![Coxing Oxford Eights](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Coxing_Oxford_Eights.JPG)
In a
rowing
Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically atta ...
crew, the coxswain ( ; colloquially known as the cox or coxie) is the member who does not row but steers the boat and faces forward, towards the
bow. The coxswain is responsible for steering the boat and coordinating the power and rhythm of the rowers. In some capacities, the coxswain is responsible for implementing the training regimen or race plan. Most coaches cannot communicate to boat/coxswain, so the coxswain is the "coach" in the boat. A coxswain is necessary in the first place because the rowers sit with their backs to the direction of travel.
In most racing, coxswains may be of either sex regardless of that of the rowers, and in fact are very often women, as the desired weight of a cox is generally as close to 125 lbs (USRowing) / 55 kg (World Rowing Federation) as possible; far more females than males fulfill that qualification (see Sex, and Weight, below).
Role
The role of a coxswain in a crew is to:
* Keep the boat and rowers safe at all times by properly steering the boat (according to the river or regatta rules and safety for the crew)
* Be in command of the boat at all times
* Coach the crew when the coach is not present
* Provide motivation and encouragement to the crew
* Provide feedback on the crew's performance both in and out of the races
* Make any necessary tactical decisions
* Organize and direct the crew at all times, including when putting the boat away etc.
* Be responsible for the vessel; in the event of a collision, the coxswain is accountable under maritime law as 'Master of the vessel' (although
the stroke
"The Stroke" is a song written and recorded by American rock artist Billy Squier. It was released in 1981 as the debut single from his 3× Platinum album '' Don't Say No''.
This was Squier's first single to chart, reaching No. 17 on the US ''B ...
may sometimes be the captain of the boat).
The coxswain is in charge of the shell. They are responsible for crew safety, which must be the prime concern. Along with steering, their role is to coach the crew. The cox acts as the coach's assistant, but in the absence of a coach, as is the case in a race, the cox becomes the coach. Being in the boat, the cox has a feel for what the crew need and a good view of technical errors. The cox needs to translate the coach's concerns into practical calls. The cox must be able to diagnose problems such as balance and coach the crew into appropriate corrective action. At the start of an outing the cox must be able to take the crew through a technical and physical warm-up so that the coach is presented with a crew which is able to start the training program and has recapped any points that the coach has been emphasising in previous outings. It is essential that the coach and the cox work in good harmony and show respect to each other all the time. It is also essential that the cox is briefed on what the coach wants to achieve in the outing from the point of view of building physical fitness, technical skill, and team spirit. A cox must be positive, a good motivator and very encouraging. While errors must be spotted and corrected, it is also important to catch someone getting it right where they have been struggling.
Steering the vessel
Rowing boats are designed for speed, not maneuverability, so steering requires effort. Coxswains may steer with either the tiller (a cable connected to the rudder), commands for increased "pressure" or strength from rowers on one side of the boat, or both, depending on what is necessary in the situation. In the most extreme cases, the coxswain may go "full tiller", turning the rudder to its maximum angle, and may enlist the rowers to help the boat turn faster. This technique is usually reserved for only the sharpest turns, as the sharp angle of the rudder increases drag and upsets the balance of the boat. For more conventional turns, the coxswain may move the tiller slightly to one side or the other over the course of a few strokes. To minimize disturbance of the boat's stability, the motion of the tiller must be smooth and not sudden. The coxswain may also initiate the turn during the drive phase of the stroke, when the propulsive force of the oar blades in the water helps stabilize the boat. For very small steering adjustments, the coxswain may move the tiller very subtly during the recovery phase of a single stroke. This technique is most effective at higher speeds and on straight courses, and must be used sparingly as motion of the tiller during the recovery can easily disturb the boat's balance.
Some coxswains advocate that the rudder should be applied ''only'' during the drive phase (and centered during the recovery phase), citing the fact that the boat is most stable when the oars are in the water and least stable when the oars are out of the water. The technique that often accompanies this view involves repeatedly moving the rudder back and forth over several strokes, making sure that the rudder is centered before every recovery. However, the rudder has much less steering power during the drive phase because of the very large forward propulsion force it must overcome. As a result, this technique often causes more boat drag due to longer rudder use, and the back-and-forth motion of the rudder tends to rock the boat.
The cox will also need to take into account the stream and the wind as well as the river. As a general rule, still waters do ''not'' run deep: rather the stream is strongest where the river is deepest. This explains why in
The Boat Race
The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. There are separate men's ...
coxes tend to steer in the centre of the river.
