Effective Rowing Coaching

Peter Haining and Chris Ives on Clarity, Calm and Helping Athletes Improve

Coaching Is Not Just Telling People What Is Wrong

Many rowers have experienced the coach who sees a technical fault and simply shouts it from the launch.

“Sit up.”

“Tap down.”

“Don’t rush.”

“Get longer.”

Sometimes that helps. Often it does not.

The best coaching is not just the identification of faults. It is the creation of an environment where athletes understand what to change, why it matters and how to practise it.

Across Episodes 68 and 69 of the Complete Rowing Podcast, Peter Haining and Chris Ives describe two deeply connected ideas.

Peter focuses on individualised, precise, responsive coaching.

Chris focuses on composure, role-modelling and the emotional environment created by the coach.

Together, they make a strong argument: effective coaching is technical, personal and psychological.

Start With the Athlete in Front of You

Peter Haining does not begin with a single fixed model of the perfect stroke.

When Ken asks him to describe the ideal stroke, Peter’s first instinct is not to give a universal answer. Instead, he starts with context.

“What body type am I working with?”

Then he adds:

“What gender am I dealing with? And what experience do they have?”

He also thinks about the race, lane and conditions.

That is an important coaching principle.

Good coaching is not simply applying one template to every athlete. It is understanding the person, the boat, the event and the conditions.

A technical model matters. But the athlete must be able to row it.

Ask How the Athlete Feels

Peter uses a simple question:

“How I felt on a scale of one to ten.”

He asks this before sessions, races and key moments.

At high performance level, he wants to know how an athlete feels before big competitions. With veterans and masters rowers, he uses the same idea to adjust the session.

He explains:

“I want to know what the average of the group feeling is.”

That tells him whether to push the planned workout or back away.

This is a very practical tool for club coaches.

If a group arrives tired, stressed or sore, a rigid coach may push through the plan anyway. A better coach adapts without losing the overall purpose.

Peter says he may adjust:

“how much I’m going to push that, or how much I’m going to back away.”

That is not softness. It is responsiveness.

Safety Is Part of Progress

Peter is very clear that coaching must protect athletes.

“It’s got to be a safe environment for people to progress.”

That sentence deserves attention.

A safe environment does not mean an easy environment. It does not mean no challenge. It means athletes can work, fail, learn and improve without being harmed physically or psychologically.

For masters rowers especially, this matters. Many are balancing rowing with work, family, age, injury history and limited recovery. A coach who ignores that may get short-term compliance but long-term problems.

The Coach Needs a Weather Vane

When coaching a large group, Peter says the coach must do due diligence. The coach needs to understand the project and the people.

He uses the idea of a “weather vane”:

“You need a weather vane.”

This is someone in the group whose reactions help the coach read the room.

Peter says a coach should notice how the group responds, often subconsciously. Are people anxious? Engaged? Confused? Resistant? Overexcited? Losing confidence?

In a large squad, not everyone will speak openly. A perceptive coach watches.

This is a very advanced coaching idea. The coach is not only watching blades. The coach is reading the culture of the group.

Be Clear With Athletes

Peter believes clarity matters, especially at the top end.

He says athletes need to know:

“What do I need to improve?”

That sounds obvious, but many rowers train for months with only vague feedback.

A good coach should make the line clear. What is the selection issue? What technical change matters most? What will decide the seat race? What is the athlete actually trying to fix?

Peter says:

“Be really clear with people.”

That is one of the most important coaching responsibilities.

Clarity reduces anxiety because the athlete knows where to put attention.

Confidence Is Technical

One of Peter’s most memorable phrases is the “scary Mary position.”

He is describing the front end of the stroke, where the athlete is over the toes, balanced, vulnerable and about to place the blade.

“You’re on that topple phase.”

Then comes the brave part:

“You’ve got to throw your hands away from you to go in.”

Peter’s point is that this is not just a physical movement. It requires confidence.

“That is confidence.”

This is a crucial coaching insight.

Many technical faults are not only technical. They are also confidence problems. A rower who does not trust the balance, the boat, the blade or themselves may be unable to make the movement cleanly.

The coach must therefore build the physical skill and the confidence to use it.

Balance Should Be Taught More

Peter says:

“Balance is something that we should all be teaching more as coaches.”

That is especially relevant in club rowing, where coaches often chase power and rate before balance is secure.

Peter uses exercises to help athletes understand how small movements affect the boat. He asks athletes to feel how the blade and handle influence stability.

The point is not only to correct balance errors. It is to educate the athlete’s awareness.

A rower who understands balance becomes more independent.

Chris Ives: The Coach as Role Model

Chris Ives approaches coaching from the emotional and behavioural side.

His core point is that the coach sets the tone.

He says:

“You are a role model for them.”

That applies to juniors, masters and competitive athletes.

