Back splash, forward splash, v-splash, no splash? I’ve seen differing opinions on what kind of a splash you should be seeing at the catch. How confusing!

This tiny video manages to explain it nicely.

Back splash = early catch

Forward splash = late catch

Small upward splash = just right (Goldilocks splash?)

Australia’s Nick Garratt likes a bigger splash as long as it’s an equal splash in front of and behind the blade, not just a back splash:

Some of the comments on this video are interesting e.g. why have a big splash when it’s the boat you want to move, not the water? And is a big forward splash a sign of too much upper body?

Garratt’s response is essentially that this big v-splash is what you will see in winning crews.

Hmmm… hard to argue with that.

[Photo: World Rowing]