Johan Flodin, has been awarded the 2013 World Rowing Coach of the year. For good reason: He is the man behind Norway's incredible World Championship results where the men's double scull and the men's lightweight double scull won gold. Flodin is a former Olympian himself, having raced in Atlanta in 1996. Following which, he worked with 2010s World Champion women's single sculler: Frida Svensson. Only after London 2012, did Flodin take the position as the Head Rowing Coach in Norway. Johan Flodin's talk Flodin's talk covered the following topics: - Norway structure: Two main centers with 4 regions. One paid coach with 11 athletes in the elite group. - Long term development: A review of the structure. - Training: Focussed...
Dr Annelen Collatz, who presented on "Athletes and Coaches" at the 2012 coaches conference, presented on "Coach the coach - The German Concept".
Introducing the tasks of a Rowing Coach, Annelen highlighted how broad these tasks are. The importants of the German "Coach the Coach" concept is to develope the coach through these broader roles.
Using the national team coaches, Annelen and the fedaration have deturmined what competencies are required for development.
For more: Dr Annelen Collatz: Coach the coach
Schaffert's presentation followed on from Matte. Here she saught to bring to the attention of coaches the science behind listening to the boat run. In particular, the causal relationship between movement and sould. He presentation, the ‘Visual and auditory/acoustic feedback to optimise rowing technique and boat acceleration’ looked at this relationship and how a crews perception of it can be enhanced. Key points in Schaffer's presentation: - Sonification: The synthetic transformation of data from the boat's movement into sound. - The Accrow system used by the German team boats. This creates a specific sound which reacts to each phase and rhytm of the stroke there by creating an intuitive understanding of how the boat is moving. The results of which, Shaffer...
We were fortunate enough to have Klaus Mattes present on the topic: ‘Diagnostic of rowing performance and technique to optimise technique training’ Mahe Drysdale and Ondrej Synek was used as examples as to how rowers can apply technique under different conditions and importantly, during different segments of the 2000m race, whether it be at the start or in the last 250m. Using the 2013 World Champion, Synek, and the 2012 Olympic Champion, he went onto note how individual characteristics of internationally successful rowing teams can be misinterpreted as "a development of rowing technique". Mattes explained the following: - How rowing technique can be tested with the help of biomechanics. - How results from these biomenchanical measurements can be interpreted. - Using...
