Fixing the Set

"Set the boat!"

This is something coxswains regularly hear disgruntled stroke seats bark out when things in the boat are going awry.

Considering that keeping the boat set is a huge part of actually rowing, it's a good bet that every rower, every stroke, is thinking about boat set. Some are having internal monologues about not being able to catch because the boat is leaning away from their side; others are wishing that if only, for frick's sake, the rest of the crew would get the boat on keel so they could get their blade off the water and prep for a clean catch! And when, in that glorious moment when the boat is level and the hull glides smoothly and quietly over the surface of the water, rowers can say "There it is!"

Fixing boat set is complicated because there are so many moving parts (arms, legs, hands, oars, seats, etc.). It must be broken down into smaller details. Technique and boat set are inherently interconnected, so it's a good idea for a coach or coxswain to isolate the variables and analyze changes in order to figure out the problem.

We've seen it all: falling at the catch; down at the release; unsteady through the recovery. If a coxswain can learn to recognize where the instability occurs, he or she can help the rowers by calling specific things to focus on. "Set the boat!" is too vague of a command.

Down at the catch

Why? Uneven catch timing or hands dropping at the catch.
Fix it: Focus on tap-down at the release to ensure rowers aren't pressing the handles too low or lower than the rest of the crew. Low handles at the beginning of the recovery can also be a result of poor posture and body angle coming into the catch. Rowers should keep heads and eyes up (not staring at the bottom of the boat) and hands up, away from the gunnels.

Down at the release

Why? Release timing or uneven blade depth.
Fix it: If a rower is late with the release on starboard, the boat will remain down on starboard side, creating instability at the release and moving into the recovery. Also look for clean finishes: blades should come out of the water square (perpendicular to the water) and then be feathered. Newer rowers might start feathering the blade while it's still partly under water. Coxswains can tell if this is happening if they see a lot of water being thrown towards stern at the release.

Instability during the recovery

Why? Unsteady hands/handle heights and wobbly legs
Fix it: At the release, rowers should tap down on the handle evenly and then "stick it." Handles should remain at that level through the recovery until the last few inches when the hands come up slightly (think "ski tip") as they unweight and the handle drops in at the catch. Directly related to handle height is blade height off the water. Have rowers watch their blades for 5-10 strokes to make sure they aren't "skying" (blades coming too high off the water) or bobbing up and down through the recovery.

Wobbly legs can be a problem, too. Some rowers let their knees flop out on the recovery - remind them that the legs work as a unit, pressing down and coming back up together, aiming for vertical shins at the catch.

Usually, unsteady boat set is caused by some combination of these issues. Coaches, coxswains, and rowers need to be patient and work to fine-tune these issues together.