Techo' time

This week has seen the addition of a mid-week technical session for the seniors. It has to be squeezed in before darkness falls and while the majority of athletes aren't in lectures or labs. Both the sessions (men's and women's) are near the weekend so should help with the quality on the water during those sessions in the short term. More importantly they will serve as another component in the building process for this season's aims and the long term objectives of the athletes and programme as whole.
While it is great to see athletes learn to drive themselves consistently during the work sessions at the weekend it is seeing athletes take on a new bit of skill and really understand how to do it that gives the most immediate reward to the coach.
The first stage in this is diagnosis- this stage can appear negative- the athlete is having a weakness exposed. It is astounding how many athletes and coaches are terrified of confronting the weakest part of their stroke or rowing training as a whole. It is not unusual to find individuals who have never addressed such simple errors as putting the blades in the water or using the legs, as a consequence it feels good to those athletes to 'row' badly because the have become familiar with it. It is therefore the bold athlete who after seasons of repeatedly executing an inefficient stroke undertakes to change the error. Brave because it feels awkward and will probably slow them down while they are transitioning from one movement to the new pattern.