Technique Article from Holly Metcalf

What do you say to athletes to get them to have quick hands away?

I don’t say anything directly about quick hands. If I have coached my athletes to connect well, to drive in an effective position, their hands will accelerate during the drive, and, therefore, have the necessary speed away. The problem with the terminology “Quick hands away”, if it is not coached well, is that it encourages athletes to wash out at the finish, especially those whose upper body strength is weak relative to their leg strength. The weaker athletes compensate for their inability to accelerate during the drive by whipping their hands away at the finish.

I train athletes to think of the end of the drive cycle when the oar handle is out over the shins during the recovery, before the knees have begun to rise. I coach athletes to manage the momentum built up in the oar handle during the drive by re-directing it away from the shirt back onto the recovery, without hesitation -- like a race car hugging a banked turn. Rowers can think of ÒridingÓ the momentum in the oar handle like a wave, with the hands, arms, shoulders and lats following in its it wake.