THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT “Whatever you do with the body, it’s only as effective as the blade is, so work on the blade. Forget about the body. Relax and drive your legs. “Fairbairn’s crews were certainly relaxed. Their body positions were the same, but not as rigidly applied.”6069 In fact, video analysis of Spracklen’s British crews of the 1980s, his 1994 American Eight and his 1992 and 2002 through 2008 Canadian Eights clearly show leg drive, back motion and arms straining right from the catch. The motion was hybrid-concurrent, and the force application was Schubschlag. Mike Spracklen at Oxford During the 1980s, Mike often spent time working with the Oxford Boat Race crew as part of the revolving staff.6070 Redgrave: “I can remember he always used to take the Oxford Boat Race crew out three weeks every January. They used to come down to Marlow where we trained. Sometimes I took the second boat out, and he took the first boat. Before the first session, he would say, ‘Right, I’m just going to watch. You’re going to paddle6071 down to Cookham [a couple of stretches down river from Marlow], and I’m not going to say anything. I’m just going to watch.’ “And they would row off. They would make it twenty, thirty strokes maximum, and you knew what was going to happen every time! “‘Stop! Stop! 6069 Spracklen, op. cit. 6070 Redgrave, Golden, p. 72 6071 In the U.S., “paddling” means rowing at no pressure at all. In Britain, “paddling” can mean rowing at a sub-maximal steady state rate suf- ficient to have a training effect. “‘I can’t bear to see any more of this! This is just awful. How can . . .’ “They thought, ‘Who is this balding, strange-looking guy with his specs on? What’s he talking about?’ “Every Boat Race crew would think, ‘This guy’s a total nut,’ but he would have them for three weeks. The first week he’d break them all down. The second week he would start building the stroke back up again, and at the end of the three week period they were all in love with him because suddenly they were rowing so much better as a unit than they were before.”6072 Spracklen: “As Steve did not accompany me in the launch when I was coaching Oxford at any time, I do not know how he came by this story. It is more accurate to say that I would spend the first session watching the crew, saying little, getting to know their characters as well their rowing skills. I am a shy person by nature, and whilst it makes a good story I would not have the courage to behave as Steve has suggested. “When coaching a crew for the first time and for a short period, the sooner they take on board what you tell them, the higher can be their performance at the end of the period. My goal in the first few sessions was to gain their confidence quickly, without which they will not respond with the motivation needed to make progress. A coach with a reputation will command some respect initially, but the athletes soon begin making their own assessment of a new coach’s knowledge and skill level. In the two week period of coaching an Oxford crew, the first sessions have a huge impact on the athletes’ acceptance of what a coach has to offer. Steve probably heard an exaggerated story to which he added his own interpretation. 6072 Redgrave, personal conversation, 2008 1699
