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Key findings
Juniors compared with Adults (WRJC 2011 cf. WRC 2006)
Juniors gearing averages 1% lower than adults (3% in W4x) Juniors boat velocity averages 5% less than adults Juniors hand-foot velocity averages 4% slower (7% in W2x, 1% in M8x) JM ave. boat velocity has same relative % ergo scores, JW 2% slower
Gearing
Within sweep or scull classes gearing is only changed by 1-3% although class speed differences vary by up to 25% Sculls: faster crews used lighter gearing all classes except M1x Sweep: faster crews used lighter gearing only in M2-, M4+ and M8+
Only rails and stretchers and swivel height adjusted to fit athletes
Distance through the work varies by 10%, Line of work to heels by 6% Swivel heights increased for taller athletes (all scull and 4 of 7 sweep classes)
Gearing should not be adjusted for boat class speed as it is believed there is a wide range, 12%, of athlete muscle velocities for optimum power and metabolic efficiency over 2000m
Only in M4x is gearing reduced to allow hand - foot velocities to equal M8+ Hand foot velocities of other classes are at only 85% (M1x, M2-) and 76% (W1x) of M8+ Comparison with cycling: road racers change gear for every 9% change in speed ie. Optimal range is 4.5%
A 9% gear change in rowing requires reducing outboard by 15.6 cm sculling, 20.3 cm sweep, whilst keeping inboard and span the same A 24% gear change in rowing requires reducing outboard by 41.8 cm sculling, 54.5 cm sweep, whilst keeping inboard and span the same. This is the equivalent of changing gear 3 times in cycling
Juniors optimal muscle velocities are slower than adults (4%) In selecting pairs of athletes of same size in 2x, M2 Setting and measuring sweep angle for each athlete is either too difficult or not important and /or there is not an optimum sweep angle for each class
Sponsored by
Rosie Mayglothling
Measurements taken
The following were recorded to the nearest millimetre or tenth of a degree for each seat in the boat. Span and Arc position
Span for all sculling boats, Spread for all sweep boats Distance through the work of the front of the seat when set at front stops Line of work to the heels Line of work to toes Foot stretcher angle to nearest tenth of a degree using a digital pitch gauge.
Splay of feet
Distance between heels Distance between toes Shoe length Only one boat (GER W2-) had adjustable splay shoes Overall length of oar Oar outboard length Oar inboard length Blade length from collar to tip Blade height measured at maximum width
Oar Data
Measurements taken
Accuracy of measures
Although measuring to nearest millimetre the accuracy of some measures like line of work to heels, depth of heels, oar length will be less due to the measuring system of tapes and setsquares or the nature of the surfaces being measured Estimated accuracy of the measures
Span +/- 1.5mm Spread +/- 1.5mm Distance through work +/-5mm Line of work heels+/-10mm Line of work toes +/- 7mm Foot stretcher angle +/- 0.2 degrees Swivel above seat +/- 2mm both sides Seat below sax +/- 2mm Heel below sax +/- 5mm Heel distance cm +/- 5mm Toe distance cm +/- 5mm Shoe length cm +/- 5mm Overall oar length +/- 3mm Outboard +/- 3mm Inboard +/- 3mm Blade length +/- 3mm Blade height +/- 3mm
Derived Data
Heights
Seat to heels Seat to toes Seat above heels Seat above ball of foot
Velocities
Boat velocity Handle velocity (maximum) Handle foot velocity (maximum)
Measured but sheet missing No Rack listed, not measured Total not measured Measured Twice Measured but did not race
2x 4x 2GRE, USA, GER, NED, SRB, LTU, HUN, NED, GBR, NZL NOR GER GER GER
3 2
4 FRA GBR
21 1 1
Spans and spreads and inboards reduced for faster boat classes so catch angles could be increased Outliers
GER M1x 164 cm
1st very tall athlete)
160.0
159.0 Span (cm) Scull 158.0 M1x M2x M4x M2M4M4+ M8+ M Ave 87 86 85 W1x W2x W4x W2W4W4+ W8+ W Ave
