Jon and Katie,
This is a question my colleagues and I get all the time. Since there is not a magic bullet answer, I am going to turn the question on its head and talk about some attributes of truly great coxswains.
If we look at ourselves as part translator and part “helper”—as in helping rowers get better and go faster—then it is easy to recognize that listening and learning are the most critical skills for developing coxswains. By comparison, it is easier for rowers because a coach will zoom up and give them specific physical instructions. Coxswains do not receive the same level of detail, but coaches do expect us to figure out why they just told the five-seat to move his hands faster out of bow. If we are listening, observing and learning, we can eventually piece together what good rhythm is and what it feels like. We know when the rhythm or speed can be improved and we make the calls to get it done. If you can achieve this, then you are now a “Helpful” cox. The rowers will want you in the boat because they get better when you are in there.
It is worth repeating the part about listening. When I first got to national camp, Coach Teti was very clear about what he wanted from his coxswains: above all, go straight and execute the race plan as practiced. If you could not do that, you would get cut, regardless of how many buddies you had in the eight or the size of the donation your uncle made. I cannot tell you how many coxswains came in and ignored his instructions. It was not my job to educate them. I just learned to go as straight as I possibly could. Remember: Listen.
Be honest. This is not that much fun because you have to learn how to deliver bad news and deal with the fact that the messenger occasionally gets shot. (Katie, focus on going fast. The most pleasing thing for competitors is winning, not being happy all the time.) Learn how to say “I don’t know.” If you are honest, the athletes will not look out of the boat to fact check you when you say “we are winning.” They will make technical changes because you say so. If you can achieve this, then you will be a “Trustworthy” cox. The rowers will want you in the boat because they won’t have to second guess you.
Embrace the difficult and boring stuff. Learn to go straight at racing speed. At regattas, know the schedules, traffic patterns and lane assignments, and make sure your crew knows. Be early to practice and early to the line. If you are a “Proficient” cox, crews will want you because you allow them to focus on cranking, to the exclusion of all else.
Race with composure. One thing I have seen in great coxswains is that their crews win most of their photo finishes. Winning photo finishes—or avoiding them by getting out front—is a tremendous skill where a great cox can have a life-or-death impact on results. If you can keep your wits about you when the racing gets tight, the crew will, too. You will win, maybe more often than others thought you would. If you are a “Composed” coxswain, crews will want you because your teams exceed expectations.
Be a determined teammate. Think about what you can do to help the team win. Ask questions and get feedback from the athletes. Be at weight by exercising, not with stupid diet tricks. If the athletes see that you want to win as badly as they do and you are willing to work harder for it than your competition, they will want you because you are right there with them.
Putting all of these together is what separates the very best from everyone else. Listen. Be helpful, honest, trustworthy, proficient, composed and determined to win. If you can learn to do all of these things at the highest levels, have no fear. The National Team will find you.
- Pete Cipollone, 2004 M8+ Coxswain
Pete Cipollone was a coxswain for the US National Team from 1997-2004. He joined the team after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, and his career highlights include gold medal wins in the M8+ at the 1997, 1998, and 1999 World Rowing Championships, as well as a gold medal from the 2004 Athens Olympics.
.
.
Welcome to SHIVSPIX.com!
This site has been inspired by and is dedicated to the rowing community, and particularly to the many amazing people I have had the opportunity to work with over the years.
I hope everyone coming through this site makes themselves at home. This site is just as much for you as it is for me.
Shivani
Design by Graph Paper Press
Subscribe to entries
Subscribe to comments
All content © 2012 by SHIVSPIX
Tremendous advice. I will make sure that my high school coxswains read it. Thanks.
Thanks for the great advice. I will make sure that my high school coxswains read it!
Gary, thanks so much. That was a lifetime of coxing experience in 700 words or less.
I really feel that coxswains have to learn so much just by osmosis. This biases the selection process toward those with great intuition, rather than people with the most potential for the seat. This is not awful, but it is not the best outcome.
Coaches would get tremendously better results from their coxswain corps if they made a point of spending 10 minutes a month (starting in September) telling them, “Here are the one or two criteria you are going to be judged on. I am watching.” This is especially true in the first two years of coxing.
Teti was always crystal clear in what he wanted from a cox. Failing to deliver was like a root canal, just like with the rowers…yea! But at least I knew what would earn me the gold star or the dunce cap.
I thought this was a real good piece, short but sweet. I have one question though: I used to row but due to an injury I decided to become a cox. I’ve gotten it down, but since I dont have a coxswain’s size, it’s hard for me to lose weight to be as light as I can…how important is the weight to the boat? For example, would 10 pounds make that much of a difference or what? Thanks!
Sam,
If you are in college, go to the trainer and schedule a skin fold test. When you take the test, make sure you are well hydrated or it will give you a bad reading. Once you have an estimate of your body fat percentage, discuss a minimum safe weight with your trainer. Make sure you don’t go below that number.
