Maximizing Practice: Getting Better at Every Level of Rowing

Whether you are brand new to rowing, racing at the masters level, or training as an elite athlete, one thing remains true: improvement does not happen just because you show up. Progress comes from intentional practice.

It can be easy to fall into the routine of showing up to practice, getting the boat on the water, completing the workout, and heading home without taking time to think about whether you are actually improving. Rowing practices are long. Between warming up, carrying boats, launching, the workout itself, and putting everything away, a single session can take awhile. With so much time invested, it is worth asking: how can you get more out of every practice?

Most junior, collegiate, masters, and elite athletes follow training plans designed by coaches. Those plans provide the structure for physical development and sometimes technical, but the way you approach each session mentally can make the difference between simply training and truly improving. No matter your level, maximizing practice comes down to three things: preparation, focus during practice, and reflection afterward.

Preparation: Arrive With Intention

If you spend any time on social media, you have probably seen the trend of athletes posting videos after practice with captions like, “Leaving practice after spending three hours getting worse.” While these are funny, nearly every rower has had sessions where they went through the motions and finished wondering why nothing seemed to improve.

Mental preparation does not need to be complicated or time-consuming. The good news is that mentally preparing for practice can take as little as two to five minutes. You can do it during your drive to practice, while stretching, or during your warm-up.

Before each session, choose one or two specific focuses for the practice. The key word here is specific. A focus like “row better” is too vague to be useful. Examples might include: Rocking the body over earlier into the recovery, staying patient at the front end, or driving through the legs before opening the back. 

It is also important to understand the physiological goal of the workout. Ask yourself: What is today’s practice trying to accomplish? If the session is steady state, it may be a great opportunity to work on technical changes and body awareness.  If the session is high intensity or race pieces, your focus may need to be simpler. Short cues like “quick catches,” “send the boat,” or “long and loose” can help you stay composed while pushing physically. When your technical focus matches the purpose of the workout, practice becomes much more effective.

During Practice: Stay Present and Adapt

While it is important to keep your focus at the front of your mind during practice, that does not mean forcing the same cue for the entire session if it stops being useful. Good training requires adaptability.

For example, maybe you begin practice focused on patience at the front end, but halfway through the row your coach starts emphasizing connection through the leg drive. It is okay to shift your attention. Your pre-practice focus gives you direction, but coaching feedback should always remain valuable and flexible. Sometimes your planned focus becomes secondary while the coach’s focus becomes primary. Other times, both can work together.

If you spend 45–60 minutes focused on one technical change and feel progress, you may choose to shift attention toward another area while occasionally checking back to maintain those improvements.

Accountability can also accelerate progress. Tell your coach or boatmates what you are working on. When others know your focus, they can help reinforce it and provide feedback you may not notice yourself.

Post Practice: Reflect While It’s Fresh

What happens after practice may be the most overlooked part of improvement. The session is still fresh in your mind, which makes post-practice reflection incredibly valuable. Before moving on with your day, take a few minutes to ask yourself three questions:

1. What went well?

Recognize progress, no matter how small. Improvement often happens gradually.

2. What could I improve?

Be honest without being overly critical. Look for areas that need attention.

3. What will I do better next time?

Turn reflection into action.

This final question is especially important because it helps guide your focus for the next practice. Reflection closes the loop between sessions. Instead of treating each practice as isolated, you begin building continuity, one session informing the next. If you row in team boats, discussing these questions with your boatmates can be extremely helpful. Sharing observations helps everyone stay aligned and learn from each other. Writing your reflections down can make them even more effective. A training journal, notes app, or simple voice memo can help you track patterns over time.

The best part about these strategies is that they do not require extra training hours. You do not need more mileage or more workouts to start improving your practices. A few intentional minutes before and after each session can dramatically change how much you get out of your training.

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