Spreads (cm)
Spread (cm)Sweep W1x W2x W4x W2W4W4+ W8+ W Ave M1x M2x M4x M2M4M4+ M8+ M Ave
84
Distances through the work &work distances the horizontal (1) Through
(cm)
Distances to heels and toes suggest M have longer legs / less compression than W W Sculls (W4x) use most compression Line of work to heels is roughly twice through the work
70.0 Line of Work Toes (cm) 60.0 Seat to toes Horizontal (cm) 50.0 Line of Work Heels (cm) 40.0 Distance Through Work (cm) Seat to heels Horizontal (cm)
30.0
20.0
10.0
0.0 W1x W2x W4x W2W4W8+ W Ave M1x M2x M4x M2M4+ M4M8+ M Ave
Front of seat (distance) through the work shows slight increase with boat class speed to give bigger catch angles, especially W Seat to heels distance indicates compression at the catch e.g. less compression for 1x - which have slowest hand foot velocities see later
24.0 22.0 20.0 18.0 16.0 14.0 12.0 10.0 M1x M2x M4x M2M4+ M4M8+ M Ave W1x W2x W4x W2W4W8+ W Ave Seat to heels Horizontal (cm) Distance Through Work (cm)
Conclusion: sweep crews sacrifice mechanical advantage of being lower to the water in order to enable increased compression to increase the sweep angle closer to that of sculling
Stretcher angle
Foot stretcher angle does not vary much and does not seem to be set accurately as it varies across and within crews (42.5o 3o) A few coaches seem to have set a steeper angle
CAN W4- 46.8o GER 8+ 45.8o AZE M1x 47.0o GEO M1x 48.0o
Foot Stretcher Angle (deg)
44.0
43.5
43.0
42.0
41.5
41.0 M1x M2x M4x M2M4+ M4M8+ M W1x W2x W4x W2W4W8+ W
Foot data
M shoe length 2 cm longer than W Distance between toes increases with boat size Distance between heels increases with boat size Foot splay see next slide
Foot Data
35.0 30.0 Shoe Length (cm)
25.0
20.0
10.0
5.0
0.0 M1x M2x M4x M2M4+ M4M8+ M Ave W1x W2x W4x W2W4W8+ W Ave
Boat builders / coaches set feet wider in bigger boats but not as wide as they could and not as wide as on ergometers (20 cm)
Average splay angle 5.7o for all classes shows slightly larger splay for the bigger boats Outliers:
POL M4x -0.2O Emp ITA M8+ 9.0O Fil BEL M2x 10.3O Fil CZE W4- 10.7O Fil NZL M1x 13.0O Fil CAN using Hudson
M4- 17.0o W4- 11.3o (7O 15O)
Foot Splay
Foot Splay angle (deg)
8.0 7.5 7.0 6.5 6.0 5.5 5.0 4.5 4.0 M1x M2x M4x M2M4+ M4M8+ M Ave W1x W2x W4x W2W4W8+ W Ave Foot Splay angle (deg)
Conclusion: Most Coaches accept what splay the manufacturer provides on foot plate, a few adjust to suit athlete. Hudson offer bigger splays. CAN thinks feet are important?
300.0
150.0
100.0
50.0 Handle Overlap (cm) 0.0 M1x M2x M4x M2M4+ M4M8+ M Ave W1x W2x W4x W2W4W8+ W Ave
All scull and all sweep classes look very similar so lets look at % differences within class
102%
99%
97%
99%
99%
There is a very significant difference in boat speed between classes e.g. W1x is 75% of M4x Pin gearing is only reduced by 1% for slower classes Thus hand foot velocities of slower classes are much slower e.g. W1x is 76% of M4x
0.95 FISA Gearing 0.9 Pin Gearing Boat Velocity (m/s) Hand - foot velocity (m/s)
0.85
0.8
0.75
Conclusion: coaches believe there is a wide range ( 12%) of muscle velocities for maximum power and metabolic efficiency over 2000m
There is a very significant difference in boat speed between classes e.g. W1x is 77% of M4x Pin gearing is only reduced by 3% for slower classes Thus hand foot velocities of slower classes are much slower e.g. W1x is 80% of M4x
0.85
Conclusion: coaches believe there is a wide range ( 10%) of muscle velocities for maximum power and metabolic efficiency over 2000m
0.95
0.9
0.85
0.8
0.75
0.7
0.65
0.6 W1x W2x W4x W2W4W8+ M1x M2x M4x M2M4+ M4M8+
Only in M4x is gearing reduced to allow hand - foot velocities to equal M8+ Hand foot velocities of other classes are at only 85% (M1x, M2-) and 76% (W1x) of M8+
How can hand-foot velocities of slower boats classes be increased to that of 8+?
