Drilling
What the common drills are for — so you can call them with purpose, not just count strokes.
Adapted from The Ultimate USC Coxswain Guide by Sophia Steck.
In the coxswain seat you are basically running practice. Coach will often name the drill without explaining it — so know what each one is for and lead it.
Pick drill
The first drill every novice learns: arms only → add body swing → add legs. It isolates the parts of the stroke.
- Arms only (bodies back, legs down) — find the strong, stable finish that balances the boat, and the handle path.
- Add body swing — tests stability; use the core to hold the balance found at the finish. Good body prep sets up a long catch.
- Add legs — brings in the least stable part: the catch. Building up to it makes the catch less scary, more balanced and longer.
Usually done by pairs in a four, or fours in an eight.
Reverse pick drill
The most common varsity warm-up — the opposite order, matching the stroke itself: legs only → add body → add arms.
- Legs only (bodies forward, arms out) — grab with the toes and drive the legs first. Arms still lift and tap, so catches stay crisp.
- Add body swing — the legs press the body open; a chain reaction that keeps the upper body connected to the legs and the blade connected to the water.
- Add arms — a little extra acceleration to squeeze off the finish, but don’t rely on it.
Builds powerful acceleration from the ground up. Usually by pairs in a four, or fours in an eight.
Add-a-pair
An eights drill: one pair for about ten strokes, then add a pair (four), another (six), then everyone (eight). The goal is building boat speed.
- With one pair the boat is heavy and slow — they need clean acceleration on the legs.
- As pairs join, the pace rises and the catches must quicken with it. Use sharp words at the catch:
Quick!Hook!Direct! - Slides stay controlled so they don’t kill the speed — remind them.
Quarter feather
The recovery is rowed with blades partly squared instead of fully feathered. The bottom edge of the tilted blade guides oar height, just skimming the water — it shows what the platform should feel like once they return to full feather.
If the set is bad, throw this into a swing row (even without Coach asking) to bring handle heights back.
Quarter slide – full slide
Alternate about 10 strokes at full slide with 10 at quarter slide (the front quarter, including the catch). Quarter slide trains quick connection at high rate; full slide applies it at length.
Timing tends to fall apart on the transitions, so be very clear:
- On quarter slide, repeat short rhythmic calls:
Sharp. Sharp. Sharp./Slice. Slice. Slice./Hook. Hook. Hook. - Call the transition precisely on the finish:
Full slide in 2… that's 1… that's 2, lengthen. - If it goes wrong, clarify the timing for the next round.
Pro tip: let the cox box count
Many drills run over set stroke counts — e.g. reverse pick is usually 10 legs-only, 10 legs-and-back, 10 full before switching (this rotation takes you exactly from the dock to the red buoy). Press start/timer on the cox box and it counts strokes for you, so you know exactly when to say In two…
整理自 Sophia Steck 的 The Ultimate USC Coxswain Guide。
坐在舵手位上，你基本就是在带训练。教练经常只说练什么、不解释——所以要知道每个练习的目的，才能带好。
Pick drill（分解练习）
新手学的第一个练习：只用手臂 → 加上身体摆动 → 加上腿。 把一桨拆开练。
- 只用手臂（身体后仰、腿伸直）——找到稳定有力的结束位，帮助平衡船，同时熟悉桨柄路径。
- 加上身体摆动——开始考验稳定性，用核心保持结束位找到的平衡。好的身体准备也为长入水打基础。
- 加上腿——加入最不稳定的环节：入水。循序渐进，入水就不那么可怕，更平衡、更长。
一般在四人艇里两人一组，或八人艇里四人一组轮换。
Reverse pick drill（反向分解）
校队最常用的热身，顺序相反，和一桨的发力顺序一致：只用腿 → 加身体 → 加手臂。
- 只用腿（身体前倾、手臂伸直）——用脚趾抓住踏板，先蹬腿。手臂仍然负责提桨和按桨，所以入水要干脆。
- 加身体摆动——腿把身体推开，是一个连锁反应：上身和腿连在一起，桨叶和水连在一起。
- 加手臂——在结束时多一点加速，但不能依赖手臂。
从下往上建立有力的加速。一般两人或四人一组轮换。
Add-a-pair（逐对加入）
八人艇练习：先一对划约十桨，再加一对（四人）、再加一对（六人）、最后全员（八人）。目的是把船速一步步提上来。
- 只有一对时船又重又慢，需要腿上干净的加速。
- 每加入一对，速度变快，入水也要跟着变快。在入水点用干脆的短词：
Quick!Hook!Direct! - 滑轨要保持控制，别把建立的速度浪费掉——记得提醒。
Quarter feather（四分之一翻桨）
回桨时桨叶不完全放平，而是保持部分立起。倾斜桨叶的下沿作为桨高的参照，刚好擦过水面——让大家感受回到完全翻桨后平台应有的高度，敢于把桨叶抬离水面。
如果船很不平，可以在自由划时直接加入这个练习（不用等教练说），把桨柄高度找回来。
Quarter slide – full slide（四分之一滑轨 / 全滑轨交替）
约 10 桨全滑轨和 10 桨四分之一滑轨（包含入水的前四分之一）交替。四分之一滑轨练高桨频下的快速抓水，全滑轨再把它用到长桨上。
切换时节奏最容易乱，所以口令一定要清楚：
- 四分之一滑轨时，重复短促、带节奏的口令：
Sharp. Sharp. Sharp./Slice. Slice. Slice./Hook. Hook. Hook. - 切换要准确地喊在结束位上：
Full slide in 2… that's 1… that's 2, lengthen. - 如果乱了，下一轮前把节奏再讲清楚。
小技巧：让 cox box 帮你数桨
很多练习按固定桨数进行——例如反向分解通常只用腿 10 桨、腿加身体 10 桨、完整 10 桨，然后换组（这一轮刚好从码头划到红色浮标）。按下 cox box 的 start/timer 键，它会自动数桨，你就知道什么时候该喊 In two…