Coaching

Here you'll find a collection of our articles dedicated to coaching, from both technical and physiological standpoints, as well as our thoughts on best practices. The articles are arranged into three categories–methodology, technique, and indoor training. Click on the title of the article below to read it in full. This page will continue to be updated as we add new relevant articles to RR.

The 30 Best Rowing Coaches of All Time—A Three-Part Series:

'Best Rowing Drills' Series:

Rowing Coaching Methodology:

Rowing Technique and Technology:

Rowing Machine Reviews:

Indoor Rowing:

Coxswain Resources:

  • See our new Coxswain Resources page, featuring interviews, videos, links to recordings, and ongoing updates 

Cross-Training: 

'Great Ones' Series:

-RR

Trending posts this month

The 30 Best Rowing Coaches of All Time, Part 3: The Top 10

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The top 10 best rowing coaches, including guess who (Photo © Iain Weir / Rowing Photography ) It's time for the third and final part of our 3-part series on the best of the best in the rowing coaching ranks. These coaches not only command respect based on performance, but have also shown the ability to adapt to new circumstances, build dynasties, and ultimately help shape the trajectory of rowing as a sport. Honestly, it would be easy to extend this series into 10 more posts... But we wouldn't do that to you. As we've said before, the hope is that the following may serve to educate and spark discussion, as both an appreciation of history and of the coaching craft. Also note: As we stated in Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, there are few women in this list, but that is a reflection of a general underrepresentation of women in the head coaching ranks in our sport—and indeed (as has been well documented ) a growing number of NCAA sports in the United States.
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Video Of The Week: Holland Beker 2013

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This week's video comes to us from the Bosbaan, where the 2013 Holland Beker saw truly elite, international competition over the weekend. Perhaps the most outstanding racing came in the women's single, where the A Final closely mirrored a world championship or Olympic final in recent years—the lineup included two-time Olympic champ Ekaterina Karsten of Belarus, Kim Crow of Australia, New Zealand's Emma Twigg , reigning Olympic champion Mirka Knapkova of the Czech Republic, another two-time Olympic champion (albeit in the women's eight) in Eleanor Logan , and 2012 Olympic bronze medalist (also in the eight) Chantal Achterberg of Holland.  As it turned out, the final was a wire-to-wire victory for Kim Crow, who looks to be on top form and may be the athlete to beat in this event for the foreseeable future, holding off both Karsten and Twigg in the closing stretch, with Knapkova finishing fourth. Elle Logan had another solid race in a great field, finishing just ove
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"I Row Crew" — Rowing in 'The Social Network'

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Like many of the rowing faithful, I've been keeping up with the saga penned by Dan Boyne about the filming of the rowing scenes in David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin's The Social Network , and I must say I had high hopes going into the film. The first problem I encountered: the phrase, "I row crew." It was uttered so many times before anyone "rowed crew" on the water that I had trouble buying any of it later. It's understandable that the character of Mark Zuckerberg makes that mistake, since he has no idea about the sport. But when the Winklevoss twins themselves utter the phrase several times, one begins to wonder where Boyne was when these lines were not being chopped or changed. Seriously, who says that? As far as the actual rowing goes, the first scene, which has the twins out training in a pair along with the rest of the Harvard squad, is not all bad — it just ends that way. The line, "Those guys are freakin' fast" is certainly every b
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10 Rowing Machine Benefits For All

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The rowing machine goes back a long way. There have been various (and some very strange) iterations over the years, but the main benefit of the rowing machine has always remained the same: bringing the full-body training experience from the water on land.  Document Table of Contents: These days, with immersive experiences available through streamable workouts and flat screens (or even tablets and smartphones), the distance between land training and training on the water has shrunk. Of course, it's never going to be a 1:1 feeling from the dock to the boat, and rowers (typically with not-great ergs) are apt to point out that 'ergs don't float.' But again, that doesn't decrease their value to the individual, nor to the sport. Basic Rowing Machines Benefits For the uninitiated in the audience, there are some basic (and some very obvious) benefits to rowing machines, from a broad range of cardio and HIIT t
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RR Interview: Nick Trojan's New Feature on Yale Men's Rowing

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Nick Trojan's latest feature documentary is twice as long as his previous work—but leaves you wanting more, just the same.  There’s a new feature in Nick Trojan’s series, taking an inside look at top-tier college rowing programs in the US. This time, Trojan focused his project on Yale and the legendary coach Steve Gladstone, blending outstanding camerawork with one of rowing’s most compelling stories.  Having uploaded the video to YouTube only two weeks ago, it’s already approaching 70k views. And for good reason.  RR sat down recently to talk through it all with Trojan in an exclusive interview, from origins to development and finally a finished product—as well as what might come next. Here’s what we learned. Navigating shifting waters Elite rower turned filmmaker Nick Trojan’s new feature, titled simply, “Yale Men’s Rowing,” was years in the making.  “The initial idea was to do the same kind of rinse-and-repeat that we had done with Harvard and Cal,” Trojan says, “but I think wha
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