You do you

I have an interview tomorrow with the RowAmerica Rye program in Rye New York, and I've been prepping so I'm in "coaching" mode.

I had a friend today send me a video of an international coach talking about a form of technique where he wants the body to begin opening as soon as the blade connects with the water.  My friend was curious what my thoughts on the stroke was.  He was wondering how this should or would impact his coaching going forward, and with the coach he works.  

My personal feelings about that particular stroke aside - I'm not a fan - I told him that the best advice I could give him would be to develop a stroke that he liked, that he felt was effective, and learn how to coach it as well as possible.  Along with developing the stroke, he should remain open minded and flexible, but not chase his tail.

I know that I've spoken about this several times before, about when I attended my first coaching clinics, and how I'd find myself taking copious amounts of notes on all the things I did wrong.  

I believe that a mistake many coaches make, yours truly included, especially when they start out is chasing every little thing that comes their way.  Canadian layback, New Aussie, no layback, etc.  Their stroke changes throughout the year, or each year, and they lose the basics to come back to.  We start chasing our tails, reworking everything, each year starting with the "kitchen sink," where everything is pitched, and we start over.  

Been there, done that.  Only once thankfully, but once was more than enough.  

I don't know about the opening the back early.  There are coaches who swear by it - I worked with one - but I'm not a fan.  But my suggestion has nothing to do with which stroke to follow.  Instead it comes down to addressing what you like, and what you teach.  Remember that you as a coach are a teacher, and that rowing isn't like any other sport in that the basics aren't intuitive.  If you pick up a basketball, or baseball or football you know, roughly, what to do with it, but handing someone a 12 foot oar is different. 

Rather than worrying about what's what, I would suggest you research the stroke, find someone who can teach it to you, and then work on developing it with your own athletes.  Above all, remember two things that I learned the hard way.

1.  Be consistent.  Don't try and change everything simply because the wind shifts.

2.  Be open minded, and always be learning.  The worst thing  you can do is decide that you're going to do things one way, and one way only.  Make sure you're aware of the changes that are happening, and see how new training ideas or philosophies can affect what you're teaching.