Coxless boats
A boat without a cox is known as a coxless or "straight" boat. Besides single and double sculls, straight pairs and fours are the most common coxless boats. Because of their speed and lack of maneuverability, eights without a cox are very rare and dangerous.
Sex
Coxswains may be of either sex, regardless of the sex of the rowers, under the rules of the
World Rowing Federation
World Rowing, also known as the World Rowing Federation (former abbreviation FISA; french: Fédération internationale des sociétés d'aviron), is the international governing body for rowing. Its current president is Jean-Christophe Rolland who ...
,
USRowing
The United States Rowing Association, commonly known as USRowing, is the national governing body for the sport of Rowing in the United States. It serves to promote the sport on all levels of competition, including the selection and training of t ...
British Rowing
British Rowing, formerly the Amateur Rowing Association (ARA), is the national governing body for the sport of rowing (both indoor and on-water rowing). It is responsible for the training and selection of individual rowers and crews representin ...
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the thre ...
,
Rowing Australia
Rowing Australia (RA) is the governing body for the sport of rowing in Australia.
Established in 1925, it is the only organisation recognised by the Federation Internationale des Societies d’Aviron (FISA), the Australian Sports Commission ( ...
, and
Rowing Canada
Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA), formally the Canadian Amateur Rowing Association, is a non-profit organization recognized by the Government of Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee as the national governing body for the sport of rowing in Canada. ...
.
Before 2017, the World Rowing Federation (then called "FISA") rules stated that coxswains must be the same sex as the rest of the crew. In 2017, the Federation voted overwhelmingly to change the rule so that the coxswain may now be of any sex under World Rowing rules. All rule changes applied immediately. New Zealand male cox
Sam Bosworth
Sam Bosworth (born 5 April 1994) is a New Zealand coxswain. He is an Olympic champion and was the first male coxswain to win an international elite rowing event in a female crew.
Private life
Bosworth was born on 5 April 1994 and is from Waipar ...
was assigned the New Zealand women's eight in March 2017, and when they won the June 2017
World Rowing Cup
The World Rowing Cup is an international rowing competition organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). It began in 1997 and comprises three regattas (apart from in 2001 when there were four) held throughout early summer. In each even ...
II in
Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...
, Poland, he was the first male cox to win an international women's rowing event.
Weight
It is advantageous for the cox to be light – as there is less weight for the crew to move. However, weight is generally considered of minor importance compared to steering, coaching, and motivational ability.
An
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
physics lecturer estimated that an additional of deadweight in an
eight causes a 0.2% loss in speed, which would equate to 0.6 seconds for a six minute race, or , approximately one fifth of a boat length.
The World Rowing Federation minimum weight for coxswains is 55 kilograms (121.25 pounds) in racing uniform. If a cox is underweight they are required to make up the weight with a deadweight up to a maximum of 15 kg, and the deadweight must be carried as close as possible to the cox (usually a sandbag). Articles of racing equipment (e.g. cox boxes, water bottles) cannot be considered as part of the deadweight. Similar deadweight rules are used in the United States.
Cox box
Coxes in all boats can use a
cox box, most models of which show the rate in strokes per minute of the person sitting in the stroke seat (the seat at the rear of the boat, from whom the rate of strokes per minute and timing is taken).
Additional features include:
* a stopwatch started automatically at the first full stroke
* stroke ratings over time
* GPS speed measurement
* Ratio of the power phase to recovery (speed of oars through the water versus returning out of the water for the next stroke)
* 500 meter split times
* Stroke count
* Metronome for stroke rates
However the primary function of a cox box is to amplify the coxswain's voice, using a microphone connected to
loudspeakers
A loudspeaker (commonly referred to as a speaker or speaker driver) is an Acoustical engineering#Electroacoustics, electroacoustic transducer that converts an electrical audio signal into a corresponding sound. A ''speaker system'', also often ...
in the boat. This means that the cox needs only to speak for all rowers to hear their voice.
For an eight-man crew three or four speakers are set down the length of the boat; for a four-man crew two speakers are used. Pairs may not have speakers if coxed from the stern but will have one if coxed from the bow (in front of the rowers).
Historically the cox would have carried (or strapped to their head) a conical, unpowered megaphone to amplify their voice.
Notes
References
Further reading
* Various Authors
Boys' Life 1933 — Further information on the role of the Coxswain.
{{Authority control
Rowing positions