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Not too long ago, I watched footage from the 2012 Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race. Prior to all of the drama, one of the big points of speculation for the commentators was the weight difference between the two crews: the Cambridge crew weighed in 140 pounds heavier than their rival, Oxford, and so one of the big questions was whether this extra mass would translate into a win or a loss by the finish line. On the one hand, presumably some of this extra mass was muscle, which would translate into power. On the other hand, over the years there have been many cases where people have dismissed smaller rowers, only to discover that those smaller rowers use their assets to their advantage to make up speed.
And really, there are very few coaches out there who get to work with groups of rowers of uniform height and build. Those Oxford and Cambridge boats were probably as close to that ideal as crews ever get. So that raises an important question: how should everyone deal with the differences?
There are many factors to consider. Let's say you have a selection of rowers, and you are trying to put together an 8+. I'm going to assume that all of the rowers share the same motivation and basic fitness level. Typically, if you're dealing with a bell-curve height distribution, you'll have one to three tall rowers, three to five intermediate-height rowers, and one to three short rowers. Which rowers do you put in which seats? There's a length-power-stroke rate-rhythm decision that has to get made.
A lot of rowing coaching is geared towards maximizing stroke length, under the idea that if the oar spends more time in the water each stroke, the boat will go faster. Obviously this has its limits, if rowers wind up trying to maximize stroke length by overcompressing at the catch or by laying back too far at the release. Both positions create a biomechanical disadvantage. Within those confines, however, a longer stroke tends to be better.
Does that mean your tallest rower should sit in stroke seat, so he or she can establish a long stroke for the rest of the boat to follow? Actually, probably not. I've been that rower before, but for a number of years in a row, a coach would put me in stroke seat for a week and would then move me back to 7 or 6 and the matter wouldn't be revisited until the next season. Part of one's stroke length is also determined by flexibility, and I'm fairly flexible, so my rowing stroke is long. However, for years and years I was NOT an ideal stroke seat because for all my length, I lacked a certain degree of quickness, especially at the catch. And it's really difficult for shorter rowers to patiently wait for the taller rowers to travel that ridiculously long distance from the release up to the catch, without the shorter rowers winding up either waiting at some point of the stroke on the recovery, or overcompressing or laying back excessively. I could match with catches that were faster than my own, but when in stroke seat I would wind up fighting with the rest of the boat over who was determining the catch timing. And if catch timing is off, the boat's going to be slow and annoying.
Instead, either a medium-height or shorter rower can often make a better stroke seat, with the taller rowers somewhere in the middle of the boat. One of the more important jobs for the rowers in the middle of the boat is helping to control movement towards the stern on the recovery. When there's a lack of control, the recovery is "rushed," which through the laws of physics will cause the boat to slow down or come to a stop during the recovery, "checking" the boat, because on the recovery the rowers are all moving mass towards the stern without applying any power. Additionally, the middle of the boat tends to be more stable than the bow or stern, which makes it easier for the middle oarsmen/oarswomen to get their oars in the water, so it sets up those taller rowers really well for a good, powerful stroke. Even if their catches are a bit slower than one would like, as in my catches. That's what makes the middle four the "engine room."
Seven seat can go either way. He or she just has to have superb timing. If there's a shorter rower who is excellent and spot-on in terms of matching stroke seat, great, there's your seven seat. If that rower is taller, he or she can be a nice bridge to the engine room.
Lastly, what about bow pair. Many a shorter rower likes to complain about getting stuck in bow pair, often from a lack of understanding that the bow pair is incredibly important. I cannot overremphasize this. These are the rowers who are the boat's first line of defense against headwinds and crosswinds, located in a part of the boat that can have a major influence on balance and control the rest of the way down the boat. The bow pair has to have some of the very best technique and control out of all of the rowers in the boat. They also have to have x-ray vision, to look past all of the junk happening in the middle of the boat to match exactly with stroke pair. Typically, tall rowers are kept out of bow because if they were put into bow, the boat would then flop and slop all over the place. In contrast, a shorter bow pair will have an easier time getting good leverage with nice, quick catches.
I should note that if I'm ever working with a boat where one or two rowers seem to be struggling from more technical difficulties than the rest of the boat, they will most likely wind up sitting in 3 seat or 4 seat. Maybe not 4 seat if we're doing a lot of work by fours, since 4 seat has to spend time serving as stroke seat for the bow 4. Those seats are in the stable part of the boat, but won't be as involved in establishing a good rhythm, so if there's a rower still figuring out which end of the oar goes in the water, he or she will be minimally disruptive from 3 or 4 seat. And that isn't to say those two seats are unimportant. If they didn't matter, we'd row sixes instead of eights.
