It’s quiet.
The water’s flat.
Your boat slices smoothly along with hardly a sound.
You’ve settled into an easy rhythm.
You set the oars, give a long, smooth pull, and feel the boat gliding out from under you.
Have you ever wanted to try sculling?
There is an elegance in propelling yourself across the surface of a lake on a mere sliver of a boat.
It’s a great “moving meditation”—perfect for light exercise.
Or maybe you feel driven and want to compete.
However you think about it, it’s time to stop wondering: get out and give it a try!
You can quickly find out if it will be your next great passion.
Checkpoints are:
• Sit up straight
• Don’t overreach
• “Grip” the water before applying power
A lot of strokes go into one’s training. All that repetition sometimes creates back problems, even for people with good backs.
If you have a bad back—or want to practice in a way that will help you avoid developing one—my approach will work well for you, though if you find your back truly is invincible, these principles are still sound and you'll be able to adapt to other styles.
My training method starts on dry land with some tricks to give you a good, symmetrical posture. The boats are tippy, but with this introduction, you can spend less time worrying about flipping over, and quickly settle into the relaxed, nonchalant balance that is the hallmark of all experienced scullers.
We’ll check out video footage of world-class scullers to shed some light on other styles. Having a visual reference for these differences helps when hashing over the finer points of technique.
If you want to compete, training for power and aerobic capacity is done chiefly on land, in the beginning, with an ergometer (rowing machine) and strengthening exercises.
On the water, practicing form and developing smoothness is the first priority, but once that’s been achieved, then we blend in the power with your impeccable technique to see just how smoothly and efficiently you can drive the boat and achieve faster and faster times.
Let’s connect by email to discuss your interest and schedule a first session. If you like the workshop and want to do more, we’ll plan out a schedule for subsequent sessions.
Payments can be made via Zelle in advance, or in cash when we meet. Sessions are $80/hour. Cancellations with three days’ notice are free.
I began sculling at South Kent School, a small prep school in northwestern Connecticut.
At college, there was no sculling program so I tried rowing in an eight-man shell, but missed the finesse of a smaller boat and the symmetry of having an oar in each hand.
In the next semester I discovered dance, which took me away from my rowing career, but gave me a postural awareness that would help immensely with balance and power when I returned to sculling.
Some 30 years after college, I rediscovered my love of sculling and have resumed training and racing in the northeastern U.S.