Blade: The oar; also the end of the oar which is placed in the water.

Bow: the front end of the boat; also used as the name of the person  sitting nearest the bow.

Catch: The oar blade entering the water at the beginning of the  stroke.

Collar (or Button): A plastic or metal fitting tightened to the oar to  keep the oar from slipping through the oarlock.

Cox Box: A small electronic device which aids the coxswain by  amplifying his voice, and giving him a readout of various information.

Crab: A stroke that goes bad. The oar blade slices into the water at  an angle and gets caught under the surface. A bad crab can catapult you out of  the boat.

Erg(ometer): A rowing machine designed to simulate the actual rowing  motion; used for training and testing.

Feathering: Turning the oar blade flat during the recovery to lessen  wind resistance.

Fin (or skeg): A small flat appendage located along the stern section  of the hull which helps stabilize the shell in holding a straight course.

Finish: The oar blade leaving the water at the end of the stroke.

Foot stretcher (or clogs or shoes): An adjustable bracket in a shell  to which rowers feet are secured.

Gunwale (or gunnel): That part of a shell which runs along the sides  of the crew compartment through which the riggers are bolted.

Handle: The end of the oar you hold in your hand.

Hatchet: A type of oar with a blade larger in surface than that of a  Macon blade.

Keel: The center line of the shell.

Oarlock: A U-shaped swivel which holds the oar in place. It is mounted  at the end of the rigger and rotates around a metal pin. A gate closes across  the top to keep the oar in place.

Pitch: The angle between a "squared" blade and a line perpendicular to  the water’s surface.

Port side: Left side of the boat, as facing the bow.

Recovery: The time between strokes, the oar blade traveling through  the air.

Ribs: The name given to that part of the boat to which the skin of the  hull is attached. They are typically made of wood, aluminum or composite  materials and provide structural integrity. The riggers bolt to the ribs.

Rig: The arrangement of the oars or sculls, the mechanical "set-up" -  which can vary according to size, strength, experience and technique of a given  crew.

Rigger: The assembly of tubes which are tightly bolted to the hull to  which are attached an oarlock.

Rigging: The adjustment and alteration of accessories (riggers, foot  stretchers, oar, etc.) in and on the shell to maximize a particular rowers  efficiency, based on their size and capabilities.

Rudder: device used to steer the shell.

Scull: this term is used interchangeably: to the oars used in  sculling, the sculling shell itself; or the act of rowing in a sculling  shell.

Shell: A racing boat; Term for rowing boats

Sleeve: A plastic or leather wrap placed around the shaft at the  location of the collar to protect the shaft from the tightening of the  collar.

Slide: The track on which the seat moves.

Slings: Collapsible/portable frames with straps upon which a shell can  be placed.

Split: The time a crew takes to complete a 500 meter segment of the  race.

Starboard: Right side of the boat facing the bow.

Stern: The rear end of the boat.

Stroke: Apart from the rowing action, this can also mean the person  who sets the pace for the rest of the crew. The stroke sits nearest the  stern.

Stroke Rate: How fast a stroke is being taken. In terms of strokes per  minute.

"Washing Out": Not fully recovering the blade during the whole  stroke.

Technical Terms

Backsplash: This term is in reference to the water thrown back toward  the bow direction by the blade as it enters the water. Less is best. This  indicates that the blade has been properly planted before the rower initiates  the drive.

Bury the blade: Submerge the blade totally in the water.

Catch: Occurring at the end of the recovery phase, the catch is the  point of the rowing cycle where the squared blade is inserted into the water. It  is accomplished by an upward movement of the arms only.

Catch point: where the blade enters the water.

Drive: The part of the rowing cycle where the rower applies power to  the submerged blade.

Feather: Term describing the turning of the oar to a horizontal (to  the water) position.

Finish: the part of the rowing stroke where you take the blade out of  the water, and your head and shoulders are leaning to the bow side of the  hips.

Hands away: At the close of the drive phase, the hands move away from  the body.

Hanging at the catch: The blade is hesitating at the catch point,  before entering the water.

Hot seating: When two crews share the same shell, during a regatta,  sometimes it is necessary for the crews to switch at the finish line without  taking the boat from the water.

Jumping the slide: A problem where the seat becomes derailed from the  track while rowing.

Layback: The upper body is leaning into the bow.

Missing water: A technical fault where the rower begins the drive  before the catch is complete.

Puddle: Swirl of water following each stroke.

Rating: The number of strokes per minute.

Ratio: The ratio of time taken on the recovery to time spent on the  drive. Recovery time should always be longer than time taken on the drive.

Recovery: The part of the rowing stroke from the release up to and  including the catch.

Release: A sharp downward and away (from the body) hand movement which  serves to remove the oar from the water to a position horizontally parallel to  the water.

Run: How far the boat glides between strokes.

Rushing: When the upper body comes out of the bow and moves up the  slide too fast.

