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How would I go about taking up rowing? I'm 17, pretty much put off all sport for the last few years. I did 2k on the rowing machines in about 7:30, don't know what that means. The nearest club to me is the trafford one in manchester, should I just start going or will they require a decent level of rowing knowledge/fitness first?

Cheers

Reply 1181

SimonM

Original post by Joeyye

Most clubs will have a novice program for people who haven't rowed before, so you should be fine just asking to join.

I wouldn't over think your first 2k score, chances are you had awful technique and don't really know how to 'move an erg'

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Reply 1182

Origami Bullets

Original post by Joeyye

What SimonM said, although I will note that Agecroft (at Salford Quays) has much nicer water and better coaching (they even coach some of GB's young hopefuls) . So if you want to be getting up to the best standard you can rather than just getting fit, then Agecroft is the one to go for.

Rowing clubs are invariably keen to recruit new novices and train them from scratch, although clubs tend to only take them on at certain times of the year, in batches (universities take them on at the beginning of the academic year, non-uni clubs have start times that vary). This is because you need everyone in a boat to be of a broadly similar standard for the best results.

Finally - you say you're not too keen on sport, but want to get involved with rowing. If you're under 55kg (or close enough) then you could consider coxing.

Reply 1183

Anatheme

As Origami said, avoid Trafford if you can actually go to Agecroft, for the simple reason that Agecroft has a river, whereas Trafford row on (a particularly rubbish) canal. The facilities are also a hell of a lot nicer, and the club competes quite a lot, so definitely try to go for Agecroft if you can. Trafford is stressful at best, between barges, other boats, bits of rubbish floating about, and these are not ideal conditions to start rowing (and even less coxing, it's so narrow you regularly make the blades scratch the bank).

Reply 1184

username862588

Do I need to be able to swim to start rowing? Would love to row, but can't swim :frown:

I'm only 14 by the way.

Reply 1185

Anatheme

Original post by Mr Bee

Do I need to be able to swim to start rowing? Would love to row, but can't swim :frown:

I'm only 14 by the way.

You have to be able to swim 50m fully clothed and doggy paddle for a few minutes. Some clubs even require that you swim 5m underwater or something like that. But yeah, being able to swim could save your life if you ever capsize.

Reply 1186

username862588

Original post by Anatheme

Ah sheiiit. Better learn then :frown:

Reply 1187

Origami Bullets

Original post by Mr Bee

Ah sheiiit. Better learn then :frown:

It shouldn't take too long to learn - the 'fully clothed' bit is essentially just a bit of lycra (have a look at the pictures of Olympic rowers whilst racing / on the podium - that's all they mean by fully clothed), and you don't need to do it with any level of finesse.

The actual requirements are set out here http://www.britishrowing.org/sites/default/files/pages/29557/1.2%20Swimming%20Competence%20v2.2%20web.pdf

Reply 1188

dobbs

Original post by Mr Bee

Ah sheiiit. Better learn then :frown:

If you can't swim you can still start learning to row as it just means you will be required to wear a compact buoyancy aid/lifejacket whilst rowing. Once you've learned to swim then you won't have to wear it anymore :smile:

Reply 1189

Tabris

Original post by Mr Bee

Ah sheiiit. Better learn then :frown:

I wouldn't worry too much. I am a terrible swimmer. Unless I'm on my back, I can barely do two lengths of a 25m pool and I can only just tread water for about 2-3 minutes.

You've got time.

Reply 1190

username862588

Original post by dobbs

What is a compact buoyancy aid like? Very bulky?

Reply 1191

Miracle Day

Joining Cardiff rowing club soon. Am on the waiting list for the novice programme

Reply 1192

dobbs

Original post by Mr Bee

What is a compact buoyancy aid like? Very bulky?

Not sure if that's a joke or not?

The clue is in the name 'compact buoyancy aid' - it's not too bulky and has been developed to be worn whilst rowing so it doesn't get in your way :smile:

Reply 1193

username862588

Original post by dobbs

Not sure if that's a joke or not?

The clue is in the name 'compact buoyancy aid' - it's not too bulky and has been developed to be worn whilst rowing so it doesn't get in your way :smile:

Ooh! It's just how you put /life jacket. And they are kinda bulky :\

Hello

Original post by Mr Bee

Ooh! It's just how you put /life jacket. And they are kinda bulky :\

Have you worn one of the British Rowing lifejackets? They are specifically made for rowing (or more specifically 'sculling' as you can't do sweep oar rowing until you're older) so they're quite lightweight and as I say don't get in the way of your oars.