Assume inboard and span/spread is fixed to keep same sweep angles All Outboards must be reduced to match 8+ velocities
Except 4x
Required outboard lenghts for same hand-foot velocities as M8+ & W8+
270.0 250.0 230.0 210.0 190.0 170.0 150.0 M1x M4x M4+ M8+ Oar Outboard Length (cm) required outboard (cm)
Reductions in range 14 34 cm see next slide Assumes 8+ and 4x have optimal muscle velocities
Currently slower classes have longer drive time and lower stroke rates see next slide
Stroke rate
Adult Boat velocity (m/s) (2006 WRC data all boats) Juniors Boat Velocity (m/s)
Adult Pin Gearing (2006 WRC data all boats) Juniors Pin gearing
Adult Hand-foot velocity (m/s) (2006 WRC data all boats) Juniors Hand - foot velocity (m/s)
1.50 M1x M2x M4x M2M4- M8+ Ave M W1x W2x W4x W2- W8+ Ave W
Juniors have slower boats and foot-hand velocities and slightly lower pin gearing its clearer plotted as % of adult
Juniors pin gearing as % of adult at WRC 2006 Juniors' Hand - Foot velocity as % of adult at WRC 2006 Junior Ergometer velocity WIRC 2010 as % of adult (1-6 places) Juniors boat velocity as % of adult at WRC 2006
M1x M2x M4x M2M4- M8+ Ave M W1x W2x W4x W2- W8+ Ave W
98.0%
96.0%
94.0%
92.0%
90.0%
Juniors gearing averages 1% lower than adults (3% in W4x) Juniors boat velocity averages 5% less than adults Juniors hand-foot velocity averages 4% slower (7% in W2x, 1% in M8x) JM average boat velocity % same as ergo, JW 2% slower
Questions: do coaches believe juniors optimal muscle velocities are slower than adults? Would juniors go faster if gearing was reduced 3-4% lower to increase muscle velocities? On a bicycle the juniors would probably change down a gear to increase foot velocity
2.6
2.5
M4+
2.4 y = -0.0099x + 2.6565 R = 0.4937 y = -0.0047x + 2.405 R = 0.3398 y = -0.0079x + 2.4421 R = 0.7193 y = -0.0102x + 2.4379 R = 0.7116 y = -0.0047x + 2.2358 R = 0.4621 y = -0.0065x + 2.215 R = 0.5998 y = -0.0256x + 2.6238 R = 0.6371 y = -0.0195x + 2.3737 R = 0.6637 1.8 0 5 10 15 20 25 30
M8+ Ave Linear (M1x) Linear (M2x) Linear (M4x) Linear (M2-) Linear (M4-) Linear (M4+) Linear (M8+) Linear (Ave)
2.3
2.2
2.1
1.9
Finish position
Faster crews had faster hand foot velocities in all men s classes due to boat going faster - and lighter gearing? Good correlation.
2.2
2.15
M1x M2x M4x W1x W2x W4x Ave Linear (M1x) Linear (M2x) Linear (M4x) Linear (W1x) Linear (W2x) Linear (W4x) Linear (Ave)
2.1
2.05
y = 0.0026x + 2.0498 R = 0.107 y = 0.0014x + 2.0588 R = 0.1594 y = 0.0001x + 2.0773 R = 0.0026 y = 0.0002x + 2.0706 R = 0.0083 y = -0.0005x + 2.0746 R = 0.0228
2 0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Finish position
Faster men s crews used lighter gearing in all classes except for M1x poor correlation
2.50
2.40
Ave Linear (W1x) Linear (W2x) Linear (W4x) Linear (W2-) Linear (W4-) Linear (W8+) Linear (Ave)
y = -0.0006x + 2.0181 R = 0.0027 y = -0.0113x + 2.2384 R = 0.5328 y = -0.0125x + 2.2234 R = 0.7164 y = -0.0153x + 2.238 R = 0.5582 y = -0.0259x + 2.3796 R = 0.9951 y = -0.0111x + 2.0468 R = 0.6411 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
2.30
2.20
2.10
2.00
1.90
1.80
Finish Position
Faster crews had faster hand foot velocities in all women s classes due to boat going faster - and lighter gearing? Good correlation.
