Before Video Review
After Video Review and Feedback
One of the focus points of my coaching is improving force curves and drive biomechanics rowing in the technique of my clients.
The graphs visualize the force application of a client before video feedback and the force application after video feedback.
This represents about ten days of coaching. We are just getting started.
These are the average force curves at rates around 21-23spm.
At the start of our relationship (last week) the client was not getting their bodyweight on the handle effectively.
As a result, they were “missing the catch”. Most of this was being caused by poor mechanics on the recovery, and as a result the client was not arriving in the correct position at the catch.
Consequently, the client was not able to suspend at the front end of the stroke and continue to suspend as the stroke progresses.
Improving Force Curves
I performed a video review, and prescribed some drills to establish better mechanics, drive through the hips achieving better connection to help improving force curves.
As you graphs demonstrate, peak force is reached earlier and a better shape to the force curve is achieved, indicating better continuity with drive force application. We look for a “haystack” without concavity, or in other words maximizing the area under the curve.
Perfect is the enemy of good, just seeking perfection is the process. A picture, or in this case, a pair of pictures is worth a thousand words, if you know what you are looking at.
It’s not simply a matter of moving correctly to achieve peak performance. There is activation and applying force in a manner to move the boat or erg effectively.
I’ve worked hard to build the technology that enables me to coach remotely and look deeper than just split times, and heart rate levels during training. These graphs were generated from data uploaded from a Concept2 to the cloud and accessed remotely.
The force curve functionality is currently available in my app Remote Rowing Coach, although the remote features are not present in that app. The app can be used to personally review your own force application for your own use.
Data is just data, unless you can see the story told by the data that enables targeted feedback to improve stroke biomechanics and most importantly what separates high levels of excellence from so-so performance.
