As the popularity of rowing in mid to late adulthood has grown, so too has the number of rowing club members and participants in regattas increased. Rowing attracts not only former racing rowers who return to rowing for fitness, health, and competition, but also the many late and lateral entrants who are perhaps competing for the first time. This growing interest in the sport makes it even more important to provide instruction for these masters rowers. Masters Rowing caters to interested beginners learning the sport and adapting their boating equipment, as well as to ambitious masters rowers looking to improve their technique. Within this book, the reader will find tips for fitness training and hints for competition. In addition, the reader will understand the theoretical basics of training and performance development of active but older rowers. Coaches of master rowers will also be able to take the information in this book and apply it to their athletes' training. Furthermore, all training information provided is backed by scientific, specialist research. With Masters Rowing, readers will be able to increase their fitness and hone their skills to compete at their best.

Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year, this is the bestselling story about a rowing team's quest for Olympic gold in Nazi Germany. Cast aside by his family at an early age, abandoned and left to fend for himself in the woods of Washington State, young Joe Rantz turns to rowing as a way of escaping his past. What follows is an extraordinary journey, as Joe and eight other working-class boys exchange the sweat and dust of life in 1930s America for the promise of glory at the heart of Hitler's Berlin. Stroke by stroke, a remarkable young man strives to regain his shattered self-regard, to dare again to trust in others - and to find his way back home. Told against the backdrop of the Great Depression, Daniel James Brown's The Boys in the Boat is narrative non-fiction of the first order; a personal story full of lyricism and unexpected beauty that rises above the grand sweep of history, and captures instead the purest essence of what it means to be alive. 'I really can't rave enough about this book . . . I read the last fifty pages with white knuckles, and the last twenty-five with tears in my eyes' - David Laskin, author of The Children's Blizzard and The Long Way Home.

This book aims to provide and challenge coaches and rowers with best practice, advice, principles and training programmes to improve their rowing experience and performance. Regardless of whether you are looking to improve on-water performance, set an indoor rowing personal best or enhance the quality of your training you will find something of value within these pages. Topics covered include: training and technique; egrometer training; specific rowing conditioning; strength training; monitoring and assessing land training; mobility and flexibility; weighlifting technique; trunk training; nutrition and mental skills. "With the approaches detailed in this book, were were able to break records on the water and on the rowing machine and face our Olympic final feeling totally prepared and genuinely excited about the challenge. Regardless of your starting point, the guidance in this book will help you take the next steps towards your own goal, and to making your own magic. Good luck!" Dr Katherine Grainger CBE and Anna Watkins MBE

Written for coaches and crews that are past beginner level but new to competitive rowing, "High Performance Rowing" doesn't aim to cover every aspect of rowing, but just concentrates on how to make your boat go faster. It is a detailed guide to fitness and strength training, and covers equipment and techniques needed for improving performance at different levels of competition. Topics include tips on improving technique, how to write a training program, and selection of crews.

A TOP 10 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2018 SPORTS BOOK AWARDS LONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 The incredible true story of four ordinary working mums from Yorkshire who took on an extraordinary challenge and broke a world record along the way. Janette, Frances, Helen and Niki, though all from Yorkshire, were four very different women, all juggling full time jobs alongside being mothers to each of their 2 children. They could never be described as athletes, but they were determined to be busy and the local Saturday morning rowing club was the perfect place to go to have a laugh and a gossip, get the blood pumping in the open air, and feel invigorated. Brought together by their love of rowing, they quickly became firm friends, and it wasn't long before they cooked up a crazy idea over a few glasses of wine: together, they were going to do something that fewer people than had gone into space or climbed Everest had succeeded in doing. They were going to cross 3,000 miles of treacherous ocean in the toughest row in the world, The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. Yes, they had children and husbands that they would be leaving behind for two months, yes they had businesses to run, mortgages to pay, responsibilities. And there was that little thing of them all being in their 40s and 50s. But two years of planning, preparation, fundraising, training and difficult conversations later, and they found themselves standing on the edge of the San Sebastian harbour in the Canary Islands, petrified, exhilarated and ready to head up the race of their lives. This is the story of how four friends together had the audacity to go on a wild, terrifying and beautiful adventure, not to escape life, but for life not to escape them.

What does it take to win gold at the Olympic Games? How many years of hard work and dedication does it take to prepare for such a feat? How many disappointments do you have to endure on this journey?

