In the numerous clinics on rowing and coaching that I have conducted, I usually start by asking the participants to write a few paragraphs describing the style or method they teach. In most cases, I get somewhat troubled stares, followed by labored writing. When it comes time for the "show and tell"-reading a few, selected randomly-it is clear that many have never done such an exercise.
It's not that they haven't thought about what they are teaching, but rather, they have not articulate for themselves a smooth-flowing explanation of what they are trying to attain from where the start to the finish of the stroke. We all have our own personal styles of speech, demeanor, and mannerism that cannot be duplicated. And while a method of rowing is a fixed, definable thing, personality will tailor a method. Two coaches can coach the same method, but each will use his own style. There are, however, some approaches that coaches should consider incorporating.
Tailoring a Method
Among the characteristics that successful coaches seem to share is the wisdom of knowing when to talk on the water and when to watch. The talk might come later. Personally, I have felt that the most successful coaching is done in smaller numbers, such as individually or in pairs, off the water. When I lived at the Vesper Boat Club in the early sixties, my apartment was adjacent to the locker room, and it was always open for the rowers to stop in for tea or some refreshment after the workout. The relaxed atmosphere, and in many cases, the low-key dialogue, was far more effective for critique than might have been available on the water. Remember, with a pounding heart rate of 180 or more, it is genuinely hard for a rower to listen to a critical voice coming through a power megaphone while still trying to row to maximum effort.
Far more important on the water is an athlete's absolute attention and the coach's ability to remember the salient points to be corrected. I remember the great and legendary Yale coach Jim Rathschmidt, while he was training the 1956 Yale eight at Gales' Ferry. I was an alternate cox for that eight and four-with from Buffalo, and I watched and listened. Rathschmidt never shouted. Instead, he urged the crews to perform. When he said "row," it came out as if he were blowing out a strong candle, sounding like "whhhhrrrooooow." It set the pattern of complete control and confidence for the first stroke. I believe that his urging was always in the crew's minds as they went on to win the gold medal in Australia.
Organization and discipline are also hallmarks of fine coaches. Mike Spracklen meets with his crews before each outing and, sometimes with a chalkboard, describes in critical detail exactly what the workout will be, what the significant target areas are, and above all, asks if there are any questions. There is never any room for misunderstanding. Hence, there is never any room for failing to meet the objective. This preliminary activity also affords the coach a chance to use his skills of observation as he looks at each oarsman. If for no other reason than to assess each for sharp eyes and alertness. Tired crews look tired, and lackluster crews look lackluster. Make eye contact with each rower to let each know you see him or her and that you care.
Coaches of worth are sensitive and aware, and while they are sympathetic, they are not pushovers or weak nellies. The truly great coaches are more competitive than their rowers. Since they cannot actually perform on the water, they must deal with alter egos to compete for them. Among the most passionate coaches I have known is Joe Burk, whose stoic, silent yet fierce style was more like that of a warrior than a shoreside watcher. Not surprising, then, to know that Harry Parker, Burker's protégé and varsity oar of Pennsylvania's 1955 Grand Challenge eight is equally focused and determined. It is not by accident that his record for winning is the greatest among all collegiate coaches. Other coaches of note are Mike Teti and Curtis Jordan of Princeton and the incomparable Ted Nash at Penn AC.
Communicating Clearly
The ability to effectively communicate and to speak succinctly without demeaning a rower is prime. All coaches work to refine, simplify, and minimize variations in what they see to match what they seek. Care must be taken to avoid being negative. In fact, genuine positive spin is more easily achieved. Make positive reinforcement a cornerstone of your style. No rower is all bad. Look for the good strokes and good parts. Make the rower aware that the 240 strokes needed for a race can be achieved by simply linking one to another, step-by-step. I urge my rowers to think of bounding up a long, long flight of steps, one after another with same thrust and energy as from the start. The momentum of the hard step down with one foot and the connecting burst up with the other takes advantage of the upward force to lead you to the next step...and then the next...and then the next...and so on.
In this vein, the coach must show that he or she knows that the rower is trying or else would not be there. If a rower is not progressing, it may be that the coach's instructions were unclear. The rower may not clearly understand the stroke, the method, the perceived goal or how the coach wants something corrected. It is the coach's responsibility to communicate articulately.
