How to row properly: the simple basics we drilled in the Kiwi eight

Rowing is a simple sport when you boil it down. Here's how to row properly, using the basics I leant on most: set up the catch before you get there, hang off your lats, complete every stroke and learn to control your mass. None of it is fancy, which is the whole point.

"Often it is the simple things done exceptionally that will make the difference."

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got from a coach was, "Shaun, it's a simple sport, don't overcomplicate it." We love to make a pretty boring thing more complex than it is. Whatever way you want to skin the cat, as long as the whole crew is doing the same things, that's what matters most. I go deeper on that in what makes the boat fast, and the rest of my technique for powerful rowers builds on it.

How to row properly on water?

Rowing is a chain. It starts at your fingertips, then you press through your legs, swing through your body and finish the stroke. Your legs and trunk are doing about 80% of the work. Good rowing is getting all of that power through the chain to the handle without losing it somewhere in your core and hips.

So on the water, keep it to four things:

• Set up off the back so the catch takes care of itself.
• Hang off your lats on the drive so your arms just hold on.
• Complete every single stroke before you move to the next.
• Control your body weight, which is where rowing feet out comes in.

Set up the catch off the back

This is a mistake I made heaps, and I bet you've made it too. You're coming to the catch thinking, where's the catch, where is it? Then you miss it, because of course you miss it.

"The catch is something that you just need to preempt."

Getting a good catch is all about the prep. That's your hands moving away off the back, rocking over and breaking your knees, together with the rest of the crew. That's your set position. From there your body position doesn't change. All you do is roll into the front and put your blade in. I thought about the catch the moment my knees were popped. As a bow sider I'd picture a straight line from my hands to my catch and just go straight towards it.

Where people get tripped up is reaching for a bit more at the front. They're not fully set up off the back, so they do some last-minute setup and they're slow at the catch. Don't go for any extra reach. You'll be slow, you'll put yourself in a vulnerable position and you'll slow the boat down. I break it down further in how to get a quick catch.

Get the drill pack ↗︎

Hang off your lats on the drive

Eric Murray gave me this one when we raced together at National Champs for Waikato.

"He used to talk about hanging off the handle and getting that hang to feel like it's right in the lower part of your lats."

It's super easy to work really hard and load up in the shoulders, and that's all wasted energy. Think about the lat stretching and locking at the same time, and take it out of the arms so they're just holding on for dear life. You're hooked up through the lats, through the core and down to the legs. In the Olympic final in Tokyo, that's what I was doing. The full story is in hang off your lats.

Complete every single stroke

One of the simplest things we talked about in the Kiwi eight was completing every single stroke. It's especially powerful on a race start. Talk to your crew about being super thorough with each stroke and finishing it before you move on to the next one.

You'll feel a collective trust that everyone is going to swing through, pull through to the lower ribs, drop down together, complete the stroke and get out cleanly.

"The moment you start thinking about the next stroke you end up just getting a little bit fumbly around the back, you end up rushing things a little bit and just not being as clean and together as you could be."

Preach it over and over. More in complete every single stroke.

Row feet out to control your mass

At the start of every row, do the first four to six kilometres feet out. Just chuck your feet on top of your shoes and put a bit of pressure on. What a Meataxe often suffers from is a lack of control of their giant mass, and learning to control that mass in the boat makes you faster.

"You'll realise how much control you've got to have in connection with your core, especially when you're opening up and swinging through the stroke."

We did this as an Olympic crew every single day. It turns your core on and makes your rowing smoother, and it applies to every crew, not just school or uni crews. Here's more on feet out rowing.

Proper form still matters in a big boat

When I say lay down some filth in an eight, that doesn't mean row poorly or be sloppy. It means dial up the aggression while still keeping the good core principles of rowing well with your teammates. A good rule of thumb: the smaller the boat, the more you need to take care of it. The bigger the boat, the more you can lean on it. There's more on that in how to row an eight.

Try this

• Feet out warm-up: the first four to six kilometres of your row with your feet on top of your shoes, with a bit of pressure on.
• Catch slaps: roll up to the front with a feathered blade and slap the water as hard as you can, as a whole crew, for 10 or 15 strokes. Then go back to normal rowing and feel how light and fast the catch is, and how relaxed you can be while still being decisive. It's one of the three drills we kept coming back to in the Kiwi eight.
• One cue per session: pick setup, lats or completing the stroke, and get the whole crew working on the same one.

Common mistakes

• Thinking about the catch at the catch. By then you've already missed it.
• Reaching for extra length at the front. It makes you slow and puts you in a vulnerable position.
• Loading up the shoulders. It feels like hard work, but it's wasted energy.
• Rushing into the next stroke. You get fumbly around the back and lose the clean finish.
• Overcomplicating it. Rowing is a simple sport. Keep it that way.