Olympia Area Rowing has adopted the following coaching principles to ensure the ideals of the club – Safety, Quality, Teamwork and Teaching and our goal to attract and retain members – are prominent in all of our programs.  These principles will be the foundation for evaluations of coaches’ performances on behalf of the club.

SAFETY

·        Safety is the highest priority.

·        Always follow the club’s safety policy.

·        Use good judgment at practices and regattas. 

·        Always follow the posted traffic pattern and teach it to coxswains & rowers.

·        Follow club guidelines regarding safe weather/water conditions.

QUALITY

·        Set expectations for the team and individuals

o       The coach must then help them meet the expectations.

·        Maximize on-the-water practice time.

o       Efficiency on and off the water is key to getting as many strokes and as much instruction as possible.

·        Follow a consistent warm-up at each practice and before races. 

o       Warm-up exercises should give rowers an opportunity to row with the boat stable and offer all rowers an opportunity to build from partial strokes to full slide. 

o       Include a cool-down and flexibility exercises in each practice.

TEAMWORK

·        Establish goals & Team Expectations

o       Rowers should assist in establishing goals (personal & team). 

o       Seasonal and practice goals should be communicated to the athletes.

·        Create a team and improve it as a whole by assisting individuals. 

o       Care about people as individuals before you care about them as athletes.

o       Support individual reasons for rowing (fitness, fun, competition, etc.)

o       Every rower should be improving in both technique and fitness.

·        Set race lineups at least 2 weeks ahead of regattas to maximize boat unity prior to the races.

TEACHING

·        Develop a shared image of ideal technique & communicate it to the athletes. 

·        Always strive to expand the knowledge and experience of the coach and the rowers.

·        Coach in a positive and respectful manner. 

o       Reinforce correct technique as well as offering constructive criticism.

o       Use positive affirmations and communications, not negative or punitive ones. 

·        Use a variety of methods to teach and reinforce proper technique and keep practices interesting

o       E.g. Drills, demonstrations, descriptions, analogies, video analysis and written materials.

·        Communicate the steps necessary to reach goals and expectations