Learn to Row: What Every Beginner Should Know
How to Learn to Row: Simon Hunt’s Guide to Building Confident Beginners
Learning to Row Is Not Just Learning the Stroke
A good Learn to Row course does more than teach people how to move a handle.
It introduces them to a sport, a club, a river, a culture and a way of working with other people.
That is the central insight from Simon Hunt’s Complete Rowing Podcast episode on coaching Learn to Row.
Simon came to rowing late. He did not grow up near a rowing club. He did not row at school or university. His route into the sport was almost accidental.
He was living near Thames Rowing Club, sitting by the river with a cup of tea, watching boats go by, when a rower told him about a Learn to Row course.
After his first session, Simon’s reaction was:
“How have I got to 40s and never had a chance to sit in a boat and row?”
He was:
“Totally and utterly hooked from the very moment I started.”
That experience matters. Simon understands Learn to Row not simply as a recruitment mechanism for clubs, but as the moment someone discovers a sport that may change their life.
Start With the Purpose of the Course
Simon’s most important advice is not technical. It is organisational.
Before designing a Learn to Row course, a club should ask:
“What is the actual purpose of the Learn to Row course?”
That question sounds simple, but many clubs skip it.
Simon points out that the answer changes everything.
A course might be:
a revenue stream
a recruitment pathway
a community access programme
a way to find future senior athletes
a general rowing experience
a way to broaden the club’s demographic
None of those answers is automatically wrong.
But they lead to different decisions.
Simon says:
“If you can answer that question in a very full way, you can really make the most of that Learn to Row course for the students and for the club.”
That is the first lesson.
Do not start with boats. Start with purpose.
Purpose Determines Design
Once the purpose is clear, practical decisions become easier.
Simon lists the questions that follow:
“What boats are you going to use? Who’s going to coach it? Who’s going to help out with the course?”
A club that wants revenue might design a high-volume rowing experience.
A club that wants future members might focus on retention and integration.
A club that wants performance athletes may target sporty applicants and create a pathway into a development squad.
A club that wants broader access may need different advertising, different language and a more welcoming tone.
Simon also makes a point about outreach.
If you rely only on word of mouth, you tend to recruit people who already know rowers.
“It tended to be people who look the same and do the same sort of thing.”
If you advertise more widely, use flyers or social media, you can reach different people.
“You’re going to enrich the demographic of your club.”
That is a powerful point. Learn to Row is not just about teaching rowing. It is one of the main ways clubs decide who gets invited into the sport.
Work With the Club You Actually Have
It is easy to design the perfect course in theory.
Simon’s advice is more practical.
You must work with:
the boats available
the water available
the coaches available
the volunteers available
the time slots available
the weather and conditions
As he says:
“You can’t just decide exactly what you want to do and then hope that it will work out.”
At Quintin, early weekday sessions worked well because the Tideway was quieter.
“The early mornings actually are very good because there’s less traffic on the river.”
At Brentford, the club had access to a sheltered inlet leading towards the Grand Union Canal, which was ideal for beginners.
That detail is important. A good Learn to Row course is local. What works at one club may not work at another.
The question is not: what is the perfect model?
The question is: what model works here?
Sculling or Sweep?
Simon has run courses using different boats and methods.
At Quintin and Brentford, he and Ken used sculling boats such as quads, often with an experienced person bow-steering and three students.
He says:
“The learning curve was pretty steep but fast.”
He also describes sweep-based Learn to Row courses in eights, with beginners in the middle and experienced rowers at either end.
That worked too, particularly where the club’s pathway was more sweep-oriented.
Simon does not present one method as the universal answer:
“I don’t think I have a massive preference.”
The right answer depends on the club’s purpose.
If the goal is to feed people into a sweep squad, use sweep.
If the goal is to build confidence and independence in small boats, sculling may be better.
If the goal is safety and stability, quads with experienced bow-steers can work extremely well.
Teach the Whole Rowing Experience
Simon is very clear that Learn to Row should not only be about the rowing stroke.
He says:
“Obviously we’re teaching people to row but we’re also giving them a rowing experience.”
That means teaching:
the basic stroke
erg sequencing
boat handling
blade handling
where equipment lives
how to lift safely
how to get ready without waiting to be told
how the river works
how the club works
At Quintin, he and Ken even used the surroundings as part of the education. If Oxford and Cambridge crews were training nearby, they pointed them out. On the tidal Thames, they taught beginners to recognise whether it was ebbing or flooding.
Simon says the goal is to help students:
“Come away having learnt to row and really understand what rowing is all about.”
That is a much richer objective than simply producing someone who can move a boat.
It means the student can make an informed decision:
“Is this sport for me and do I want to carry on?”
Sequencing Comes First
The rowing stroke is simple to describe and hard to learn.
Simon emphasises sequencing early:
“At the beginning you do have to make sure they’ve got those basic… sequencing right.”
On the erg, that means teaching:
legs
body
arms
arms
body
legs
Simon’s point is practical:
“If they get the sequencing right on the ergs, then you’ve got a really good chance of them getting that right in the boat.”
