CUCBC Lower Boats Captains’ Course LBCs Course.pdf•Rules, coxing guidelines & code of practice for coaches •Contacts email list •Calendar and links to events: Nov 1-5th - Uni

CUCBC

Lower Boats Captains’ Course

What is in this course?

• Useful info from CUCBC

• Coaching guide (with handout)

• Checks for broken equipment

• Avoidance of broken rowers

• Safety & legal requirements

www.cucbc.org

• Flag & closures (16thOct, 20th Nov...)

• Rules, coxing guidelines & code of practice for coaches

• Contacts email list

• Calendar and links to events:

Nov 1-5th - Uni IVs

Nov 9th – Queens‟ Ergs

Nov 21st – Emma Sprints

Nov 25-27th – Clare Novices

Dec 2nd – Novice Fairbairns

Dec 3rd - Senior Fairbairns

10 Golden Rules

• No College crew may be on the water during the 'Hours of Darkness' and no boat may be on the water without lights in the 15 minutes before lighting up or the fifteen minutes after lighting down.

• No boat is allowed on the water when the CUCBC flag is red, and only University Crews, first boats and boats in the first two divisions of the May Bump (Men), or first boats and boats in the first division of the May Bumps (Women), or first fours and tub pairs, are allowed on the water when the flag is yellow.

• Only University Crews, first boats, and any other boats in the top two divisions of the May Bumps may row below Baitsbite Lock.

• No novice crew may be on the water before 7.30am or within fifteen minutes of lighting down, which ever is later, and all novice crews must be accompanied. In addition, the first outing of a novice eight must be with an experienced cox.

• Loud hailers must not be used anywhere on the towpath, and coaching from the bank, and the use of cox boxes, should be kept to a minimum anywhere on the river before 7.30am. Coaching from the bank is not permitted at all above the railway bridge before this time.

• No College crew may be on the water before 11am on a Saturday or Sunday, save when participating in a CRA, ARA or CUCBC race, unless the Executive Committee has made an announcement to the contrary.

• All coxless boats must have a steerer on the bank except for single sculls at any time and experienced pairs and doubles between the hours of 9am and 4pm in Full Term.

• Boats going downstream must keep to the non-towpath side of the river until after Ditton Corner when they cross over to the towpath side. At the sign after Grassy Corner, they must cross back to the non-towpath side, and stay on that side until Baitsbite Lock. Boats going upstream must keep to the towpath side until the middle of the Gut when they must cross to the non-towpath side, taking the inside of the corner. At the top of the Plough Reach, they must cross back to the towpath side, and stay on that side until they reach the boathouses.

• Boats going downstream must give way to boats going upstream, and slower boats must give way to allow faster boats to pass. In addition, whenever a boat easies it must draw in close to the bank to allow other boats to pass unimpeded. Boats must not easy on corners.

• Unless required for safety reasons, or acting on the instructions of an umpire during a race, boats may only spin at Jesus Lock, the Penny Ferry, between the two posts at the bottom of Long Reach and by the sign in Baitsbite Reach. When necessary, boats must queue to spin, and should only spin when it is clear that no boat is approaching that is likely to be impeded. Once spun, boats must move off immediately or, if pulling in on the Long Reach or Baitsbite, may only do so above the spinning area.

• Currently no restriction on numbers, but if numbers become problematic then the two boat rule may come in.

COACHING NOVICES

Before the first outing...

• Equipment vocabulary

• Understand coxing commands

• Get boat on and off the rack PROPERLY

• How to carry blades and boat to and from the water

• Holding riggers when getting in a boat

• Adjust stretcher position

• Getting in and out of the boat PROPERLY

Building a solid foundation

• Clean square extraction of spoon at finish. Be able to execute the recovery without blades touching the water.

• Visible relaxation on the recovery.

• Being able to time the rowing movements with the rest of the crew.

• Maintain a 2:1 ration (drive : recovery) rating 24.

• No give in the upper body when harnessing the connection between the stretcher and handle during an obvious draw with the upper body.

• Opening of the hip pivot to use the upper body.

What are we aiming for?

STAGE 1

AIM: Learning about overall boat safety. Effect of

bodyweight. Use and effect of oar (grip, feathering &

squaring, handle heights and change of direction).

• 1st Session

• Tour of Boathouse, introduction to equipment, Safety.

• Warm up and stretching exercises to be done.

• Getting boat on and off the boatrack.

• Carry boat from boathouse to water and back again.

• Turn boat over and put in water. Lift boat out of water and turn back over.

