In earlier posts, I discussed technical benchmarking for rowers and coxswains. This process achieves the following:

• Everyone in your program understands your technical model and expectations.
• Your coaches are all teaching the same fundamentals at every experience level.
• Your athletes are clear about your expectations for technical competency.
• Faster overall boat speed in your program.
• Technical understanding is a part of the culture of your program.
• Your athletes and coaches can measure and see technical progress.
• Provides the foundation for targeted feedback that focuses on your individual program design.Since writing the earlier post, I’ve been working on an updated Excel based file which improves on the previous version.
• Athletes are now provided visual graphs to visualize progress over time.
• The spreadsheet provides totals and average for each part of the technical model.
• A table of empirical values now provided.
• Improved color scheme!
• Editable so you can adjust the technical points to your model. I cannot provide technical support on this file, so please find someone who knows their way around Excel to help. FYI: If you absolutely need help or want drastic changes I charge $50 an hour.

Download Excel Template File Here

With this system, your athletes can receive targeted feedback in technical areas they are doing well and where they need development.

Side note: There is a difference between “Great catch, good Job! (Praise) and “Your catch is much quicker now, well done for the effort to make that change!” (Targeted feedback based on the effort and process).

The Next Steps

A coach watches rowing footage, evaluates and submits scores into a database

Graph generated in real time from scores stored in a database.

I’m currently working on a web-application that brings the three areas together in the athlete equation. I intend to build a performance tracking system that integrates the following areas:

• Physiological progress
• Technical progress
• Mental Aptitude development progress

The analysis provides the ability to quickly see where your training program is working and where adjustments can be made. Therefore, more time can be spent building relationships with your athletes and programming.

If you are interested in this kind of functionality, email me now at neil@coachbergenroth.com, I will tell you when my system is available.