Anyone who has ever seen a rowing competition will never forget this beautiful spectacle. Long, narrow boats glide swiftly across the sparkling water surface. In an unusually clear rhythm, like one person, the slender, tanned rowers sitting in them swing their oars. Who, looking at them, wouldn’t want to try their hand!

Rowing is a wonderful sport and a wonderful means of physical education for young people. Fresh air, water, sun, constant change of impressions, stress on various groups muscles, rhythmic movements have a beneficial effect on the heart, lungs and nervous system of a person. Rowing classes develop dexterity, coordination of movements, and strengthen the will. Rowing as part of a team fosters a sense of teamwork and teaches discipline - after all, the absence of one person can disrupt the training of the entire team.

Rowing also has great practical significance. For those who are preparing to work on water transport, in fishing or in timber rafting, the ability to row is absolutely necessary.

The first boats appeared a long time ago. With their help, a person crossed water spaces. But already. In ancient times, rowing began to acquire a sporting character. The first mention of rowing competitions is found in the Roman poet Virgil in the poem “Aeneid”.

The modern history of rowing dates back to 1716, when the first rowing competitions were held in England. Rowing was especially popular in England. Beginning in 1829, competitions for students of Oxford and Cambridge universities began to be held there, and in 1839 competitions were held for the first time in Henley. Nowadays the Henley Regatta is the most popular rowing competition in the world.

In 1893, the European Rowing Championship for men was organized for the first time, and in 1900, rowing for men was included in the program of the Olympic Games.

In 1936, canoeing and kayaking competitions were included in the Olympic Games program. They are held for doubles and singles. Since 1948, women have also competed in the 500m kayak at the Olympic Games.

According to a broader program than at the Olympic Games, competitions for the World and European Championships are held.

Rowing has long existed in our country; In 1718, by order of Peter I, a yacht club was created in St. Petersburg and a flotilla of 141 boats appeared on the Neva. Peter I obliged the owners of these boats to take part in parades on the Neva. For this purpose, special rowing teams were created. Residents of St. Petersburg were the initiators of the first competitions. In 1860, the St. Petersburg River Yacht Club was opened and the first rowing competitions were held. This year is officially considered the year of the “birth” of rowing in Russia.

Rowing began to develop especially widely at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. Rowing clubs arose in many Russian cities, and the development of rowing began. Outstanding athletes appeared among the Russian rowers: the champion of Moscow and Russia, Mitrofan Sveshnikov, who defeated the strongest foreign rowers several times; repeated champion of Russia G. S. Shustov; Russian champion Anatoly Pereselentsev, who won the title of European champion; participant of the 1912 Olympic Games M. Kuzik and others.

However, rowing did not become widespread in Tsarist Russia. Expensive equipment and large membership fees in clubs made it accessible only to wealthy people.

Only under Soviet rule did this sport become widespread in our country. Now tens of thousands of people are involved in rowing in sections of sports societies, children's sports schools and DOSAAF clubs.

Soviet rowers achieved remarkable success in international competitions. They first competed (and successfully) at the Olympic Games in 1952. The title of champion of the Olympic Games in 1956 was achieved by: in rowing - V. Ivanov, Yu. Tyukalov, A. Berkutov; in kayak rowing - E. Dementieva; in canoeing - P. Kharin and G. Botev. Many rowers took prizes.

Much attention in the Soviet Union is paid to the development of rowing among youth. Children's sports schools and youth sections in sports societies have been created. Youth competitions are held for two age groups: 15-16 and 17-18 years old. For senior group All-Union competitions have been held since 1948. Since 1958, kayaking competitions have been included in the program of the All-Union Student Spartakiad. Since 1958, youth rowing competitions have also been held for boys and girls under 22 years of age.

Rowing is divided into several types.

Folk rowing. This type of rowing is the most common. Folk (pleasure) boats in some places are also called yawls or gigs. These are wide, stable boats equipped with a rudder. They are designed for one or two pairs of oars, which are secured in oarlocks on the sides of the boat. The rower sits on a bench (bank), his legs rest against special stops. The people's boat is stable and most suitable for beginners in rowing. Exercises on it can be a good basis for learning other types of rowing. Until 1951, national rowing competitions were held for the USSR championship.

