Thank you for your interest in rowing at Walbrook.
We have now concluded our Learn to Row Courses for 2023. We will be running courses again commencing sprint 2024. Please register interest here.
General Background on Courses
Throughout the year, we get many enquiries from people wishing to start rowing, or to continue learning after attending an “Introduction to Rowing” course. Each year we have a limited number of places for beginners. The club is run by volunteers. Members give their time to support beginners and help them get out on the water. Before joining a course, we strongly advise you to come to the Information Session at the club (Trowlock Way), and then attend one of the Tank Taster sessions (indoor rowing tank Molesey Boat Club).
After completing Intro 1 or Intro 2, participants will be able to join a follow on course. Further sessions will be arranged through the summer – possibly Monday evening, Wednesday evening, Saturday 1 pm. We will discuss this during the Intro course. Courses will only run if sufficient participants sign up.
Attendance: Rowing is a technical and physically active sport, which takes regular practise to improve. Please make every effort to attend the sessions. We need enough people to row the boat, so if you cannot attend due to illness etc we will have to make special arrangements. Please join the WhatsAp group when invited. There may be occasions where plans will have to change due to weather, availability of equipment or coaches but we will try to avoid this.
Progression: Walbrook starts its beginner courses in early Spring and Summer, since the weather and water conditions are safer and more suitable for learning. We typically offer 2 sessions per week, over 6 weeks, since it is hard to get a feel for the sport with any fewer. We aim to progress skills through the summer and then participants can decide whether they would like to pursue rowing seriously and join the club. These new members will join the “Developer Sessions” over the Autumn/Winter for regular coaching. Winter conditions require more experienced crews, in order to be safe and to progress. Our priority is to support those who have completed their introductory courses with Walbrook.
We look forward to seeing you!
Katherine Cook (Captain)
Diane Graham ( Chair)
info@WalbrookRC.co.uk
Information and Taster Sessions:
Introduction to Rowing “Intro1”:
| Wed | Sunday | Adult Beginners | Location | Instructions | ||
| 12-Mar | Info 2-4pm | Info Session 2-4pm for Adult Beginners Courses | Walbrook Rowing Club | email info@WalbrookRC.co.uk if you plan to attend, or just turn up. | ||
| 19-Mar | Tank Taster 10:45 for 11am | Tank Taster Session at indoor rowing tank | Molesey Boat Club | book your place on one of the tank sessions by emailing info@WalbrookRC.co.uk and registering on Loveadmin & paying online as requested to secure place. | ||
| 29-Mar | Tank Taster 6:45 for 7pm | Tank Taster Session at indoor rowing tank | Molesey Boat Club | book your place on one of the tank sessions by emailing info@WalbrookRC.co.uk and registering on Loveadmin & paying online as requested to secure place. |
| Wed | Wed 6.45 for 7 pm | Sunday | Sun 10:45-12:45 | Adult Beginners | Location | Instructions |
| 12-Apr | 16-Apr | Tank Intro1 | Intro 1 course starts – indoor tank | Molesey Boat Club | Read Welcome Doc for all instructions & ensure payment is made to secure your place. | |
