On 26 March 2017, Ludum hosted a workshop at Shiplake College, UK in which applied sports biomechanist Conny Draper discussed the power of telemetry. Draper also showed the audience how best to set up a telemetry system, explaining the common mistakes people make when using telemetry.

Draper travels the world and works with many international teams and universities. Her insights and explanations were excellent, providing a very educational experience for those attending.

In terms of biomechanics and the use of telemetry, Draper spoke about the existence of ‘windows of opportunity’ in the rowing stroke. These ‘windows’ are areas of the stroke where the use of biomechanics can generate considerable gains in speed without having to add extra power or force built largely in the gym.

These ‘windows’ are found at:

the catch

the finish

and when the boat begins to decelerate.

From Draper’s analysis, it became evident that, while power measured on the gate is a useful if crude number, the better number to measure is the net force on the boat.

“Net force is when the force on the gate is greater than the force on the foot stretcher,” said Draper.

During the recovery phase of the stroke, the force on the foot stretcher is greater than the force on the gate. This will be the case until the blade is covered in the water at the catch. However, even then if the athlete applies significant upward body movement near the beginning of the stroke, the force on the stretcher will be increased so that it is temporarily greater than the force on the gate.

The consequence of the stretcher force being greater than the gate force is that the hull decelerates. “Deceleration on the hull occurs when the foot stretcher force is greater than the gate force,” said Draper.

Hull deceleration is something that should be minimised, especially on the recovery where boat speed will naturally drop as athlete weight in the boat transfers towards the stern. By adding pressure onto the foot stretcher as late as possible, the negative effect on the hull will be minimised. As soon as such force is placed on the stretcher, the boat’s deceleration will increase.