14/12/2025
1. Smoothness into and out of the catch, picking the boat up with as little check as possible.
2. Staying loose through the shoulders and arms. I physically wriggled my fingers and rolled my shoulders before the start to shake out any tension.
3. Maximising the middle of the drive, rather than rowing too long at either end of the stroke.
4. Avoiding an overly aggressive leg drive at the catch. Instead of pushing too hard too early, I focused on connecting through the glutes, moving the hips first, and hanging elastically before swinging through the second half of the drive.
5. Trusting myself to row my own race. I knew I had good speed if I could relax into my rhythm. Rather than getting tense or worrying about being behind, I focused on finding that rhythm first.