| 19-Apr | Tank Intro1 | 23-Apr | Water Intro1 | Intro 1 continues – tank on Wed, club on Sunday | Wed – MBC. Sun – WRC | |
| 26-Apr | Water Intro1 | 30-Apr | Water Intro1 | Intro 1 continues | Walbrook RC | |
| 03-May | Water Intro1 | 07-May | No Session | Intro1 continues – Wed only | Walbrook RC | no session on Sunday – Coronation Holiday |
| 10-May | Water Intro1 | 14-May | Water Intro1 | Intro 1 continues | Walbrook RC | |
| 17-May | Water Intro1 | 21-May | Water Intro1 | Intro 1 continues | Walbrook RC | |
| 24-May | Water Intro1 | 28-May | No Session (Bank Hol) | Intro 1 concludes – Wed only | Walbrook RC | no session on Sunday – Bank Holiday |
Introduction to Rowing “Intro2”:
| Wed | Wed 6.45 for 7 pm | Sunday | Sun 10:45-12:45 | Adult Beginners | Location | Instructions |
| 31-May | 04-Jun | Tank Intro2 | Intro 2 course starts – indoor tank | Molesey Boat Club | Read Welcome Doc for all instructions & ensure payment is made to secure your place. | |
| 07-Jun | Tank Intro2 | 11-Jun | Water Intro2 | Intro 2 continues – tank on Wed, club on Sunday | Wed – MBC. Sun – WRC | |
| 14-Jun | Water Intro2 | 18-Jun | Water Intro2 | Intro 2 continues | Walbrook RC | |
| 21-Jun | Water Intro2 | 25-Jun | Water Intro2 | Intro 2 continues | Walbrook RC | |
| 28-Jun | Water Intro2 | 02-Jul | Water Intro2 | Intro 2 continues | Walbrook RC | |
| 05-Jul | Water Intro2 | 09-Jul | Water Intro2 | Intro 2 concludes | Walbrook RC |
Introduction to Rowing “Intro3”:
| Wed | Wed 10am | Adult Beginners | Location | Instructions |
| 26-Apr | Tank Intro3 | Intro 3 starts – tank | Molesey Boat Club | Read Welcome Doc for all instructions & ensure payment is made to secure your place. |
| 03-May | Tank Intro3 | Intro 3 continues – tank | Molesey Boat Club | |
| 10-May | Water Intro3 | Intro 3 continues | Walbrook RC | |
| 17-May | Water Intro3 | Intro 3 continues | Walbrook RC | |
| 24-May | Water Intro3 | Intro 3 continues | Walbrook RC | |
| 31-May | No Session | No session | no session – half term | |
| 07-Jun | Water Intro3 | Intro 3 continues | Walbrook RC | |
| 14-Jun | Water Intro3 | Intro 3 continues | Walbrook RC | |
| 21-Jun | Water Intro3 | Intro 3 continues | Walbrook RC | |
| 28-Jun | Water Intro3 | Intro 3 continues | Walbrook RC | |
| 05-Jul | Water Intro3 | Intro 3 continues | Walbrook RC | |
| 12-Jul | Water Intro3 | Intro 3 continues | Walbrook RC | |
| 19-Jul | Water Intro3 | Intro 3 concludes | Walbrook RC | |
| 26-Jul | if demand | |||
| 02-Aug | if demand | |||
| 09-Aug | if demand | |||
| 16-Aug | if demand | |||
| 23-Aug | if demand |
Follow On Courses (For those who have already completed Intro 1 or equivalent)
| Mon | Mon 6:45pm | Adult Beginners | Location | Instructions |
| 05-Jun | Fol 1 | Follow-On 1 starts | Walbrook RC | Read Welcome Doc for all instructions & ensure payment made. |
| 12-Jun | Fol 1 | Walbrook RC | ||
| 19-Jun | Fol 1 | Walbrook RC | ||
| 26-Jun | Fol 1 | Walbrook RC | ||
| 03-Jul | Fol 1 | Walbrook RC | ||
| 10-Jul | Fol 2 | Follow On 2 starts | Walbrook RC | Read Welcome Doc for all instructions & ensure payment made. |
| 17-Jul | Fol 2 | Walbrook RC | ||
| 24-Jul | Fol 2 | Walbrook RC | ||
| 31-Jul | Fol 2 | Walbrook RC |
Beginner Sessions (for those who attended Intro or Follow-on or equivalent): details tbc
| Mon | Mon 6:30pm | Wed | Wed 6.45 for 7 pm | Sunday | Sun 10:45-12:45 | Adult Beginners | Location |
| 12-Jul | Intro4 or Fol3 | 16-Jul | Intro4 or Fol3 | Adult Beginner sessions tbc | Walbrook RC | ||