• Carry blades from boathouse to boat and put blades in riggers.

• Getting in and out of boat.

• Adjusting stretcher positions.

• Pushing off and landing the boat.

• Messing about and some confidence drills

• 2nd Session ALL ON ERGO

• Recap 1st Session.

• Warm up and stretching exercises.

• Explain drive phase (push, draw, pull and release)

• Execute drive phase.

• Explain recovery sequence (hands, body, slide).

• Execute recovery sequence.

• Blend the two together.

• Correct faults.

STAGE 2

AIM: Learn rough co-ordination of oar/scull grasp of boat

maneuverability.

• 3rd Session


• Correct posture on seat.

• Clear view as to the independent roles of each hand. (no detail).

• Confidence that boat will not capsize as long as blades are held onto. A few confidence exercises.

• Effect of body weight and handle height on the balance of the boat.

• Proper grip of handle.

• Correct blade profile through water and recovery on water, with and without slide. SQUARE BLADES

• Effect of blade on boat when going through water in both directions (backing down as well).

• Turn boat around.

STAGE 3

AIM:Refining rough co-ordination of the rowing stroke

without much power.

• 4th Session

• Run through and clarify Stage 1 and 2


• Explain mechanism of direction change at back end and front end.

• Execute drive phase. Execute recovery sequence.

• Execute change of direction. (RELEASE)


• Execute change of direction. (ENTRY)


• Correct faults.

• 5th Session

• Recap 4th Session.


• Stopping the boat, backing down and turning around.

• Balancing boat after backing down. Blades clear.

• Balancing boat after paddling forward. Blades clear.

• Paddling with blades off the water (who can manage the most?).

• Hand co-ordination (reiterate separate tasks for each hand).

• Balance.

• 6th Session

• Recap Previous Sessions.


• Execute drive phase. Execute recovery sequence. (FULL STROKES)

• Arms only. Use of arm during draw phase. Square blades.

• Arms only. Handle profile using both arms and outside hand only. Square blades.

• 7th Session



• Adding exaggerated use of upper body to 6th

Session. (body and arms, single strokes)

• Handle profile using outside hand only.

• Set up some rolling continuous paddling through the fours (stern, middle, bow, outside)

• 8th Session

• Recap – recovery and separate tasks for each hand.


• Explain slide (how ENTRY is the last part of the RECOVERY)

• Exaggerated use of upper body. (single strokes then continuous)

• Handle profile using outside hand only.

• Bring in the slide, one stroke at a time. (just the drive phase, easy at hands away)

• 9th Session

• Recap Previous Sessions


• Legs only rowing.

• Legs and body rowing.

• Complete drive phase. (single strokes to hands away)

• Continuous square blade full slide rowing.

• Correct faults.

STAGE 4

AIM:Further refining rough stroke co-ordination with

changes in pressure. Improvement of general rowing

rhythm.

• 10th Session



• Still rowing square blades.

• Improve use of arms by rowing arms only but by varying pressures.

• As the outing progresses try and row in sixes and some all VIII by the end (blades feathered on the water).

• No variable pressures whilst rowing all VIII.

• 11th Session



• Square Blades.

• Bring in Slide: half slide then full slide.

• At different slide lengths bring in varying pressures: half slide then full slide.

• Towards the end of the session feathered blades on the water.

• Try all VIII as well.

• 12th Session

• Recap 11h Session – remind about separate task for each hand.


• Build stroke up (start to incorporate this into warm up) squared and then feathered blades (on the water).

• Go to rowing in sixes (blades feathered on the water).

• Go to rowing all VIII (blades feathered on the water).

• 13th Session


• Same session as 12th but with variable pressures.

• Aim is to keep the ratio as the pressure comes up.

• Improve: ratio and rhythm, entry and release during continuous strokes at varying pressures.

• BLADES STILL ON WATER.

Further details on...

• Dynamic warm-up

• How to boat

• How to park

• Controlling the blade – the role of each hand

• Confidence drills

• Basic coxing commands

• Summary

Parking

Gripping the blade

Inside hand - feathering

Inside hand - squaring

Outside hand

Outside hand

EQUIPMENT

CHECKS

With many thanks to KAT ASTLEY(former CHRIST‟S COLLEGE BOATMANand CUCBC Senior Committee)

IS EQUIPMENT YOUR PROBLEM?

Yes! British Rowing states clearly:

“Coaches are not only concerned with coaching crews; they have an underlying responsibility

for crew safety whilst in their charge”

TRAINS, PLANES & AUTOMOBILES…

• … and boats!

