I was a bit nervous before my first solo row, but I needn't have been...Gail, Pal, Sarah, and Steve helped Julie and I (newbies extreme) get into the water almost effortlessly. Sarah, bless her, stayed with us the entire time as we braved the waters adjacent to shore. It was relaxing and great fun! I can't wait to do it again.
Now if I can just get the stroke down. Any advice from the group? I seem to pull harder with my dominant side. How do I fix that?
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I don't know your level, but if you are real new, I would not worry about it. It's most likely an issue of technique rather than strength that's causing this issue. Time on the water is really the only remedy for beginners. If you are rowing with some experienced people then they should be able to give you some pointers. Also, study rowing on YouTube. Hang in there and you will get your rewards in spades
ReplyDeleteIf the ocean spirits wanted us to row straight, he/she would have put lines on the water. One of the beauties of Ocean Rowing is that we are not confined to straight lines. How ever it can make for a longer row.
ReplyDeleteThat being said.....
There could be lots of reasons why you're rowing in a criss cross pattern and BTW most beginner rowers have the tendency to look like drunken sailers as they cross the bay.
I can't tell you what you are specifically doing, but I can offer a couple of hints to help straighten out your Rhumbline.
1)Pick a landmark or point of land that is opposite to the direction you wish to row. Keep your eyes and stern of the scull centered on that piece. Row as slow as you must to keep yourself in line with the mark for at least 100 yards.
2)When you can accomplish that, try the same exercise but this time with the compass. Soon your body, hands and tempo will find a cycle that will enable to row straight.
But just remember....those of us who go through life in a straight line miss all the wonderful experiences share by those who wander off the path...
My goal is to row in a straight line (100 yards sounds very good), but at this point I am just enjoying the ride. As a newbie I can absolutely agree that for me the answer is to get out there as much as I can. Several people told me that there is something that happens around the 12th time rowing. I have recently accomplished that and there is more of a flow to my stroke and it feels better. Truly I have to say that I am enjoying the process of learning to row and the people I am meeting along the way. Enjoy!!
ReplyDeleteIt's the baker's dozen syndrome...on your 13th row you will wonder why you ever rowed crooked. Those of us who have been doing this for a while notice that learning to row is a matter of incremental small adjustments that add up to changes--slowly! The solution is to get back on the water. Go for 13!
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your advice!
ReplyDelete