Some years ago, I accepted a temporary assignment to coach a youth team in a country where the young men could easily understand English. I had an interpreter who accompanied me on the water. I quickly found that easily understood conversational English was one thing; rowing terminology was another. I was forced to make it unequivocal what I wanted on the water. My commander had to withstand a quick translation that could mean nothing except what I intended. When I returned to this country, I was amazed at how easily my commands were made and understood because I had streamlined them. When the coach has gotten to the point where a rowing shorthand has been developed, one phrase has only meaning. So it must be. Refine your vocabulary. Make certain everyone knows what you say and what you mean for the particular correction or maneuver. Remember the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland when he said, "I say what I mean and I mean what I say."
A good coach never bombards a rower with more than one thing at a time. I liken this to a hungry person overeating, unable to digest all the food taken in. Be precise. Be patient and know that, as a general rule, a rowing mistake made once will be made again. It will be repeated, despite earnest efforts not to do so, unless the thought process of the rower is understood and the reason for the mistake is corrected. When a crew is working hard on a given piece, unless you can correct an error with a shorthand comment, hold on to the comment you want to make that needs a long explanation. It's far better to wait for the paddle or rest period to pull in close and isolate the rower to personalize the comment and correction. The best coaches are patient; they know they can control the workout from start to finish.
Modern computer technology has developed scanning devices for a variety of purposes, such as checking out at the supermarket, gaining entrance to secure parking areas, and maintaining quality control of manufactured items. The computer achieves these goals by comparing the striped line code with that of a scanner model to identify the item under scrutiny. In the very same way, the coach must have fixed firmly in his or her mind just what the method and manner of stroke that is sought. The coach's model is constantly compared with what the rowers shows. A quick assessment is made as to the deviation between the model and the rower's performance. In this process, there can be no variations from the norm. The coach's assessment must be without fault and absolutely accurate. This, however, is only the first problem solved.
The next one-and the one that separates good coaches from better ones-is the ability to make the correction. It is not enough to say to a rower, "You are washing out at the finish." The coach must find the reason for the fault, then make the correction. This correction should be to the root cause of the problem observed. It is the precursor which must be fixed to avoid the observed deviation. Keep corrections simple and fix only one problem at a time, allowing changes to occur. Most often this tightening up of mechanics and style will lead to still another, more glaring correctible fault. Remember, observation...Observation of a mistake is important-it is fundamental-but it is only the first step. (Of course, it is primary that all mechanical flaws first be corrected, such as rigger height, pitch, and all the myriad things to which boats fall prey.)
Reading Widely
In the development of coaches, two things are critical. One is the need to read and explore and develop the rowing method you wish to teach. The other is to cultivate mentors.
How does one develop the method to teach? It is axiomatic that there are only a limited number of ways to move a boat efficiently. All of them have been described in any number of books, letters, and notes. The coach should read as much as possible to find the sequence that he or she want to teach and to find language that can be adapted and used confidently to teach easily and effectively. I have relied on a number of texts over the years; many of them, unfortunately, are out of print, but may still be available in libraries. Among these are Colin Porter's great book Rowing to Win, The Way of a Man with a Blade by Jumbo Edwards is one of my favorites because the author pursued many areas of inquiry and experimentation with regard to rowing. Here was a man who won two Olympic gold medals in an hour in 1932, one as a spare for a sick rower for Great Britain.
Edwards was a fantastic man whom I was privileged to meet many times, as well as meeting Porter. While Edwards was an RAF wing commander in World War II, his plane was shot down in the North Sea. In his rubber life boat, Edwards quickly determined where England was on his compass and figured that the best way to get there was not simply to bob about but to paddle in that direction! He was rescued some days later.
Still another fantastic book is G.C. Bourne's A Text-book of Oarsman Ship and all the various writings of Edmond Warre relating to coaching, boats, and training. All of the writings of Steven Fairbairn are worthwhile reading, including the complete works edited by his son, Ian Fairbairn. The many innovations of Karl Adam are found primarily in cross references to Rudersport and some American lectures in 1962 and 1963.