| 19-Jul | Intro4 or Fol3 | 23-Jul | Intro4 or Fol3 | continue if demand | |||
| 26-Jul | Intro4 or Fol3 | 30-Jul | Intro4 or Fol3 | Discuss with coach | |||
| 02-Aug | Intro4 or Fol3 | 06-Aug | Intro4 or Fol3 | ||||
| 07-Aug | Beg 6:30pm | 09-Aug | Beg 6.30pm | 13-Aug | Beginners | ||
| 14-Aug | Beg 6:30pm | 16-Aug | Beg 6.30pm | 20-Aug | Beginners | ||
| 21-Aug | Beg 6:30pm | 23-Aug | Beg 6.30pm | 27-Aug | tbc | Bank Holiday | |
| 28-Aug | tbc | 30-Aug | tbc | 03-Sep | tbc | ||
| 04-Sep | Beg 6pm | 06-Sep | Beg 6pm | 10-Sep | Beginners | ||
| 11-Sep | Beg 6pm | 13-Sep | Beg 6pm | 17-Sep | Beginners | ||
| 18-Sep | Beg 6pm | 20-Sep | Beg 6pm | 24-Sep | Beginners | ||
| 25-Sep | Beg 6pm | 27-Sep | Beg 6pm | 01-Oct | Beginners |
Course Location:
Water sessions are held at Walbrook Rowing Club: https://walbrookrc.co.uk/contact-2/
Walbrook Teddington Rowing Club
Trowlock Way
Teddington, TW11 9QY
Tank sessions are held at the Molesey Boat Club rowing tank: https://www.moleseyboatclub.co.uk/
MOLESEY BOAT CLUB,
BARGE WALK OFF GRABURN WAY,
EAST MOLESEY,
SURREY,
KT8 9AJ
Costs:
Information Session: Free!
Tank Taster Sessions: £15 cash contribution to cover tank hire.
Intro 1: 11 sessions for £340. Min 4, Max 8 participants. Allow 2 hours.
Intro 2: 11 sessions for £340. Min 4, Max 8 participants. Allow 2 hours.
Intro 3: 12 sessions for £350. Min 4, Max 8 participants. Allow 2 hours.
Fol1 : 5 sessions for £140. Min 4, Max 8 participants. Allow 2 hours
Fol2 : 4 sessions for £110. Max 8 participants. Allow 2 hours
Beginner Sessions: for those who have attended Intro or Follow-on or equivalent. £ tbc
Before you Arrive:
For most people coming to rowing for the first time their primary aim is to get in a boat and have fun on the water as soon as possible. Some will want to develop this into a serious competitive pursuit and others will row purely for fitness and enjoyment. We have tried to develop our learn to row programme to cater for people with very variable backgrounds in fitness, flexibility and aspirations.
You will learn basic skills of boat confidence, balance, boat moving and manoeuvring. By learning these skills, you will develop rowing from a sound technical background. Unfortunately attending an “Introduction to Rowing” course will not improve your fitness level as the course is skills based. However, we will encourage you to take part in land activity that will improve your fitness.
Posture and flexibility are areas fundamental to injury prevention and skill in rowing and even experienced rowers need to work on core stability and strength. So please start some flexibility exercises before you come, aiming to touch your toes, sit with the underside of your feet touching each other and squat down into a sitting position. If you are a little rusty it doesn’t matter but the more flexible you are the better.
Our boats are very narrow, and you will need to have the flexibility to be able to sit down on a seat at approximately ankle height which is immediately behind your feet. You will also need to be able to stand up from this sitting position.
Please don’t be frightened to ask questions – no question is a silly question, and we will help you remember the vast new vocabulary you will be learning. Attached at the end are a few terms we will use fairly regularly. Please excuse us if we automatically use them – just stop us and ask us to explain.
