Coxing is an art rather than a science.
Successful coxswains gain the confidence and admiration of their crews by showing leadership,
which can be gained by experience, skill, intelligence and innate ability.
Crews cannot practice or compete without coxes.
Coaches cannot train their crews without them.
Coxes are not steering appendages; they are an essential part of a crew.
It is not an eight or a four, but a nine and a five.
In fact, it is a ten and a six with the coach.
Good coaches and rowing program managers know this and value good coxes highly.
FIRST, as a Rower, here is some useful information/terminology to be aware of:
About Rowing / Terminology
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New to Rowing? These terms have been included as a reference for beginners to help you get off to a good start.
Bow: Front of the boat (from coxie seat)
Stern: Back of the boat (from coxie seat)
Portside: Right hand side of boat when seated.
Starboard: Left hand side of boat when seated.
Catch: When the blade of the oar enters the water.
Finish: When the blade is approaching and at the end of the stroke.
Release: When the blade leaves the water.
Feathering the blade: When the blade leaves the wter and is turned from perpendicular to horizontal from the water's surface.
Let it run: A command by the coxie or coach to stop rowing.
Back it: Reverse rowing to turn or back the boat.
Stroke rate: Number of strokes per minute.
Squaring the blade: Turning the blade frm horizontalto perpendicular to the water.
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Hard on port>
Ease on port> |
| change of pulling forces to alter the direction of the boat |
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Hard on starboard>
Ease on starboard> |
| change of pulling forces to alter the direction of the boat |
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EQUIPMENT:
There are two basic types of rowing equipment: boats and oars.
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Oars
Oars move the boat through the water and balance it all at the same time!
The longest oars are used by sweep rowers. They are up to 13 feet long.
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The spoon like end of the oar that touches the water is called the blade. When the blade is feahtered, it is the action of turning the blade so that it is parallel to the surface of the water. When the blade is perpendicular to the surface of the water it is known as "squaring" of the blade.
Most oars have a fairly standard shape. The newest type of oar is called a "hatchet blade", named for its shape. This blade is 20% larger than standard blades.
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Rowing's Shell Game
Boats
The boats that rowers use are called shells. In shells, each athlete uses either one oar each; called sweep rowing, or tow oars: called sculling. Shells come in a variety of sizes, depending on how many athletes they hold. Sweep Shells cna be known as a pair, Cox Four, Four and an Eight. Scullers row in boats called Singles, Doubles or Quads.
Boats are made from carbon fiber, fiberglass or 3/16 inch thick cear or mahogany. Each boat, regardless of type or size, has oarlocks, riggers, sliding seats and rower's shoes.
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Rowing's Shell Game
Boats
The boats that rowers use are called shells. In shells, each athlete uses either one oar each; called sweep rowing, or tow oars: called sculling. Shells come in a variety of sizes, depending on how many athletes they hold. Sweep Shells cna be known as a pair, Cox Four, Four and an Eight. Scullers row in boats called Singles, Doubles or Quads.
Boats are made from carbon fiber, fiberglass or 3/16 inch thick cear or mahogany. Each boat, regardless of type or size, has oarlocks, riggers, sliding seats and rower's shoes.
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Eight 8+
The largest of all rowing shells. It is manned by eight athletes, each using one sweepoar. A coxswain steers the boat.
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Cox Four 4+
A shell in which four athletes row, each rowing a single sweep oar. A coxswain steers the boat and calls the stroke.
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Quad 4X
A shell in which four scullers row, each using a pair of oars or sculls.
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Four 4-
A shell in which four athletes row, each using a single sweep oar. The person in the bow of the boat steers with a rudder by use of a tiller wire attached to the toe of one shoe.
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Cox Pair 8+
A shell rowed by two athletes, each using a single sweep oar. The coxswain steers the craft and calls the stroke. the cox may either be sitting in the stern or lying down on his back in the bow.
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Pair 2-
A shell rowed by two athletes, each using a single sweep oar.
