Nine on-water and erg technique mistakes that slow high school rowers down, with the drill and cue that fixes each one. Written for junior varsity athletes.

Singles, pairs, and doubles develop technique faster than eights. Here's the motor learning research behind why, and what it means for your rower's development.

Breathing in rowing is not intuitive. The body position at the catch — compressed forward, knees to chest, trunk folded — restricts lung volume at exactly the moment the muscles demand the most oxygen. Unlike running or cycling, where the body is relatively upright and the respiratory system operates without mechanical constraint, rowing forces the athlete to coordinate breathing with a stroke cycle that alternately compresses and opens the chest. Getting this coordination right is one of the simplest ways to row more efficiently. Getting it wrong costs energy, creates tension, and limits how hard you can sustain effort over distance.

Having recruited for an Ivy League lightweight program and worked with hundreds of families through the recruiting process over the past fifteen years, the pattern is consistent: the athletes who navigate recruiting most successfully are not the ones with the fastest erg scores. They are the ones who demonstrate the depth, self-awareness, and communicative maturity that come from engaging seriously with the sport — not just optimizing a single number.