What to Wear / Bring:
You will need to wear stretchy clothing – no jeans – which allows you complete freedom of movement.
As it is still cold out on the river and you will be moving quite slowly at first then several tops are useful as layers which can be taken off if you get hot. We recommend that these are not able to ride up when you are sitting down and are quite close fitting. Bare backs mean that muscles get cold and could lead to aching backs. Please no hoodies with pockets as hands get caught in these. It’s also not possible to row in gloves as this means you can’t feel the oar handle properly. Shoes are fitted in the boat but please arrive wearing trainers, which are left on the bank. We have never had any stolen but very expensive ones are not recommended. We ask that you wear socks in the shoes in the boat.
There are limited lockers available which require a padlock in the changing rooms so please do not bring any valuables onto site. Please lock them in your car. You may like to bring a small waterproof pouch for your car keys to fasten in the boat but please remember there is little spare room!
You will need to bring (depending on the weather):
several layers stretchy clothing, trainers and socks:
Water bottle
Sunglasses (there is glare on the river even on dull days)
Sun cream
Hat/visor
Lightweight waterproof jacket (we row in all weathers)
Change of kit and towel in case you fall in (but often needed if water splashes into the boat!)
Introduction to Rowing – objectives
By the end of each course participant should have: –
- mastered the coordination of the slide.
- mastered the main part of the stroke (hands body slide) and be able to row/scull in pairs/ alone whilst someone else sits the boat.
- be able to scull square blade and feathered whilst someone sits the boat.
- get in and out of the boat unaided
- be able to adjust unaided.
- know how to set up an ergo.
- know how to handle boats correctly.
- have a knowledge of equipment types (different boats, oars, riggers, gates),
- have a basic understanding of the rules of the river and potential hazards (navigation rules on the Teddington lock to Kingston Bridge stretch, when to turn, river / wind / temperature conditions).
Some terms we will regularly use
Back Down – Reverse rowing used to move the boat backwards or turn.
Backstops – When the rower sits with their legs straight and the blade handle in at their chest.
Blade – Also called an oar. Used to propel the boat.
Bow – Front of the boat or the rower who sits in the seat nearest the front of the boat.
Bow Ball – White rubber ball-shaped cap that sits over the bow end of the boat. It’s there for safety.
Canvas – The covered deck section of the bow and stern of the boat.
Catch – The moment at which the blade drops into the water and foot pressure is applied.
Collar – The plastic circular section of the blade, is pressed against the swivel when rowing. It can be moved along the sleeve to adjust the blade gearing.
Drive – The part of the stroke between the catch and extraction, when the blade is in the water and propels the boat. Also called the Power Phase.
Extraction or Finish – The removal of the blade from the water by applying downward pressure to the handle. Also called the Finish.
Feather – Blade spoon is parallel to the water. This is the position of the blade spoon for the recovery section of the stroke. Rowers must extract the blade from the water before feathering.
Fin – A metal or plastic plate attached to the underside of the boat towards the stern. It helps to keep the boat on course and prevents it from moving sideways.
Gate – The metal bar at the top of the swivel. Tightened with a screw fitting to secure the blade.
Heel Restraint – Attaches the heel of the rowing shoe to the foot plate. Will help the rower release their feet in a capsize.
Posture – Position of the back and hips during the stroke.
Rudder – Device under the boat that can be moved to make the boat change direction. Linked to a steering mechanism.
Saxboard – The sides of the boat above the waterline and around where the rowers sit.
Square – To turn the blade so that the spoon is at nearly 90 degrees to the water surface. This is done early during the recovery so that the rower is prepared for the catch.
Stretcher – A plate to which the boat shoes are attached. Secured with adjustable screws.
Tap Down – To lower the hands at the end of the stroke to remove the spoon from the water.
Trestle – Portable stands used to hold a boat for rigging, washing, checking etc.
Walbrook Rowing Club 