| Cox Selection Criteria |
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| Articles - redwellies | ||||||||||||||||
| Written by redwellies | ||||||||||||||||
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Selection Criteria For Coxes In my relatively short time as a cox (a mere 4 years) a lot of people, both rowers and non-rowers have asked me "what makes a good cox?". A good question, I think it's something that any cox trying to get selected for any boat should consider. To really pinpoint the criteria for a cox, you have to examine what the point of a cox is. You might be surprised to hear that it is exactly same as the other people in the boat, the tall ones with the bulging muscles. Simply put, the aim of the cox is to make the boat go as fast as possible. Whichever cox does this is undebatably the better cox. However, I've found that there are essentially 5 traits that go towards making this. It is the combination of these factors that determine which cox makes the boat go faster. 1) Technical Calls As the voice of the coach in the boat, if you can make your crew row better and more efficiently then that makes the boat go faster. In many ways this is the hardest part of coxing, and is often referred to as "the eye". You can't teach somebody to have a good eye, though you can train them to use it if they already have it, if you see what I mean. You could write books on the technical side of coxing, but the best way to learn is to listen to the coaches. Listen to what they say and see if you can identify those faults from your cox seat. Once you can, think about correcting them in the way the coach does. 2) Motivational Calls.This is particular important in peices or any competitive/power work. The cox has got to convince the athletes going through masses of mental and physical pain, to push themselves hard and then harder still. Your job as a cox is to get every last available ounce out of them. This is a difficult topic because it's more than just a question of saying "row harder!". To be an effective motivator, think about what motivates you, though bare in mind that it may well be different from your crew depending on gender and temperament. To motivate them well, you need their respect. They don't necessarily need to like you (though less experienced and less professional crews are less able to distinguish this) but they must respect you because if they don't, your calls are useless. It also helps if they want to do it with and for you. They must trust your judgment absolutely and know that at every single moment you want it as much as they do, and that you are giving your all just like they are. Show you care as well. Listen to them - their highs and low, and try and be a person they can come to both for comfort and advice. This is all vital information on how you can best get the most out of them both in training and racing. Work off their mood - if they're down, be positive. If they're frustrated, be calm. I go to all the land training because it instills in the crew a sense that I care about their training and that I am with them in every step they take. The better the coxswain, the more "juice" they will be able to squeeze from the lemon that is their crew. Motivational calls are different for every crew because each crew member has different things which make them tick. This is especially apparent between men's and women's crews. There are physiological differences in male and female brains that make them work differently, to greater or lesser extents depending on the individual of course. I'm currently researching for an article on that matter. 3) Tactical Calls. As the cox, you are the brains in the boat. That means, you do to thinking and make the decisions. If another crew moves up on you, you have to decide whether a counter push, or a hold and wind would be the best option. In head races, you have to decide whether the wind makes rowing in the slower, calmer water more efficient. Sure there is a race plan, but as a cox you need to be able to use the race plan not just implement it. This is your judgement, and use it wisely because it's moments like this that rowers will remember. They will remember if in that crucial moment you lead them to victory, or let them down. A general Point on calls... ...they must be EFFECTIVE. There is no point in making a call if your crew can/will not respond and gain something positive out of it, even if it is technically correct. Another point on this is respect. Think of the trust that those people are placing in you. You must EARN their respect and confidence by making the right decisions and by showing them that you care and that you want to win every bit as much as they do. Think of good teachers. The really good ones were the ones who had the class well behaved and attentive because they wanted to be, not because the teacher screamed, shouted, bullied or frightened them into submission. 4) Steering. Every time a coxswain steers, the boat speed decreases with the increased drag in the water. The best steersperson is the one who can follow the best line with the minimum amount of steering. In a regatta, this is simply the straightest line. In a head race it is much more complicated - the hardest of which being the London Tideway. This is because although not the shortest, the fastest route is with the stream which rather deceptively is not always in the middle of the river! 5) Weight. Ah yes, the critical issue. Why many people get into coxing in the first place. While there have been many discussions on this topic, here is my own personal view. Weight slows a crew down. It is a fact that if my natural weight (i.e. without having to crash diet etc.) were 10 kgs lighter, my boat would go faster on the same calls. However, it has often been the case that a heavier cox makes a boat go faster than a lighter one. How can this be? I hear you ask. Well, the simple answer is in the previous 4 points. If a heavy cox does all these things well, they will make the boat go faster than a light one who does them badly. That's not to say that a sumo wrestling champion will ever make a good cox, but it's on a sliding scale. Simply put - the heavier you are, the better you have to cox because your extra weight is against you. If you're lighter, you've got a few extra seconds on that other cox, which they have to make up with good calls and steering. That, however, will only get you so far. Weight can be lost in a few weeks, but really good coxing takes years of dedication and more than a pinch of natural talent. Good luck and enjoy the best, and the possibly hardest ride of your life! RedWellies
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