From Doctor Rowing: Responding to the debate about whether a micro-pause is a good idea in a rowing stroke, reader Bill Pickard suggested that I ask USRowing Chief High Performance Officer Josy Verdonkschot what he thinks. I got a quick answer:
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As an exercise, a micro-pause can be helpful as a collection point for the crew and, if executed well, for working on a clean exit and proper bladework. When extracting, there should be no pull into the body, just a vertical motion of the blade. The body should be relaxed in the shoulders and strong in the core, ready to continue the pendular motion to initiate the recovery.
From a biomechanical standpoint, the rower’s force and weight go down at the finish. This interrupts the acceleration of the boat and is detrimental to speed. That’s why I don’t support a micro-pause in a regular row. I want the rower to feel how the boat moves around the finish with as little interruption as possible.
To me, the finish includes the initiation of change of direction; therefore, I prefer a more natural moment to a micro-pause—when the knees begin opening, around quarter slide. The rower develops more feeling for the boat and boat speed in this way.
