Tech Tip: Using RowerUp to Analyze Your Stroke
by GRP Row Coach Steve Whelpley
GRPRowers training in the pair during Winter ‘24 Training Trip in advance of Winter Speed Order.
By and large, Craftsbury is a place that champions listening to the boat. A dogmatic approach to rowing technique can often starve a stroke of its style. If you withhold style from a crew, you likely impair their ability to work in harmony with the boat.
That being said, you also have to sculpt the inclinations of your style towards something that doesn't unintentionally irritate or slow the boat. I've noticed in others (and personally felt) that we occasionally find flourishes or rhythmic body movements that either do not add value to the bow ball’s movement or even slow the bow ball down. Good examples could be: throwing our weight into the bow or skying blades before the catch.
One tool that can help with a very sterile and scientific dissection of your biomechanical movements is RowerUp. In full transparency, I started working with the creators of RowerUp during my first quarantine of the pandemic. A fortuitous email at the right time has lead me on an interesting exploration of stroke analysis with two inquiring programmers that were totally new to the sport at the start of the process. Now, those programmers could tell you about orthodoxy, acceptable tolerances, differences between the erg and the water, and regional preferences around the world.
I share it now for inquisitive minds and further exploration. RowerUp uses a combination of detailed algorithms to establish a sense of where critical joints are in the body (ankle, hip, shoulder, elbow, etc.). From there, it uses those locations to establish angles and track the data. Basically, you upload lateral video, and then in a short time, RowerUp will offer you an analysis based on either stock "styles" of sequencing or custom ones that you enter. It also looks for a few other biomechanical checks that you can customize as well.
The upper right table shows you some biomechanical measurements like shin angle or layback as well as a summary of your sequencing in terms of how various body parts overlap (legs, back, arms). You can get further into the possibly fruitful weeds by analyzing your drive time, ratio, and understanding the sequencing graph in the lower right corner. That's my personal favorite. This graph is NOT force but rather the velocities of each body part group. I also appreciate the small graphic above it, which illustrates the path of the handle on the drive and the recovery. You can find out more information on how to analyze videos by looking at the FAQ page as well as FAQs underneath each video in a drop-down.
How to use this? Think about what biomechanical parameters you would like to have in your stroke. See how those align with some of the stock "style" sequencing options. If none align, create your own with good reasons behind it. Then, you can use RowerUp to keep you honest. See how your actual movement compares with the goals you have for your movement. RowerUp provides no frills, direct, AI coaching feedback on your movements. That being said, you still need to feel the boat and work with it!
In the future, RowerUp intends to charge for the service, but for now, it's open to the community.