Coxswain How-to Packet
Coxing Basics
LEARN THE COMMANDS
If you are unsure of what the correct terminology is;
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Ask older coxswains
Ask your coach
A lot of the timing of commands comes with time, the more you practice the easier it will be to know when to use which command when
Everything is done on a two-count
On the water, this means 2 strokes
Weigh-enough in 2, 1-2
On land this can be accomplished two ways
The classic “in 2” command can be used, especially as you get used to the calls
Many varsity coxswains will tend towards using “ready, __” for their command while keeping the same cadence
“Overheads ready, up”
If you do not remember who is sitting in what seat, you can call out commands by seat
Every rower is responsible for knowing what seat number they are
“Seat 2 check it down”
Rowers shouldn’t need to talk unless something is wrong or they are prompted to
As soon as they pick up the boat off of the rack, yours is the only voice that should be heard
Especially while they are learning (novice)
How to set rhythm
1, 2, 3 Catch!
The 1, 2, 3 is the recovery, the oar should be feathered on 1, beginning to roll up on 2, and squared and ready on 3 to catch water
Rowers look at the head or body in front, the oar will always be there
If you notice someone is out of sync with the rest of the boat it could be because they are watching their oar or just generally not paying attention
You, as the coxswain, are the law in the boat. If a coach needs to relay a command to the boat they do it THROUGH YOU
Commands on Land
Weigh Enough: the ultimate stop call for on and off the water
The rowers need to stop everything they are doing until told further instructions
Hands On: every rower in the boat needs to get their hands on the boat and be ready to lift
Up to Waist: the rowers lift the boat from wherever it lays to waist level
Up to Shoulders: the rowers lift the boat from waist level to rest on their shoulders
At this point the rowers should be alternating sides to even out the weight of the boat
Over Heads: the rowers lift the boat from shoulder level to over their heads, usually with mostly straight arms
This is used for putting boats on and taking them off the trailer, as well as getting the boat onto and off of the dock
Side Step: this can be used to get the rowers closer to the trailer, slings or side of the dock they need to be on the place the boat in the water
It is also used for general movement of the boat to avoid hazards and other boats
Roll to Waist: from the over head position, the rowers will roll the boat down to just above the water on whatever side of the dock they are on
Walk It Forward: permission for the rowers to start moving with the boat
They should not start moving with the boat before this command
Bow/Stern Swing Left/Right: this is used to turn the boat as your walking towards your destination or to straighten the boat out of a turn
The rowers are usually able to stop the swing on their own once the desired amount of turn is reached
Commands on the Water
Add-in/out: when you want the current rower(s) to keep rowing while having another person start rowing with them
With sweep boats this is only done in pairs
Hold Water: rowers put their oars in the water squared, either to turn the boat or stop it
Can also just call to Hold
Check it (down): same as Hold Water, with a little more of an immediate reaction
More commonly used when you need to make an emergency stop
Pressure Port/Star: if your skeg isn’t enough to turn the boat have the rowers up the pressure on one side to help
Can also be used if you notice one side has more power than the other
Even Out the Power: if one side of rowers has more power than the others use this to bring it to their attention and let them know which side is stronger (see pressure)
Getting Ready
Put everything back where you found it
Walkie talkies need to be OFF and back in the bin
If they need to be charged plug them in
Boxes need to be OFF and back on the table by the door
If they need to be charged plug them in
Every rower should have a water bottle
Try to bring some type of bag to carry them (you don't have to but it's a nice thing to do for your rowers considering they are carrying the boat)
Take care of all equipment
Be aware of the other people around you
If you are taking a boat out or bringing it back in, be sure to alert the people standing around
“Heads!” Is a good call or literally just “on the path, bringing a boat in”
It hurts to get hit with a boat and it will become a bigger problem for the coaches if someone gets hurt
On the Dock
Over heads right before you hit the ramp