Danielle Brittain has walked this journey over and over again – her two sons won Olympic gold for South Africa in rowing, all four of her sons have rowed at top levels, and she is currently the team doctor for the SA rowing team. Danielle has faced her own battles with cancer and then watched as her son battled Hodgkin’s Lymphoma during his Olympic training and overcame it and went on to win gold after his recovery in this high-performance sport.

The Olympic wins for the South African teams at the 2012 London Olympics and 2016 Rio Olympics were iconic moments for South Africa and Brittain’s descriptions of what the wins meant for the individuals in the teams, their families, the coaching staff and ordinary South Africans demonstrates the power of sport to unite the country.

A rowing story, a family story, a cancer survival story, a South African story – and the story of a mother watching it all unfold.

In rowing, races are often won in spite of, not because of, technique, and many misconceptions still preoccupy both rowers and coaches. This book explains the facts about rowing technique and will help you to find the right way to achieve your best performance. In this new edition, comprehensively updated to take account of the most recent developments in the sport The Biomechanics of Rowing offers a unique insight into the technical and tactical aspects of rowing, based on over twenty-five years experience of working with the best rowers and coaches all around the globe, a careful analysis of millions of data samples, and comprehensive biomechanical modelling with the aim of finding an optimal balance of variables. Topics covered include measurement; performance analysis; technique; ergometer rowing and, finally, rowing equipment and rigging.

Hannah Dines and Jess Leyden are two perfectly normal, brilliant women. One, a world record-holding athlete and a Paralympian on the trike. The other, a multiple age-group world champion and one of the most promising rowers Great Britain has to offer. In the five years (yes, that's right) between Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, they will face cancer scares, crushing defeats, and the biggest global health crisis in a century. They will get dropped, they will get injured, and they will win medals. They will spend the best years of their lives knowing that at any moment, it could all come crashing down. That all the training, all the sacrifice could be in vain, wasted effort as a pandemic raged. That maybe these could be the years that will shape their finest hour - or that maybe, after everything that they've been through, it could all still be snatched away at the last...

This new paperback edition of Bill Sayer's comprehensive guide to the sports of rowing and sculling has been further revised and updated since the third edition. British rowing has undergone many changes in recent years and has enjoyed some spectacular international successes, particularly in the London 2012 Olympics. Levels of skill and professionalism are increasing all the time and new developments in training and equipment all go towards further increases in performance. This new edition takes into account these changes and incorporates recent research findings and experience that underpin improved training methods and nutritional advice. Bill Sayer offers invaluable instruction to maximize the athlete's efficiency, strength and endurance on the water. He surveys the basic equipment, the rigging and design of boats and their oars and sculls, the principles and practice of training - including the special requirements of women and juniors and the signficance of environmental factors, nutrition and psychology. The body of the book deals with different techniques required for rowing and sculling, illustrated by new sequences of photographs, and offers advice on steering and coxing and the special challenges of both head-of-the-river and regatta racing. With the aid of over 120 of his own colour photographs, diagrams and tables, Bill Sayer aims to provide every enthusiast, whether beginner or experienced competitor, with the information they need for greater success in the sport.

Crowood Sports Guides are the perfect tool for anyone wanting to improve their performance, from beginners learning the basic skills to more experienced participants working on advanced techniques. These practical, no-nonsense guides will help give you that all-important advantage. Rowing and Sculling - Crowood Sports Guides covers a brief history of rowing; choosing and setting up equipment; safety and risk assessment; capsize drill, steering and coxing; skill development and techniques; pyschology and rower well being; understanding refuelling and hydration, and planning an effective training programme in order to optimise flexibility, stability and strength and prevent injury.

This book seeks to redress the balance of reporting in the sport's literature which has always favoured the activities of aquatic gentlemen at the public schools, Oxford and Cambridge Universities, Henley Regatta and on the River Thames. This study focuses on the many who helped instigate and nurture the sport but who have been forgotten due to their not being associated with the elite of the sport.

Arguably the greatest coach in British sporting history. SHORTLISTED FOR THE TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS Jurgen Grobler's Olympic coaching career is one of legend, yet the man himself has remained resolutely out of the spotlight. Over the last twenty years he has masterminded British Rowing's incomparable success. And when the difference between gold and silver can mean mere fractions of a second, Jurgen Grobler has consistently delivered Olympic gold through various boat classes and with an ever-changing group of athletes. Arguably the greatest coach in British sporting history, Grobler's unparalleled record outstrips many much better known records and stories; building champions such as Sir Steve Redgrave, Sir Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell to name but few. This authoritative account of Grobler's career straddles the Iron Curtain, beginning in the German Democratic Republic, where systemic state-funded doping was an open secret, before crossing to Britain following the fall of the Berlin Wall. And whilst culture and sport have shifted dramatically over the last half century, Grobler's pursuit of greatness has never faltered. Written by Olympic medallist, Hugh Matheson, and rowing historian, Christopher Dodd, More Power is the unmissable story of one man's quest for glory, and sets out to unlock the secrets of Jurgen Grobler: the finest coach Olympic sport has ever seen.