• Think of a boat as a vehicle: would you drive – or teach your friend to drive – if you thought the car would fail its MOT or had a loose wheel?

TRAINING DISASTERS…

• Generally not the end of the world but▫ make crew late to lectures▫ make non-rowers cold▫ decrease rowing enjoyment

• Do pre-outing checks to ensure nothing disrupts your outing!

RACING DISASTERS…

• Are exactly that. Complete disaster.

• Get into habit of making crew check equipment

WHAT’S MISSING CURRENTLY?

TIME

To teach novices the basics

To wash boats down thoroughly

To take an interest

RESULT?

• Crews try to adjust their equipment, do it wrongly and things break or come loose

• Crews know so little they do not look for or notice breakages

IDEAS:

• Set aside time to teach novices about equipment: devolve responsibility

• Ensure you teach them what not to fiddle with too, or your boatman will go nuts!

• If insufficient time, consider a workshop for your coxes at least…

BACK TO YOU…

• By teaching crews that you coach about equipment you▫ Enable them to self-help in race emergencies (e.g. seat

comes off)▫ Give them wider interest in the sport – outside

Oxbridge rowing all clubs expect members to have this knowledge

▫ Encourage good life skills: to be responsible, proactive not reactive, to own up when something‟s been trashed(!), self-reliance

IN THE MEANTIME…

• Crews you coach may know nothing

• Therefore conduct a quick check yourself. Ask the cox to do the same

• Address any issues arising (evaluate if outing can go ahead)

• Inform appropriate person of faults

WHAT’S ON MY QUICK CHECK?

• 8 areas to observe:• HULL• HATCHES• BOWBALL• RIGGERS / GATES• SEATS• HEEL RESTRAINTS / SHOES / STRETCHER• STEERING• OARS

WHAT’S COMING UP?

• Breakdown of 8 equipment areas; common faults & problems

• For each equipment area, a review of action to take

HULL PROBLEMS

• Externally▫ Gel coat flakes off; area extends unless repaired.

Occurs from impact with debris▫ Holes, from riggers above or debris. Honeycomb gets

waterlogged

• Internally▫ Decking cracks, structural collapse▫ Wooden areas rot & delaminate; footplate track screws

pull out

HULL DAMAGE ACTION

• Teach:▫ Coxes to avoid debris▫ Where to step▫ Problem of handle getting jammed through

saxboard

• Check hull when wiping boat down• Tape holes as temporary measure

HATCH PROBLEMS

• Why care?▫ Hatches maintain flotation chambers

▫ British Rowing requirement for safety

▫ Must be secure and attached

▫ So seats don‟t catch on them

• Problems: cracked, missing altogether, not fully tightened

HATCH ACTION

• Cracked? – report to boatman• Missing? – quarantine boat• Loose? – tighten!• Not attached? – that‟s why students should have

a toolbox:do easy stuff yourselves & get involved!

BOWBALL PROBLEMS

• Insecurely attached e.g. purely by sticky-tape power…

• Missing

• Still screwed & taped but ripped nearly off

BOWBALL ACTION

• Don‟t just wrap more sticky tape round it! Screw on or quarantine

• Missing? – quarantine boat

• Nearly ripped off? – quarantine boat

RIGGER & GATE PROBLEMS

• Rigger: welds broken, missing bolts, bolt plate about to pull through shoulder, frame bent

• Gate: worn, missing spacers, not free-moving, rattling/noisy, pitches out

RIGGERS & GATES ACTION

• Top nut & fastening nuts tight; spring washers present on older boats

• Inform boatman if regular loosening of bolts, wear on gates etc

• Gate breaks – outing cancelled• Rigger bent: consider if pitch out & rigger

unrowable

SEAT PROBLEMS

• Comes off slides often

• Sticks

• No rating…

SEAT ACTION• Try giving seat to someone else, see if the problem is the seat or the rower!• Comes off slides:

▫ More slide control!▫ Missing stop ends: tape as temporary measure▫ Adjust slide position to not hit frontstops/backstops▫ If seat comes off laterally, report to boatman (chassis worn out)

• Sticks:▫ Rower getting holding knees down too long?▫ Slides need cleaning / are worn out▫ Wheels worn out / dirty / not turning▫ Clothes caught under wheels?▫ Chassis worn out?