They aren't as bulky as the ones you'd wear to go canoeing or do raft building etc.

Reply 1196

IQ Test

Hi everyone,

I know this isn't relevant to the discussion about buoyancy, but how beneficial do you think kettlebell workouts are for a rower?

Thanks in advance!

Reply 1197

avash27

I know this thread hasn't had a lot of activity recently, but I'm a novice cox and today went out in a 4+ for the first time, in less than great conditions (really choppy water, the nose was getting pulled by the current really easily and no amount of steering was able to fix this, etc). I think the girls I was coxing expected way too much from me today, I even said I did not feel comfortable going out the in the conditions - didn't even have a working cox box!! - but they said we should go out anyway. Only one girl agreed with me that it was risky to go out, we didn't have a coach alongside us as the men's teams were training for HoRR. I really want to up my coxing knowledge - aside from basic commands I don't know a lot, and the girls in the boat with me were novices too and were yelling at me the entire time which just made me flustered as I was trying to navigate an extremely busy river and not optimal conditions.

Basically, what can I do to improve myself off-water? I realize I just need to get more experience under my belt but at the moment I don't know when that will happen as focus is on the men's teams for the upcoming race and I feel uncomfortable being told to go out on the water without a coach or an experienced member with me in the boat.

Reply 1198

Anatheme

Original post by avash27

I'm assuming you're coxing on the Tideway? Under no circumstances should you go out with no coach to guide you, IVs are much harder to row and if you're all novices, it's not a safe thing to do at all. As much as they want to improve, your role as a cox is to make sure the boat and rowers are safe, and if it means not rowing, then so be it.

Coxing at university isn't easy because most rowers take your presence for granted and will make you feel guilty if you don't do what they want/tell you to do. It's an ungrateful seat, but you need to learn to assert your authority, even if it displeases them. There are boats that can't be rowed without you, and they need to understand that coxing is a whole different set of skills, and that it takes a lot longer to acquire and hone them.

Having good relations with everyone when you're not in the boat helps, because they may be more willing to forgive your mistakes on the water, and also because you'll feel more comfortable when coxing them. (That said, I personally avoid getting involved with boys from squads I cox because it can get awkward.)

Making sure they understand why you made the decisions you made is another very important point. I made my rowers stop before the finish line once because there was a whole lot of boats stopped right there and I decided it would be too dangerous for the boats and the rowers if I carried on at full speed. The coach was livid and had a right go at me, but the rowers all agreed with me and they now know they can trust me not to crash their boat or put them in a dangerous situation.

HORR is only in a week, but if your rowers can't wait, ask another club to coach you (go out with them during their outings?) This way you'll get experience and you'll have a different coach's opinion on your boat. If you don't feel comfortable with it, tell them you're not doing it (and suggest that one of them does it and see how much fun it is...)

Getting that confidence will take time, and it's also important not to take everything personally. If we have a crap outing, I tend to be upset even if the coach and the rowers give me positive feedback, and it's not ideal. You need to only care about the comments made on your coxing - leave the rest to the rowers, although make a note of what was said.

Train with them (like if you have circuits or if they do stuff you enjoy like swimming or running), create bonds with them, but make sure that as soon as you're in the boat, they defer to you. Having them shout at you is not acceptable, no matter how wrong they think you were. If that happen again, explain to them off the water that you're the only one allowed to talk unless you've allowed them to do so, and that it only puts them more at risk because it can distracts you or give you the wrong idea (if someone talks in my boat, I tend to assume something's wrong and it gets me worried - not a good thing.)

I have some more tips and resources for coxing, I'll PM you as soon as I'm home tonight and have access to my stuff and am not on my phone anymore!

Reply 1199

littlehobbit

Original post by Anatheme

I have some more tips and resources for coxing, I'll PM you as soon as I'm home tonight and have access to my stuff and am not on my phone anymore!

Just read your post and I know this is probably extremely cheeky, but was just wondering whether you'd be able to PM me any random tips and resources you may have as well? I would be extremely grateful! I am in my second year of coxing now, but there's always tonnes to learn!!