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Double 2X
A shell in which two scullers row, each using a pair of sculls. |
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Single 1X
The smallest of the boats used in the sport, the single shell is rowed by one sculler with a sculling blade (oar) in each hand. |
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RESPONSIBILITIES OF A COXSWAIN
Primary Responsibilities
1. Safety of the boat and the athletes, both on and off the water
2. Launching
3. Steering
4. Docking
5. Avoiding on-water and on-land damage and general care of the equipment
6. Giving the athletes encouraging feedback and technical advice
7. Maintaining supplementary equipment such as cox box and tools
Additional Responsibilities as experience increases
1. Take charge/lead in and out of the boat
2. Coordinating or conducting the coach’s directions for practice, including pieces and drills
3. Give input into crew configurations or selections
4. Become a surrogate coach
5. Be a practice strategist
6. Be an in-race strategist
SAFETY
If anyone falls out, let the boat run immediately and avoid hitting the athlete. Hold water and back down to allow the athlete to hold on to an oar or the boat. If there is a coach or safety boat around the second part may not be necessary.
If the boat capsizes, turn the boat upside down and STAY WITH THE BOAT – DO NOT SWIM TO SHORE.
It is mandatory that every beginner athlete view a safety video and be advised by a coach or safety coordinator on general and local safety issues.
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
VOICE – one voice, yours!! You are in charge – be direct, clear and imperative
A cox’s voice is the most important means of giving information to the crew. Due to the length of the shells and how the rowers are situated, coxes must use some sort of amplification device or technique. Crews who cannot hear their cox typically end up confused, annoyed and disheartened.
Coxes may use:
Coxbox ..................... uses speakers in conjunction with the ability to read time and rate (spm)
Megaphone ............... either plastic or with batteries
Should your coxbox fail, use voice relay in an 8 or yell down into the boat so that hull carries your voice.
Carrying an appropriate set of tools will enable minor repairs or adjustments to be performed quickly either on the dock or out on the water – in some cases, even at the start line. Being prepared will help keep everyone calm.
Ø Wrenches – usually 7/16” is good enough or metric if needed.
Ø Electrical tape
Ø Adjustable crescent wrench
Ø Lights
Ø Band-aids!
COMMANDS
IN GENERAL: When giving a command, be sure everyone is listening and can hear you –
be sure they know where to start from: SITTING UP AT THE FINISH OR AT THE BEGGINNING
prepare them for what to do: STERN PAIR ONLY ON THE SQUARE
tell them when to start : if stopped ARE YOU READY? Pause ROW
if moving IN 2, THAT’s 1, THAT’s 2, STERN PAIR ONLY
prepare them to stop: no problems IN 2 LET IT RUN, THAT’s 1 … LET IT RUN
if emergency LET IT RUN, HOLD WATER HARD or WHOLE BOAT HOLD WATER
MOVING A BOAT TO OR FROM THE WATER
- be Authoritative and Concise
- only one person talking – the COXSWAIN (unless emergency in which case it’s okay), screen the area for other boats, items which may impede or impact the boat or rowers (steps, shoes)
- make other people aware your boat is turning ie. yell out HEADS UP or BOAT TURNING
- stand where you can see where the boat is going in - most cases at the ‘front’ of the boat as it’s exiting or turning, if coming out of the boathouse, you may be walking out with the stern forward, so be there to watch for people on the dock – but keep your eye on the bow as it exits the boathouse and turn only when clear
- when lifting the boat in and out of the water, stand at the stern w/your hand at the rudder/fin and as boat moves, protect from hitting the dock as the boat is lifted
- when walking, move as one - lengthwise on dock, step down/up to lower/upper dock together
BODIES IN AND OUT OF THE BOAT
IN – Starboard hold the riggers, Port side 1 foot in, blades across, and down (watch as they do this in unison)
Port hold the boat, Starboard 1 foot in, and down
Hold the boat, Cox getting in, number off from (farthest from where the cox sits) i.e. bow seat when ready…
OUT - Hold the boat, Cox getting out
Port hold the boat, Starboard 1 foot out, and up
Starboard hold the riggers, Port 1 foot out, blades across and out
IN THE BOATHOUSE
Hands on the boat/slide Ready to slide, and slide
Ready to lift an inch, ready up,
Depending on where boat was resting…
To the waist, and up/to the shoulders, and up over heads
Walk it forward, walk
May have to slant boat to avoid riggers of other boats-over heads and place on one shoulder or other
Heads up on the preparation area ramp or on dock – once fully out of boathouse
PUTTING THE BOAT IN THE WATER AND PUSHING OFF
To the water’s edge
Ready, up over the head,
Inside grip
Ready roll to the waist, ready roll
Ready to put in, ready out beyond edge and in
Ask the crew as to their readiness to start the practice and get them to number off when they are fully finished their adjustments. Check the course for other boats and then…
HANDS ON THE DOCK, ARE YOU READY, PUSH OFF
TAKING THE BOAT OUT OF THE WATER
Hands on, ready to lift straight up (warn about rudder and fin),
Lift and above your heads,
Split from the bow or stern and walk it into boathouse carefully and straight avoiding all riggers Place on slides, push slides in.
