New to rowing? If you’re doing a Learn to Row course, there’s loads of new information to get to grips with. These key articles will help you get up to speed with everything you need to know about your new sport!
Jargon busting and FAQs
How many people do you have in a rowing boat?
Rowing boats come in different sizes – for one, two, four or eight rowers.
Some boats for four rowers also have a seat for a cox, who steers the boat and gives commands to the rowers on what to do – a bit like the captain of a ship. Boats that do not have a cox are either steered by ‘pulling harder’ on one side of the boat, or by a rudder that’s one of the rowers controls by wires connected to their shoe that they can swivel from side to side.
All boats for eight rowers are coxed.
What’s the difference between sculling and ‘sweeping’?
Rowers row with either one or two blades each.
Rowing with one blade (on either the left or the right of the boat) is generally just called rowing, but the technical term is ‘sweeping’ or ‘sweep oar rowing’.
Sweep boats have to have at least two rowers in them, with an equal number on each side, so the boat goes straight! These are called pairs (two people), fours or eights. The Boat Race is rowed in eights.
Sculling is when rowers have one blade in each hand. These blades are shorter than sweep oar blades.
You can have one, two, four or eight scullers in a sculling boat. These are called single sculls (or singles), double sculls (or doubles), quadruple/quad sculls (or quads) and octuple sculls (or octs/octos). Quads are coxed for young people aged 15 and under, and adults who are learning to row also often use coxed quads. Like eights, octs are always coxed.
Sculling and sweep rowing are equally common at most clubs, although a few specialise in one or the other. Young people almost always start with sculling. This is because it’s symmetrical, and that’s important as their bodies are still growing. Once they reach the school year of their 15th birthday, they can race in sweep crews.
There are events for both sweep oar and sculling at the Olympic Games.
Boat codes and abbreviations
You’ll often find that coaches and rowers use abbreviations or codes for different types of boat, for example on a list of crews for an outing. Here’s how they work:
- The code starts with the number of rowers in the crew e.g. 4.
- If there’s an x after the digit (e.g. 4x) that means sculling. Otherwise (e.g. 4-), it will be a sweep boat.
- If there’s a + (e.g. 4+ or 4x+) that means the boat is coxed.
- If there’s no + (e.g. 4x), or if there is a minus sign (e.g. 4-), the boat is coxless.
Learn more about the equipment you’ll be using, and parts of the boat including rigger, bow, stern – and where to find your ‘spoon’! If you hear your coaches and other rowers at your new club using jargon that you don’t understand, just ask what they mean – but you can also look these up in our handy Glossary of Rowing Terms.
Our Mythbusters unpick some of the things that people often think about rowing (including “True or false? – Rowing is all about your arms”). In case you’re wondering, here’s What to wear (you won’t need any specialist kit to get going, by the way), and we’ve got answers to other Frequently Asked Questions.
Do bring a water bottle with you to the club!
How to hold your blade/s
First things first – how to hold your blades. Whether you’re starting by sculling (with two blades – one in each hand), or rowing ‘sweep’ (one blade, held in both hands), you’ll get off to a great start if you hold them correctly.
You may find you get small blisters on your hands when you start to row. These will reduce as your skin hardens up. They’ll also be less of a problem if you keep your hands relaxed – the harder you grip, the more you’ll tend to get blisters. Here are some more blister tips.
Mobility tips for new rowers
Your top priority when you’re ‘down the club’ is learning rowing technique. But back home, you’ll find it useful to do a few exercises to get your body is ready to row. These will help you develop the mobility you need to row well and remain injury free.
Photos: AllMarkOne
