Suspension

Imagine: MASSIVE HEADWIND you push on the stretcher, the handle doesn't move, WORSE, THE BOAT DOESN'T MOVE EITHER.

THE force in this instance will produce suspension, where a proportion of your bodyweight is taken off the seat and hung off the handle.

The aim of the rower is to generate this feeling every stroke, headwind, tailwind, no wind.

To generate suspension, therefore, the leg drive must be fast enough to stay ahead of the speed of the handle moving through the stroke. THE FASTER THE BOAT SPEED, THE FASTER THE LEG DRIVE MUST BE TO FIND SUSPENSIONS.

THE SECOND AIM of the rower is to maintain this feeling of suspension as long as possible before the body comes in to start the draw on the handle. As soon as the body comes in, pure suspension is lost, and you are moving the boat with hard effort rather than technical application of the rower's body weight.

The use of the body / arm draw maintains some suspension, at a much lower level than the leg movement. It is, however, a faster accelerating movement that will add yet more speed to that generated by the leg drive if the force on the handle from the upper body can exceed the drag of the hull against the water.

Hamstrings

The use of hamstrings in the middle of the stroke is the key to being a top quality crew. It is the trait of all successful crews and scullers, as its absence is the root of most under achievements.

It is evident by the rock of the pelvis in the stroke cycle.

Recovery...The body over rock from the finish should see the trunk rock on the pelvis, from the finish position sat on the "tail" of the pelvis, to the hands away+body over shape now poised on the bony protrusions of the pelvis, trunk leaning forwards, hamstrings stretched.

The hamstrings should now be primed (under tension). The roll into frontstops should keep them long by maintaining a strong body shape, a tall pelvis, and a spine that is pointing sternwards from the pelvis. See quad above.

The drive phase must see the hamstrings become re-stretched as the legs straighten out to push the footplate away. THE MORE THE LEGS BECOME STRAIGHTENED BEFORE THE ROWER TRYS TO PULL THE HANDLE, THE MORE THE HAMSTRINGS WILL BECOME PRE-STRETCHED.

See pair, above Evidence: space under straight arms THE MORE PRE-STRETCH, THE STRONGER THE EXERTION. The stronger the exertion, the greater the pull the rower will generate through the middle of the stroke FROM JUST THE BACK, leaving the arms to make a fantastic finish to the stroke drive phase.