Mick Dawson's gripping Never Leave A Man Behind, effectively two adventure stories for the price of one, can be justifiably described as "unputdownable". Dawson is a man you would want on your side, whether in battle or tackling waves as high as houses should you ever consider rowing the Pacific.' Sports Book of the Month 'An excellent read, it puts you in the boat, understanding what it's like to be in an extremely challenging environment while maintaining composure, cheerfulness and respect for your fellow men. I cannot recommend it highly enough' Keith M. Breslauer, Trustee of The Royal Marines Charity 'Breathtaking - builds tension from the very start with life-and-death challenges throughout. Courage and comradeship at their very best, showing how mental and physical disabilities cannot and are not allowed to define or undermine the human self. Leaves you in awe and respect for one man determined to help his muckers win their battles whatever it takes - at great personal cost' Jonathan Ball, Director, The Royal Marines Charity The stories of two veterans - one traumatised, one blind - who rediscover themselves with the help of a friend in the course of two epic ocean adventures, kayaking around the Falklands and rowing across the Pacific. Mick Dawson tells the story of kayaking around the Falkland Islands with friend and fellow Royal Marines veteran Steve Grenham, who was struggling to cope with the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and the extraordinary tale of his 2,500-mile voyage in a rowing boat with his friend and former Royal Marine Commando Steve 'Sparky' Sparkes, who was not only a rowing novice, but also blind. Sparky and Mick succeeded in rowing across the finish line after a truly epic voyage of over 2,500 miles from Monterey Bay in California to Waikiki, Hawaii. They'd hoped to break the record for a two-man rowboat and finish in less than fifty-five days, but a hurricane interfered with their plans. It took them eighty-two days, sixteen hours and fifty-four minutes to complete the race, but it was an even greater achievement for that, and Sparky became the first visually impaired person to row across the Pacific. The race with Sparky was the second expedition of an organisation Mick had set up a few years earlier, The Cockleshell Endeavour, designed to help another former Royal Marine and friend, Steve Grenham, by kayaking with him around the Falklands, where both former commandos served during the 1982 conflict with Argentina.

The field of strength and conditioning has grown exponentially over the last two decades, making both collaboration with others and recognition of the impact S&C coaches can have beyond the weight room more important than ever before. This book purposefully begins by sharing professional insights from both the individuals S&C coaches work with - the event coaches - and those individuals S&C coaches work for - the athletes - to examine how collaboration towards agreed, shared and understood performance goals works in practice. The latter chapters focus on applying S&C principles within rowing populations, which are easily transferred to any athlete. This includes: a 'performance backwards' approach to planning; exploring an adaptation approach to programming; common injuries across rowing populations; exercise selection, including specific trunk training assessment and programming; transfer of training to rowing performance, and finally, understanding the needs of Paralympic Rowers.

'Mick Dawson's gripping Never Leave A Man Behind, effectively two adventure stories for the price of one, can be justifiably described as "unputdownable". Dawson is a man you would want on your side, whether in battle or tackling waves as high as houses should you ever consider rowing the Pacific.' Sports Book of the Month 'An excellent read, it puts you in the boat, understanding what it's like to be in an extremely challenging environment while maintaining composure, cheerfulness and respect for your fellow men. I cannot recommend it highly enough' Keith M. Breslauer, Trustee of The Royal Marines Charity 'Breathtaking - builds tension from the very start with life-and-death challenges throughout. Courage and comradeship at their very best, showing how mental and physical disabilities cannot and are not allowed to define or undermine the human self. Leaves you in awe and respect for one man determined to help his muckers win their battles whatever it takes - at great personal cost' Jonathan Ball, Director, The Royal Marines Charity The stories of two veterans - one traumatised, one blind - who rediscover themselves with the help of a friend in the course of two epic ocean adventures, kayaking around the Falklands and rowing across the Pacific. Mick Dawson tells the story of kayaking around the Falkland Islands with friend and fellow Royal Marines veteran Steve Grenham, who was struggling to cope with the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and the extraordinary tale of his 2,500-mile voyage in a rowing boat with his friend and former Royal Marine Commando Steve 'Sparky' Sparkes, who was not only a rowing novice, but also blind. Sparky and Mick succeeded in rowing across the finish line after a truly epic voyage of over 2,500 miles from Monterey Bay in California to Waikiki, Hawaii. They'd hoped to break the record for a two-man rowboat and finish in less than fifty-five days, but a hurricane interfered with their plans. It took them eighty-two days, sixteen hours and fifty-four minutes to complete the race, but it was an even greater achievement for that, and Sparky became the first visually impaired person to row across the Pacific. The race with Sparky was the second expedition of an organisation Mick had set up a few years earlier, The Cockleshell Endeavour, designed to help another former Royal Marine and friend, Steve Grenham, by kayaking with him around the Falklands, where both former commandos served during the 1982 conflict with Argentina.

