms straight, with body angle cocked forward about 25 degrees - your back is straight and braced.
9. As you come up the slide your seat moves on the tracks at about the same speed the boat is gliding in the opposite direction.

Session 4 will cover:

1. Warm up slowly and safely in the first 6 minutes of rowing.
2. You can travel over 50 meters in six strokes because you have improved ratio.
3. You are aware of 10 good drills for preventing frequent novice mistakes.
4. Row the 2.5 miles around Lake Union in less than 40 minutes.
5. Achieve a rowing "concentration score" of at least 15 out of 20 strokes taken.
6. Can easily adjust your power "recovery cycle" from 20% to even 50%.
7. Can do a flip test, buddy rescue, a stranger rescue, and a damaged shell rescue.
8. Are able to reduce the extent of wrist rotation when squaring and feathering.
9. Can row 5 strokes in a row, blades left square, on half slide and half pressure.