• No rating? – Missing magnet! (Or distance to sensor incorrect)

FOOT PROBLEMS

• Heel restraints▫ Missing, too loose, shoes not individually restrained,

frayed, 1 end insecure• Shoes

▫ Screws loose, fabric separating from sole, sole cracked, velcro not working, no release string

• Stretcher▫ Welds broken, angle footplate wrong, bolts missing,

won‟t secure & slips under pressure, got nuts instead of wingnuts

FOOT ACTIONS

• Heel restraints

▫ Do not boat without restraints▫ Must secure each shoe singly▫ Heel must not rise above toe▫ If you can‟t fix it, report it

FOOT ACTIONS

• Shoes

▫ Tighten loose screws & bolts; if repeatedly loose, report to be glued

▫ Fabric separating? – Tape & report

▫ Not able to release feet? – Add string, or quarantine

FOOT PROBLEMS

• Stretcher

▫ Angle footplate wrong, bolts missing or not wingnuts? – Fix or report

▫ Weld broken? – Report

▫ Slips? – Report; tube inserts worn out

STEERING PROBLEMS

• Rudder lines▫ Handles not fixed▫ Pulley wheels worn; gradually cuts through wire▫ Sleeve worn away; metal line inside rusting▫ Chocolate boxes loose

• Rudder & Fin▫ Operates evenly left to right; rudder column bolts tight▫ Whole & straight!▫ Fin securely attached

STEERING ACTIONS

• Rudder lines

▫ Fit chocolate boxes as required

▫ Report worn parts

• Rudder & Fin

▫ My advice would be to report the fault; don‟t make it worse!

OAR PROBLEMS

• Spoon▫ Layers splitting, chunks missing

• Loom▫ Holes, cracked, splintered

• Button, collar & wear plate▫ Missing wear plate; no lock against gate as result▫ Button loose; gearing may slip▫ Button thin; liable to snap▫ Collar worn; gearing may slip

• Handle▫ Loose

OAR ACTIONS

• Spoon▫ Report damage, unlikely to prevent outing

• Loom▫ Ditto, but only in short term. Bad cracks: quarantine oar

• Button, collar & wear plate▫ Tighten and reset to match others in set; report

▫ Button & collar worn? - report

• Handle▫ Tighten & repair if possible, or report

As you can see,

prevention is better than

cure: most faults are not

instantly fixable…

AND SOME THINGS ARE BEST LEFT…!

• Generally your boatman will be happy if you do not mess with:

▫ Rigging: heights & pitches, & Gearing▫ Wheels▫ Bowballs▫ Wiring▫ Hull damage

TOOLS FOR THE JOB:

• You as a coach may wish to carry a toolkit

• Your club may wish to provide a basic toolkit for students to use at the boathouse (i.e. not your boatman‟s tools!)

• Encourage your coxes to have a toolkit

BASIC TOOLKIT:

• 10mm & 13mm spanners*

• Adjustable spanner

• Flat head & Phillips screwdrivers (small)*

• Spare gate

• Electrical tape*

• String

• Safety pins

• Chocolate box

• Rudder wire

• Bowball & screws

• Spare top nut, spacers & 10mm nuts

WHEN SHOULD I TAKE EXTRA CARE?

• Pre-race (obviously!)

• Post-race (give your boatman more than 30secs to fix things!)

• Post re-rigging when travelling

• After the boat‟s been in the workshop for attention

• After another crew has used that boat

BE REALISTIC:

• Your boatman is only there to repair and adjustboats

• Coaches must understand & teach about the equipment, & supervise crews‟ equipment monitoring

THE BOTTOM LINE

• Boatmen and coaches cannot be expected to check everything before an outing

• So we have to empower individual rowers to be responsible. That’s where your key responsibility lies

• With 9 people checking, and the coach supervising, the job can be done

AVOIDING INJURYThe briefest of dashes through

injuries caused by poor rowing…

… Or should that be „injuries caused by dubious coaching‟?

If someone’s hurt something

▫ Keep them warm▫ Allow them to choose whether it is better to drop

out or row home in terms of keeping warm and possibly keeping the back moving gently

▫ If in doubt, drop them out▫ Tell them to see physio▫ Monitor training until they‟re mended...

If your ribs hurt when you laugh or breathe or row you‟ve either got a stitch or you‟ve cracked a rib and should stop rowing til mended!!!

• Don‟t overcompress or overreach due to risks on knees and backs

• Key to getting this right is stopping people rushing & bouncing into frontstops

• Key phrases: „ratio‟ and „trundle trundle trundle‟!!

•Core must be strong at catch to avoid strain on back through bum shoving

•Teach it by holding your nose and clearing your ears – it‟s THOSE muscles!!

