Coaches often use the term “quick catch” when talking to their crews about the beginning of the stroke sequence. But what does that really mean?
The term quick catch can be very easily misunderstood and misinterpreted. For this reason, any discussion about the catch should be accompanied with the video or a live demonstration to make sure that everyone knows exactly what the coach is trying to accomplish.
A correct catch, or entry of the blade into the water, is probably the most important part of the rowing stroke. The blade has to be locked in the water to allow the athletes to move the boat. If the blade goes into the water with speed enough to get pressure on the face of the blade, to bend the shaft, to lock the blade in the water, that is a correct catch.
The problem is finding the right speed of entry into the water. A correct catch is relatively easy to execute when the boat is moving slowly. When the boat is moving faster, the athletes have to row at a higher cadence. Coaches call for a quick catch to make sure that the speed of the entry is enough to lock the blades in the water. The excitement of rowing at a high cadence can result in athletes using power instead of quickness and that is a big mistake. Using a powerful vertical catch forces the blade to go too deep and in effect slows down the boat.
To eliminate this “chopping wood” type of catch, men’s national team coach, Mike Teti, started to call for a slower catch which relaxed the athletes and allowed them to be more patient at the top of the slide. The result was a very direct entry at the right speed.
Here are a few examples of the correct quick catches.
1.
Germany’s men’s eight, gold medal in 2009
2.
The Dutch women's eight, silver medal in 2008
3.
The Australian pair, gold medal in 2004