What does it take to row 5,500km across an Ocean? Or to trek 500 miles through Antarctica? How do we achieve incredible things?

Peter van Kets has done this and more – and yet he could be the average guy next door. A teacher in East London with a fondness for the ocean, Peter was given a rare chance to compete in the 2007 Atlantic Rowing Race. His decision to grasp this opportunity would change his life.

Together with Bill Godfrey, he rowed across the Atlantic and won against the odds. Then he came back two years later to row it alone – a truly epic feat. After that he joined forces with adventure runner Braam Malherbe to represent South Africa in the unique Scott-Amundsen Centenary Race to the South Pole, one of the most gruelling endurance events ever staged.

Peter’s feats of endurance in the face of endless ice, snow and saltwater are testament to the power of the human spirit and the greatness possible when an ordinary person sets out to do extraordinary things. In rowing the Atlantic and trekking the Antarctic, he has come to understand what it takes to conquer the limits of your mind – to conquer your Eighth Summit.

Advanced Rowing brings together a selection of leading experts in the sport of rowing, including international head coaches from New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and Denmark, who have all coached crews to World and Olympic medals. Distinguished club and university coaches contribute from the United States, Great Britain and Australia. Between them these coaches work with the top national level athletes in their countries and specialise in preparing them to achieve international competitive standard. The coaches reveal key features that they believe explain why they have achieved a consistent level of success, paying special attention to key issues including: - Training programmes to promote skill and fitness - Motivating and inspiring athletes - Creating successful training environments - Selecting athletes and talent identification - Making use of other experts (e.g. sports scientists, physiotherapists, dedicated strength and conditioning coaches) Advanced Rowing also offers insights from experts on selected topics that are important in the development of rowing success including biomechanics, nutrition, technique development, endurance training and strength and conditioning. This is an essential resource for any rowing coach, providing an overview of the general environments that support high performance national and international rowing programmes and describing the range of strategies that elite rowing coaches use to help develop advanced rowing performance.

In February 2018, Kiko Matthews set out to row solo and unsupported, 3000 miles across the Atlantic. She not only added her name to the handful of women who had successfully made the crossing solo, but did so in a world record time of 49 days, 10 hours and 13 minutes - more than five days less than the previous record. She had never rowed before deciding on this challenge. But following brain surgery after being diagnosed with a rare life-threatening condition, she set herself goals that pushed her mental and physical boundaries to the limit. In her book she vividly describes her epic voyage and what drove her to attempt it.

At the end of the First World War, there were 270,000 demobilised Australian soldiers in Europe. Getting them home after the Armistice was a task of epic proportions that would take more than two years. In the meantime, how to keep these disgruntled, damaged men with guns occupied? In a word: sport. The Oarsmen tells the story of the servicemen who survived the war to row for the coveted King's Cup at the 1919 Royal Henley Peace Regatta. Competing against crews from the US, New Zealand, France, the UK and Canada, the Australians were a ragtag bunch of oarsmen thrown in an old-fashioned boat and expected to race. Many had seen the worst of the action during the war at Gallipoli and the Western Front, and carried scars both physical and psychological. The baggage they brought to the boat would soon threaten to capsize the whole endeavour. Combining first-hand accounts with lively prose, this never-before-told story approaches the First World War from peacetime and illuminates history in vivid and compelling detail. Interweaving the soldiers' personal stories from before, during and after the war, The Oarsmen paints a fascinating picture of how these men, and society, transitioned from an unprecedented war to a new sort of peace.

In February 2018, Kiko Matthews set out to row solo and unsupported, 3000 miles across the Atlantic. She not only added her name to the handful of women who had successfully made the crossing solo, but did so in a world record time of 49 days, 10 hours and 13 minutes - more than five days less than the previous record. She had never rowed before deciding on this challenge. But following brain surgery after being diagnosed with a rare life-threatening condition, she set herself goals that pushed her mental and physical boundaries to the limit. In her book she vividly describes her epic voyage and what drove her to attempt it.