Rowing. The rowing boat (skiff) consists of a light and durable frame and skin made of thin sheets of mahogany. It is very low, barely rising above the water. The length of a single boat is 7-8 m with a maximum width of 28-30 cm; it weighs 12-15 kg. The most big boat- figure eight - has 18-20 m in length and 55-60 cm in width. Its weight is 80-100 kg. The oarlocks in such a boat are carried overboard on special brackets. The rowers in the boat sit one after another on movable banks, which allow the rower to use leg strength when rowing and increase the length of the stroke.

Rowing boats are called singles, doubles, quads and eights depending on the number of rowers. On an eight there is always a helmsman, fours and twos can be with or without a helmsman, on a single there is no helmsman, and the rower controls the boat only with oars.

There are two types of rowing: sculling (when each rower has two oars) and swing (when the rower has one oar).

Good rowers can achieve great speed in a racing boat. For example, the men's eight team covers 2000 m in 6 minutes. But to achieve such results, the rower needs excellent physical training and great mastery of the oars.

They learn rowing on wider and more stable boats specially designed for this purpose.

Kayak rowing. The prototype of sports kayaks is the kayaks of the peoples of the North. Abroad, boats of this type are still called kayaks.

Kayaks have a long, elongated hull. This shape reduces water resistance. The frame of the kayak is made of wood, and the skin is made of canvas, rubber or wood. A single kayak is about 5 m long and 50 cm wide. Its weight is not less than 12 kg. Doubles - 6.5 m long and 55 cm wide; their weight is not less than 18 kg; length of fours 11 m, width 60 cm, weight 30 kg.

The paddler in a kayak sits facing forward on a low seat and rows a two-bladed oar alternately on each side. The kayak does not have oarlocks. Its bow and stern are covered with waterproof fabric (deck), and the hole in which the rower sits is covered with a special “apron”. This prevents water from entering the boat.

Competitions are held for men in singles, doubles and fours at 500, 1000 and 10,000 m, for women in singles and doubles at 500 m. Relay races are also held.

Canoeing. The prototype of these boats were the pies of the peoples of Africa, Asia and South America. A canoe is a fairly wide (75 cm), low boat, more than 5 m long. It is very unstable. The rower sits in the canoe facing the direction of travel; he stands on one knee on a special pillow stuffed with fine cork. Since the rower's center of gravity is very high, the instability of the boat increases even more. The athlete rows from one side of the boat with a single-blade oar. The boat does not have a rudder, so the rower steers with an oar during the stroke, which preserves the straightness of the movement. All this requires great skill. In canoe competitions, only men compete in singles and doubles at 1000 and 10,000 m. In the Soviet Union, canoeing began to develop rapidly after its inclusion in the program of the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR.

Only those who can swim well can engage in rowing. Where rowing sections exist, it is best to enroll in a youth section and learn rowing under the guidance of an instructor or coach.

The easiest way to start is with folk rowing. Initially, check and prepare the equipment (adjust the oar handle, place the stop at the required distance, etc.). During exercise, hold the paddles with your fingers freely, without straining your hands in your hands. Make the stroke with a traction movement of the body and arms. In the final part of the stroke, tilt your body back significantly. At the end of the stroke, quickly return to the starting position and quickly remove the oars from the water. After finishing the stroke, calmly bring the oars for the next one. Achieve rhythm in all movements.

The first training sessions on the water should not be long. Their duration should be increased gradually. Long-term endurance training is carried out at a moderate pace. In these same classes, you need to go through short segments at a fast pace. After 1-2 months of such preparation, you can row any distance (500-1000 m) for a while. During the preparation period for competitions, more attention is paid to training for medium and short distances, practicing the start and finish. With sufficient preparation, at the beginning of the season you can train 2-3 times a week, and at the height of the season - 3-4 times.

Kayak rowers also train according to the same plan.

