Rowing from a New Angle

Abstract

This thesis presents the results of a pilot study investigating the biomechanical, kinematic, and neuromuscular adaptations of two elite rowers using custom 10° forward-rotated blades compared to standard 0° blades during on-water rowing. While prior robotic models have demonstrated hydrodynamic advantages for forward-angled blades, their impact on human performance remains unexplored.

To bridge this gap, mechanical forces and velocities acting at the oarlocks were measured simultaneously with full-body inertial kinematics and surface electromyography. While kinetic and performance metrics were mostly successfully evaluated for two subjects, rigorous signal quality filtering restricted the detailed kinematic and neuromuscular evaluations to individual case analyses per domain. These combined measurements enable the identification of the relevant physical and neuromuscular compensations that govern adapted rowing propulsion, providing the necessary information to evaluate the practical efficacy of the adjusted oar blade configuration.

Analysis of the altered mechanical resistance profile during the drive phase indicated how lighter early-drive gearing, and subsequent rapid knee and trunk extension velocities, are related to the generation of forward-shifted power production. To quantify rowing propulsion effectiveness, the oarlock power effectiveness μ and the power-velocity effectiveness λ were utilized. The former evaluates the ratio of power out to power in, while the latter represents the conversion of raw mechanical power into average hull speed.

Results indicate that in the conventional 0° oar blade configuration, the mechanical resistance profile delays peak power application, suggesting the initial phase of the drive may be mechanically suboptimal. By adjusting the blade angle to 10° forward, the mechanical resistance is altered such that both rowers increased their power-velocity effectiveness $\lambda$. While this translates directly to theoretical 2000-meter race time reductions of 9.78 and 3.30 seconds for the respective rowers, changes in oarlock power effectiveness $\mu$ were highly subject-specific: one rower achieved significant gains, while the other exhibited a mixed response. Neuromuscularly, the adapted configuration elicited lower erector spinae and higher soleus activation, though at race intensity, differences between configurations became less pronounced. Ultimately, as a pilot study limited to two subjects, these findings cannot definitively determine whether observed mechanical advantages translate to actual performance gains. The complex adjustments of rowers required to optimize propulsion suggest that larger cohorts, longer familiarization periods, and standardized gearing are necessary in future research.