"Olympic Obsession" brings to life the personalities behind British rowing's incredible success story at the Sydney Games. Set to a compelling narrative, the book unfolds against the story of Martin Cross, himself an Olympic champion, turned BBC commentator. Cross' unique relationship with the sport over the last 30 years allows him to take us under the skin of the likes of Sir Steven Redgrave, Matthew Pinsent, and Miriam Batten. What is Redgrave really like to be with? Cross, Pinsent and a resentful Andy Holmes have their say. Why was Foster the only one who seemed to smile during the BBC's fly-on-the-wall "Tales of Gold" documentary? How was it that the British eight's gold medal depended on a man given only a few months to live in March 1997? Cross answers all these questions and many more, through a fascinating story that begins over 25 years ago. With a foreword written by BBC Radio Five Live's controversial commentator Alan Green, "Olympic Obsession" will appeal to all sports lovers, as Cross takes us from the 'highs' of winning Olympic gold, through the depths of personal failure, to giving a flavour of the heady brew that results when sport and politics are mixed at the highest levels. But the Inside Story of Britain's Most Successful Sport is much more than just 'another book on sport'. The intensity, passion and depth of the many relationships sensitively described here by Cross will sound a powerful note in any reader's heart. As you turn the pages, take care: you may find the inspiration in this book infectious.

Get a length up on the competition with cutting-edge technique, training, and racing information. Let the world's top coaches, rowers, and sport scientists steer you to ultimate success, starting with sound training and racing principles and adding increasingly advanced instruction and insights all the way to the finish.

"Rowing Faster" is the most comprehensive and detailed guide for achieving excellence in the sport. You'll find techniques for mastering every phase of the stroke; training strategies for increasing strength and efficiency for maximizing speed; and tapering plans for peak performance at the highest levels of competition.

With contributions from Olympic medalists and rowing experts from around the globe, "Rowing Faster" also includes the latest research on adaptive rowing, advice on managing a team, detailed plans for the long-term development of rowers, insights on training and competition for female rowers, and a look at the future of the sport from the general secretary of the FISA. From the technical details of equipment and training to classifications of boats and rowers, "Rowing Faster" has it all. Offering a truly global perspective and authoritative coverage of the sport, it is the one guide that every serious rower and coach should own.

Katherine Grainger is not only Great Britain's finest ever woman rower, but also she has won more Olympic medals than any other female British athlete in any sport. At Rio de Janeiro in the 2016 Olympic Games, at the age of 40, and less than two years after coming out of 'retirement', with a different partner, she came within one second of retaining her women's Double Sculls gold medal. On 3 August 2012, on the water at Eton Dorney in the London 2012 Olympic Games, she - and Anna Watkins - had rowed to glory in the women's Double Sculls. Three times an Olympic silver medallist, she could finally hang up her oars as an Olympic champion to add to her six World Championships and eight World Cup gold medals - but she didn't. Katherine's story is a remarkable one - proof that nice people can be winners and dedication and hard work pay off. Incredibly bright, Grainger combined her athletic career with her education and she has degrees from Glasgow and Edinburgh universities and a PhD from London, in subjects as diverse as law, philosophy and homicide. No wonder she is so much in demand as a motivational speaker. Katherine Grainger: The Autobiography continues her inspirational story taking in her post-London activities, the return to training, finding a new double sculls partner in Vicky Thornley, the highs and lows of their attempt to qualify for Rio 2016 and eventually their astonishing row to another silver medal.

Storms, fatigue, equipment failure, intense hunger, and lack of water are just a few of the challenges that ocean rower Mick Dawson endured whilst attempting to complete one of the World's 'Last Great Firsts'. In this nail-biting true story of man versus nature, former Royal Marine commando Dawson, a Guinness World Record-holder for ocean-rowing and high-seas adventurer takes on the Atlantic and ultimately the North Pacific. It took Dawson three attempts and a back-breaking voyage of over six months to finally cross the mighty North Pacific for the first time. Dawson and his rowing partner Chris Martin spent 189 days, 10 hours and 55 minutes rowing around the clock, facing the destruction of their small boat and near-certain death every mile of the way, before finally reaching the iconic span of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Dawson's thrilling account of his epic adventure details how he and Chris propelled their fragile craft, stroke by stroke for thousands of miles across some of the most dangerous expanses of ocean, overcoming failure, personal tragedy and everything that nature could throw at him along the way.