ROWING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume V, Issue 1517, 5 October 1868, Page 4

ROWING.

Notwithstanding the present rather inclement nature of the season, we must shortly expe.et to see summer weather, and witli the return of sunshine will come the period for those manly exercises of rowing and sculling, for which the harbor of the Waitemata is so ' well'adapted. We have reprinted a letter from, the Lyttleton Times, which contains many hints of great value to pullers t —

Sir, —Your paper hna always boen to tho forn in the matter of the various athletic sports that bavo beon attempted in this province, so that I venture to address you on the subject of rowing. My claim to a certain amount of knowledge on the aubjeot lies in tho fact that for several seasons in England I pulled-No. 6at 12st. Blbs, in the first boat of a large club, Which has tamed out Bomo of the finest oarsmen in the world. My ideas may appear somewhat antiquated, but I can toll beginners that if certain standard rules that'were in l vogue in my day were more prominent at the present time wo should not Bee so many bad oars. I may as woll be bold, and tell what I coneoivo to bo the truth. 'To commence at the outset, I assert positively that I have not seen a Bingle man in the Canterbury clubs that I has arrived at such perfection in the art as ought to ontitla him to sit in on outrigger. " Catch the water at the beginning " finish your atioke sitnltaneously with, tho feather ; don't, form a aomicircle as you pull in, but from the beginning to the end of t.ho l stroko let your oar blads be drawn straight through " Bwing steadily from your hips, with your back as straight aB a die;" " put your strength into your baok, arms, and everywhere evenly, and do no moro work with one part of the body than with another " (any breach of this as a confirmed habit is fatal); " let your hands be three inches apart, and draw your elbows well into your 'sido at finishing .your stroke " always feci your stretcher " stroke ; never look beyond your rowlook, and th u n averting your head as little as possible;" "No. 8; keep your head well erect, look straight before you, mid you will keep stroke's time intuitively " No. 2; i keep your eyos fixed on a point in the back of stroke, and never let them leave that point on any pretest l whatever, unless ' easy all' is called;" "bnwj keep your eyes fixed on a similar point in the back of No. 3," &c., &c.- These are injunctions that ought to bo dinned into the ears of the best crew, in a boat as ne irly approaohing tho shape of a tub as possible, for months, be'ore they will ever present a decent appearance. A practice, sadly provalent, of looking, " out of the boat," ought to bo put a stop to at once. I have not seen one inscance where tho blade of th 9 oar is dipped at right angles to the surface of tho water, whioh is indispensable. I want the oldest oanmen, in order to te -.ch the new ones properly to unlearn almost all they j have ever learned. It is yet a vexod question as to ' whether it is right to have the outside thumb over or under the oar, but I am convinced that before very long an universal verdict will be given in "favor of having both thumbs under the oar. I have seen all sorts of cushions, and am convinced that the very best is a plain sheepskin, with the wool cut off as short as possible. I have witnessed the fatal results of over training and under training; and have seen an eight-oar trained to a nicety and ready for anything. t only know one good man that never trained —the finest oar in the two Universities; he pulled in the " great race" for a series of years and was pluoked for his " little-go " as many years—he was the only exception. But generally speaking a crew must train. As a rule I should say gradually ease off Bmoking and "nipping" until about a month before a race, then give them up. Let the crew meet at seven p.m. and run on a. s ßtr>ight road for a mile out and a mile in, at a steady swing. If possible let the last five hundred yards in be on a slight incline, and then make a race of it. Afterwards sponge in thn very coldest water, and rub the body with coarse towels till a fine glow is produced. To breakfast on steaks, chops, bread, watorcresses, and one pint of weak tea each. Coffee and mustard to be eschewed. Eat till you cannot eat any moro. Then to your avocation. Dine from one tilt two, on the same food as breakfast;, with one glass of genuine Moore's XXX each; and a small calvesfoot jelly to follow, and a glas3 of port wine. At four or live—as the csbb may be—row over the course at racing pace. The commencement .of the course should be some little distance from tho boat-house, and this point should be reached by a long stetdy swinging pull. The moment the crew leaves the boat, run the same course us in the morning, and sponge as before. Take tea (say) at sevon, on an immense jjrum of oatmeal porridge, helped down spoonful after spoonful, by a dip in a cup of cold milk at your side ; and finish with a cup of weak tea. Be in bed, under any circumstances, before ten o'clock. Previous to the last month in practice, stroke should always pull a slow atea y swing, with occasional Bhort spurts. The argument that different constitutions must undergo a different regime is to me absurd: the constitution of each member of a boat's crew should be so similar that one system of training should be suitable to all; otherwise they cannot pull together. I have noticed some of tho commoner faults, and trust that these few words will not bo taken amiss. I have the real interests of the Canterbury boating clubs at heart, but when I aeo such flagrant 1 departures from firtt principles, I cannot keep silent.—l am, &c;,. AN Olt> Btm'Eit. P.S.—I trust thatnone of your readerß will mistake me. I repeat that I am writing on fresh wata r rowing, of the other I am totally ignorant.