Teaching good handle height on the erg has inspired more than one Rowing Hack, and here is another good trick to keep athletes paying attention to their handle heights: the Zip Tie Handle Guide.

Dave Deiuliis of Assumption University suggested this take on the old "put something in the way so the handle stays up into the catch" trick, and he points out that zip ties improve on the old standby, the Handle Height Tape Hack, in a couple of useful ways.

"The zip ties are better than tape because they won’t tear and you can adjust the height to whomever is on the erg," says Deiuliis, who also no longer has to deal with any athletic tape residue on his ergs.

Of course, folks have been using zip ties forever as reach guides in the boat, but now they can be helping the front-ends on your team all winter long.

This zip tie method does lack the musical accompaniment of maybe our favorite stay-up-into-the-catch hack, John Thornell's Handle Height Bells, and really anything that keeps the chain up--from a roll of tape to a stray baseball--will still do the job, but you can never have too many good ways to reinforce good rowing habits on the erg.

Do you have a good teaching trick for erg season like this one? If so, share your ideas--and hacks--in the comments below.

If you have a great rowing hack to suggest for future inclusion, then please send it to us like Dave did and we will feature your idea in a future column.