The oar for kayak rowing is selected such a length that the rower can reach the end with his outstretched hand. The stroke is performed as follows: with his arm extended forward, the rower plunges the entire blade of the oar into the water and pulls it towards himself, possibly closer to the side of the boat. The second hand assists the stroke by pushing forward at approximately eye level. You need to make sure that the pushing hand does not go up. At the end of the stroke, the body turns towards the pulling hand and the oar is quickly removed from the water. After a short pause, the stroke begins on the other side. In kayaking, the rhythm of movements is also very important.

We do not give advice for rowing or canoeing as rowing and canoeing boats are only available in sports sections, where classes are conducted by trainers.

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SENIOR COACH OF THE RUSSIAN NATIONAL TEAM

History of the sport

In 1975, in Australia, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and the USA, rowing programs began to be developed for people with musculoskeletal disabilities. In 1993, demonstration competitions in rowing for people with disabilities were included in the program of the World Championships in the Netherlands.

After further exhibition competitions and four seminars dedicated to Rowing, FISA (International Rowing Federation) finally introduced rowing (PODA) in 2002 at the World Championships in Seville (Spain), where 38 athletes competed in the single sculling class and coxed class. In 2004, 66 athletes with musculoskeletal disorders took part in competitions among adult athletes and junior rowers in Banyoles (Spain).

In 2005, 42 athletes from ten countries represented rowing as a separate event at the World Rowing Championships.

For the first time, rowing was presented in the program of the XIII Paralympic Summer Games in 2008 in Beijing; in 2016, 4 sets of awards were played at the XV Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Men and women take part in the competition. The classification includes four classes of boats: LTA4+, TA2x, AW1x and AM1x. The LTA4+ and TA2x classes are mixed boats (men and women). Races are held over 1000 meters for all four classes (although the LTA4+ class competed over 2000 meters before the 2005 World Rowing Championships).

Sport terminology

Coxswain: The helmsman, seated at the stern, whose task is to control the direction of the boat and lead the crew.

Scull: Rowing with two oars - one oar in each hand.

Sweep: Rowing with one oar.

Sites, inventory and equipment

Today rowing (PODA) has four classes of boats:

Boats for rowing, a sport for people with musculoskeletal disorders, are equipped with special seats, which can vary depending on the class of the athlete. Currently there are no other differences between the seats, except for the following: the LTA4+ class has a sliding seat, while the other classes have fixed seats. The TA 2x class features seats that provide comfortable support. Classes AW1x and AM1x are equipped with special seats that support a straight back position for persons with impaired balance in a sitting position (spinal injuries, cerebral palsy). This provides support to the upper body and maintains a fixed position.

Smaller boats are equipped with auxiliary floating pontoons that act as stabilizers to provide lateral balance.

Classification of athletes

LTA class (legs, torso and arms)

The LTA class includes disabled rowers who have functioning legs, torso and arms and who can use a movable can (seat) to propel the boat.

LTA class rowers must meet minimum impairment requirements.

The minimum impairment is the loss of 10% of one limb or 15% of two limbs as assessed by functional classification tests (as specified in the application for athletes with physical disabilities), or complete loss of three fingers on one hand or tarsal metatarsal amputation of the foot.

Typically, LTA athletes who are fit to compete have the following impairments:

Amputation;

Neurological impairment equivalent to a partial lesion at the S1 level;

Cerebral Palsy, Class 8 (CP-ISRA);

Class TA (torso and arms)

The TA class includes rowers who have upper body function but who are unable to use a canopy seat to propel the boat due to significantly reduced lower extremity function.

Typically, TA athletes who are fit to compete have the following impairments:

Bilateral knee amputation or quadriceps amputation, or

Neurological impairment equivalent to a complete lesion at the L3 level or a partial lesion at the L1 level.

A combination of the above, such as unilateral knee amputation and quadriceps injury to the other limb, or cerebral palsy, class CP5.

Class A (hands only)

Class A includes rowers with complete or maximum trunk dysfunction (i.e. only the shoulders are functional). Class A rowers can only apply force using their hands and/or forearms.