• Legs are strongest: use most

• If people miss the catch (i.e. fail to put it in before pushing legs) they end up finishing early. To fix this they lean back further and pull up REALLY high to stay buried. Result can be a bad back.

• Backs are not designed to be totally straight in rowing

• Maintain a strong comfortable position without slumping or being inflexibly ram-rod like

• Wrists must be flat at all times on power phase, and teach to extract before feathering in order to avoid pressure on tendons through force being applied while bent

• Sore or creaky wrists = time off is necessary• Key phrase: „keep your elbows higher than

your wrists at the finish’

Relaxed neck and shoulders

▫ At catch: „don‟t over-reach‟

▫ At finish: „relax your shoulders‟

• Keep contact with footplate (as if holding a pencil under your toes against the plate) in order to keep your shoes from being destroyed and in order to avoid needing hamstrings to haul yourself back up slide

KEY MESSAGE

• RELAX!!!

• Being tense means you can‟t let the stroke happen naturally; more likely to get injured and develop crazy habits, e.g. leaning away from rigger at catch or finish or during… can lead to back pain

Coaches and Safety

.

THE COACH’S ROLE

• To identify and respond to risks and safety issues

• Common sense & diligence

• To be responsible for the safety of your crew at all times

• To be courteous to all river users and the public on the towpath regardless of how provocative the situation

All coaches have a duty of care

“ You must take reasonable care to avoid acts or

omissions which you can reasonably foresee would be

likely to injure your neighbour…..” Lord Atkin 1932

Neglect

• Cold exposure and poor clothing

• Dehydration

• Excessive work

Reckless behaviour and

incompetence

• Ignoring the Rules of Navigation on the Camhttp://www.camconservators.co.uk/byelaws.html

• Aggression

• Coaches should adhere to the Guidelines for Coaches; “macho” behaviour is dangerous, whichever the boat, and may lead to heavy fines

Reckless behaviour

• Going out in when it is too dark or foggy

• Attempting to get through gaps that are too narrow

• Overtaking blind

• Failing to seek permission to come by

• Tailgating scullers

• Failing to ensure correct station at all times

• Rowing too fast for the conditions

• Getting too close to the weir

Vital Skills

Learn how to:

▫ stop - normally

▫ - in an emergency

▫ spin quickly

▫ handle a throw line

Procedures

• Ensure that users of ALL boats can swim

• Ensure coaches have a kit for emergencies

• Learn the 10 Golden Ruleshttp://www.cucbc.org/handbook/golden_rules

• Encourage the cox to carry a mobile phone

• Be prepared to call emergency services for serious criminal incidents

Coach’s kit

• For safety – a throw line

- a space blanket

- a first aid kit

- mobile phone

• For convenience - toolkit

Cold Exposure

• Recognition

Shivering

Pale or blue

Incoherent

• Remedy

Warm dry clothing

Remove form water if immersed

• Cold exposure is a major risk in winter when the water is cold, but also happens when crews spend a long time immobile, e.g. at the start of a race. This is made much worse in bad weather, and when clothing is wet.

Exhaustion

• Do not exceed 2 hours

• Carry water

“Stay With the Boat”

The universal rule should be emphasised from

the very start.

Training in capsize drill underlines this

• Swimming to the bank with the boat.

• In cold conditions pulling the body out of the water and draping

over the boat to reduce heat loss and await rescue.

• Using the boat as a surfboard to paddle.

• Getting back into the boat.

• Using the “Buddy “ system of rescue.

Dealing with trauma

• 1st aid

• Have a mobile phone

• Seek help

• Know the ambulance access points

• Do not forget heat loss

Recording of incidents

The purposes of recording what happened are

• For insurance

• For personal injury claims

• For information gathering

After dealing with the immediate

problem

• Record what happened, as if for an insurance claim:

• Weather

• Witnesses (get contact details)

• What happened (including boat numbers)

• Use the incident log & send a copy to [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Are you insured ?

• Yes, if you a member British Rowing

• Yes, if you are a member of the college

• Yes, if you are on college business (but you need a written record of being “engaged”)

If it cannot be shown that you were engaged on college business, and you have no indemnity of your own, you may be in trouble

Thanks for listening!

Feedback and questions:Holly Hedgeland

[email protected]

Documents

CUCBC Lower Boats Captains’ Course LBCs Course.pdf•Rules, coxing guidelines & code of practice for coaches •Contacts email list •Calendar and links to events: Nov 1-5th - Uni