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»|r ft:: M .\"^M-OJ: L R t ^ BOAT EACINa OB THE ARTS ^ ROWING AND TRAINING. EDWIN DAMPIEE BRICKWOOD (AMATEUR EX-CHAMPION OF THE THAMES). 'Sew Edition. I 6;o not tbln'i itjiat ?ni^ o4<? ,n.^iiQi,;tAe,'Syr)>ii, excepted, to whom the knowledge of the Axk came, did find out at once the device ' ' > of either ship.'oi: boat."' , , Ealeigh's Essays. 7377 LONDON: HORACE COX, 346, STRAND, W.C. 1876. : fff lCI.33^ LOXUOK PRINTED MX HORACE COX, 340, STRAND, W.i •• ! « • • • • • • « • •• • «•« • • \ •• • «•« c itiHiitin. GEORGE MOERISON, Esq., OF BALLIOL COLLEGE, OXFORD, THIS WORK IS INSCRIBED, AS A TOKEN OF ESTEEM AND GRATITUDE, ET HI!? OBLIGED FRIEND, THE AUTHOR. PREFACE. Ten years have elapsed since the republication, under the title of "The Arts of Rowing and Training/^ of a series of articles which, from time to time, appeared in the columns of the Field newspaper, and which, with several original chapters subsequently added, were designed to form a manual on boatracing. This manual, on its completion, was submitted to a gentle- man who was not only an accomplished oarsman him- self, but the most experienced coach of his day ; and, having been revised by him before passing into the hands of the printer, embodied the precepts which, under his personal instruction, mainly contributed to the repeated successes of Oxford crews in the Univer- sity Boat Race, and at a later period to the turn of the tideinfavour of Cambridge. The principles enunciated in it were, consequently, not wanting in authority. As the book has long been out of print, and a new VI PREFACE. edition is called for, advantage has been taken of tlie present reissue to rewrite it, and to supplement it with such information as will render it more complete than hitherto, and bring it into harmony with modern usage—great changes, such as the invention of the sliding seat, the abolition of coxswains in four oars, and the practice of steering by means of the feet of one of the oarsmen rowing in a crew, having brought about a revolution in bop-t racing almost as complete as the supercession of the old-fashioned inrigged craft by the modern outrigger, upwards of thirty years ago. An important alteration, too, has taken place in the conduct of boat races, for it was found that, owing to various causes, the original rules scarcely met the questions which, from time to time, arose in disputed races, and this was more especially the case in water- men^s matches. An entirely new code of boatracing laws consequently became necessary, and were drawn up by a congress of boating men in 1872. The results of their deliberations—which, by the way, have been productive of much benefit—are given, with explana- tions in the proper place. In regard to other points incidental to boat racing, in which my own experience as an arbiter has not been PREFACE. Vii sufficient to dispel any doubts that may have arisen in my mind as to the best course to pursue, I have consulted an authority than whom none ranks higher —Mr. John Ireland, of the London Rowing Club, and for his valuable advice and assistance I must not fail to express my acknowledgments ; as well as to the "Head of the Water'' at St. Peter's College, for a perusal of the " Ledger " containing the early records of boating at Westminster. From the works of Mr. McMichael on the " Oxford and Cambridge Boat-races;" Mr. Knollys on "Boat- ing at Oxford ; Mr. Blake-Humfrey on " Eton Boating;" " Stonehenge" on "British Rural Sports; " the Oxford pamphlet, the " Principles of Rowing and Steering ; " the " American Oarsman's Manual," kindly presented to me by the author ; Dr. Edward " " Smith on Practical Dietary ; Mr. McClaren on " " Training ; as well as several aquatic guide-books now out of print, I have occasionally borrowed in my text : and to Messrs. Barraud and Jerrard, of Gloucester- place, I am indebted for the excellent photograph of the Grand Challenge Cup, from which the vignette on the cover of this book has been engraved. For imperfections in style, and for possible short- comings in the historical records, I must beg my Vlll PREFACE. readers' indulgence ; but the difficulty of verifying tlie latter has been almost insurmountable. Still, if boating men are disposed to regard this work as an authority, in the future as in the past, I shall be amply rewarded for my labours. E. D. B. The Temple, London, March, 1876. CONTENTS. PART l.-ROWING. CHAPTER TAGP I. Introduction : Past and Present Condition of Boat- racing 1 II. Racing Boats : Their History and Fittings . 10 III. The Sliding Seat : Its Invention, Adoption, and Theory 26 IV. How to Use an Oar, and Sculls 40 V. Faults and Errors : What to avoid 59 VI. Steering : Coxswain and Non-coxswain .... 