Equipment & Technology Glossary
Time – is the measurement of performance, most commonly expressed as total race time or seconds per 500 meters (split).
Distance – is the length of the course or race that crew row from the start to the finish, measured along the water.
Stroke rate – is the number of complete rowing strokes a rower takes in a single minute. It is measured in strokes per minute, abbreviated as spm or s/m.
Distance per stroke (DPS) – is a measure of the distance the boat (or rowing machine equivalent) travels during each individual stroke.
Drive Time – is the measurement of the duration of the drive phase of the stroke, specifically the amount of time the oar blades are in the water applying power to propel the boat or the flywheel is accelerating on an ergometer.
Recovery Time – is the time spent moving from the finish position back to the catch, during which the oar is out of the water and the rower prepares for the next stroke.
Drive/Recovery Ratio – is the relationship between the time spent on the drive phase and the time spent on the recovery phase of the stroke.
Boat Velocity – is the speed the rowing shell travels through the water, constantly changing throughout a stroke.
Boat Acceleration – is the temporal rate of change in the boat’s velocity during a single stroke cycle.
Force – is the pressure applied by a rower to their oar, propelling the boat forward, particularly during the “drive” phase of the stroke.
Power – is the amount of work performed per unit of time and is measured in watts (W).
Work – is the energy transferred to the boat or flywheel during the drive phase of the stroke.
Force/Power Position – is a rower application of power throughout the stroke, visualized on a graph showing force (power) over time.
Impulse – is the measure of the total effect of the applied force over the duration of the drive phase of the stroke
Heart rate – is the number of times the heart beats per minute (bpm). It is a measure of the heart’s activity and is typically expressed as a numerical value.
Respiratory rate – is the frequency of breathing, measured as breaths per minute. It is a vital sign that indicates the rate at which the lungs exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide
Roll Motion – is a rotational motion around the longitudinal axis, which is an imaginary line running from the bow (front) to the stern (back) of the boat.
Yaw Motion – is a rotational motion around the ship’s vertical axis (also known as the Z-axis).
Pitch Motion – is a rotational motion of a boat around its transverse axis, which is a line running from port to starboard (side-to-side).
Surge Motion – is linear, longitudinal (front-to-back or bow-to-stern) movement caused by maritime conditions like waves or propulsion system accelerations.
Sway Motion – is a type of ship motion where the entire vessel moves from one side to the other, without any tilting or rotation.
Oar Angles – is the position of the oar blade relative to the boat and water at various points in the stroke cycle.
Slip / Wash – is the distance or angle that an oar blade moves through the water without effectively propelling the boat forward.
Stroke Length – is the arc or distance the oar (and handle) travels through the water, from the “catch” (blade enters water) to the “finish” (blade exits water).