Boats are heavy (I will keep repeating this as the rowers will get upset the longer they keep the boat over heads or on their shoulders)
If there is a boat already on the dock:
You need to have your bow ball facing towards the end of the dock
**DO NOT SPIN ON THE DOCK
Have the boat facing bow ball forward before walking it down to the dock
~2 minutes on the dock
Certain coaches will enforce this and a lot of races use this rule, or faster (~1 minute)
Only count down when about to push off the dock
“Countdown when ready”
Important to make sure rowers aren’t forced to make adjustments on the water, and to prevent potential flipping hazards
Pass out waters after you push off the dock and take a couple strokes away from the dock
Lake Rules
Stay to one side of the buoyed lane if you can
Travel up (away from the docks) lanes one and two (the lanes closest to the docks)
Lane three is used for launch travel
Travel down (towards the docks) lanes four and five (the lanes furthest from the docks)
Stay in the lanes unless turning at the finish, and try not to weave in between lanes unless you get pushed out by a faster boat
Steering
Don’t need to time when going to use the skeg
Especially hard with boats that have uneven power on either side
Small fixes are usually all you need
If the power is stronger to one side (uneven) you might need more skeg time to keep the boat straight
The Other Boats
Can come up on the either side
Have your bow tell you if someone is coming up fast
But be vigilant in your own right, you are responsible for everything going on in front of you
Must yield to the faster boats, but they will most likely be in a different lane on the lake
In a race your bow will tell you which way to go to make way for the faster boat
Off the Dock
Try to keep the amount of time spent on the dock to a minimum when possible
Come in slow, especially if you're unsure, if you come in by 4 and miscalculate you can end up ON the dock or too far away
Use 4 rowers until about 1.5 boat lengths away and then drop it down to 2
All of the boats start to dock at generally the same time
If the boat in front of you gets off the dock, walk your boat down to make space for the next boat
If there are still people in the boats leave at least 2-4 oars to ensure the boat doesn't flip
Rowers shoes do not need to be fully on, just enough that they can walk
Split to shoulders as soon as the last rower is on the path
***THE BOATS ARE HEAVY
Trailer Loading/ Unloading
Setting up cox box cases
Every case should have a box, headset and charger
You MUST charge your box the night before the race
You are responsible for making sure that the equipment makes it to and from the lake safely
It should not sit in your house for days on end
You are specifically responsible for safely getting your boat on and off the trailer
This does not mean you shouldn’t help with other things, just be available to get the boat up
Head Races
You launch anywhere between 40 minutes to an hour before your race, and row to the start
Can do warm up drills depending on how much time you have
Practice some starts
You get to the start and line up according to your bow number
Take a look at what teams are in front and behind you to make it easier to find your place
Will be called to start rowing up into the chute by a marshal
Boats are sent off in 15-30 second waves
You paddle into a “chute” (not always marked) and build pressure and speed to the starting line
You want to start on the course at full pressure
The start will usually be marked with a horn or announcement
Try to find land markers or ask an official for land markers to know how far you’ve rowed before you launch
These can be long, you need to TALK THE WHOLE TIME
Your rowers want to hear something other than their own breathing
Ask what encourages them and what they would like to hear
The last ~250m should be a sprint: emptying the tanks
KNOW WHERE THE FINISH IS
DO NOT STOP BEFORE THE FINISH
If you are unsure of where the finish is, KEEP ROWING, it's better to over shoot it than to stop too early
Sprints
A lot of sprints will have you stake boat
You have to back into a stationary platform and a volunteer will be there to hold onto your stern
This is to ensure alignment with boats and make it easier to start races
Back into the platform SLOWLY
Sprints will be a straight shot, buoyed lanes
If you can’t stay in your lane you will either be disqualified or penalized
Make clear race plans
When to do power 10s
What calls they want to hear
When to start the final sprint
You will be able to see where you are during the race
What place you’re in
Keep positive and if you can’t hear the other boats anymore make sure to encourage them to keep pushing
Racing against themselves and their times