Typically, athletes fit to compete have the following impairments:

Cerebral palsy, class 4 (CP-ISRA), or

Neurological disorders with complete involvement at the T12 level or partial involvement at the T10 level.

10 reasons to do rowing:

1) Rowing is a unique sport in which the athlete uses 95% of the muscles of the body. There is no place for serious injuries; the exercises are aimed at developing muscle elasticity. In one hour of rowing, about 550 kilocalories are burned - the same as during intense swimming.

2) The name of the discipline speaks for itself. This is a workout not only for the body, but also for the head. Frivolous and careless people do not stay in this sport. If you contact an experienced rower, then you are automatically dealing with a well-mannered, disciplined and polite person.

3) Rowing is a serious and responsible sport. Achieving high results requires endurance. It is for this reason that rowing develops sociability and responsibility in a person.

4) Rowing has been included in the Olympic Games program since 1896. Along with rowing as an Olympic sport, artistic gymnastics, boxing, sailing and football originated in these time periods.

5) The rowing program involves frequent trips to world and European championships, which in turn allows you to make interesting and very useful contacts.

6) This sport is considered one of the most expensive and elite. Many people note that rowing is on a par with Formula 1 racing, golf and horse racing. The cost of one boat (skiff) ranges from 400 thousand to 2 million rubles.

7) The first official rowing race took place in 1715 in London. The most famous competition among rowers also takes place there: Oxford and Cambridge eights race. Competitions of this class are held once a year and are not inferior in importance to the Formula 1 Grand Prix races.

Among the races of this level are the following:

Charles River Regatta is a rowing competition on the Charles River, which separates Boston and Cambridge in Massachusetts, USA.

Henley Royal Regatta- an annual regatta that has been held in England, in the city of Henley since 1839.

This struggle of the English elite is worth seeing with your own eyes.

8) Maximum concentration. The main task of the rower is to stay on the surface of the water in a fragile expensive boat with heavy massive oars, while moving in such a way as not to capsize and force the entire structure, along with itself, to move at an average speed of 15-20 km/h, which is not at all easy on the water. .

9) Aesthetic reason. In addition to developed physical fitness and mental activity, it is pleasant to simply sail on a boat, at sunset, in the calm, renounced from everyday problems, listen to how the water beats against the sides of the boat with each new stroke of the oar, breathe fresh air and enjoy the present without thinking about the future or the past.

10) Financial benefit. You can hit the jackpot at international competitions. For example, after winning the World Championships, a person receives $5,000 a month for another two years from the International Rowing Federation.

The “For Beginners” section is intended for those who do not know what rowing is or have recently started practicing this sport.

Here you will find answers to frequently asked questions:

Question: What is rowing?

Answer: Rowing is a type of rowing on special sports vessels - narrow boats with rowlocks (extended over the sides) and movable banks (seats). There are rowing vessels: oar (athletes are distributed equally on both sides; each rows with one oar) and sculls (each rows with two oars). Races are held along a straight course, mainly at a distance of 2000 m. There is no registration of records in rowing, since results even on the same course change sharply depending on the direction of the wind and the state of the water (temperature, current, pollution... .). Competitions are held on paired boats - singles, doubles, fours and swing boats: doubles with and without a helmsman, four with a helmsman, four without a helmsman and eight with a helmsman.

Question: What are the boats called in rowing, otherwise ordinary people call it a kayak, but it’s not true!!!

Answer: Academic ships are called skiffs.
Skiff, a sports racing boat for rowing competitions. It is distinguished by its extremely lightweight design. The contours are rounded with a length-to-width ratio from 25: 1 to 35: 1. Sheathing is made of polished sheet material - veneer of valuable wood, plastics, etc. Scythians have external oarlocks, movable seats (can), foot rests (footrest) . Rowers almost always call boats not Scythians, but either by the company where it was made (Empacher, Filppi, Kevlar, Zinters, special order (wooden Dzinters), TMK), or by the territory where it was made (German, Italian, Kaliningrader....)

