Here is the latest video uploaded from Nick Garratt – Nick coaches at Mosman in Australia and is very generous sharing the video he shoots of his athletes.  What I love is that they come un-adorned.  They are normal athletes trying to go fast in boats and so are good models for club athletes elsewhere.

When videoing rowers 4 things to check

• Did you video square off from the athlete?
• Can you see the stern throughout the stroke – does it dip and if so when and by how much?
• Did you do a close-up which can be used for slow motion replay?
• When videoing directly behind (astern) what does this show you?

If you had taken this video – what points would you raise with your athlete on things he could improve?

When analysing video there are two ways to do it – tell the athlete what you see or ask them what they see and would like to change.

My questions to the athlete would be:

• If the water had been rougher would he have looked as good?
• Which parts of the stroke is he’s rowing really well?
• Look closely at his shoulders – are they relaxed at the catch and through the drive?
• How would you improve the “grip” of the oar in the water at the catch?
• Does a tall athlete like this need to row to full compression at the catch?
• Is there a difference in his technique between the early piece and the racing start he does later?