How to Absolutely Maximize Your Rigging Numbers
“How To Maximize Your Rigging Numbers is a great follow up to Nuts and Bolts Guide to Rigging . . . Davenport once again simplifies the mysteries of rigging. A must read for anyone interested in furthering their understanding of how best to make equipment work for you and your crews.”
true—incorrect numbers can greatly distract from the effort of even the best rowers- Joe Murtaugh Retired Men’s Lightweight Coach Princeton University Rowers and rowing coaches understand the importance of rigging numbers—if the correct numbers are used then the rigging can enhance a rower’s efforts. The opposite also holds.
Download now, pay no shipping, no tax, and no waiting!One-Month Money-Back Guarantee! Order my new Special Report risk-free. Return it any time within 30 days after receiving it and get a fast, friendly refund. “It’s a must-have time-saving reference book for both novice and experienced coaches.”- Mike Hughes Head Women’s Rowing Coach US Naval Academy How To Absolutely Maximize Your Rigging Numbers is a 120-Special Report, a digital version of a book. You may view it on your computer or print it at your convenience. This report is filled with hundreds of tips to help you improve your rigging and your rowing. Order securely now using MasterCard, Visa, PayPal through E-Junkie.com |
“Really useful stuff . . . great for beginners and experienced folks alike.”
– Caren Saunders Assistant Rowing Coach Washington College
The information in this new Special Report, How To Absolutely Maximize Your Rigging Numbers: Getting The Most From The Numbers You Use For Your Rowing Equipment (SportWork, Inc.) is designed to offer a multitude of ways to help you locate, use, record, test, and experiment with rigging numbers. The end goal is to help you become comfortable, effective, and stress free with your rigging numbers. Whether you row just for recreation or are training for international elite competition, maximizing your rigging numbers will bring you more recognition and respect . . . and better rowing.
- Mike
Two Free Chapters!
Chapter 9 Where Do You Need Rigging Numbers
There are few things worse than needing something and not having it. And when you rig your rowing equipment you usually need your numbers, and in a hurry. Like when the start of your biggest race of the year is in twenty minutes, and the buttons (a.k.a. collars) on your oars have slipped, and you’ve got to adjust them. Now! As we discussed in Chapter 8, there are six different times when you will need rigging numbers. And when you need your rigging numbers, you need them. Having them close at hand is both a convenience and a necessity. You have options for where you keep your rigging numbers. Some people can stick the numbers in their brains, having them with them all the time just with the flick of a mental switch. Others, like me, need to write them down and have a hard copy. Chapter 17 has suggestions for how to record and store those numbers, and gives you a handy-dandy form that you can copy and use. But before you get into how to record them, be mindful that the more you get into rowing, the more you are going to need those numbers handy.
9.1 How Often?
So where will you need them, and how often? To help answer that question I tracked my use of rigging numbers for the period of a week, and this is what I found. I used them:
- Four times in my office
- Twice in my car
- Twice at a race course
- Two times at my home
- Four times at the boathouse
All of those uses in a period of one week, which just happened to be during racing season. Now granted, your usage may be less or more. But regardless, you are going to need to have your numbers around. And you may be surprised at where you use them.
Chapter 10 Why Do You Need Rigging Numbers
I have a hard time understanding why all coaches don’t have their rigging numbers handy at a moments notice. These days it’s a must. There are reasons why people don’t have them, but with something so easy to have around, and so important to have, that information should be right at hand. Why? A fair question. A few chapters ago I mentioned the three main benefits of having the right rigging number at the right time. This seems like a good time to reiterate those benefits so you can see why having the right number handy can be very important, and not having the numbers around might be harmful. I also want to add three more benefits to the list.
10.1 Comfort.
Ever take a long drive while sitting in a car seat that just didn’t fit very well? How about writing a term paper with a pen that is too big? Or talking on a phone where the cord is way too small (remember those days when phones had cords?)? If you’ve ever endured any of these things, or have done anything else with a piece of equipment or with a tool that didn’t fit right, then you have a pretty darn good idea of what its like to row with equipment that is not adjusted correctly. It can be terribly uncomfortable. And when its uncomfortable its inefficient. And when its inefficient its discouraging. And when rowing is discouraging, well . . . it misses the mark. When you chose rigging numbers, comfort of the rower has to be of prime concern. Okay, I know that rowing is a tough sport and we like that image, and Martha Stewart has no real place in our sport. However, when people row, especially long distances the equipment has got to be as comfortable as possible for the rowers. Because if its not, then all but only the truly masochist rowers will survive. Simply put, correct rigging numbers can help rowing be more comfortable.
