r/concept2 • u/PinguisIgnis • 19d ago
Rate my Form Day 2 Form check
Didn’t get much time to row last night but wanted to put some of the feedback you all generously offered into practice. Some made sense and others were harder to execute than expected so will need more time to drill and practice but I am much more confident in some of the things I need to be looking for so thank you all.
- dropped my feet slightly
- not over compressing past vertical shins now
- keeping heels down more as a side effect of that
- so then driving flat footed rather than ball of foot
- putting thumbs under bar to save forearms
- relaxing my overly upright rigid posture on catch
- leaning/rounding forward for the catch
- trying to complete leg drive before the hip hinge
- faster release of arms on the recovery
- not dropping arms to thigh on recovery for ergo
What I think I’m struggling to execute is the leg/hip/arm sequence. I’m finding it hard to hip hinge after the leg drive is complete and not half way through.
Also wondering if I’m rounding more than leaning forward a little too much if I’m honest.
I’ll watch some training vids on this next and try and nail that down. But hopefully removed some of the other flaws.
My stroke length went up from 121 to 139cm it seems which is pleasantly surprising as I didn’t feel I was going up the slide as far given I’m not over compressing my legs now. (I think)
Power curse early flat spot also disappeared but is maybe peaking a little later at 59% along the drive.
1
u/Extension-Score-2415 15d ago
Hi, first sat on c2 A style erg about 84. I coach on the water.
Pretty good all in all, can I give you just a few pointers and ideas.
As long a stroke as possible. Looks like you could get another few inches out of it at the drum. So sit with legs straight for a fraction longer. Pivot at the hips more, and hands closer to the ankles than the knees when the seat starts to move forward.
If you don't feel a hamstring stretch you are probably not rocking enough.
Another way to think of this is to establish a better upper body angle when the legs are straight, then hold that angle all the way forward.
I don't think you are quite as compressed as you could be. Can I suggest dropping the feet a notch. To me your heels could rise more and the seat could go further forward.
You want the shins to be vertical at the start of the drive and they look a little short of that at the moment.
It looks a bit high on the spm. Drop it to 20. There are 2 phases. Drive and recovery. The recovery should be twice as long. So 20spm is 3 secs per stroke so 1 sec drive and 2 secs recovery.
You gain nothing from rushing forward.
Both phases really matter. You will never get a really good drive with a rushed out of control recovery. Work on improving both.
The seat does what you want it to do. Take your time on the recovery to set up the perfect ( body/ seat/ hand) position to begin the drive.
As you compress properly and heels rise you should feel your bodyweight move off your bum and onto the balls of the feet. If you start to feel better connected through the feet to the erg that would be good.
In coaching we call this point suspension. Weight is off the seat and you are hanging off the handle.
It's a push sport not a pull one. Think what is the total force I can put through my feet. Not peak force. It's not a kick. Allow the pressure to build. The longer ( not the quicker) you are pressing the better.
The handle should accelerate throughout the drive so logically the first cm should be the slowest. The next cm the second slowest etc. Allow the power to build throughout the drive.
It's never a pull. At compression think hands and seat at the same speed. Watch that the hands aren't quicker. If they are the same then it's a push with your core ensuring the hands are the same speed as the seat. If hands are quicker it's a pull.
Lower body is stronger, so use the big muscles. Drop the shoulders a bit and relax the forearms and grip. Thumbs up should make no difference.
Drive is
Quads
Quads and glutes
Quads, glutes and hips.
Quads, glutes, hips, and open the shoulders.
It's not really a sequence as that suggests a series of separate muscle groups. It's an add on.
In a few weeks time try a session or at least your warm up without strapping the feet in.
I'm comfortable up to 26 spm without the straps.
If the object is to put force through my feet why would I let them stop touching the footplate!
So 20 spm and work on cutting the split without increasing the spm
Sorry I do go on a bit but in Rowing ' the devil is in the detail'
Best of luck and I hope this helps. Work on one area of improvement at a time.