Horizontal Rowing Posture Demonstrated by Olympic Gold Medalists

World-champion rower John Dunn uses clips from the Beijing Olympics to show you what your rowing posture should look like at the catch, middle of the drive, and release. You'll see that all of the 2008 gold medalists demonstrate a relaxed and horizontal (not upright) rowing style with rounded backs.

Watch Rumyana Neykova of Bulgaria; Olaf Tufte of Norway; Georgeta Andrunache and Viorica Susanu of Romania; Drew Ginn and Duncan Free of Australia; David Calder and Scott Frandsen of Canada; Georgina Evers-Swindell and Caroline Evers-Swindell of New Zealand; David Crawshay and Scott Brennan of Australia; Andrew Triggs Hodge, Tom James, Pete Reed and Steve Williams of Great Britain; Tang Bin, Jin Ziwei, Xi Aihua and Zhang Yangyang from China; Konrad Wasielewski, Marek Kolbowicz, Michal Jelinski and Adam Korol of Poland; Erin Cafaro, Lindsay Shoop, Anna Goodale, Elle Logan, Anne Cummins, Susan Francia, Caroline Lind, Caryn Davies and Mary Whipple of the U.S.; Kevin Light, Ben Rutledge, Andrew Byrnes, Jake Wetzel, Malcolm Howard, Dominic Seiterle, Adam Kreek, Kyle Hamilton and Brian Price of Canada.

John is a U.S. National Team medalist and the co-owner and rowing coach at Calm Waters Rowing, a rowing camp for beginning and experienced rowers alike. 

This video is part of the "Introduction to Rowing Technique" series produced by Calm Waters Rowing on their private lake in Lancaster, Virginia.

www.calmwatersrowing.com

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• rowing
• rowing technique
• rowing posture
• sculling technique
• catch
• rowing form
• learn to row
• drive
• rowing in Virginia
• release
• rowing camp
• Chesapeake Bay
• Olympic rowers
• Olympic crews
• Beijing Olympics

[rowingwithcalmwaters]

The difficulty of talking about "good posture" is what do we mean. We don't see anyone "sitting up" anymore at the Plympics/Worlds though it is often taught but good posture in a boat is different than good posture sitting at the dinner table.

[rowingwithcalmwaters]

No, we didn't manipulate the video. And yes, these Olympic rowers are phenomenal athletes but we're seeing more and more similiar technique and less just raw horsepower. The erg has been out long enough now that everyone uses it and needs something else to set them apart, that's where technique comes in. I love the French 2x from 2004 as well, I used to show that video all the time, but now I find I really like the Australian 2x from 2008.

[MarkRBorchelt]

Races are won with hard work. Pulling hard is easy to learn. The technical side always separates the fastest from hard workers. Keep up your good work John and Charlotte.

[yiannismagnis]

I meant 2004 Athens

[yiannismagnis]

I dont think that the bikes are oval and I do not believe he manipulated the videos. But I do agree with Xeno on certain rowers is the horsepower and training and not the technique that makes them olympic champions. I also liked the technique of the French double in the 2000 Olympics in Athens.

[tomgoldswain3]

Womens pair, mens pair and mens double images demonstrate good posture, the way that you have illustrated posture is unfair as the images are squashed...unless they have oval bike wheels in china. The great britain mens four have outstanding posture, so too do the womens quad. Also, dont forget all the elements that make up an international rower...i wont specify :-)

[ironoarsman]

@ironoarsman and why don't you show the lightweight double scull?

[ironoarsman]

Bulgaria, rows badly. Tufte has great power to weigh ratio but he could go a lot faster if he held his body more ergonomically. At the Olympic few have good technique, they are more freaks of nature. The Romanians look alright, but very unsupported lower backs. The Australians have a terrible back position at the finish. I am done, GBR 8 in 2000 was exemplary with their form. In general their is a lack of hinging at the hip and the main reason for injury. A supported backdoesn't mean straight

[EvanEatsPie]

The finish kind of surpri

[ShesMyGenevieve]

But the backs are upright in the lumbar region, and only rounded in the thorassic.