Rowing Terms

Want to get a head start? Well here’s a few rowing terms for you to learn before you start.

Rowing has unique terminology. There are a lot of rowing terms but don’t stress … the basics get drilled into you right from the start so by week 2 you are well on your way to recognising some of these rowing terms. The important ones are highlighted. Don’t worry about the others too much.

You not only have to learn to row, you have to learn a whole new language … here is a list of the rowing terms that may be used by a coach but don’t worry, our coaches are very good at dumbing it down to make it easy for you.

Parts of the Boat

Backstay – the back brace of a rigger that locks the pin in position to maintain pitch
Backstops (back chocks) – the end of the slide nearest the bow. Prevents the seat from running off the slide. Also used to describe the position at which the athlete sits with their legs straight and blade to their chest.
Bowball – safety ball fitted to the sharp front of rowing boat
Button – plastic sheath on an oar to prevent it from slipping through the rowlock; adjustable on modern oars
Canvas – the canvas on the front and back decks of a rowing boat, the distance between the bow ball and the back of the rower sitting in the bow seat. On some boats it is actually canvas, on the majority of boats it is harder, the same material as the hull.
Collar – plastic sleeve fixed to the oar that the button circles, button can be moved along the collar to adjust blade gearing
Deck – covered-over areas at bow and stern of boat
Fin – small flat plate perpendicular to the bottom of the boat to aid steering a straight course
Front stop – the end of the slide nearest the stern. Prevents the seat from running off the slide. Also used to describe the position at which the athlete sits with their legs at 90 and the blade spoon at the furthest point to the bows.
Gate/Rowlock – a bracket which swivels on the end of the outrigger to support the oar
Gunwale – horizontal plank at the top of the hull running the length of the boat
Rigger – a metal framework or a carbon-fibre reinforced arm to support the gate, which is attached to the side of the boat
Slide – parallel rails in which the seat moves on wheels
Rowlock – a bracket which swivels on the end of the outrigger to support the oar
Rudder – steering device attached vertically to the stern or under the hull of a shell
Stern – the rear or aft of the boat
Swivel – a square or round pivoting rowlock, ie: working around the pin/gate
Stretcher – a frame with straps or shoes to anchor the rower’s feet

Parts of the Rowing Stroke

Back down – term used to describe using a reverse rowing action to manoeuvre the boat backwards or for turning
Catch – the part of the stroke when the blade is put in the water
Come forward – verbal instruction used by the cox or athlete to bring the crew to front stops position ready to row
Drive – the part of the stroke between the catch and the finish where the legs push down
Easy oar – verbal instruction given by cox for crew to stop rowing
Feather – to turn the blade parallel with the water surface at the start of the recovery to improve balance and reduce wind resistance
Finish (release) – the part of the stroke just before and as the blade is taken out of the water
Hands away – the act of dropping the oar handle at the finish of the stroke so that the blade leaves the water and is feathered at the start of the recovery
Layback – the amount of backward lean of the rower’s body towards the bow at the finish
Pull-through – the part of the stroke between the catch and the finish
Recovery – the part of the stroke cycle between the finish and the catch in which the oar is feathered and the seat is returned to the front of the slide
Release – the finish of the stroke removing the oar from the water
Squaring your blade – making the end of your oar perpendicular after feathering
Tap down – to the lower the hands at the end of the stroke to remove the blade from the water
Tap turn – term used to describe a method of turning the boat where each rower uses a forwards or backwards rowing action with there arms only
Washing out – occurs when the blade comes off the water during the pull-through before the finish. Most likely caused by feathering under the water.

Other Equipment

Blade – flattened or spoon-shaped end of an oar or scull; often used as term for an oar
Ergo – a rowing machine to measure the metabolism rate or amount of energy expended during work measured in ergs (unit of work)
Oar – a lever approximately 12 feet (360cm) long by which the rower pulls against the rowlock to move the boat through the water
Trestles – portable stands used to support a boat for rigging, washing, admiring etc.

Types of Boats

Coxless – any boat without a cox
Double scull – a sculling shell in which two crew members propel themselves using two oars (sculls) each
Eight – a rowing shell in which eight crew members propel themselves using one oar (sweep) each. An Eight also contains a coxswain as a crew member for navigation and providing instructions to the rowers
Four – a rowing shell in which four crew members propel themselves using one oar (sweep) each. A Coxed Four contains an additional crew member, the coxswain for navigation and providing instructions to the rowers
Pair (pair oar) – a rowing shell in which two crew members propel themselves using one oar (sweep) each. A Pair Oar with Coxswain contains an additional crew member, the coxswain for navigation and providing instructions to the rowers.
Quad scull – a sculling shell in which four crew members propel themselves using two oars (sculls) each
Scull (a scull) – a single sculling boat in which one sculler (person) propels themselves across the surface of the water
Shell – smooth-bottomed racing boat

Types of Rowing

Sculling (to scull) – using two oars (sculls) per crew member
Sweep (sweep rowing) – using one oar or sweep per crew member

Positions in the Boat

Bow side (starboard) – all rowers whose oars are in the water on the right hand side of the boat when viewed from the cox’s seat or back of the boat
Crew – rowers who man a boat
Coxswain (cox) – steers the boat from a seat in the stern or a lying position in the bow
Starboard – bow side, the right-hand side of the boat when facing the bow
Stroke (stoke seat) – the rower seated nearest the cox
Stroke side (port) – all the rowers whose oars are in the water on the left hand side of the boat when viewed from the cox’s seat or back of the boat

Other Rowing Terms

Cadence – a uniform stroke rate
Crab – occurs when the rower fails to get the oar out of the water at the end of the stroke OR slices the oar into the water when taking the catch
Length – the length of a boat (i.e. “They won by one length”)
Pressure – the amount of effort applied by the athlete to the power phase of the stroke (usually light, ½, ¾, firm or full)
Puddles – whirls left in the water caused by the blade as the rower pulls
Rating – the rate of stroking, or the number of strokes per minute that a crew is rowing
Run – the distance a boat travels in one stroke
Rhythm – the proportion of time occupied on the recovery to the time taken on the pull through

More Rowing Terms

Fun – what you have when doing a Learn to Row course
Sense of Achievement – what you get when complete one of our Learn to Row courses

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