Question: Why are rowing races often called regattas? (Don Regatta, Great Moscow Regatta, etc.)

Answer: Regatta (Italian regata, from riga - row, line; starting line), a large, usually traditional, sailing and rowing competition, consisting of a series of races for ships of different classes. One of the first famous regattas was the Venice Gondoliers Regatta, which took place in 1740. From the middle of the 19th century. regattas. sailing and rowing began to be held in Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, from the end of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th centuries. - in the Scandinavian countries, Russia, the USA, Canada, Latin American countries, etc. The Henley Rowing Regatta (held since 1839 on the Thames River near Henley, near London), the Great Moscow Regatta (since 1961) and " Amber oars" (since 1965, Trakai region of the Lithuanian SSR) - in rowing.

Question: What is a paddle and what does it look like?

Answer: (vm. lucky, from carrying) a pole with a blade, for rowing on the water. It looks like this:

Question: What does the word “tabana” mean?

Answer: To row, sea, row on a boat in reverse side, for reverse.

There are two fundamentally different types of rowing - rowing and rowing. The first is when the oar is connected to the boat through the oarlock. The rower usually sits backwards. Examples of such rowing are folk rowing, boat rowing, rowing on yawls and yawls. Competitions are held in yawl rowing, they are especially popular in navy Russia and other countries. The largest competition is held in Finland, the so-called “Kircha Boat” or church boat, where over 600 teams participate and the distance is 60 km. And of course, the Olympic event is rowing.

Folk rowing

These are ordinary pleasure boats, they are also sometimes called “gigs” or “yawls”. Such boats are quite wide and stable - mastering them is not difficult. Each has a rudder and one or two pairs of oars, which are fixed in oarlocks. Rowers sit on benches - banks and rest their feet on special stops. Folk rowing was very popular in the USSR.

Rowing

Athletes propel the boat with oars while sitting backwards. This type of rowing is divided into two types: sculling and swing. In the first case, they row with two oars, in the second, respectively, with one. Boats come in singles, doubles, fours and eights. On an eight there is always a coxswain, twos and fours can be either without a coxswain or with one, while a single rower always controls the oars.

Distances range from 500m to 160km. At the finish line, the speed of the 8 boat can reach 30 km/h. In rowing, it should be noted that the cost of boats is relatively high compared to other types. For example, the price of a professional single boat starts from 1,000,000 rubles.

Kayaking and canoeing

This is where the so-called rowing without strings- this is when the oar is not connected to the boat, but is in the hands of the rower. When riding these boats, kayakers and canoeists face forward. It is very difficult for beginners to maintain balance. All boats are divided into singles, doubles and fours. Kayaking and canoeing are slightly different:

Dragonbot

Dragon boat D-10, D-20 is a ten- or twenty-seater canoe. It appeared in China more than two thousand years ago. The boat has the head and tail of a dragon. Therefore, its name is not just metaphorical. Dragon Boating was recognized as a separate sport in 2007. It is very popular in Asia and is gradually gaining popularity here.

Twenty people row, listening to the rhythm of the drum located on the bow of the boat. The “steersman” (at the stern) controls the large steering oar. This type, compared to others, is accessible to almost everyone, because no skills are needed to start training as a dragonbot. To start rowing in the “dragon”, 5 minutes of instruction on the shore and 5 minutes in the boat under the supervision of a trainer are enough. In the future, all that remains is to improve your technique.

Outrigger

An outrigger is a small, single-person canoe with a float attached to the side. Such a boat can overcome fairly large waves, so races on them are often held in coastal sea areas.

The rowing technique here is similar to rowing on a dragon. The only difference is that the athlete can row alternately from the left or from the right side. The paddle is also T-shaped, but has a wider blade compared to the dragon boat. The outrigger has pedal control like a kayak.

This article discussed the main types of rowing on smooth water. There are also many ways to row on white (or white) water. These are all kinds extreme species rowing - rafting, kayaking, water tourism, catamaran rowing and others. They are fundamentally different from those discussed above and require special protective equipment, and also require appropriate reservoirs or special technical structures that can create streams of stormy water.