Coxing workshop

Michaelmas Term 2017

for St. Antonys College Boat Club

by Sofia Hauck
 Hello!
Safety is your first and primary responsibility

Coming up today:

Timeline of an outing

Speaking into the mic

Steering and spinning

When things go wrong

Racing
Timeline of coxing an outing

The Day Before

The Morning Of

Push-Off

The Outing Itself

Landing
 The Day Before: Flag
Flag Colours

Green: the usual case

Blue: X- or S-status coxes only

No spinning at Longbridges; Early spin at Haystacks

Amber: S-status only, crew must be experienced also

Red: Nobody, under any circumstances

Black: Like red, but includes towpath flooding

 The Day Before: Flag
What is the flag now: OURCs website
(ourcs.org.uk)
 The Day Before: Flag
Will the flag change? Usually only at 11AM

Jamesons River Levels: isis.jamesonlee.com

 The Day Before: Flag
Anus River Levels: eodg.atm.ox.ac.uk/user/
dudhia/rowing/river.html
The Day Before: Weather
The Weather

Temperature: very different at 6AM to 5PM!

Rain: how much and when

Wind: how strong, how gusty, what direction

Fog: you need at least 100m clear visibility

BBC or Met Office are good

 The Morning Of
What (Not) To Wear

How warm:

Avoid sweating on the way there

Hats, gloves, scarves and thick socks

can make all the difference

Think about your blood circulation while in the seat

Waterproof-ness

No tall rubber rain boots in the boat:

youll float feet-first or sink like a stone
 The Morning Of
Equipment

For you: LIFEJACKET,

Microphone plus box cox
Watch

For the boat: Lights, tools, keys

Avoid expendable parts (batteries, tape, etc)

 Pushing Off
Is this crew, in this boat, in this weather,
safe to go out? The cox has the final say.

Is there a specific time by which you need to return?

Check everyone knows their number (number off)

Count yourself too: Bow, 2, 3, Stroke, Lifejacket!

If there are novices, check how much they know before

you push off (Easy, Bowside, etc.)
 Pushing Off
How to pick up a boat

No weight bearing on riggers (hands on metal = bad)

Tallest people on the ends, matching heights each side

Rest weight on shoulders; theyre much stronger than hands!

How to put down a boat

Watch the fin as it comes down to the raft

As level as possible

How to get in the boat (Messing this up is the only way to capsize an eight!)

Rowers get in first on the side that water so blades act as stabilisers
How to make calls: timing
The Go is wherever it gives the most time

95% of the time, thats the catch

More importantly: be consistent

Say next stroke and then go for bigger changes

Stay in the rhythm of the rowing, except when

breaking the rhythm for emphasis
How to make calls: words
How to get new ideas:

Ask your coach or stroke-person

Row yourself, even if just occasional subbing

Watch YouTube videos (mostly races)

Keep a journal or at least a list

How to make calls: tone
The hardest thing to get right at the beginning

Experiment with a few styles

But do what feels right for you and the crew

Practice at ergs and circuits, over loud music

Dont rely on the mic; speak as if to seat 5 or 6

 Steering
Nothing like practice!

Plan ahead

The rudder is the size of a business card,

the boat is the size of a double-decker bus

Know the location and speed of other crews

Steer often, steer gradually, steer small

Individual boats (and crews!) can differ significantly

 Landmarks
City Side
Falcon
City of
Boat RC
The Oxford
Christ House
Gut RC
Church Island Greenbanks (CORC)
Meadow
Haystacks

Longbridges Donnington
Univ
Coxs Bridge
Boathouse
Foley or
Bridge Finish Iffley
stone Lock
Towpath or County Side
 Distances
City Side

Boat
The
Christ House
Gut
Church Island Greenbanks Bunglines
Meadow

}
}
}

}
300m 400m
200m
500m

Towpath or County Side

 Spinning areas
City Side

Longbridges
Upstream spinning area
spinning area Haystacks
spinning area

Towpath or County Side

 How to Spin

Alternate bow side and stroke sides

To adjust halfway: skip a side or change pressure

Keep yourself close to the bank

If stream is strong, use it to your advantage

 Where to Spin
This is a summary; read the Code of Conduct!

At the Head:

Upstream of the second large wooden mooring post

Multiple boats at once talk to each other to confirm

At Haystacks:

Green flag: between striped post and white post

Blue flag: above striped post

At Longbridges
How to Spin (at LB)
 Landing
Know when you spin if this is the lap youre landing

The best way:

Point bow ball towards middle of the raft

Steer away keeping bow ball 30 cm from raft

Adjust for the wind and the stream

If you miss it: taps, backs or scratching

 Back on land

De-brief with the crew and coach

Ask what calls worked or didnt

If any equipment issues arose, let boatman or

captain know ASAP, or youll forget!
 Priorities
Safety of your crew and boat, and others

Coaching improve the crew

Motivation improve the crews fitness and grit

Focus
Steering only you can do this

Calls youre the one with the microphone

 If equipment breaks
You should know how to

Adjust footplate

Remove or replace a seat

Flip a collar on a blade

If cant be fixed, sit the pair out and land soon

Tell the crew and your bankrider what happened

If a rower is being difficult
Talking in the boat or not listening:

Warn them once or twice

If continues, land the boat; the outing is not safe

Bring up issues during the post-outing debrief

If persists, ask the captains to intervene

 Serious problems
For an ambulance pick up: CORC rafts are road-accessible

If you capsize:

Take off your headset

Activate lifejacket

STAY WITH THE BOAT

Count everyone as when pushing off

Only then think about getting to land

Cold shock and hypothermia are the greatest dangers

 Racing: before
Attend the briefings and read the documents

You should know:

The circulation pattern

The schedule

The race plan

Know the crew, and talk to them about what they

expect or want on the day
 Racing: during
The race plan:

A pre-determined start sequence that everyone has

memorised

Section the race into parts; pushes and focuses for each

If you run out of things to say, cycle though:

Motivation: Power through

Technical: Level hands

Race update: Were half a length up