Μετρώντας το άνοιγμα των σκαλμών...

Όπως λέει και ο Mike, "Span is really not very helpful without also knowing the spread", αλλιώς θα γίνουν οι σκιφίστες σας, σαν τενίστες!

Scullers . . . this one is for you!

In sculling span is a very critical measurement. It tells the distance between the port and starboard pins. This is an important dimension of determining the leverage of the boat (how heavy or light it will feel).

Many scullers just stop once they get their span measurement, but there is a need to go one step further. The distance of the pin from the centerline of the boat needs to be equal on both sides.

In other words:

Span is really not very helpful without also knowing the spread.

Rig Up Your Life: Lesson 2

Από τον Mike Davenport

THE MYTHS OF RIGGING

Rigging is not difficult.

Really, it's not. You may have a hard time believing this, but actually it's easy!

Rigging just appears difficult because there's a lot of confusion and mystery surrounding it.

Some of this confusion may have started with the early coaches who tried to scare people away from working on shells. They would sit around the boathouse, sipping their brews, and start myths about how hard it was to rig. They figured the harder it seemed the less likely people would want to do it, and the more work there would be for them. You see, it was their
attempt at job security.

Let's take a look at a few of these myths and maybe I can help dissolve away some of the confusion.

MYTH #1: RIGGING INVOLVES MAGIC

There IS a lot of magic in the sport of rowing.

It's a sport that can get into a person's bloodstream and change their life, usually for the better. It's a sport where a crew who shouldn't win a race does because of the chemistry between the rowers. It's a sport where friendships develop and last lifetimes. All of that, to me, is magical.

But I've yet to find anything at all magical about rigging. There are no wands coaches pull out of their bags. There are no magic words. No crystal balls. No rigging Tarot cards. Rigging is about as un-magical as you can get.

MYTH #2: RIGGING TAKES A LOT OF TIME

Although some tasks in rigging can be time-consuming, not knowing how to rig can take up a lot more time. To show you what I mean, let's talk about a friend of mine. His name is Mr. Starr.

Starr had been rowing a pair for the last year with his partner, Mr. Poe. They had been training very religiously and working hard. One day on the dock, after rowing a mega-mile practice, Starr noticed Poe was acting strange.

"Poe, what's the matter?" Poe wasted no words in his reply, "Rigger is bad." (Poe was always to the point.) This prompted Starr to ask a few more questions, which revealed that Poe had been having trouble with his rigger for weeks. Starr, hating to see his friend bummed out, decided something must be done about Poe's equipment, and quickly.

Although he knew nothing about rigging, Starr spent several days fiddling with Poe's rigger. After each practice Poe would continue to complain, and with each attempt by Starr the rigger would get worse and worse. Finally, one day at the dock, Poe complained the rigger made his back ache and that he couldn't take it anymore. Starr, his patience gone with both Poe and the
rigger, sat down on the dock in frustration. Poe, obviously in pain, sat down and joined him.

Luckily for our friends, a Rigger named Mortis (yes--Rigger Mortis), who rigged the boats at the local college, was close by and saw their despair. Mort walked down the dock and asked what the problem was. The only reply he could get was,

"Poe hurt and Starr bored."

Mort, being rather quick on the uptake, put two and two together and figured it must be a rigging problem. Like the helpful soul he was, he offered to check out the boat. But, alas, Mort was a busy person, and when he finally got to the guys' shell, several days had passed by and they had missed the
big race they were training for.

So you see, Starr and Poe wasted valuable time not knowing how to rig. What is sad is that this happens a lot in the world of rowing. Knowing how to recognize a rigging problem, and to fix it right on the first attempt--will save you time and energy and possibly prevent injuries. And you may also be a little faster on the water.

MYTH #3: YOU HAVE TO POSSESS A SECRET KNOWLEDGE TO RIG

One day, a fellow coach was adjusting the rig on a boat. I knew he was intently busy so I just passed by without stopping to talk. As I reached the door a wrench came flying through the air and bounced off the wall a few feet from my head, quickly followed by,

"What the hell is the secret to rigging this stupid boat?"

Now what do you think had turned this nice, meek, friendly fellow into a wrench-heaving monster? Frustration. He was frustrated because he thought there was some secret to rigging and we weren't letting him in on it.

Let's get this straight right now: there are NO secrets to rigging. NONE.

There is no special, ancient knowledge the Druids have hidden in some primeval caves. You don't have to make contact with the spiritual world to rig.

Rigging is all based on numbers, knowledge, and experience. Everything you need to know about rigging you can learn from books, mortal human beings, and practice.

By the way, I had been looking for that wrench for three months; it was nice of him to return it.

