RowingRelated

I've not yet figured out a way to write while driving, but I'm working on it. In the meantime, the above is a video from the trip down to Philadelphia from Boston, moving on from coverage of the Head Of The Charles to the Schuylkill and the Princeton Chase this weekend. The weather men are predicting snow storms, but (fortunately) we're well equipped with waterproof gear and will be bringing you more coverage of the racing on RowingNews.com throughout the weekend–and stay up to date with @RowingNews and @rowingrelated on Twitter for updates on the action as it happens out here on Boathouse Row. More to come as the racing kicks off Saturday morning in Philadelphia. -RR

Drysdale leads through the enclosures (Photo: RR) Whether you are coaching athletes or you are an athlete yourself, it is always important to set yourself up for success. What this means is not putting yourself in a position where your mind or body will fail by trying to do too much, too soon, or biting off more than you can chew, from a training and racing perspective. Examples of this include: Trying to handle a larger workload than is practical in terms of training volume Expecting to beat competitors that are several levels of skill and ability above you Trying to make too big of a jump in performance (like a third year rower trying to go from a 6:30 2k to 6:00 in one year) It is, unfortunately, common for athletes, and even coaches, to set overly ambitious goals and to attack them with palpable vigor only to end up too tired, injured, beat up or demoralized having only scratched the surface of their proposed training plan.  Why does this happen?  It happens because...

Canadian lightweight Cameron Sylvester gives us an inside look at what it takes to train for an Olympic medal, with the Canadian men's team–each athlete has been interviewed for the video, with the audio from each interview spliced together. Not only do these athletes follow the same training plan, they also think alike, as all echo one another throughout this nicely edited piece. Need some motivation to hit the erg this winter? Watch, listen, and learn. For content on the 47th Head Of The Charles, check out the coverage from Saturday and Sunday , with results, photos and interviews, posted to the official website of Rowing News . Want to suggest the next 'Video of the Week?' Shoot us an email at rowingrelated [at] gmail [dot] com, or send us your suggestion via Twitter ( twitter.com/rowingrelated ). -RR

Heyman's collection of HOCR 1st place medals (Photo courtesy of Leigh Heyman) Yesterday, I put together a piece for Rowing News with Ned DelGuercio (coxswain of the U.S. men's eight) on how to tackle two of the most important bridges on the course at the Head Of The Charles. Today, five-time HOCR champion (see image above), and 2007 U.S. National Team member Leigh Heyman of NYAC shares his take on navigating the Charles, which spans to use throughout the race course, and his personal list of do's and don'ts with RR. From Leigh: I'll start off with Weeks and Eliot, since these are the two bridges that are the hardest to navigate, and the source of the most anxiety. Everyone looks at the course map and says, "it's a no-brainer–never take the right hand arch at Weeks or Eliot." And this is true–they are the arches of last resort. The only reason to use them is to avoid a collision. But then on race day, there you are and you have to make a fas...

Isis trains along the Putney Embankment, London (Photo: RR) Taken together, coaching team dynamics and dealing with different personalities form a very important aspect of coaching in any team sport, and rowing is certainly no exception.  With so many people from a variety of different backgrounds, high school, collegiate and national teams always contain a large mix of personalities and abilities. Teammates who might have different approaches and different motivations must find a way to work together and have a sense of cohesiveness if they are to succeed. Finding a way to walk the line and balance these differing individuals is the difficult task of the coach.  While a large part of coaching in any sport is taken up with the "Xs and Os" and technical aspects, it is as important, if not more important, to be a great leader. To be a great leader, one must not only have the charisma to teach and inspire, but also the ability to understand and facilitate the creation of team...

This week's VOTW comes to us from Switzerland, where the 2011 Red Bull XRow covered 18 kilometers on the water, as well as 7km on land, broken up into six stages (three rowing, three running)–the added twist is that the eight-man crews must carry their boats across all the running stages (note the foam padding lining the gunwales expressly for this purpose–and don't try this at home). The course runs from Zug, south across the Zugersee to Immensee, overland to Küssnacht am Rigi, south along the Vierwaldstättersee to Meggen, overland to Wartenfluh, and then west on the Rotsee to Luzern (Lucerne), before a final mad dash off the water and up the hill to the finish. All together, it makes for quite a spectacle, as well as an intense training session for the athletes involved, as they expand and develop their aerobic base over the course of the Fall season. This year, competitors included members of the Swiss national rowing team, André Vonarburg among them. Want to suggest the...

Cranking through Weeks at the Head Of The Charles (Photo: P. Biro) The Head Of The Charles is just over a week away, and it's known as one of the trickiest courses around for the coxswain, who has to navigate bridges and traffic on the narrow stretch, always keeping in mind that the most direct route is key, while keeping his/her crew focused on the task at hand. Like the Head of the River Race on the Tideway in London, there are a huge number of crews to contend with, hordes of spectators, and much to think about while executing your race plan. Phelan Hill , the coxswain of the GB men's eight (silver medalists in Karapiro and Bled), has a great deal of experience guiding crews through head races, winning the 2011 Head of the River with Leander Club last April. Here, Phelan shares some of his knowledge with RR, from establishing the rhythm through the start, to the final build toward the finish. Getting Started RR: When it comes to head racing, there's much more ...

Evening light, Eliot Bridge (Photo: RR)  As we get into the Fall head racing season on the collegiate and high school circuit, programs are training for longer distance races, which are ultimately secondary in importance to the Spring championship races.  In order to build aerobic base fitness, emphasis should be placed on long distance workouts–volume is key, but it should be tempered with more aggressive work.  Many people run afoul here, in that they are afraid to train hard enough, and end up holding themselves back too much in the Fall. A fine balance With a championship peak as the ultimate goal, it is certainly important to avoid getting into 'race-shape' or being 'race ready' too soon. How do you avoid this as a coach? In order to understand this, one must understand what makes one race fit and ready to achieve physiological peak. We know that race pace work and lots of rest counterbalanced with great intensity will get one physiologically ready for a peak p...