66 VII. Teaching Beginners 78 VIII. Coaching for Races, and Selection of Crews . 88 IX. The Varieties and Conduct of Boatraces. 102 X. The Laws of Boatracing 116 XI. The Qualifications of Amateurs 128 XII. Boat Clubs: Their Organisation and Adminis- tration 135 XIII. Historical Records, a.d. 1715 to 1838 .... 147 XIV. „ „ A.D. 1839 to 1855 .... 163 XV. „ „ A.D. 1856 to 1875 .... 177 h X CONTENTS. PART H.-TRAININC. CHAPTER PAGE XVI. Its Priuciples 197 XVII. Its Practice 206 XVIII. Prohibitions, Ailments, &c 221 APPENDIX. Kules for Betting 235 iHi'EX 277 THE ARTS ROWING AND TRAINING. PART I-ROWING. CHAPTEE I. Introductory Eemarks : Past and Present Condition of Boat Eacing. Boating is a sport whicli has long been popular with the youth of the day^ and which grows in favour the more it is practised,, and the better it is understood. Not only is it followed as a relaxation and an amuse- mentj but it may almost be said to have become a part of the physical discipline which is now on all hands admitted to be not incompatible with, but positively conducive to, that mental and moral training, in view of the more serious business of life, which forms our national education. Field sports and athletic exercises, among which none is less objectionable than rowing, are now recognised not only as an integral B 2 ROWING. part but a necessity of any sound system of instruction. Mens Sana v/ill be found in corjjore sano. The author '' of " Tom Brown^s School Days^ —himself an instance of combined muscular Christianity and intellectual development—has shown us that mind and muscle are not necessarily antagonistic, and that Tom Brown at Oxford was no lower in the class lists for being an accomplished athlete. Again, George Denman, now on the Bench, was not prevented from attaining the highest honours of the Classical Tripos by twice rowing in the Cambridge crew against the sister University. The battle of Waterloo was said by the Iron Duke to have been won on the playing fields of Eton. Hence the value of these exercises not only as a means to the enjoyment of health, but as aiding to form character and discipline the intellect. And in after life how essential it is for the maintenance of the necessary equilibrium^ that the over-wrought brain should find some relaxation in the sports of the field, to enable it to return refreshed and renewed to take its part in the daily struggle for existence : and though in this case, recourse is not had to the racing boat, yet change of air and scene, bodily fatigue, and physical exertion, are yearly sought and undergone by the hardworked man of business, who departs for his shooting or fishing in the north, or for a cruise in his yacht in the Channel, with this end in view. Rowing, as practised at the present day, combines more completely than any other open air sport the best features of physical training. Its prominent value as an exercise consists in its bringing into play a great number of muscles and bodily organs, thus INTRODUCTION. 3 imparting vigour to tlie wliole frame ; and since tlie art is acquired only by long continued and assiduous practice^ it is tlie more susceptible of being influenced by a judicious system of bodily preparation and training. In comparing tlie relative merits of different kinds of sports as regards tbeir effects on tbe mind as well as on the body, that one may be assumed to be the best which affords the most ample scope for the employment of the greatest number of the highest faculties; and which, while calling into play the full measure of muscular strength and physical endurance, still renders the body perfectly subordinate to, and a quickly responsive and willing instrument of, the mind. Tried by such a test, rowing stands exceptionally high, particularly when we consider it under the aspect of its use in racing ; for where success has to be striven for in vigorous and excited competition, not only are strength and endurance needed, but also plenty of that high moral quality known as ^^pluck,^^ and a correct and delicate appreciation of the best time and method of applying, utilizing to their utmost, and perfectly controlling, the forces employed. Modern improvements in racing boats have reduced the rowing of the present day to a finer art than ever, rendering it less than formerly the rude conflict of force it was in the early days of racing boats, when such contests were commonly mere exhibitions of uncultivated powers propelling heavy bulks by main strength. Boat racing was not much in vogue until the latter part of the eighteenth, and the beginning of the present century—rowing until then having mainly been used for the conveyance of passengers and goods.

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