Port or Starboard side-get the oars and/or rub the boat down.
WARM-UP AND PRACTICE
Your coach or coordinator will usually set the warm-up and it could be pre-launch and on the water
DOCKING
Getting parallel to the dock is best done by going SLOWLY. Going too fast is a potential recipe for disaster. You may find boats waiting in line ahead of you. If you are in a queue, wait your turn. Wind or current is your enemy. Equipment damage is commonly done when docking and is usually your fault.
Remember distance closes quickly especially in 8s. Go to touch as you get within 50 metres or so. Have all seats “lean away” to lift oars off water to avoid snagging riggers on dock.
CALLS WHEN COMING INTO THE DOCK
IN 2 STERN 4/pair OUT, THAT’S 1, 2, STERN OUT
IN 2 BOW 4/pair DOWN TO ½ SLIDE, NO POWER, THAT’S 1, 2, stern out,
IN 2 BOW PAIR ONLY, NO POWER, THAT’S 1, 2, BOW ONLY
IN 2 DOWN TO TOUCH, THAT’S 1, 2, TOUCH
At this point, you should be going very slowly, but you have to cope with wind and current possibly.
As the bow ball reaches the dock, you can tell them to LEAN AWAY - this will warn starboard or port to lift oars to clear the dock, and will also bring the boat a little more in line by coming away from the dock. Never slide along or hit the dock. Damage to the boat or riggers will occur. Use the rowers’ hands to help cushion and move the boat down the dock.
MOVE IT ALONG THE DOCK, LET IT RUN
BOW OUT AND HOLD A RIGGER, COX GETTING OUT
If you are in doubt or trouble call for someone on the dock to assist you by grabbing the riggers or blades for you.
TO TURN THE BOAT AROUND
Before stopping the boat, first check to make sure that you are not in the way of any other boats coming towards you, or from behind. If clear and you have enough space to do so safely:
IN 2 STROKES, LET IT RUN, that’s 1, 2, let it run
you can tell one side to hold water so they square blades and hold to turn more quickly
PORT SIDE, HOLD WATER
LET IT RUN (boat needs to be set and stopped before the next step)
PORT SIDE TO BACK, STARBOARD TO TOUCH
ARE YOU READY? TOUCH
This can be done alternately or together. It can be done with by touching using arms only or even by picking together. Make sure everyone keeps hold of the oar handle as if not, there is a remote danger of capsizing. Use reminders. Should there be other situations you may do the reverse – starboard to back, port to touch. Should there be swells make doubly sure that the boat is balanced.
STEERING AND MANOEUVREING
STEERING
In an 8+, the boat is around 55’ in length – about the length of a transport truck. Allow plenty of time to get used to maneuvering it. Be aware of how much space you need. Think as well about the width of the boat – you have blades, which have a great span and can easily hit walls or the shoreline. If you cannot see, ask the appropriate seat to help you with judgement of distance.
The cox is provided with a looped string attached to the rudder with a handle of some kind on each side of stern-coxed boats. You steer by moving your hand forward on the side you want to go towards. If you want to steer to the right, you move your right hand forward.
If your boat has a ‘stick like’ handle, this will be ‘steered’ or ‘pushed’ to one side or the other. If you want to go to the right, you gently push the stick to the right. Generally, these are used in bow-coxed boats.
Check each new boat you get into. Some boats have crossed rudder wires, which make for reversed steering. If you can’t figure it out, ask someone who has used the boat before and then tell your crew you want to test it to get the hang of it.
Coxes usually steer too much. There are usually two reasons, i) they do not look far enough ahead and so have to steer suddenly to avoid obstacles and other crews or corners, ii) steering too far in one direction, then steer back again. This often results in a snaking line down the course and on race day will add considerably to the course length.
Experienced coxes steer straight by making minute corrections and turn by anticipating and beginning the turn before the boat gets into the turn.
When you are in a position where the rudder cannot turn the boat quickly enough, you may need to get the rowers on the outside of the turn to pull harder – STARBOARD HARD for 3 strokes… or something similar. After the maneuver is complete, remember to call the boat back to normal – THANKYOU, EVEN PRESSURE… This makes the boat turn effectively
When it is windy, you should steer to angle the boat into the wind slightly so that you don’t get blown across the course. Also, a choppy ride with waves or swells can skew the boat’s direction.