M2M4-
y = 0.0054x + 2.233 R = 0.2465 2.300 y = 0.0002x + 2.263 R = 0.0003 2.250 y = -0.0005x + 2.2323 R = 0.0176 y = -0.0014x + 2.2563 R = 0.1154 y = 0.0014x + 2.1944 R = 0.0759 y = -0.0003x + 2.221 R = 0.0026
M4+ M8+ W2W4W8+ Ave Linear (M2-) Linear (M4-) Linear (M4+)
2.200
2.150
2.100 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Finish position
Faster women s crews used lighter gearing only in M2-, M4+ and M8+ - poor correlation
2.5 Distance Through Work (cm) 2 Line of Work - Heels (cm) Swivel above seat (cm) starb'd Span (cm) Scull 1 Spread (cm)Sweep 0.5 Oar Inboard Length (cm) W2x W4x W2W4W8+ W Ave Ave M2x M4x M2M4+ M4M8+ M Ave
1.5
Majority of coaches rig all seats in crew boats the same except stretcher position / rails In 2x and M2- coaches tend to match athletes by size Pin gearing is identical within crews except where setting errors have been made
Spread/span are within 1 cm variance all classes except 1x Inboard is within 1 cm variance all classes except W1x &W2x Line of work to heels / seat to heels suggests average athlete s leg lengths per crew vary by 3 cm on average, most in smaller boats, least in 8+ Conclusions:
6.0
5.0
4.0
Seat to heels Horizontal (cm) Line of Work Heels (cm) Span (cm) Scull
3.0
0.0 W1x W2x W4x W2W4W8+ W Ave Ave M1x M2x M4x M2M4+ M4M8+ M Ave
Different coaches set almost identical rigs to each other Only in 1x is the span and inboard adjusted a little for the athlete
Sweep sweep angle (rad) = stroke length / (inboard-15+2) Scull sweep angle (rad) = stroke length / (inboard -6+2) Sweep angle in crew boats is based on Lowh for crew
This estimation system gives reasonable results for most crews. However it does assume that stretchers have been set to give the same finish angles in all seats in all sculling classes (e.g. The 1.5 hand widths at finish) and in all seats in all sweep classes (e.g. Outside hand on handle next to side of torso). All analysis that follows depends on these assumptions!
Heights for M look reasonable with tallest athletes in M1x Heights for W show scullers are shorter than sweep and W2x tallest Average height M is 6 2.8 , tallest is M1x 6 3.6 Average height W is 6 2.2 , tallest is W2- 6 3.2
10
15
20
10 Finish Position
15
20
Finish Position
20
25
Finish Position
10 Finish Position
15
20
For all scull classes (except M4x) faster crews used bigger sweep angles
Estimated sweep angle (deg) y = -0.2343x + 93.209 R = 0.5891 Linear (Estimated sweep angle (deg))
10 Finish position
15
20
10
15
Finish position
In only 3 of 4 of the sweep classes did faster crews use bigger sweep angles
y = 0.144x + 91.026 R = 0.7968 Estimated sweep angle (deg) Linear (Estimated sweep angle (deg)) 6 8 10
Finish Position
The difference between the maximum and minimum sweep angle found in each class
8.0 7.0 6.0 5.0 4.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 W1x W2x W4x W2W4W8+ Ave W Ave M1x M2x M4x M2M4M4+ M8+ Ave M sweep angle 2 standard deviations (deg) Sweep angles range (deg)
Suggests coaches don t agree on what is the optimum sweep angle for each class or that it is important
4 Estimated athlete height (cm) Estimated stroke length (cm) 2 Estimated sweep angle (deg)
0 M2x M4x M2M4+ M4M8+ M Ave W2x W4x W2W4W8+ W Ave Ave
16.0
17.0
18.0
18
19
20
21
All scull classes show small increase in swivel height for taller crews
i.e. average port sill height compared with estimated average crew height
14.0
15.0
16.0
17.0
18.0
19.0
Only W2-, M4-, W4- & M4+ show increase in swivel height for taller crews