The reader will understand that the genesis of his American work came about in the early genesis of his American work came about in the early 1930s, inspired in part by the flood of English sculling professionals who coached in Germany and also from the great track and field advances started in Finland and Germany. Interval training was in high gear in the late 1920s, for example, and found its way into rowing thereafter. While the distances that Adam used were 500 meters, modern sprinters use a wide variety of distances in going faster and faster. Much of modern rowing training, when viewed from a distance, involves intervals of wider variety designed to produce speed and endurance.
The training of rowers and athletes of all kinds is best dealt with by a great coach, Canadian-Romanian teacher Tudo Bompa, in his book on periodization: Theory and Methodology of Training. In the areas of training and physical conditioning, there are many texts. One is encouraged to seek out the current theory in running and swimming. I believe that training for 800 to 1,000 meters in track and field is the best way to develop rowing conditioning and speed. Rudern, the GDR text of oarsmanship by Herberger, is a must to see where a junction formed from somewhat classic American training with modern endurance work so popular today. Over the years, I have found the Australian Track and Field Journal to be among the best sources of foreign-language reprints. While much must be read into some of the work, over time, some absolutes emerge.
Finally, for pure enjoyment, the classic texts of R.C. Lehman, Rowing and The Complete Oarsman, are musts. One of the best current books on rowing philosophy is Nuts and Bolts Guide to Rigging by Mike Davenport of Washington College and many times a national team rigger and boatman.
Finding Mentors
Finally, mentors and teachers are invaluable to growth. These should not be confined only to rowing people. Too much close scrutiny and day-to-day rowing obsession is a bad thing. I was fortunate for a long period of adult growth to work for a fine university. Among my mentors then was a woman scientist 30 years older than I who founded the first poison control center in this country, responsible for saving thousands of accidentally poisoned children. She edited the classic text on poisoning and pharmacology. What a wise, patient, and compassionate woman she was-and an inspiration to me to work accurately, deliberately, and precisely. At the same time, I befriended Dr. John Romano, distinguished professor, physician, and teacher of more psychiatric department chairmen in this country than any other teacher. From him, I learned much about human behavior and particularly learning under stress. Dr. Bill Morgan, foremost American sports psychologist at Wisconsin, helped shape my view of athletes in a camp setting and during selection.
Dr. George Marcus, professor of political psychology at Williams, founded women's crew there and did everything including recruit, train, coach, and even drive the bus to practice. Often we would call each other about rowing topics with the very same agenda even though separated by hundreds of miles. In Doug Clark, an extraordinary coach and early trainer of Silken Laumann, I had a soul mate who helped me train and coach young Canadian coaches. This culminated in a seminar that brought together the chief psychologist of the Royal Canadian Mounties, who spoke on Mounty selection by behavioral profile (fewer than 5 percent get selected): chairman of the communication department at the University of Toronto; and successor and colleague of Nobel Laureate Marshall McCluhan; head coach of the professional CFL football champions at Toronto, on training, selection, and winning and, finally, the chief orthopedic surgeon at Eastman Kodak, responsible for the designs and measurement of industrial equipment for greatest efficiency in the factory by ergonomic focus. All those junior coaches progressed to national coaching positions in the next few years.
I cannot fail to note my own coach and mentor, Jim Manning of Vesper. A professional sculler at the turn of the twentieth century, he knew simply everything there was to know about rigging, sculling, and sweep rowing. The illustrious coach at Brown and Nicholls in Boston, he won the Thames Challenge Cup for the first time by an American crew in the late 1920s. He later coached and rigged the Navy Admirals, Olympic champions in 1952. Thereafter, he was Jack Kelly's personal sculling coach.
The books and references that each of those Canadian seminar instructors and my mentors read to become experts in their field were far more than I could ever read. So I relied on their understanding and expertise; I questioned them often. They were "my" teachers, albeit for a short time. Many times my teachers, mentors, and I didn't even talk about rowing-just everything else. It was from this broad scope of topics that we were able to solve the smaller area of inquiry of how to get people to go faster, train more efficiently, and above all, teach better. You can do the same by being patient, inquisitive, honest, and highly motivated, but it takes time. * * * * * * |
