To learn more about this series, see the areas we plan to cover, and to read Parts 1 through 4 on this topic, please visit the Youth Coaches Corner's index page. Youth coaches are more than welcome to contact row2k to get involved in future columns.

This week, Round 1 of answers we received on the subject of go-to drills:

Give us your favorite drill, and what do you use it to teach/reinforce?

CATHY COFFMAN - ALBEMARLE HS - HEAD COACH

My current favorite drill, especially at the beginning of the season, is the “Two Finger Drill” to emphasize light grip when coaching sculling boats.

This drill is best done in a double or quad where one or two athletes can set the boat up, and the athletes, rowing on the square, are only permitted to grip the oar with two fingers, with the other two fingers behind the handle. Start with arms only, then add body, then slide. You can modify this drill by starting with rowing with one finger, then move to two fingers, then three, etc., keeping the grip light and the handle in the fingers. Another modification is to start at the catch position, rowing only the top quarter of the slide, then full slide, then add the back, then the arms (aka the reverse pick drill--another favorite!!), all the while rowing with only two fingers.

This “two finger” drill helps emphasize a couple key parts of the correct sculling stroke, most importantly the light grip. It also helps emphasize the horizontal component of the stroke.

Manny Flick #5, 2022

JOHN THORNELL - STONINGTON CREW - WOMEN'S HEAD COACH

We recently started using the "Rock & Row" drill. We learned this from Australia's Lyall McCarthy. It's common for junior rowers to start the recovery with legs, bodies, and arms simultaneously. Rock & Row is a fantastic drill to help young rowers sequence the recovery properly.

RICH KESOR - MONTGOMERY BELL ACADEMY - MEN'S HEAD COACH

It is a “rolling pause” drill, using the numbering system I developed about 15 years ago, where the 3 main “positions” of the stroke are numbered 1, 2, and 3.  In the drill, we row all 8 and cycle through pauses at each position: pause at 1 every 5th stroke for 20 strokes into pause at 2 every 5th for 20 strokes into pause at 3 every 5th stroke for 20 strokes...continue for 5-7km.

The positions also help to reinforce what I preach to the kids as the 3 important inches in the stroke: the inch when the handle is nearest to the body, the inch when the knees unlock, and the inch at the entry.  If those 3 inches are perfected, the boat will move well.

TBC Tussle, 2022

LESLEH WRIGHT - TEMPE JUNIOR ROWING - ASSISTANT COACH

The Rusty Pause: Pause at release, pivot through body over, swing back to release and then take a full stroke, repeat.  We will do one and pause, two and pause, three and pause. 

This is a great rhythm drill.  I like it because it emphasizes moving together, sequencing in and out of bow together finding easy rhythm.

JAMIE WHALEN - Y QUAD CITIES

I have my athletes try full slide backing in their singles. The backing can be done individually or as a competition. It can be done with blades squared, blades turned backwards or one blade squared and the other one turned backwards.

It is useful for teaching the proper sequence of body movements during the normal rowing stroke as well as the proper position of the hands at the crossover. It is  valuable for teaching how to make the boat go straight and turn efficiently. And it is good practice for backing into a starting platform or alongside a dock.

Head of the Charles, 2022

ANONYMOUS COACH - MEN'S NOVICE COACH

I have two drills that seem to really help once my novices are at the point where they can row all 8:

Rowing eyes closed: It's almost inevitable they row better with their eyes closed than open as they are less distracted. It also teaches them to feel the boat, feel the rhythm, and internalize it. Bonus: it keeps them from looking at their blade, because if you see their head turned towards their blade you know their eyes aren't closed! 14-15 year old boys are notoriously easily distracted!

The "Uh!" drill: This one always gets them laughing at first, but as 14-15 year old boys they then eat it up. It's an audible timing drill without any pause. Once they get the boat going, at every finish when the handle hits the body they grunt a loud, quick "UH!" If all the finishes are together you should hear one collective "UH!" If someone is off, both you and they will hear it (there's a loud collective UH! and a softer lonely UH! either early or late) and they'll (hopefully) make the correction. Every year my guys wind up asking to do this drill again and again...and it works.

Polar Bear Regatta, 2023

ALEXANDER SUTHERLAND - TEXAS ROWING CENTER - MEN'S NOVICE COACH

My favorite drill helps with posture. Athletes I’ve coached who have struggled to apply erg fitness to the water all have one thing in common: poor posture. Posture will affect their erg times, too, but they’ll still be able to get significant power down. On the water, it’s a different story. Poor posture results in digging, inability to maximize the second half of the drive, and an ineffective recovery.

Correcting posture can be achieved easily with a simple drill. It starts from stationary and builds to full crew rowing. The goal is simple. Create good posture and maintain it as you move towards the catch.

Step 1: Start all athletes sitting at the finish. Emphasize a straight back and strong hips under their weight. Once you’re happy, move them to the body over position with their legs slightly "popped"

Step 2: Once you are satisfied with these stationary positions, tell the athletes to rock forward and back from the finish to this body over position together as a boat

Step 3: Either by half or full boat, start a two part pause at the finish and body over (with legs slightly popped). After the first pause, rowers focus on just rocking over. After the second pause, they focus on maintaining this posture into the catch

Step 4: Drop the finish pause so that the crew learns to leave the finish and rock over together as one unit

Step 5: Row continuous and APPLY THE DRILL!!

If done right and reinforced over time--because posture does not get fixed in a single practice----you should be able to see a smoother recovery as the seat slides slightly back underneath them as they rock over before then moving forward as you go to full compression, and an overall better prepared and stronger catch position.

Head of the Schuylkill, 2022