Honing the Catch: Nuances of Rowing Technique

For many sweep rowers, the hardest part of the stroke is actually putting the blade in the water. As with all aspects of the sport, performing a rowing catch is deceptively difficult. In principle it seems simple, especially to a beginner, but a novice oarsman soon gains familiarity with the practical intricacies of catching technique, as well as the numerous contributing factors that affect the execution of the stroke for better or worse.

When I was a novice, I felt as though performing a "proper" rowing catch was impossible - more an element of grace or style than a functional expedient of speed and boat set, and not worth the trouble I was having with it. As long as I was getting the blade in the water, what difference did it make how it looked?

This is one of the major flaws in the perception of beginning rowers. In the mind of a novice, the catch is something that the blade does by itself, disconnected from the rower, and a clean catch is a good catch. A novice tends to think of the catch as an action when it is actually a position, requiring full-body precision. The sooner he realizes this, the easier it will be to adjust his technique and posture to make all the elements of the catch coalesce.

So what are the requisites of a skillful catch?

The most influential variables are arguably the hands and arms. Keep in mind that the entire recovery, or the first half of a rowing stroke, is essentially preparation for the catch. By the halfway point, just as you allow your knees to bend, your arms should be totally straight and your outside hand hovering somewhere between your lower calves and ankles. Up to this point, you have allowed the oar handle to sink naturally toward the gunnels. Now you must gradually lift the handle forward "into" the catch, so that the blade moves in an unbroken diagonal line towards the water.

As soon as the edge of the oar makes contact, you "drop" the blade into the water: in essence, relaxing your arms so that gravity pivots the blade downward as the handle moves upward in your hands. Unlike the gradual build-up, this needs to happen almost instantaneously, because a slow catch will hinder your boat speed and throw you out of sync with the rest of the boat. Be careful, however, that your catch is not forceful or abrupt, because this will disrupt the set. The ideal catch feels somewhat like your blade is sliding into an invisible notch - you will feel a satisfying "click" against your palms and wrists.

A litmus test that many coaches use to determine the success of a catch is backsplash. A sizable and graceful backsplash shows that you're sliding the blade into the water before pushing with the legs, which is ideal. Otherwise, your blade hangs in the air and you lose half of the drive. A nice backsplash tends to correlate with a speedy delivery, so you'll get more of it if you drop the blade in quickly.

Of course, there is a catch to using backsplash as an evaluative tool. Rowers will often learn how to create backsplash even if their execution is poor. Whether on purpose or by accident, they will try to mask the inadequacies of their stroke by slinging water. If an oarsman fails to compress to full slide, he will often be too impressed with the arcing water spout his blade creates to notice that he's taking an abridged stroke. You can also get a lot of backsplash by catching too early in the recovery. Keep these in mind, and remember always to use backsplash as a measure of success in retrospect, not as an end in itself.

Despite all the intricacies of the preparation, the key element of a good catch is also the most basic. Be sure to feather early in the recovery, around the time that the handle passes your knees. Some coaches favor a gradual feather, while others prefer a flip-catch; either is fine, as long as you complete the motion with enough time to sink the blade. This isn't as easy as it sounds, and even experienced rowers struggle to make a habit of it. Make this a priority. Otherwise you can expect a messy entry and even the occasional show-stopping crab. If you've ever touched an oar, you know how that feels.

Notwithstanding all of these factors, however, it is important that you relax. You will take anywhere between one hundred and ninety to two hundred and ten strokes throughout the duration of a 2000 meter race. While each stroke counts, the important thing is to maintain your composure over the course of the ordeal. If you make a bad catch, do not dwell on it as you make the next six or seven. Concentrate on each one as it happens, and then move on to the next. Tell yourself that this is the only catch you will ever make. With that in mind, and one stroke at a time, you will hone your catch to perfection.