Rowing with bent arms (T-Rexing). Fix, or start doing it?

Rowing with bent arms has long been considered a flaw that we believe needs to be coached away, but have noted that some of the top rowers in the world do it. We have a closer look and consider some reasons why. We believe in placing the blade and finding connection with your leg squeeze, and allowing your arms to just hang on the oars. Is it possible to find connection quicker, and with less possibility for check, if you find it with your hands? We have not written this off...
In our Refine series, we plan to do detailed videos on flaws in rowing technique. In this video we look at rowing with bent arms and talk about why we have never believed it to be correct, but also consider the possibility that we are wrong.
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Credit/Attribution:
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[@beepblopborp]

I love that you covered this topic, as I had the exact same observations during the Olympics this year and wondered what that was about! I chalked it up similarly to you; mainly that it's like tangible feedback on blade connection that improves timing but that is probably technically very difficult to execute without compromising other areas of technique. It makes sense to me for the best of the best in the world to be able to do it well and thus gain any benefits that may exist, but I think for the vast majority of rowers it would add an unnecessary degree of complexity and confusion; in other words, I think there are usually other things for folks to work on that are a much bigger bang for their buck, so to speak, and it's okay to leave this one in the bucket of elite optimization tools. This is all said as a novice rower, however - I came to this sport as a master a few years ago and I still have so much to improve. This topic is fascinating, but not something I'll be personally working on anytime soon. I would love to see a follow-up video in a few months to hear anecdotal experiences of beginners and competitive athletes alike who braved this strategy for a while, though!

[@InFin8RowingIntl]

Thanks mate. I certainly have a follow up in mind. Glad you have joined the sport and I can see the bug has bitten... hard.

[@InFin8RowingIntl]

I agree that this is certainly not something to start rolling out into a Learn-To-Row program. Finding connection properly is such a delicate thing and most people just try slam through it. only once someone has the feel for it should they try find ways that work for them, to improve on it.

[@Hamish-w4p]

I’ve been experimenting a bit with this. I agree that a slight arm bend helps to engage the lats and better modulates blade depth. It started with the front end tapping exercise where the aim is to keep really loose and not worry about a slight bend in the elbow. My objective was to minimise shoulder and body movement as I place the blade and connect. When I get it right it completely changes my connection. By bending the arms only very slightly I recruit the lats more and draw horizontally.

[@InFin8RowingIntl]

I have a question, and I am not having a go... I am just throwing this out there. I have my feelings on this but want to hear others experience on it. If the core has been activated to keep the upper body acting as one lever, connection has been made with the legs, and the shoulder and arm are just hanging on their sinew and bones, does this not allow for you to complete almost all of the drive with relaxation of everything above the hip? The engagement of the lats needs to take place in order to achieve the final pull of the arms at the very end of the drive, but other than the potential unnecessary use of energy, what importance of having activated lats before then?

[@Hamish-w4p]

Thanks for the reply and don’t worry, I’m not precious if you disagree! It may be a language point, but I think there’s a difference between totally relaxed shoulders and arms vs stabilised shoulders and arms. My problem is that totally straight arms tends to lead to shoulder tension and over extension; then they end up too high, the blades go deep and I over work the first part of the drive with a poor return on boat speed. So the image of hanging on sinew and bone isn’t something I buy into (I used to before I got injured!). I had a really good strength and conditioning coach who explained how to initiate a deadlift: Shoulders should be low with lats and core activated. I believe that the same principles apply at the catch. The way I achieve this in the boat is by focusing on not over extending off backstops and keeping the arms loose (maybe a bit bent) and the shoulders low by keeping the lats engaged.

[@frankpetrucci9568]

I think the deadlift is a great example of why this works. Think of what’s the weakest link in lifting heavier weights. Or the piece of that chain that will fatigue quickest? Hands and arms. Anything that allows the arms to be more stable by engaging more muscles in the system will allow the legs to pull. The heaviest lifts will be achieved taking the hands out of the equation and using straps. Not practical in rowing. We don’t pull that hard but from the perspective of endurance I see gains.