Some similar ideas apply to fours, but things get to be way different for pairs or doubles. In pairs, having matched heights becomes a bit more critical, although there are still ways to compensate for differences in leverage between the two rowers. In doubles, you have to factor in personalities, steering capabilities, and just trying new things.
I've probably left things out, but that's enough for the moment.
And really, there are very few coaches out there who get to work with groups of rowers of uniform height and build. Those Oxford and Cambridge boats were probably as close to that ideal as crews ever get. So that raises an important question: how should everyone deal with the differences?
There are many factors to consider. Let's say you have a selection of rowers, and you are trying to put together an 8+. I'm going to assume that all of the rowers share the same motivation and basic fitness level. Typically, if you're dealing with a bell-curve height distribution, you'll have one to three tall rowers, three to five intermediate-height rowers, and one to three short rowers. Which rowers do you put in which seats? There's a length-power-stroke rate-rhythm decision that has to get made.
A lot of rowing coaching is geared towards maximizing stroke length, under the idea that if the oar spends more time in the water each stroke, the boat will go faster. Obviously this has its limits, if rowers wind up trying to maximize stroke length by overcompressing at the catch or by laying back too far at the release. Both positions create a biomechanical disadvantage. Within those confines, however, a longer stroke tends to be better.
Does that mean your tallest rower should sit in stroke seat, so he or she can establish a long stroke for the rest of the boat to follow? Actually, probably not. I've been that rower before, but for a number of years in a row, a coach would put me in stroke seat for a week and would then move me back to 7 or 6 and the matter wouldn't be revisited until the next season. Part of one's stroke length is also determined by flexibility, and I'm fairly flexible, so my rowing stroke is long. However, for years and years I was NOT an ideal stroke seat because for all my length, I lacked a certain degree of quickness, especially at the catch. And it's really difficult for shorter rowers to patiently wait for the taller rowers to travel that ridiculously long distance from the release up to the catch, without the shorter rowers winding up either waiting at some point of the stroke on the recovery, or overcompressing or laying back excessively. I could match with catches that were faster than my own, but when in stroke seat I would wind up fighting with the rest of the boat over who was determining the catch timing. And if catch timing is off, the boat's going to be slow and annoying.
Instead, either a medium-height or shorter rower can often make a better stroke seat, with the taller rowers somewhere in the middle of the boat. One of the more important jobs for the rowers in the middle of the boat is helping to control movement towards the stern on the recovery. When there's a lack of control, the recovery is "rushed," which through the laws of physics will cause the boat to slow down or come to a stop during the recovery, "checking" the boat, because on the recovery the rowers are all moving mass towards the stern without applying any power. Additionally, the middle of the boat tends to be more stable than the bow or stern, which makes it easier for the middle oarsmen/oarswomen to get their oars in the water, so it sets up those taller rowers really well for a good, powerful stroke. Even if their catches are a bit slower than one would like, as in my catches. That's what makes the middle four the "engine room."
Seven seat can go either way. He or she just has to have superb timing. If there's a shorter rower who is excellent and spot-on in terms of matching stroke seat, great, there's your seven seat. If that rower is taller, he or she can be a nice bridge to the engine room.
Lastly, what about bow pair. Many a shorter rower likes to complain about getting stuck in bow pair, often from a lack of understanding that the bow pair is incredibly important. I cannot overremphasize this. These are the rowers who are the boat's first line of defense against headwinds and crosswinds, located in a part of the boat that can have a major influence on balance and control the rest of the way down the boat. The bow pair has to have some of the very best technique and control out of all of the rowers in the boat. They also have to have x-ray vision, to look past all of the junk happening in the middle of the boat to match exactly with stroke pair. Typically, tall rowers are kept out of bow because if they were put into bow, the boat would then flop and slop all over the place. In contrast, a shorter bow pair will have an easier time getting good leverage with nice, quick catches.
I should note that if I'm ever working with a boat where one or two rowers seem to be struggling from more technical difficulties than the rest of the boat, they will most likely wind up sitting in 3 seat or 4 seat. Maybe not 4 seat if we're doing a lot of work by fours, since 4 seat has to spend time serving as stroke seat for the bow 4. Those seats are in the stable part of the boat, but won't be as involved in establishing a good rhythm, so if there's a rower still figuring out which end of the oar goes in the water, he or she will be minimally disruptive from 3 or 4 seat. And that isn't to say those two seats are unimportant. If they didn't matter, we'd row sixes instead of eights.
Some similar ideas apply to fours, but things get to be way different for pairs or doubles. In pairs, having matched heights becomes a bit more critical, although there are still ways to compensate for differences in leverage between the two rowers. In doubles, you have to factor in personalities, steering capabilities, and just trying new things.
I've probably left things out, but that's enough for the moment.
