Principle One
The Stroke Cycle & Sequence
Big muscles do the big work. They go first.
The four phases
- Catch — knees up, arms long, body forward, blades enter the water.
- Drive — the work phase. Power transfers in order: legs → back → arms.
- Finish — blades exit cleanly, handles draw to the body, slight lean back.
- Recovery — return to the catch in reverse: arms away → body forward → slide.
The sequence — both directions
Drive legs back arms
Recovery hands body slide
Cues
- Legs, back, arms
- Hands, body, slide
- Three beats, not one
Common faults
- Shooting the slide. Legs straighten before the back engages. Hips slide out from under the shoulders, force never reaches the handle, the boat checks.
- Opening early. Back swings before the legs have done their job. The lower back ends up carrying load it isn't built to carry.
- Rushing the recovery. The slide moves faster than the hands and body settle. The boat slows underneath you — the worst feeling in rowing.
Self-diagnosis (between strokes)
- Did my legs finish their drive before my back started to open?
- On the recovery, did my hands clear my knees before my slide moved?
- If a coach was watching from the dock, could she tell where one phase ended and the next began?