[@newstartt99]

Interesting question! Thanks for raising it. It seems to happen among elite scullers but not elite sweep rowers. I suspect the main reason for t-rexing is that it helps to get connection without moving body weight toward the bow. Moving the seat at this stage slows the hull, at a time when the blades are moving outward so providing very little if any forward propulsion, mainly sideways push. There might be a secondary biomechanical advantage in engaging the biceps early. Finally, it might allow the sculler to react to slight changes in balance at the catch (less relevant at speed, but might be a learned behaviour from low-rate work). Watching an Olympic final in slo-mo shows there is more than one way to go fast!

[@robywar]

I also also teach the idea of suspension and hanging with lose relaxed arms until the end of the stroke, but in high school in the 90s I was taught a start that relies on "quick strokes" where you catch with arms slightly bent and take 10 strokes bringing the arms in as the legs are going down. When I teach it, now one of the questions I ask rowers now is "Why don't we row like this all the time?" and usually they get to the answer that we're just not able to keep our arms up with our legs very long. It's a great start, especially for younger guys who seem fixated on doing as much as they can with their arms and makes them feel like they have a secret weapon to use sparingly rather than constantly.

[@jeremymartin1610]

I've tried this recently, using slightly bent arms for the racing start in a single and I felt that it gave me extra control over the balance and ability to raise the rate quickly. I am inclined to continue with this experiment but with arms straigtening out after first ten strokes or so.

[@InFin8RowingIntl]

My coach (the boat whisperer) would always say "you could take a walk around the lake on your legs, but see how far you get walking on your hands", and although that holds true and is still our philosophy on this, there is something in the slight arm bend. Its not like the arms continue to bend through the drive. It seems to be just enough to gain connection. I still am undecided...

[@jeremymartin1610]

Just watched the final of M1x at Coastal World Champs (on World Rowing youtube channel). The winning New Zealander rowed with bent arms the whole way. Looked like it was helping him to control the oars in the rough water.

[@DarrylWilliams-y5h]

Nice Spence, to me it makes sense to have the whole system firm but not rigid to efficiently transmit force from the footplate to the spoon. At higher speed the blades going into the water will naturally check the boat (evident in the back splash) unless the body can somehow compensate for the braking force the blade handles place on the system. The arms acting as shock absorbers makes sense to limit this braking effect rather than opening up the torso or shooting the slide which is the worst possible result. Agreed though that the arms then need to be strong enough to maintain this angle through the stroke to prevent a loss in transmission from the legs and torso through to the spoon in the water. At speed the pick up is a lot lighter so the arms shouldn't be as stressed. At lower rates and boat speeds this would not be as noticeable as the legs can compensate adequately by accelerating fast enough off the catch not to lag the boat. Another interesting topic though.

[@InFin8RowingIntl]

I like the idea of making the placement crisp mate, but have considered it to be a case of having a slightly soft arm through the recovery, and then the placement is made with the weight of the blade and the forearm by doing a final straightening into the placement. Finding the connection by a slight pull seems like a bad idea, because there is a void on the working side of the spoon as you place, and you need the patients to let that fill up before you try connect or you will be pushing on air. Yet clearly these guys are making it work. Some further consideration needed...

[@morgancreek514]

I think bending the arms is like a little shock absorber - it protects the lower back from the immediate power of the legs. For years i have been cursed with a reflex to bend my arms the moment the felt load (also the reason why I cannot waterski). Now I broke the curse and can catch and initially drive with straight arms. However, the lower back acts up. To me, the Dutch are not only the fastest, they are also the national team with the fewest injuries. Maybe the shock-absorbing arm bend is one of the reason.

[@InFin8RowingIntl]

Sorry I missed your post... The jury is still out on this one for me. I have tried and although I sometimes do find I can connect quicker, its now hard to break what I though of as a good habit, which is keeping my arm straight. I am still playing with the idea in my own rowing. To protect your lower back, just make sure that you are sitting with your weight on the front of the seat at the placement, and try think of bringing your ribs to your knees. This puts your pelvis in flexion and has you sitting up into the placement. It will be the strongest position on your back, without having to to find the cushion in the arms. They have been working for years to get the equipment rigid so no propulsion is lost to cushioning, but I do hear you. I am no youngster and as my coach always said, if something is going to break, its usually the soft meaty thing between the oar handle and the footboard.

