rules to play rowing

There are many differing sets of rules governing racing, and these are generally defined by the governing body of the sport in a particular country

In all boats, with the exception of single sculls, each rower is numbered in sequential order, low numbers at the bow, up to the highest at the stern. The person seated on the first seat is called the bowman, or just bow, whilst the rower closest to the stern is called the strokeman or just stroke. There are some exceptions to this some UK coastal rowers, and in France, Spain, and Italy rowers number from stern to bow.

In addition to this, certain crew members have other titles and roles. In an 8+ the stern pair are responsible for setting the stroke rate and rhythm for the rest of the boat to follow. The middle four sometimes called the engine room or power house are usually the less technical, but more powerful rowers in the crew, whilst the bow pair are the more technical and generally regarded as the pair to set up the balance of the boat. They also have most influence on the line the boat steers.

The coxswain or simply the cox is the member who sits in the boat facing the bow, steers the boat, and coordinates the power and rhythm of the rowers by communicating to the crew through a device called a cox box and speakers. They usually sit in the stern of the boat, except in bowloaders where the coxswain lies in the bow. Bowloader are usually seen as the coxed four and coxed pair type of boat.It is an advantage for the coxswain to be light, as this requires less effort for the crew to propel the boat. In many competitive competitions there is a minimum weight set for the coxswain to prevent unfair advantage.

In most levels of rowing there are different weight classes typically open or referred to as heavyweight and lightweight. Competitive rowing favours tall, muscular athletes due to the additional leverage height provides in pulling the oar through the water as well as the explosive power needed to propel the boat at high speed.

Heavyweight rowers of both sexes tend to be very tall, broadshouldered, have long arms and legs as well as tremendous cardiovascular capacity and very low body fat ratios. Olympic or International level heavyweight male oarsmen are typically anywhere between 190 cm and 206 cm 63 to 69 tall with most being around 198 cm 66 and weighing approximately 102 kg 225 lb with about 6 to 7% body fat.Heavyweight women are slightly shorter at around 186 cm 61 and lighter than their male counterparts.

Some rowing enthusiasts claim that the disproportionate number of tall rowers is simply due to the unfair advantage that tall rowers have on the ergometer. This is due to the ergometers inability to properly simulate the larger rowers drag on a boat due to weight. Since the ergometer is used to assess potential rowers, results on the ergometer machine play a large role in a rowers career success. However, since crew selection has favored tall rowers long before the advent of the ergometer,and bigger, taller crews are almost universally faster than smaller, shorter crews on the water, being tall is a definite advantage ultimately having little to do with the ergometer.

Unlike most other noncombat sports, rowing has a special weight category called lightweight Lwt for short. According to FISA, this weight category was introduced to encourage more universality in the sport especially among nations with less statuesque people. The first lightweight events were held at the World Championships in 1974 for men and 1985 for women. Lightweight rowing was added to the Olympics in 1996.

Adaptive rowing is a special category of races for those with physical disabilities. Under FISA rules there are 5 boat classes for adaptive rowers; mixed 2 men and 2 women plus cox LTA Legs, Trunk, Arms, mixed intellectual disability 2 men and 2 women plus cox LTA Legs, Trunk, Arms, mixed 1 man and 1 woman TA Trunk and Arms, and mens and womens AS Arms and Shoulders. Events are held at the World Rowing Championships and were also held at the 2008 Summer Paralympics.

The flattened, or spoonshaped, part of an oar that touches the water during rowing.

A device that holds the bow of a boat before a race, then drops below the water on the starting signal.

A rubber ball attached to the bow tip of a shell to protect against damage and injury in case of a collision.