MYTH #4: YOU NEED TO BE A MECHANICAL GENIUS TO RIG

To be honest, being a certified mechanic would be helpful. So would having a doctorate in physics, owning every tool known to man, and having ten employees to do your work for you.

All of this would be helpful, but none of it is necessary for you to rig.

If you can open a jar of pickles or pour a glass of water you probably have the mechanical aptitude to begin rigging. Add a dose of common sense and the strong need to get the job done correctly and you have all of the basics.

MYTH #5: YOU NEED FANCY AND EXPENSIVE TOOLS TO RIG

You can get most the tools you need to do a first-class rigging job for under $200. This includes all the special rigging tools you might ever need. That's not too bad when you figure these tools can come in handy around the house, on the kiddies' swing set, or on the car when it acts up.

And finally . . .

MYTH #6: RIGGING IS BORING

Well, rigging is not a good substitute for many things, like a big bowl of chocolate chip ice cream. I'll let you be the one to decide if it is boring; to me it's not, but to some it may be. If you think you'll get bored when you rig, then try to make it fun. Play some tunes, eat snacks, tell jokes, or pay a sculler to entertain you.

By possessing rowing equipment, you have accepted the responsibility for adjusting it. If you are standing there looking at a broken rigger, or one that needs adjustment, don't freak out. If someone is counting on you to adjust or repair a rigger, relax. If you think your crew might win or lose a
race because of the rigging job you did, don't get an ulcer.

There is no need to get nervous. You can do it, and I am going to help you.

Lesson 3, the next lesson, is about Why You Should Rig.

I think that you'll find it quite helpful.

See you in two days.

-Mike

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This e-mail workshop is based on my book Nuts and Bolts Guide to Rigging. You can find more information on my blog.

Rig up your life: Lesson 1

Από τον Mike Davenport

Here is your first lesson of Rig Up Your Life.

Lesson 1: WHAT IS RIGGING?

From my wanderings around in the sport of rowing, it seems a lot of people involved aren't comfortable with the rigging of rowing equipment.

Truthfully, I think a lot of people are just downright intimidated by it. I know some souls who believe a rigger has a mind of its own. Once I bumped into a club rower who, instead of adjusting his rigger, went around the boathouse switching riggers with all the other boats until he found one that looked like it worked.

Let's get personal. What about you?

Does your rowing equipment intimidate you?

Do you think it's a Rubik's Cube, a mystical and mysterious puzzle only to be mastered by a chosen few?

What happens when the rigging of your shell needs attention? Do you ignore the problem and hope it goes away? Do you get in there and try to fix it yourself, or do you stand by idly with a puzzled look on your face waiting for the cavalry to arrive?

And what if it's your first time rigging--where do you start?

When your car needs service you can take it to a garage, when the washing machine goes on the blink you call in the repairman, but when there is a rigging problem, who is going to fix it? I want you to look in the mirror for the answer!

I am a true believer that anyone can rig, from the complete novice who has never held a wrench to the absolute klutz who cannot walk up a flight of stairs without tripping. I have written books, articles, and taught a wealth of rigging clinics with this thought in mind.

I feel you should be able to fix any problem with the rigging of your equipment. If this thought makes you nervous, then you're in the right place.

AN IMPORTANT QUESTION

I teach a lot of rigging clinics. I enjoy it and have been doing it for years.

One of the things I usually do, right off the bat, is ask the participants this question:

"What is your definition of rigging?"

The answers I get are pretty interesting.

The most common definition I get is that rigging is "just changing or adjusting the riggers on a rowing shell." When I get that answer, I usually stop the class and have a little discussion with them.

You see, defining rigging in that way is like saying teaching is just
writing on a blackboard or that plumbing is only unstopping clogged toilets. There's more to teaching and to plumbing than that. And there's certainly more to rigging.

A lot more.

Part of my discussion is to give them my definition of rigging. And with that, I tell them that a few of the things rigging involves are:

• Determining the best type of equipment for your team or you to row, especially considering body size and the conditions rowed in.
• Using your brain to figure out what rigging numbers [What sort of numbers? Do you want to say "measurements"?] to use when you make adjustments to the equipment.
• Deciding when and where it is best to make the adjustments.
• Figuring out how to make the adjustments.
• Getting your hands on tools and being concerned about the safety of the equipment that is rowed.
• Checking your work to see if you did a good job.

It is usually at this point that eyes open up and definitions of rigging change.

ART OR SCIENCE
An interesting aspect of rigging that escapes many folks is that rigging is
both an art and a science.