Everyone’s body is different. What works for me is “long-and-low,” combined with diet high in protein and fiber. I like egg whites, tuna and chicken or turkey for protein. You can get fiber from all kinds of places like cereal or salads. You will have to cut out the junk food, and if you are of legal drinking age, the booze has to go, too. For long-and-low workouts: at least once a day, get your body to 60%-70% of max heart rate and keep it there until you get bored or 45 minutes goes by, whichever comes last.
Above all, be safe: don’t starve yourself or dehydrate. Not only will those (stupid) techniques reduce your mental acuity on race day, they will put you at risk of permanently damaging yourself.
Getting down to fighting weight is not complicated, but it does take persistence and smarts. Good luck!
Pete
Great, thanks!
Dear Mr. Cipollone,
Thanks so much for that excellent guidance! I’ve been coxing in high school for 3 years now and we hope to return to Youth Nationals this Spring. I have one brief question. I have the opportunity to row this Summer at Navy Crew Camp, rather than cox, as I did last year. Do you think this would be a valuable experience for me? What should I try to focus on when I row in order to better my coxing? Thanks for your insight.
-Jack Morrow
Yo Jack,
Yes. I think this would be a great experience. Cynically, I would say just listen to your coxswain and see what he or she does/says that annoys the crap out of you. Then when you go back to coxing, don’t do or say that stuff. Seriously, if you did nothing else, that would make you a whole lot better.
But on a less jaded note, focus on learning how to row really well. Listen to the instructions and see what helps you improve and what makes no sense (from coaches, too). Feel the motion and learn the sensations of when the boat is moving effortlessly. Then when you go back to coxing your team, you will be able to describe how your arms should feel like you are hanging off monkey bars at the catch, or whatever the sensation felt like to you. Basically, if you can row with some skill, especially in a single, and then describe that feeling to your rowers, your street cred will go up about 100x.
Have fun out on the water, and best of luck!
Pete
Thank you very much for the advice! I’m excited about giving rowing a shot and applying what I learn to my coxing in the months ahead. Thank you for your time and I’ll be looking forward to reading more of your guidance.
Jack
Hi Mr. Cipollone,
I guess you could call me an amateur or novice coxswain, but I’d like to know how national team coxswains steer so straight.
Thanks, I really appreciate it!
Mr. Cipollone,
I coach high school novice women. Thanks for the great article. You mentioned the importance of a coach spending time with the coxswain to let them know what I will be looking for. On April 9, you said coach Teti would say “Here are the one or two criteria you are going to be judged on. I am watching.” Would you mind sharing some of those “focus” pieces? Thank you.
Hi Alex and Miller,
The answers to your questions are similar, so I figured I might hit them in one shot. To start, Coach Teti was pretty specific in what he wanted–a very straight course and perfect execution of the race plan as defined in advance and as we had practiced it. For HS novice women, I think the same principles apply. Go straight and keep your wits about you when racing. In my opinion, keeping one’s wits about them is the most important thing and the biggest indicator of potential. If you as a coach find a cox who can stay focused on the ultimate goal of winning while chaos is erupting everywhere else, then you have a winner.
Alex, going straight is hard! Still, there are some things you can to do to get good at it. Foremost is learning where straight is on the rudder and leaving the ropes alone. The boat wants to go straight. Also, make sure you always have a point and can check it once per stroke. In reality, we check points like every 2-3 strokes, but you need to know where it is well enough to check it on the spot. Keep the boat on it by steering with tiny amounts of rudder whenever you need it. Some coaches say “Only steer when the blades are in the water.” That is not only wrong, it leads to slower times. You can quote me. Okay, that’s enough for now. Good luck and be sure to post anything cool you learn.
Pete
Mr. Cipollone,
You spoke about how much of becoming a great cox is based on listening and over time registering information. I was wondering if there were any technique books or other sources that you might recommend to boost this process? I have read the Down and Dirty Guide to Coxing, but found that I knew most if not all of the contents. Is there anything you’d recommend that is more advanced that I could sink my teeth into?
Thanks
Hi Bobby,
Feeling the changes from the seat is such an essential part of learning, so I am not sure there is anything you can read that will get you there. Listen to the coach’s call then feel for a change, then experiment: make a call and feel for the effect. If you do not feel an effect, then you need to find a better way to describe the change you are looking for. Above all, keep working on it. If you do not theorize and experiment (in practice, of course), you will have a hard time improving.
And I do suppose that if you wanted to watch something, you could always watch some race video and see if you can pick out what makes some crews go faster than others. As you might expect, I am partial to the 2004 Olympic men’s eights final. There is some good footage!
Regards,
Pete
Mrs.Cipollone,
I am a high school novice coxswain with nothing planned for the summer, is there any summer camps that you would suggest for me that i could still apply for. And if there is any tips about certain camps that would help me if i go?
thanks again for the advice