Recovery

In rowing, the stroke can be divided into two phases: The drive, when the oars ares in the water, and the recovery, when the oars are in the air.

The rower sits in the boat and faces the stern of the boat. As they drive with their legs and pull the oar handle towards their chest, from their perspective, they are exerting a great effort. This feels productive. This feels as if they are contributing to the rapid forward movement of the boat.

During the recovery, from their perspective, they slide towards the stern of the boat to prepare for another effort. It doesn’t feel powerful. It feels a bit like going backwards.

But if you observe from the outside, you can see that what they are actually doing. If they are rowing in a good rhythm of drive and recovery, they aren’t sliding backwards, they are in fact pulling the boat forwards in the water.