Setting Footstretchers From Finish or Through The Pin?

[viking1]

I'm coaching a junior women's 4+ who averages ~24:36 for 6,000m. We're spread at 86cm with Crokers (with cutaway blades) set at 116cm/370cm. I'm trying to figure out the best method of setting the footstretchers to achieve both proper distance through the pin while leaving enough room for the athlete to clear the handle at the release.

I've mostly been setting them by checking where the end of the handle is in relation to the athlete's torso at the finish, as shown here: http://imgur.com/a/g8sO7 That seems to work for most athletes, but some are barely getting through the pin (I know that they don't need to be very far through the pin in a 4+) and I'm wondering if I'm sacrificing catch angle/length and giving up a significant portion of the arc.

If I move their footstretchers into the stern to get them further in front of the pin, the end of the handle will extend past the side of their torso at the finish. Again, I've set footstretchers by the finish and by distance through the pin, but I'm just trying to figure out the better method.

Thanks in advance, guys.

[KiwiCanuck]

Go for long catches.

Even if you need to shorten the blades more (e.g. 366/115 with 86 span)

Try what you're doing now - record some times. Try rigging to enable long catch and move feet aft for a week and then record some times. Go with the rig that lets the crew go faster.

How Junior? If they're under about 18 consider switching sides frequently and/or sculling due to risks to back developmental problems from sweep on one side too early.

[lt.wolf]

If they are young and not really fit don't load them too much.

There are a few gurus out there on this stuff, Eric Catalano from Saratoga Springs and Peter Whilhelm of Narragansett are the top two who come into my mind when it comes to junior rowers and rigging. Who knows they may even post here...wink

[RowCoachValentin]

I set my crews based on the finish and adjust the foot stretchers based on how its rowing. So I'll measure back from the pin and put markings down on electrical tape along the side of the track. I asked the crew "Where do the back wheels sit when they are at the release, sitting upright?'" I'll average the numbers and ask them to move to the average. (So if they've been at 57, 61, 58, 63....Everyone moves to just under 60.) That's at least my starting point, then from there adjust the crew as a whole based on how it looks. If they are suddenly rushed, I'll move them back. If they are spinning their wheels, I'll move them forward.

I love getting the athletes through the pin, but by adjusting their finish timing, it helps them release together and get more run at the finish. Hope this helps.

[Norm]

lot of the charts you can find are off, especially for jrs and masters who are not that tall and/or inflexible.

The oars must be shorter and the inboard less to get the reach and finish angles. If you're 5'7, you just are not going to take a long enough stroke to get to the proper reach angle. If you do move the stretchers to stern to get out there, you'll be messed up at the finish. Important in a single: Once you get the right reach angle, have your rower ease into the work for a few days. The balance, load and feel may be much different.

Some coaches just row their people with messed up rigs. Others will just have their rowers row at ridiculous positions of overreach and back swing, which puts them in a weak position and is not healthy, esp in sweep. These rigging changes are hard to manage when one is sharing club boats.

[petermech]

I coach sculling and not sweeps as much but the mechanics are much the same. I tend to look at the arc the oar shaft goes though and adjust the rigging to get what I want. So if you are stuck using a fixed spread and inboard then your arc length is rather fixed and by moving the feet you are just moving where the arc starts. To increase arc length you can narrow the span or you can also shorten the inboard or also a combination of the two. So I set the spread and inboard taking into account the persons height. Other factors can come into play such as arm length and flexibility. I set the outboard length/load for the stroke rate. If I want the rate to go up then shorten the outboard.

If a tall strong men's crew has a 84cm spread and you put a shorter weaker junior female crew in the boat it may not work well. So you push the spread out because the girls have shorter legs and the inboard is too long with the shorter legs. When you do that the shorter girls will then have an even shorter arc. As the blade pinches the boat more it feels heavier. So because the blade is not pinching as much with the shorter person it feels lighter to them. They also have to get the blade moving faster to match the speed of the water as you pinch less so it is more difficult to load up. The problem being are they rowing as efficiently with a shorter arc then they would with a longer arc but a shorter inboard and outboard? I will leave that up to you. Do you care how fast they move?

You can row with seven people in an eight and still balance it with an oar missing. So you don't need each seat to be rigged the same throughout the boat. If you had shorter people in bow pair you could rig them with a narrower spread and shorter oars. Perhaps a little of the question of do you put all size US 15 shoes in the boat so that someone with long feet can sit in any seat.