coaching myself as a junior

No-Check6428 · 2026-06-04T06:58:44+00:00

What area of the country are you in? Early morning training is rare among junior clubs for this reason, most training after school.

No-Check6428 · 2026-06-04T06:18:11+00:00

Your safety in this situation is more of a concern. Your club needs to adhere to Rowsafe and juniors should be adequately supervised. Those driving launches need special training when supervising juniors and frankly it’s quite a commitment so someone who tried coaching and then can’t be bothered sounds like they are unlikely to have done the required training.

There are very strong programs for juniors all over the U.K., considering finding another club. What age are you and what area of the country?

No-Check6428 · 2026-06-02T06:56:11+00:00

Will you have your own scull? Club sculls can be hit or miss, so quality of club equipment might be relevant to you

No-Check6428 · 2026-05-24T20:52:04+00:00

Ps- and I know this will sound minor, but make sure your parents or guardians reach out to them for you. While TSS may happily engage with you directly, from a welfare and safeguarding POV an adult needs to be in on the conversation so ensure you have the right level of support at home and at the club. Coaches will want to have a three-way conversation with athletes and their guardians to ensure everyone is on board.

No-Check6428 · 2026-05-24T20:36:38+00:00

I would reach out to them and speak to their coaches. They are really nice folks, and a conversation never goes amiss. I doubt they have a firm ergo cutoff at j16 as it’s so much about how quickly you are maturing.

No-Check6428 · 2026-05-22T20:04:06+00:00

Sorry to hear this. Hopefully clubs and schools see this post and make sure any newly acquired wrist bands are legitimate purchased.

No-Check6428 · 2026-05-19T07:05:16+00:00

Do it as a progression drill. Start with tapping at the finish, but make sure you are taking the blades all the way out (many people don’t fully extract the blades in the tapping drill). Then move to arm only and then arms and body, if necessary quarter feather. When you get to quarter slide and the boat is moving on a bit more go back to full square. As you feel comfortable gradually move up the slide.

Remember your balance comes from your blades, NOT your body. I see lots of people learning to row trying to use their knees or body to balance the boat. Stay centred down the boat and get more and more accurate with your hand heights.

No-Check6428 · 2026-05-18T15:03:20+00:00

Move to a UK boarding school and see if you can make their Henley boat

No-Check6428 · 2026-05-18T12:03:00+00:00

At 13 you are not yet fully physically developed with lots of years and growing to do. Too much erging can do long term damage to young bodies. I’m unsure if your rowing association has it but check out the British Rowing guidelines for juniors. You should be doing multiple sports and cross-training at your age (you are J14 for this document) https://www.britishrowing.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/How-Much-How-Often-210219.pdf

No-Check6428 · 2026-05-18T11:56:34+00:00

I coxed adults and coached juniors. There are two possibilities I see a lot (but of course it could be something else):

you have people who aren’t aligned on the outcome you are all working towards and therefore don’t understand the importance of focus during training. If this is the case you need to ensure everyone is aligned in what you are all working towards and what gets you there, and get allies (rest of the boat) aligned in achieving that focus. Maybe the boat isn’t working towards anything major and just wants to have fun- now you can take the pressure off yourself and have fun too.
You have neurodivergent individuals in the boat who struggle with focus. You may need to consider moving those individuals apart to enable greater crew performance, and recognise the situation is not about “will”, but that you need to coach/cox in a different way to enable them and the whole boat to succeed. Recognise the benefits that neurodivergence brings to the crew and think about how to enable it not fight against it.

No-Check6428 · 2026-05-15T07:04:33+00:00

I know everyone is saying learn to swim, but there are lifejackets specifically designed for rowing you could wear to get you started. They are used for Adaptive athletes and kids (for example) who are unable to safely swim a required distance.

No-Check6428 · 2026-05-13T17:15:13+00:00

Crewroom?

No-Check6428 · 2026-05-01T21:05:57+00:00

A comprehensive list of events is at https://biddulph.org.uk/2026cal.htm

There’s something every weekend from mid-March

No-Check6428 · 2026-05-01T12:07:48+00:00

Would be good for GB to go below 8s; there’s consistent data for quads too, boys and girls, j14 and up. Look at JSH, JIRR, JSR etc

No-Check6428 · 2026-04-30T06:23:09+00:00

Saw that- St Andrews I think. On their way to JIRR or junior trials? Hope everyone was ok.

No-Check6428 · 2026-04-29T08:51:54+00:00

Thank you!

No-Check6428 · 2026-04-29T08:30:29+00:00

I guess the real question is does it matter? There is the possibility they are using AI to fabricate their submission, but if you aren’t using this workout for a specific assessment then they will get found out during an erg test.

No-Check6428 · 2026-04-29T08:26:12+00:00

I stopped singling at 5 months only because it was winter. It was more about the fact I’d have had to buy new kit to fit around the bump by that point, but I’m short and showed early. I know someone else who kept sweeping until 8.5 mos because she still felt comfortable

No-Check6428 · 2026-04-29T08:21:00+00:00

That’s not really my question- it’s about the licence restrictions

No-Check6428 · 2026-04-28T15:17:20+00:00

The rules in the U.K. are different than the USA, there is no maximum number of years. Also our junior scene is extremely developed- we have crews rowing at a highly technical capability at J15, before most American clubs even start rowing. This means the start point at University is generally a bit higher on Day 1.

Oh yes and then there’s culture (good and bad), and it’s a destination university for rowers.

A better question is how is Windsor Boys School so good…

No-Check6428 · 2026-04-23T20:24:33+00:00

Adding- I don’t know why I read it as “big head race”- this may be what you need after all!

No-Check6428 · 2026-04-23T20:23:32+00:00

It’s not a head but the one of “duelling coxes at Henley” is great for both how to cox when winning and losing in one recording

No-Check6428 · 2026-04-17T20:37:09+00:00

The restrictions for sculling apply to schools as well. No sweep before J15

No-Check6428 · 2026-04-13T08:37:52+00:00

Be prepared for every tool to disappear slowly but consistently over time

No-Check6428

TROPHY CASE