Feathering hides bad handle height. Square-blade rowing exposes it.
Equipment needed: A boat (single, double, or four), calm water.
Setup: Standard rowing position.
How to run it:
- Row at low rate, around 20 strokes per minute.
- Don’t feather the blades on the recovery — keep them square (vertical).
- The blades will catch the water if the handles are too low. They’ll fly high if the handles are too high.
- Twenty strokes. Build the muscle memory.
What to look for: Blades stay an inch or two off the water through the whole recovery. If they’re scraping, handles need to come up.
Variation: Square-blade only on one side at a time. Forces the rower to balance the boat with the feathered side.
Gear for this drill (affiliate)
Resistance band set → — land-based strength and conditioning supplement.
Full crew gear guide → — all picks by age, sport, and level.
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