You see, there is science involved in finding the correct rigging numbers [measurements?] to use. And there is science involved in transporting and maintaining the equipment. And there certainly is science involved in storing the equipment.

On the other hand, rigging involves an artistic viewpoint.

There is art in planning how to use the equipment and in buying it and in determining how best to move it. And there is also art involved in making the adjustments.

SO WHAT EXACTLY IS RIGGING

It boils down to this: rigging is a multi-faceted activity, involving a wide range of tasks.

At this point I want to stress this: don't get overwhelmed!

You've signed up for this e-mail course to help you get started in rigging. And I am here to help. Over the next six lessons, we will be discussing many of those tasks of rigging.

In Lesson 2, we get into some of the myths of rigging. I've found that discussing those myths can greatly help people feel more comfortable about rigging.

See you in two days.

-Mike


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This e-mail workshop is based on my best selling book Nuts and Bolts Guide to Rigging. You can find more information on my blog.


SportWork, Suite 192, Main Street, Church HIll, Maryland 21623, USA

Ρυθμίσεων συνέχεια: Ύψος

Στους προχωρημένους θα φανεί το θέμα του βίντεο απλοϊκό, οπότε να πάνε κατ'ευθείαν στο θέμα "Super-Simple Height Check for Your Shell’s Rigger" όπου ο M. Davenport απαντάει στο θέμα της ρύθμισης του ύψους σε πλήρωμα με αθλητές διαφορετικών διαστάσεων.

Περισσότερο Rigging.....

.... ρύθμιση δηλαδή επί το ελληνικότερον στην πολύ καλή σελίδα row2k. Δυστυχώς για αυτούς που δεν τα πάνε καλά με τα αγγλικά θα υπάρχει κάποιο πρόβλημα, αλλά η σελίδα διαθέτει ένα πολύ κατατοπιστικό γλωσσάρι τεχνικών όρων, εδώ. Μία ενδιαφέρουσα παρουσίαση για τα βασικά της ρύθμισης δείτε στην εξαιρετική σελίδα των προπονητών της Νότιας Αφρικής. Εύχομαι κάποτε να φτάσει σε αυτό το επίπεδο και ο δικός μας ΣΕΠΚ.

Που να τοποθετήσω τα υποπόδιά μου;

Αντιγράφω από το ιστολόγιο του Mike Davenport:

I received this question the other day from Casandra.

Hi Mike: I am 2 seat in a lightweight women’s eight…but we have to row in a men’s boats. This is a really basic question; How do we determine where our foot stretchers should be positioned?

Thanks for the question Casandra. Let’s try a detailed view first, then a quick possible solution.

For Really Novice Rowers (Really novice)
For those rowers just starting out, placement of the footstretcher can be a great teaching tool. Often coaches will put the stretchers at a point where the rowers can use the track’s sternmost stops as a teaching device, so that they don’t over- or under-compress. The feet are placed so that the rowers will almost hit the stops just at the catch. If they go too far, wham, and they stop. For good or for bad, it does help teach.

For Rowers Looking For Comfort
In the past many rower’s calves really suffered greatly from the effect of either the seat track or boat deck digging into them at the end of each stroke. One method of relief was for the rower to move the footstretcher greatly stern-ward, to give the legs more room at the end of the stroke. More room, less digging into the calves. Newer shells with adjustable tracks usually don’t present this problem.

Rowers Looking For Speed
More experienced rowers, which it sounds like that might be you, are looking for something different. They are looking for speed. They want to place the stretchers in the correct position to maximize the energy that is put into the oar.

And it is important where they are placed. The reason being is that placement is about the distance the hip of the rower is located, at the catch, in reference to the pin. And the faster the boat, then the further through the pin (greater the distance that the hips are stern-ward).

Rowers looking for speed will tend to place their footstretchers according to either

1. shin angle to water’s surface
2. work through
3. catch length
4. catch angle

Each of those methods become more involved in terms of the mechanics of determining the correct placement of the stretchers.

Down and Dirty
So, with all that written, what should you do?

If you are sharing the boat with a men’s team, or any other group, then I would suggest that you place the footstretchers in a position where your shins are just shy of perpendicular to the water, at the catch. That might be about the best you can expect when sharing a boat, unless it is rigged specifically for you.

If you are not sharing the boat, it is just your team in it, then I suggest that the boat be rigged off of leverage numbers picked for your group. (You can find suggestions here.) From there use work through. Probably for lightweight women you may be looking at a range of 6 to 10 cms, as measured by the method on my numbers page.

Once you have set the feet, do some testing. Have a SpeedCoach? Great, test away. If not, then use a stop watch.

Adjust, test, readjust until satisfied.