[@markgoddard4784]

Interesting video, thanks. My understanding is that as the blade spears into the water end-on, lift through foiling (like a wing or sail) is possible early in the stroke but only when the blade is loaded. It will always take time to build this load after blade entry; if you use your lats and arms (only just bending, really only just more than tensing), then the load can start to be applied to the blade without pressure on the footplate (which can slow the hull at this point). Then leg drive can be applied to an already loaded blade (I tend to do this in a single, and when stroking a quad if I can feel timing is a little late behind me - back protection measures...). However, I think Valery Kleshnev showed that it can be better to accept a larger dip in hull speed (more check) when recovering quicker into frontstops & before taking the catch using the legs, as the hull slows more and connection can be quicker, but that the timing of this is critical (and enough strength to do it well, I suspect). Races are won by the crew with the highest average speed over the stroke cycle, which may not be the crew which can reach the highest system speed in the drive... Is it slightly easier to coach the arm-loaded catch rather than good leg-driven catch timing? Are leg-driven catches more likely to lead to back problems in less well-developed athletes as pressures increase? I have just as many answers as you do, but I think being able to row in different styles in different boats & crews is a useful skill.

[@beepblopborp]

You just made me realize I do the exact same thing when stroking with a crew not used to rowing together. I don't even do it consciously, I just all of a sudden realize it's happening and try to find more ease/centeredness, but I'm probably just nervous about getting repeatedly slammed into by a train 😅

[@InFin8RowingIntl]

Love that this has sparked discussion like this. That's exactly what I wanted when I started InFin8. I also like what you said about highest average speed, rather than just drive speed. Thanks Mark.

[@jordanspence1628]

Great visuals!

[@jeremymartin1610]

Very detailed and interesting analysis!

[@frankpetrucci9568]

I think one thing to consider is how keeping the elbows down engages the lats much more, when I do this I feel my legs are more capable connected to the handle. If you consider a opposite movement pattern pushing which can generate more acceleration of heavy weight elbows out or in? I find elbows in much more powerful. I think at is core this comes down not to how the boat might move but best pattern of body movement 1

[@frankpetrucci9568]

This has also been going on for quite some time, Tufta, and Andre Senek also scull with elbows down. So far as sweep examples watch the inside arm as the blade locks in, you'll find a very similar motion, Drew Ginn being a prominent rower to keep his wrist up and elbow down on the inside.

[@beepblopborp]

This reminds me of the common cue to "break the bar" in weightlifting.

[@InFin8RowingIntl]

There are many scullers that seem to do it. Even a few ladies, who were my last hope at keeping finesse in the sport. I looked at the Dutch because they have more that do it than dont.

[@marchawley8002]

Paul O'Donovan also uses a bent arm catch. Clearly it must have some advantage.

[@SomersetCRC]

For me it's advantage only when nothing it's left to use anymore.. Back and legs not working on time so to connect instantly (keep up) arms are bend

[@peterclark1041]

Interesting ! The last thirty years has seen increasingly critical analysis of pros and cons of technical parts of the sculling stroke in particular. I believe many elements are of personal comfort and preference depending on body build, size,weight, flexibility etc. Crew make up and harmony of movement also of course, is paramount. I often refer to the negative aspects of the biceps and forearm pulling in slightly different directions (when arms bend precisely at the catch) as they would tend to interfere with the strong linkage to the shoulders and body rock-over power?? Thanks for your postings for discussion😅

[@InFin8RowingIntl]

Pleasure! Agreed that we all have to work within our physiology, but I still am having a hard time squaring this circle in my head. That Dutch quad is damn fast yet only 3 of the four row with the t-rex. Number 3 does not. How do they harmonise their movement and sync up their force curves..? Would it be better if they got number 3 to just join in..?

[@dickybird9860]

It seems to me that with extended arms at the placement you make the connection by simply drawing the arms together as you would normally do anyway. Admittedly, the control over the inward pulling muscles is not as fine as over the biceps, but the advantage is that you don't have to deal with the consequences of bent arms. Certainly, control is more precise and quicker than with the legs.

[@InFin8RowingIntl]

Hey. Thanks for the comment. Tell me more about the inward pulling muscles you mentioned. I just want to make sure I understand

[@SomersetCRC]

It might be bending arms is a compensation slower engagement with the lower back.. Were there any analysis of correlation of those two?- the slower/later engagement with the lower back, the more/sooner arms are bend to connect in the catch..

[@InFin8RowingIntl]

Yes it certainly seems from the examples I have used, that the point of arms bending are to connect. We believe in connecting with the legs rather than the arms or the back, but thanks for the comment.