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Karin,
We are primarily a sculling club. Started as sweep, but we are fairly small, between 24 and 40 kids during any one season, so trying to boat 8's and 4's with coxwains was not easy. Sculling was so natural for them.
Everyone learns in a single. We set up a triangle course and work the "traffic pattern". Because our club is combined, masters and juniors, we have access to all the open water singles, and these have been great. The kids learn to play in them, they fall out, get in, surf the wakes, in the summer we row to the end of the lake and go swimming.
Yes it takes more time, but only up front. One on one or two, is necessary for the first couple of turnouts, then we spend a couple of days in the short course. There are always the kids who row away from the dock and join the regular turnout without batting an eye, and those who take the week. If I have a rower who is simply not getting it, I put them in a single and row next to them, coaching from my boat. Haven't had it fail yet.
In so far as coaching, I have a fantastic support group of masters who love rowing and will come out to row/help on the water. I was originally a sweep rower, and learned to coach as a sweep rower. Sculling was a natural progression. There are videos by US rowing on the subject as well as drills. Xeno Muller has some great UTube videos about different aspects of the sculling stroke.
One or two final notes. Kids love sculing. They all want to scull, so getting someone to cox is more difficult, cause you don't need a coxwain in the boats (once they have learned to stear). My kids both scull and sweep (either side) and every technical focus for sculling is readily applied to sweep. The kids can set a sweep boat from the get go, no leaning, how amazing is that?
So, you need some open water boats (Maas or Hudson makes good ones) and small area to corral the kids for a week or so. Make up some games, for them to play, such as a tag team relay (row to a bouy, turn, come back, next kids dives off the dock, swims to the boat, first kid out second in, first kid swims to the dock, second rows to the bouy, etc.) Gets the swim test, flip test and holding a point, turning all in one. Yes it takes time, but it has exponential returns.
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----- Original Message -----From: Arthur SloateSent: Friday, February 15, 2008 6:48 AMSubject: [youthrowing] Youth ScullingI do incorporate sculling with my Junior Novice Men. In fact, they
prefer it to sweep rowing. I have been able to work with up to 14
singles at a time, as long as they stay focused. (The key is to work
with their short attention spans...).
I have found those kids that started by learning to scull progress much
more quickly with sweep technique. New kids starting in December with
sculling (yes, we row in December in San Diego)
can be quickly integrated into the sweep boats in January prior to the
start of the sprint racing season.
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