10.2 Speed.
For rowing coaches, speed is our Holy Grail. It is that elusive item we seem to spend hours, days, weeks, months, and years chasing. To generate maximum hull speed, five items are of utmost importance.
Five basic elements of boat speed
- Athletes
- Training
- Technique
- Equipment
- Rigging
I’ve listed these five elements in their order of priority. Now you’ll notice that rigging is last and that’s where rigging numbers fit. Because they are at the bottom of the list it may be easy to underestimate their importance. Don’t. Rigging numbers are critical to generating maximum hull speed. If it is speed you’re after then you need the right numbers handy—without them you may find max-hull speed to be very elusive.
10.3 Safety.
Rowing is about as an equipment-intensive sport as there is. That means that a rower’s body is going to be in contact with the equipment. To be specific, there are four places where the body touches: the butt, the back of the calves, the hands, and the feet. These areas make up only about ten percent of a body’s surface, but boy that ten percent is important. I call these places the hot spots and if there is a problem in one of these areas that can really mess up your rowing. For example, little nasties like blisters have been known to stop armies dead in their tracks and they certainly can make your rowing uncomfortable and inefficient. So can a smashed knuckle. Or even worse, an incredible case of screaming boat-butt. In my clinics I often relate the story of seeing eight stud-type-rowers get off the water after a spin in one of the first boats in the country with adjustable tracks. The boat was new and no one was quite sure how to adjust the tracks—in this case they were adjusted about five inches too far towards the stern. With each stroke the end of the tracks jabbed into their calves, and the end product was eight bleeding, limping, and grumbling rowers. Using the correct rigging numbers won’t totally eliminate these type of injuries, but they sure can help reduce them.
10.4 Smart Money.
There is another benefit of rigging numbers that you may not have thought of—helping you make a wise purchase of equipment. Knowing exactly what you need when you buy something, whether new or old, is critical to a good purchase. And knowing your rigging numbers can help you know what you need to buy. A few of the base rigging numbers that may come into play here would be:
- Boat size
- Specific rigger adjustment (e.g., height, pitch, spread)
- Boat weight
- Sneaker size
- Oar length and pitch
Today most rowing equipment comes with many options. The days of, “Making the man fit the boat” as George Pocock used to say, are long gone. Now the boat, and most other equipment is made to fit the person rowing it, which means plenty of choices. When you start looking at the options available you may get overwhelmed. Where do you put the coxswain, in the bow or in the stern? What pitch do you want on the oars? What height range do you want on your riggers? What shoe sizes? What color? The list goes on and on. Having those rigging numbers handy when you are purchasing equipment is critical to spending your money (or someone else’s) wisely.
10.5 Helping The Equipment Last Longer.
Your rowing equipment represents a big chunk of money. Like most folks you want to get as much from that investment as possible. Rowing stuff is designed to survive the hardships of daily use; however, even the toughest equipment isn’t ready to withstand the hardest challenges of its life like transits, storage, novice rowers, and abuse from incorrect rigging numbers. How do rigging numbers make a difference? Similar to the air pressure in your tires. When properly inflated tires will last a lot longer. When over- or under-inflated, the tires wear incredible fast. And the same for rowing equipment. For instance, significantly-incorrect pitch settings on a rigger can cause premature wear of an oarlock or a collar. Proper rigging numbers can make the difference in rowing equipment lasting two years or twenty years, and who can afford to replace oars, riggers and shells every year?
10.6 Less Torture.
And one last benefit I want to throw out—more than once I’ve had unpleasant rigging experiences when I didn’t have my numbers close at hand. When you need to rig in a hurry, when its important to get it right, not having those numbers around can be like torture. Rig a boat poorly and lose a race by .5 seconds—don’t expect a good night sleep. For quite a while.
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