Sculling in a Nutshell: Second Edition

What follows are notes I took from a sculling lesson with Gordon Hamilton in 2005. Everything in these notes is there in "Sculling in a Nutshell." But these notes can only give you a glimpse of what's in Gordon's book. The book itself is 50 years of thinking about and coaching sculling distilled into 88 brief pages. While one may not agree with everything Gordon proposes, one cannot easily dismiss anything he says. 15 July 2005"We'll probably spend all our time on just the Catch," said Gordon.I took the first strokes."I see," shouted Gordon through his megaphone, "that we have a lot of other things to work on too."I smiled. We could take care of the other things later. For the moment, however, we were working on the Catch, so that is what held my attention.I believed that I knew what Gordon wanted. He had told me before we left the dock, "Slice the blades into the water." I took this to mean don't drop them in. Guide them in. Guide them in with purpose! Try to have them fully immersed milliseconds before you arrive in the Catch position. That way, as the Recovery evolves into the Catch, three things should happen simultaneously: you should be feeling pressure on the back of the blades, while at the same time springing off the stretcher and rolling on to the rowing pins.Did I say that I knew what Gordon wanted? I think Gordon is after nothing less than perfect timing."... as the oarsman pushes his weight off the stretcher, instantly he must pull it on to the rowing pin. Coupling the drive and draw is about the most difficult art of timing in rowing." "Steve Fairbairn on Rowing," p. 440Coupling the drive and draw is hard and requires time to learn. But it can be learned. It is not all that hard. It is all in the timing.I took the Recovery very slowly. I watched the blades. Before I reached the Catch I sliced them into the water. But when I arrived at the Catch the blades still weren't locked in. I had to wait out that brief moment, hardly more than the snap of a finger, what Gordon calls dead time. Yet it seemed to take forever."Be patient Charles," Gordon shouted.I tightened up. Finally I felt pressure on the back of the blades. Only then did I gently push off the stretcher and roll on to the rowing pins. I used very light pressure. Above all I wanted to row the blades through without feeling any heaviness or effort."Good Charles," Gordon shouted.The next stroke I tried to get the blades in a little earlier so that the milliseconds of dead time would coincide with the final milliseconds that I was moving towards the Catch. It was better but not perfect. Once more I had to wait out the dead time at the Catch.I tried again the next stroke. And again. And then again. Each time I was a little more successful until suddenly I had it. The blades locked in as I arrived at the Catch, no waiting, just pushing off gently and rolling on to the rowing pins.Timing! Timing! Timing! Timing is all!Last year's lesson with Gordon was about lateral pressure--about how to make a racing shell stable. This years was about timing--how to make a racing shell accelerate.Finally I seemed to get the timing right. One stroke followed by another and another! I felt the shell accelerate with each stroke. The Catches were light. I rowed through without feeling any heaviness or effort. My impression was that I was rowing well. And I must have been because Liz, who was in the launch taking notes, began to smile."More spread, Charles," shouted Gordon. "Get more spread at the Catch. More separation between the hands. Push your sternum out."I did."Get your heels down right away as you spring off the balls of your feet."I did. The runs became even better, that is, longer and faster with less effort. Liz smiled again."Keep your hands level and moving along your center of gravity," Gordon called out. "Think quickness through the water, not power. Stay on the pins. Envision yourself holding on to parallel bars--moving your weight along these bars as you row through. Stay on the bars. And by half-slide you should have achieved the body angle you will use at the Catch."The boat stayed level and moved smoothly. I smiled. Liz smiled. Under Gordon's tutelage my sculling took on a different quality.

After indoor rowing on and off for ten years now I was blessed with the opportunity to purchase my first recreational scull this past summer. I thought I would jump on the boat and just row away due to all the time spent on the indoor rower. My first on the water outings were almost comical. I immediately headed to the internet, the library, youtube and reddit to learn as much as I could. I was fortunate to meet a few other scullers locally which is not really a thing in a Colorado mountain town. I have been somewhere in the neighborhood of 10-15 times this summer and plan on getting in quite a few more outings before lake that my wife and I live next to freezes over. I picked up this book about a week ago and just could not put it down. It has been super informative and has changed my sculling level drastically even in the last two times out. The drills that I understand and have tried are great thus far and I look forward to learning and trying out the rest. I have even read and tried many of the techniques suggested while reading my Kindle version on the water on the phone (in a water proof case of course).If I were to give any feedback, opinion or request regarding the book it would be surrounding more pictures or illustrations with markings and indicators to help you visualize. I found myself having to re-read and think about what was being said to be sure that I was applying the techniques properly. Even then I am not entirely sure and having an on the water partner or coach to walk you through it would be huge. Or video of yourself. The Kindle edition did have links to some external animations that did help somewhere with the understanding. Not the best animations in the world but pretty good.Bottom line is that this book is so chock full of things that I am trying I will be referencing it on and off the water the rest of this season and many seasons to come I can't wait to read some other books and see how they compare. There was even a chapter on cold water rowing which is something I can relate to rowing exclusively on mountain lakes thus far. Had a good little blurb on Erging to.Highly recommend this book to anyone who is new to on the water rowing and super green. Like I said I have been on the water less than 20 times and every time I go out I improve. Buy this book!

This is the best book on sculling I've encountered. Gordon Hamilton writes in a way that is very easy to understand. He includes drills to reinforce good habits. He cleared up a lot of mysteries for me. I recommend it to all scullers so they can fix bad habits they might have and move the shell through the water in an effective and fluid way. A game changer!

I bought two, one for my bedside table and one alongside my erg. Buy the e-book - it's got clever and precise visual animations for every level of rower.This book again is excellent for all levels, from beginners to elite rowers. It's concise and well written in a way you feel you've heard for the very first time. Gordon seems to step back with what seems like stripped down, clear explanations of each critical component such as the rowing stroke and keeping the blades off the water. NOW IT ALL MAKES SENSE! Contrary to what other coaches might teach, Gordon takes counter intuitive and turns it into common sense. He manages somehow to make more into less. Phew!Gordon tells you why not to do something. How refreshing! Crystal clear explanations of precisely what to do and why you do it are given. Great analogies are also given to further help with you understand techniques, but in a way you haven't heard before. Now I get it!What has been one of the most helpful in Gordon's first book for me, is his emphasis placed on stability through posture, biomechanics and fluid mechanics. With his keen explanations, it's easy for me to relate to something personal. It's often another sport, art or math. The creativity and passion that went into this book makes me want to be a better rower.I hope to get down to the Florida Rowing Center for hands on coaching.

This book is great and has revolutionised the way I scull. I am back in a boat after 25 years absence and its been great to learn all this stuff as if starting over afresh. I wish I had known this stuff way back when!

A brilliant guide to better sculling.

This is a very useful book for rowing nerds (like me). The complete rowing stroke is fully dissected and analyzed. I am planning to focus on many of the principles during my next row. Some of the pointers made me realize where I might be able to improve, and there are some useful skill-building drills included. I also agree with the author's comments on the limitations of the ergometer.It's not without flaws: the book is clumsily put together, and there are some howler typos. Due to the very technical nature of the work, it would have benefited from some diagrams, instead of web links to animations - which are fine unless you're reading where you're unable to access a wifi connection. The writing style is engaging, but I could have done without the unnecessary, cringe-worthy comparisons of parts of the rowing stroke as "male" (leading or driving) and "female") following).So I would recommend this book only for the most intensely focused athletes.