But he also warns that it does not always transfer perfectly.
Some people look excellent on the erg and then struggle badly when the boat moves under them.
That is normal.
Simon describes the beginner journey as full of delayed understanding:
“Someone will say, oh, when you said hands away, now I get it.”
That is a lovely line because every coach recognises it. You can explain something ten times, but the athlete only understands it when the body finally feels it.
Do Not Over-Coach
One of Simon’s best coaching insights is about silence.
He says:
“The silence of the gaps in between what you’re saying are some of the most important parts of that coaching.”
This is extremely important for Learn to Row.
Beginners are already processing too much:
balance
blade work
commands
seat movement
handle height
timing
fear of falling in
other people in the boat
steering
the river
If the coach keeps talking, the student may stop learning.
Simon warns:
“You can so easily just over-coach.”
At some point, the feedback becomes counterproductive:
“The student actually doesn’t just not progress, they almost switch off.”
His practical advice is excellent. If someone keeps making the same mistake after being told two or three times, stop repeating the same instruction.
“I’ve now got to work out a way to say it in a different way or show them a different way.”
That is coaching.
Not more words. Better words. Or a better demonstration.
Keep Non-Rowing Athletes Engaged
In crew boats, some beginners may sit out while others row.
Simon makes the point that those people are still part of the boat:
“They’re still an active part of that boat.”
They are not passengers.
They are balancing, holding position, listening, learning and contributing to the safety and stability of the crew.
Simon tells them:
“As soon as you step in that boat, you switch on and then you don’t switch off until you step out.”
That is a valuable Learn to Row principle.
Beginners should understand from the beginning that rowing is not a casual ride. It is a shared responsibility.
Coaching From the Bow, the Bank or the Launch
Simon discusses the strengths and limits of different coaching positions.
An experienced person in the bow can feel many things happening in the boat:
“As experienced rowers, you can feel a lot of what’s going on.”
You can feel timing, balance, early arm bend and general rhythm.
But coaching from the bow also has limits. You cannot see everything.
The launch gives a better view, and ideally there might be both an experienced rower in the boat and a coach in the launch.
Simon also values video.
He tells a familiar story of a rower insisting they were tapping down correctly until shown the video.
“The camera never lies.”
But he adds an important warning. Video must be used carefully. It should not humiliate beginners.
“That’s not what it’s about.”
Video should be positive, educational and shared in a way that helps everyone in the boat.
Communication Builds the Group
Simon uses email first, often with a QR code on flyers or the website for sign-up.
Once the group is formed, he moves to WhatsApp.
He says the WhatsApp group is useful not only for coaches giving information, but for students communicating with each other.
“Really useful for the group to give information to each other as well.”
That matters because rowing depends on attendance. If someone cannot make a session, the crew may need a substitute. The group learns quickly that their presence affects others.
Simon uses that as part of the education:
“If you’ve got a quad going out, then you need all four people.”
This is one of the best parts of Learn to Row. Beginners learn that rowing is not only individual fitness. It is commitment to other people.
Teach Them How to Be Club Members
Simon does not want graduates of Learn to Row to remain dependent.
He wants them to understand what club rowing actually feels like.
He says:
“You don’t come down on a Saturday morning and wait for someone to tell you to do something.”
Instead, you get slings, get blades, help with the boat, communicate availability and become part of the club.
This is crucial.
A Learn to Row course that only teaches the stroke may produce beginners who still feel lost after graduation.
A course that teaches club behaviour produces people who can integrate.
That is better for them and better for the club.
What a Good Learn to Row Course Should Produce
The outcome is not perfection.
A beginner does not need to leave the course with a beautiful catch or a race-ready finish.
A good course should produce someone who:
understands the stroke sequence
can sit safely in a crew boat
understands basic boat handling
knows how to help get equipment ready
understands attendance and crew responsibility
has experienced the culture of the club
wants to continue
That is success.
As Simon’s own story shows, the first experience can change someone’s relationship with the sport forever.
Key Takeaways
Start by defining the purpose of the Learn to Row course.
Purpose determines boats, coaches, schedule, advertising and pathway.
Teach the whole rowing experience, not just the stroke.
Sequencing on the erg is a vital early foundation.
Do not over-coach; silence can be powerful.
Use video positively and carefully.
Teach beginners to be active crew members even when not rowing.
Communication tools like WhatsApp help build responsibility and group identity.
The best Learn to Row courses create future club members, not just people who have tried rowing.
Related Complete Rowing Podcast Episodes
Primary source:
Episode 4: Coaching Learn to Row — Simon Hunt
Related listening:
Episode 90: New to Rowing: What to Expect — Patrick Chorley
Episode 10: The Masters Novice — Roman Kolcum
Episode 48: Delivering the Benefits of Rowing — Cathy Rooney, Infinity Boat Club
Episode 16: Being a Rowing Parent — Matt Knutzen
Listen to the full conversations at CompleteRowing.com.