The coach’s behaviour teaches athletes what stress should look like. If the coach shouts, panics, loses composure or humiliates people, the athletes learn that rowing under pressure means losing control.

Chris says a coach must think about:

“how you present.”

He gives simple but important examples:

“Do you have a calm demeanour?”

And:

“Are you organised?”

Those things matter. Being on time, having a plan and speaking with respect are not administrative details. They are part of coaching.

Rowing Is an Internal Battle

Chris is especially interested in what happens inside the athlete during hard efforts.

He talks about the erg test or race as a place where alarm bells go off.

The athlete must handle pain, fear, doubt and the urge to stop.

Chris says:

“A coach’s role is to help people… deal with all that.”

The coach cannot row the race for the athlete. But the coach can help the athlete build the internal tools to manage pressure.

That is why shouting is often unhelpful. The athlete already has enough noise inside.

Chris argues that rowing requires an inward form of control.

He refers to the idea of internal and external control, and says rowing should cultivate:

“that inward kind of can-do controlled attitude.”

That is excellent coaching language.

The coach should not create dependence on being shouted at. The coach should help the athlete develop internal composure.

Shouting Is Often Loss of Control

Chris makes a strong point about yelling.

When an athlete is already under stress, shouting may not help them become more controlled. It may simply add chaos.

He says:

“The yelling part to me is like losing that control.”

And then:

“You can’t just go caveman.”

That is a memorable line.

Rowing is aggressive, but it is not chaos. On the erg, in a boat, or during a race, athletes need controlled intensity.

The coach should model that.

Calm Is Not Weak

Chris does not argue for passive coaching. He argues for strong calm.

He says the coach should project:

“a strong, calm demeanour.”

That phrase is important.

Calm coaching is not vague. It is not lacking standards. It is not being soft.

It is the ability to create intensity without panic.

The coach can say:

“Here’s the plan.”

And:

“This is what I know you guys can do.”

That builds confidence. It gives athletes something to hold onto when the race or session becomes difficult.

Know Your Number

Chris uses a phrase for erg performance:

“Know your number.”

He means athletes should understand what they can actually do physiologically. There should be fewer surprises.

He says:

“We know what you can physiologically do.”

Then the athlete needs:

“the courage to step up to that physiological line.”

That is a valuable way to think about performance.

Training gives information. Coaching helps the athlete trust that information. Racing asks the athlete to go to the line without panicking.

The Marshmallow Analogy

Chris uses a wonderful image for managing intensity:

“It’s kind of like roasting a marshmallow.”

You do not put the marshmallow straight into the fire and burn it immediately. You keep it close enough to cook, then maybe closer near the end.

That is a beautiful metaphor for pacing.

The athlete must stay close to the fire without catching fire too early.

For coaches, this is a useful teaching tool. It is more memorable than a long lecture about lactate, pacing and fatigue.

What Effective Coaches Actually Do

The best coaching combines the Peter and Chris approaches.

From Peter:

• know the athlete

• ask how they feel

• adapt the session

• make the environment safe

• be technically precise

• build confidence through skill

• be clear about what needs to improve

From Chris:

• model calm

• create a positive environment

• avoid needless shouting

• help athletes handle the internal battle

• build self-knowledge

• use language athletes remember

• be strong without being chaotic

Together, these ideas produce coaching that is demanding but humane.

Practical Coaching Checklist

1. Ask before you prescribe

How does the athlete feel today?

2. Know the person

Body type, age, experience, confidence and goals all matter.

3. Be clear

Tell athletes what they need to improve and why.

4. Teach balance and confidence

Do not chase power before control.

5. Read the group

Find your “weather vane.”

6. Model composure

Athletes learn from how you behave under stress.

7. Reduce noise

Do not shout simply because the session is hard.

8. Build internal control

The athlete must learn to manage the race from within.

Key Takeaways

• Effective coaching is individual, not cookie-cutter.

• Peter Haining starts with the athlete’s body, experience and conditions.

• Asking athletes how they feel can shape the session intelligently.

• A safe environment is necessary for progress.

• Confidence is part of technique, especially at the front end.

• Chris Ives argues that the coach is a role model.

• Shouting often adds chaos rather than control.

• Strong calm is more useful than emotional noise.

• The best coaches help athletes understand themselves and perform under pressure.

Related Complete Rowing Podcast Episodes

This article is based primarily on:

Episode 68: Effective Coaching — Peter Haining

and:

Episode 69: Composed Coaching — Chris Ives

Related listening:

• Episode 32: Coaching for Excellence: Making the Right Changes — Charles Windeknecht

• Episode 43: TSS Lead Senior Coach — Anna Budd DeLong

• Episode 4: Coaching Learn to Row — Simon Hunt

• Episode 47: The Psychology of Racing — Elliott Kemp

• Episode 84: Overcoming Doubt — William Winstone, Sports Psychologist

Listen to the full conversations at CompleteRowing.com.