THE SPORT OF ROWING accurate measurements were made of the strength of the various muscle groups in a large number of Japanese oarsmen rowing for different clubs and universities. Dr. Toshihiro Ishiko of the University of To- kyo was the principal investigator.8622 The results clearly showed a higher correlation between back strength and winning crews than any other muscle group, or for that mat- ter with vital capacity or with the Harvard step test. “I’ve seen no data to dispute the order in which Dr. Ishiko places the contribution of the body’s primary muscle groups, which is: back (.845), legs (.811), arms (.792), grip (.784). The number in parenthesis is his ‘correlation conciliation index.’ “That year, as a pre-Olympic test of the course and its facilities, the Japanese hosted a special invitational regatta8623 in which Vesper and Ratzeburg raced each other and some Japanese crews. A battery of physio- logical tests was administered to both crews which showed that although the Vespers were 6% stronger in the legs, the Ratzeburg- ers’ backs were 10% stronger. “Ratzeburg won [on the water].”8624 Dr. Kleshnev has also recognized the relative importance of backs: “Styles with trunk emphasis (Rosenberg and DDR styles) produce more power be- cause of better use of big muscle groups, such as the gluteus and longissimus mus- cles.”8625 However, Kleshnev also believes that trunk muscles are less suited to aggressively accelerating the boat: “These muscles are congenitally slow because they are intended to maintain body posture. This fact, togeth- er with the significant mass of the torso, 8622 Ishiko, T., Biomechanics of Rowing, Medi- cine and Sport, Volume 6: Biomechanics II, Ba- sel, 1971, pp. 249-52 8623 See Chapter 107. 8624 Frailey, p. 34 8625 Secher et al., p. 33 does not allow for a quick increase of the force curve closer to the middle of the drive, making temporal structure of the drive less effective.”8626 In this statement, Kleshnev makes the unsupported assumption that front-half em- phasis is more “effective” than a more measured force application, i.e., Kernschlag is preferable to Schubschlag, going against the conclusion of GDR researchers among others. This will be discussed at length in Chap- ter 168. Some have also hypothesized that the ability of the legs to move quickly makes them more important in faster boats. Doug Burden:8627 “I believe one can ar- gue that the eight is so quick that you need to focus on the quickness of legs to effec- tively pick up the speed of the boat. Con- versely, the coxless-four is probably better served by a more patient, prying dynamic, with the coxless-pair even more so.”8628 Coordination of Legs and Backs Back motion before leg motion was last seen in Bob Janoušek’s coaching in Great Britain during the 1970s. As has been dis- cussed at length, leg motion before back motion is seen less and less today interna- tionally with the exception of Australian men’s and women’s crews, teams under the influence of Thor Nilsen and some isolated individuals. Nevertheless, it is the de facto world technique of FISA, the official Na- tional Technique of Canada and the official National Technique of the United States, and it is described in detail in all FISA and USRA publications on the matter. For near- ly half a century, it has also been the near- universal American technique, at least below 8626 Ibid. 8627 See Chapters 124 and 132. 8628 Burden, personal correspondence, 2010 2428