Sculling: The art of rowing with two oars.

Shooting your slide: A technical fault where the butt travels towards  the bow without the commensurate movement of the shoulders.

Skying: The fault of carrying the hands too low during the recovery,  causing the blade to be too high off the surface of the water.

Squaring: Term describing the turning of the oar from a horizontal  (feathered) to a vertical (squared) blade position.

Sweeping: The art of rowing with one oar.

Coxswain Command Terms

"READY TO ROW!" Command to begin rowing. Cox will generally gives  specifics of warm-up or drill, otherwise rowers row regularly on hearing the  final command, Row. "All four, Sit ready to row. Row!"

"SQUARE ON THE READY" Used by Cox to clarify at what part of the  command the rowers are to square their blades. In windy weather or heavy current  it may not be feasible to "square up" until the final command "Row!". In calm  weather it is more feasible to square up early so that all rowers are assured of  catching at the same time.

"HOLD WATER!" or "CHECK IT DOWN!" Coxswain call that makes the rowers  drag their oar blades through the water perpendicularly, effectively stopping  the boat. "All four, Hold Water!"

"HOLD (PORT or STARBOARD)" Having only one side check their blades  results in a turn to that side. Having one side hold while the other rows will  turn the boat tightly. "Port, Hold!" "Port to hold, starboard to row. Ready to  row. Row."

"LET IT RUN!", "LET IT GLIDE!" Coxswain call for all rowers to stop  rowing and to pause at the finish oars off the water, letting the boat glide  through the water and coast to a stop. Used as a drill to build balance. This  command is used in some programs interchangeably with weigh enough although  originally it meant something different. "All Four, Let it run!"

"POWER 10 (or 20 or 30 etc.)" Coxswain call to take a certain number  of power strokes. A power stroke is a stroke that musters all the strength you  can give. "Power 10 in two, One! Two!"

"WEIGH ENOUGH!" Coxswain call to have all rowers stop rowing with  blades dragging on water. Call actually sounds like "way�nuff". "In Two Weigh  Enough. One! Two!"

"SLOW THE SLIDE" or "ADJUST THE RATIO" Used to correct either a rush  or sluggishness on the recovery. The ratio compares the time used by the hands  away from the body motion to the slide speed. "Stroke Slow the slide.".

"BACK IT DOWN" Row backwards. The blades do not need to be turned  around in the oarlocks although they can be. "Bow four, back it down"

"DOWN AND AWAY" Push the hands down fully at the finish to give the  blade more height off the water. "Number Three, hands down and away!"

"QUICK HANDS AWAY" The down and away motion after the finish should be  executed quickly to maintain balance. This is often easy for the coxswain to  see.

"EARLY" A part of a stroke is early. By itself, the word usually  refers to the catch timing. "Number Six, you're early.!"

"FINISH TIMING" A reminder to the crew to align their finish times.  "Five, watch your finish timing."

"FEATHER" Roll the blades to the feather position. "All eight to  feather, in two. One! Two!"

"LAYBACK" Go to the layback position. "All eight to layback."

"PADDLE THROUGH" Row at no pressure or to stop the drill/ piece.  Instructing one side to paddle through will turn the boat to that side assuming  the other side is rowing regularly." All eight, Paddle through." "Port, Paddle  through!"

"LATE" A part of the stroke is late. By itself, the term usually  refers to the catch timing. Do not use this over and over without explaining  which part of the stroke is late and how to correct it. "Three, you're  late."

"SQUARE" Make the blade perpendicular to the water. "All Four, On the  Square!"

"TOUCH IT UP" Someone to row gently to align or position the boat  better. "Bow, touch it up.

Commands - On Land

"HANDS ON!" or "LAY HOLD" Grab onto the boat and prepare to move it.  Interchangeable with lay hold. "Everybody, Hands on!" "All eight, lay hold."

"UP IN TWO, ONE! TWO!" Used when lifting the boat off the rack or off  slings.

"OVER THE HEAD!" To lift the boat to the over the heads position.  Should be an even lifting motion with one side or end not beating the other to  the top. Arms are straight overhead. "Over the head in two. One! Two!"

"UP (DOWN) TO SHOULDERS" To lift/lower the boat so that the gunwales  of the boat rest on or near the shoulder. Generally rowers should move to the  opposite of their rigger when lowering to shoulders. In confusion move to the  opposite side of the person in front of you to avoid all ending up on the same  side. "Up to Shoulders in two. One! Two!"

"DOWN TO WAIST" Lower the boat to waist so that the arms are hanging  straight down with the gunnels in hand. This is the easiest position to carry  the boat. Rowers should be opposite each other and centered so that one pair is  not holding the majority of weight. "Down to Waist, in two. One! Two!

"HEADS UP!" Pay attention, something to watch out for is near you.  This should always be used when someone may not see your shell coming at them  such as when leaving the boathouse. "Heads up, watch the bow!"

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