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Total Rowing Gearing |
Gearing ratio is a popular, but contentious topic in the rowing community. So, what is the mechanically correct definition of rowing gearing? The standard gearing definition is based on the ratio of displacements or velocities, not forces, because forces depend on other factors such as friction and inertia of parts in the mechanism. Dynamic gearing has a similar or even higher effect than the static oar gearing: every 1° increase of the catch angle increases the gearing ratio as much as a 1 cm longer outboard, or 0.5cm shorter inboard. Compared to cycling, rowing gearing during the drive is similar to riding a bike on quite a low gear. |
22/07/2020 |
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The current BioRow Webinar |
The 3rd Webinar on Rowing Biomechanics is scheduled on Friday the 17th July at 11.00 am London, UK time.
Topic: Biomechanics of stroke cycle and technical drills. We are looking forward to see you for the Webinar.
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10/07/2020 |
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Rowing power and kinetic energy |
Here we continue the analysis of rowing power and its conversion into kinetic energy of the rower-boat system. The kinetic energy of systems depends on the choice of reference frame: the reference frame that gives the minimum value of that energy is the centre of the momentum frame. The more elastic collision happens between rower’s and boat masses at catch, the more internal kinetic energy is preserved, so it can be recycled during the drive phase and rowing efficiency increases. This means an effective catch should look like “a bouncing ball”. |
03/07/2020 |
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The first BioRow Webinar |
The first BioRow Webinar has been successfully performed last Friday on the 5th June 2020. It lasted for an hour and a half with 10 participants attended. The topic was “Basic Rowing Biomechanics for effective technique” . It was proposed to continue series of Webinars on Rowing biomechanics every fortnight or in three weeks periods. The next BioRow Webinar will take place on Friday the 26th June at 11.00am London time (GMT+1), where we will continue our talks about “Rowing myths and reality”.
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15/06/2020 |
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HDF evaluation on the water and rowing machines |
Mass-Equivalent is equal to a mass, which a rower would accelerate horizontally in ideal conditions without gravity and friction, having the same overall feeling of “heaviness” as in the given rowing conditions. the Mass-Equivalent is not the same as the force applied by a rower. With constant ME, a rower may pull harder or lighter: higher force increases the handle acceleration and velocity, so drive time would be shorter, and vice versa. After the catch and during the first 20% of the drive length, in-boat rowing feels twice as “heavy” than on a rowing machine. Rowing on stationary Concept 2 should feel slightly lighter than a 1x and heavier than a 2x, and the mobile RP3 is similar to 2- or 4x. |
23/05/2020 |
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HDF indicator in more detail |
The physical interpretation of HDF is: it equates to twice the mass-equivalent m divided by a distance s, which it would travel, if there was a constant force applied to this mass in ideal conditions without gravity and friction. The drive feels heavier at low rates and lighter at high rates, because recovery time gets significantly shorter and the system velocity decreases less at the start of the drive. The average force is inversely proportional to the square of the drive time, which means to shorten the drive time twice, four time higher force required, and vice versa. |
07/05/2020 |
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Effect of stretcher height on rowing technique |
A new stretcher force sensor has been developed recently in BioRow, which consists of four load cells measuring only the horizontal force component at the toes-heels/ left-right foot. The sensor has been tested on the RP3 rowing machine in a brief experiment with two different stretcher heights. The results of the study indicate that lower stretcher position could be beneficial for rowing power and technique. The obtained data has proved usability and accuracy of the new BioRow stretcher force sensor. |
31/03/2020 |
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HDF during the drive |
The peak HDF happens straights after the legs velocity peak, when trunk and arms start working (8) and the boat acceleration has its first peak. This moment could be felt by a rower as “the blade locks on” . The pattern of HDF is quite consistent across various stroke rates and rowing styles. A softer oar makes HDF and rower’s feelings of pressure more evenly distributed during the drive. |
17/03/2020 |
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Handle Drag Factor |
Handle Drag Factor HDF was introduced as a measure of rowing “heaviness”- a “burden factor” of sorts. Bigger rowers produce higher power and also have higher drag, so higher HDF. Every 1 deg longer catch angle and 1 cm longer outboard increased HDF by about 1.5 units. Front-loaded drive feels faster and lighter; subsequently more power towards the finish makes the drive heavier. Many coaches are still looking for some “magic” rigging numbers and believe that tiny changes in oar length make a significant difference. However, results of this study show that catch angles and power application make similar or even more significant effects on stroke mechanics, rower’s feelings, drive time and stroke rate. |
11/02/2020 |
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Review on blade propulsive efficiency |
Blade efficiency is very popular topic in rowing community discussions, and opinions are still quite controversial. Some factors have an opposite effect on the blade and rower’s efficiencies, and attempts to increase the former may decrease the latter and therefore decrease overall rowing efficiency. the blade propulsive efficiency and drag factor could be used for evaluation of the equipment quality and rower’s oar handling skills, but for the best rowing performance, other components of the system must be taken into account to find an optimal balance. |
24/12/2019 |
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