THE MECHANICS AND BIOMECHANICS OF ROWING

The biomechanics of rowing are complex and have not yet been fully explained, despite research from many different sources. Newton's laws describe the relationship between forces and motion and the motion of a boat resulting from the forces applied by the rower is simple to explain in principle. If the system of boat and rower is assumed to be a closed unit of known mass and dimensions and the forces applied by the rower to the boat can be measured, then it should be possible to predict boat velocity. Similarly, if the style of a rower can be interpreted in terms of the applied forces then it is possible that rowing technique could be altered to improve performance.