QUANTITATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF COXLESS PAIR-OAR ROWING

Abstract

The rowing technique that produces efficient propulsion of pair boats is difficult to master due to asymmetries in the mechanical layout. The pattern of force production on the oar depends on whether the rower is in the bow or stern seat. In common with other sweep oar rowing, there are right-left asymmetries in the application of external forces to the rower's body. In this paper these predictions were tested in an instrumented pair. The increased magnitude of the propulsive pin force for seat 2 at the beginning of the drive phase and the same for Seat 1 for the second half of the drive phase was borne out by measurements. Asymmetries, which require different muscle characteristics for the left and right leg, were also observed. Both outcomes imply that coaches should look for different strength characteristics in the seat 1 and seat 2 rowers.