MastersCoaching!
A free electronic newsletter created to help you become a better rower.
Every issue contains TRAINING TIPS you can use right away!
¶ April 2004 ¶ Vol. III, No.1¶
Hello
and Happy Spring Rowing!
I’ve just returned from
running two MastersCoaching rowing camps in
About the rowing: The
camps were for two different level rowers – advanced beginner and
intermediate-advanced. The biggest difference I noticed between the two skill
levels was in core fitness. Advanced level rowers were much more able to
maintain good balance and body position throughout each practice. The advanced
beginners were able to make changes in their rowing form, but they could not
maintain those changes due to muscle fatigue.
We can all benefit from
improved core strength, so I’m devoting this issue of MastersCoaching to
core training. Here’s to a great spring. Have fun!
Mayrene
In this issue:
¶
Row the Charles: August 2004 Sweep Camps for Women
¶
Coaching Corner: Your Questions Answered
¶
Win a Free Coaching Session!
¶
Motivational Magic: Quotes to Inspire You
¶
From the Bookshelf: Recommended Reading
Row the Charles 2004: August Sweep Camps for Master Women
MastersCoaching is again offering
intermediate and advanced beginning sweep camps for women this summer during the
week of August 8. Returnees from
Information on
MastersCoaching Row the Charles camps can be found at: www.masterscoaching.com/campsclinics/SweepCampAug04.htm
.
¶~¶~¶
More
MastersCoaching Happenings:
Last fall I had the privilege of coaching a women's master eight at the Head of
the Charles. This June I will have the honor of taking an eight to compete at
the Women's Henley Regatta. Want to be a part of this? Sign up for a
MastersCoaching camp. The sky’s the
limit! Coming up in 2005 is a rowing camp in
Building up
core strength is not a new concept in rowing; it’s merely a new buzzword. What
do we mean by core strength? Think of your core as a cylinder whose boundaries
are your diaphragm, pelvic floor, transverse abdominus (these deepest abdominal
muscles act as a girdle), multifidus (deepest back muscles) and the obliques
(your sides). These muscles work together to transfer power from the lower body
to the upper body and to the blade. The stronger your core, the more effective
your transfer of power.
No doubt your
coach often tells you to sit up — especially when you become
fatigued. Consider how you feel
in the last 250 meters of a race. When you tire, your form falls apart. It's not
just because of tired legs; it's also tired arms, tired back, etc. Having a
strong core helps you maintain your form even as you tire.
Core strength
also helps protect against lower back pain. Back pain is common
because so many muscles have to contract and relax in the rowing motion. If you have a weak core, the back is the
first place you feel this imbalance.
Here are three great
ways to build core strength that don’t require equipment:
Many programs for
building core strength use physioballs. (Physio balls also are excellent for
working on your balance, an attribute we lose as we age.) There are many good
websites you can “google” to get exercises. One site I recommend is www.ballbearings.org/examples.htm.
There’s also a detailed article by Declan Connolly on
physioball use in the
Coaching Corner: Your Questions Answered
Q: How can I clean up my
release from the water?
~ Mary,
A: I worked with Mary to
improve her body position at the finish. Mary’s club rows with an emphasis on
body swing into the bow for acceleration. We discovered that as she swings for
this acceleration her feet no longer push against the foot stretchers. This
poses two problems: (1) when your feet come away from the stretchers, you no
longer are pushing the boat forward and connecting to the blade in the water;
(2) because of this, the pocket of air behind the blade disappears; this makes a
clean exit from the water difficult.
When she decreased her
layback and maintained a better body position at the finish, Mary discovered
that most of her problem disappeared. I also suggested drills to help her
release. These include: rowing on the square; delayed feathering, and
alternating three strokes on the square with three strokes on the
feather.
Win a Free Coaching Session!
Do you have a
question
about training
or rowing that you’d like answered? Send your questions to mayrene@masterscoaching.com. Every month I’ll
select a question and award the submitter a free 30-minute coaching session
focused on his or her question. So go ahead, ask. What have you got to lose?
While you’re at it, please share
your comments, feedback and suggestions about the MastersCoaching
newsletter. What features would help you? Also, if you have information to
share with other readers, send it along. I love hearing from you!
Motivational Magic: Quotes to Inspire You
¶
“Skill comes by the
constant repetition of familiar feats rather than by a few overbold attempts at
feats for which the performer is yet poorly prepared.” ~ Wilbur Wright, quoted in To Conquer the Air: The Wright Brothers
and the Great Race for Flight, by James Tobin
¶
“If you can find a path
with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere.” ~ Frank A Clark,
author
¶
“We are what we repeatedly
do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” ~ Aristotle
From the Bookshelf: Recommended Reading
Teach Yourself Visually: Weight
Training by
maranGraphics Development Group
Great weight training book for
visual learners. Includes two-page lessons that make lifting easy. Also
physioball exercises and more.
Body Mind
Mastery
Dan
Millman
Former Olympic gymnast, college
professor and coach provides insights into the making of a champion through the
mastering of body, mind and spirit.
Mayrene T. Earle,
M.Ed.
Rowing¶Life Coach
“Empowering individuals through the sport of rowing.”
Founder: masterscoaching.com
phone: (508) 896-0076
email: mayrene@masterscoaching.com
Please forward
this newsletter to friends, teammates and colleagues. Be assured, I will never
sell, trade or give your information to anyone, at anytime, period! If you do
not wish to receive future editions of MastersCoaching, email
mayrene@masterscoaching.com
and write “UNSUBSCRIBE” in the subject line.
MastersCoaching ¶ April 2004 ¶ Vol. III,
No.1
Copyright © 2004
MastersCoaching