When approaching a slower crew, make sure you steer in plenty of time to get round them. Overtake as per the rules of the road as quickly as possible to get back onto the ‘correct’ side of the course.
Learn to steer by trial and error only in safe areas – no other boats around, lots of space in case of error in judgement. Always tell your crew when you are doing something out of the ordinary. A warning when practicing is appropriate – “I’m going to test steering, please keep rowing.” If you are in a narrow area and passing another boat, you may want to ‘warn’ the crew – PASSING a CREW ON PORT. This tells your crew that the approaching boat noise is to be expected they should continue with their job of rowing.
MANUEVERING
Generally, when maneuvering, use shorter controlled strokes moving together in a controlled manner.
The boat can be moved around when stationary by using individual rowers or groups of rowers. For example, in an 8, you can have BOW 4, STERN 4, BOW PAIR, STERN PAIR and even MIDDLE 4 (3/4/5/6). In a 4, the same thing, BOW PAIR, STERN PAIR, MIDDLE 2 (2/3).
When you wish to stop, it is imperative to be extremely emphatic and sound controlled.
HOLD WATER is a generally agreed call in Canada
HOLD IT HARD for emergency situations
Or you can ask one side to let it run and tell the other side to keep rowing. PORT ONLY HOLD WATER, STARBOARD KEEP ROWING, You have hard rudder on all the time.
Be very careful here as the boat can capsize with inexperienced rowers.
Probably best to HOLD HARD EVERYBODY and then ask only one side or another to hold hard.
This will rapidly turn the boat and you must be prepared with the consequences.
BACKING DOWN
In pairs or 4’s or 8s, the rowers sit with the blade handle close to the chest submerged and the athlete pushes the handle away towards the stern. If you are caught in debris, you may be required to ‘back down’ with only bow or stroke, moving the boat at an angle to free itself. This is done slowly and in short controlled strokes.
Call the seat number(s) of whom you would like to do the maneuver and tell them what you want.
Once stopped, STERN 4 TO BACK IT DOWN, ARE YOU READY? BACK Be emphatic.
TURN THE BOAT WITH NO MOVEMENT BACK OR FORWARD
If you want the boat to turn but NOT move back or forward (as when you are on a start line and the wind catches you), get diagonally opposite rowers to move together. For example, get 1 (bow) seat to touch, and stroke (4 or 8) to back; it will pivot the boat about its centre. A bigger effect will occur if you use more rowers in that same way.
Turning the boat around completely in an extremely narrow area is the same as turning the boat in normal circumstances, however you must maintain the central pivot position by ensuring that even pressure is exerted by both sides.
THE START
You must line the boat up straight. This will result in a controllable and straight start. On the line, you may have to call one or the other bow pair to touch lightly to keep a straight line. This is delicate and takes much practice and full attention by the crew. You crew must respond to the command immediately and get back into the ready position.
WEATHER
Before getting the boat out, always check the conditions. Visualize how the conditions may affect your crew, course, landing and safety. Bad weather is difficult for rowers, and this reason more than any other, may be enough to stop you from going out. Consult your coach. This is only partially your call.
Weather may make it necessary to change your practice to accommodate conditions and square blade rowing in rough water is not only difficult, it is dangerous. These factors should be foremost in your mind. Always ask if you have doubts. Be safe rather than sorry.
DO NOT GO OUT IF:
Conditions have been changing from good to bad – this is too variable to predict
Heavy wind conditions and fog reducing visibility to 200m or less.
Thunder and Lightning – if you hear it, don’t go. If you see nasty black skies, don’t go.
If any of these conditions come about while out on the water already, immediately return to the dock.
Should an athlete or crew question raise serious doubts the weather while out or refuse to go out, despite other crews being comfortable, talk it out and do not force them. Coaches are asking for trouble if they have weather spooked rowers or a scared cox.
CLOTHING
Wear appropriate clothing for the weather. You may think you have enough on, but it gets COLD out there. You are not exercising; you are sitting or lying down for perhaps 2 hours. This is especially serious in bow-coxed boats as your body is lying on the hull, and if you get water in the boat, you will be lying in cold water.
Be prepared with clothes including insulating layers, fleeces, hand gear, rain gear, head gear and sun glasses.
John Cary
February 2005.