Technique- help!

Question
Hey--

I'm a 16 year old lightweight rower and have the problem of burying my oar too deep in the water (sweep rowing). Do you have any tips on how I can stop this from happening? I do not want it to ruin my chances of getting into the top boat!

Thanks!

Answer
Hi Meghan: Digging deep is never good and increases the chance of catching a deadly crab.  Most of the time it is something you are doing wrong, but sometimes, the set of the boat has a lot to do with rowers digging deep.  The good news is that it is correctable.    

Most likely, your oar is not going into the water squarely at the catch.  What that means is that the blade of the oar needs to hit the water at a 90-degree, perpendicular angle (also known as a square blade).  What you are probably doing is not feathering the oar correctly from the finish to the catch and it is entering the water at 5-15 degree angle from perpendicular.  

You must ensure you are golding the oar correcly so that your hands and wrist are straight and not bent at the catch.  You must also ensure your wrists are not fatiguing, which might prevent you from feathering fully when the strokes goes up. Do some conditioning exercises, like rolling your wrists with a light dumbbell in your hand.  Also, advise your coach so that he can add some drills on the water.

Good Luck/AP