Timing, for all intents and purposes, limits most rowers to two points in the stroke: catch and finish, the beginning and the end. But the catch and finish, though important, account for only a very brief part of the stroke cycle - mere hundredths of a second. Unfortunately, so much else that happens in between, including drive speed, body swing, arms away, and breathing, is often lost to this focus on just the catch and finish.
Precision, on the other hand, is what most coaches mean when they talk about timing. Precision is timing, synchronicity, body angles, and power all wrapped up into one. Precisions is:
- driving the legs down together from the catch;
- waiting to open your body with the rest of the boat;
- swinging at the same time;
- matching your body angles at the finish;
- pushing the arms away at the same speed;
- leading the recovery with your body; and
- controlling your legs up the recovery;
- balancing your reach over the rigger;
- inhaling just before taking the catch; and
- exhaling right at the finish with your crew;
- applying consistent pressure every stroke; and
- accelerating as one boat; and, of course
- getting the blade in and out of the water together.
Below is a good example from the US Marine Corps of precision.
Courtesy of YouTube and not an endorsement of the US Marine Corps
