Why we row backward
Updted 2023
The reason most Americans row backward today is because this is the way pre-industrial English river-men rowed their boats. Rear-facing rowing was taken up as sport by English university students, then exported to America. Sliding seats and other improvements were made. Eventually rules were set down, and rear facing rowing became an established sport. One of the rules is that you must row facing backwards.
Rowing, as an established sport, gets publicity. People see athletes on television rowing backwards, and if they live near a rowing club, they see club members rowing this way. People who row for recreation or exercise end up imitating this backward rowing style because it is what they are exposed to.
Forward facing rowing
In some parts of the world, rowing facing forwards is the prevailing style. The gondolas of Venice are a good example. They are rowed facing forward, standing up, and pushing on a single oar. The boats have developed to suit that style. Gondolas are stable enough to stand up in and their hulls are shaped with a sideways curve (like a banana) to compensate for the one-sided power application. Asian river men row their boats facing forward. Some people "scull" their boats using a single oar off the transom, waging it back and for forth like a fish's tail. Pre-industrial American fishermen used to row their boats facing forward, standing up, and push rowing with a pair of oars. This is sometimes referred to as the fisherman's stroke. Present day sailors sometimes push row their dinghies so they can see where they are going in crowded harbors.
So called "bow facing oars" have been around for more than a century. These are articulated two-piece oars with a hinge in the middle and a reversing mechanism. These were an alternative to traditional one-piece oar-on-gunwale oars used on wide-beamed boats, and allow the rower to face forward and row with a pulling motion. This was the type of oars used by Wesley Snipes in the movie "U.S. Marshals".
The newer Frontrower™ system uses a different type of oar (with the oarlock on the inboard end, rather than in the middle). This gives forward facing motion with a pulling stroke without any reversing mechanism.
Sliding Seats
The sliding seat was a convenient way for early sit-down rowers to get their leg power into the stroke during races. But it is not very efficient. This method involves clamping down your feet and moving your body back and forth on the sliding seat. You can do the same thing more efficiently by sitting on a fixed seat and moving your feet back and forth—this results in a lot less mass moving around in the boat and reversing direction two times every stroke.
Sliding Riggers
There was a short period in rowing history when competitive rowers used fixed seat boats with sliding riggers. This is more efficient than using a sliding seat. The rowers moved the riggers (and the rigger-mounted oarlocks) with their feet. Peter Michael Kolbe used this method to win the men's singles at the 1981 World Championships in Munich. In the 1982 World Championships five boats in the men's finals had fixed seats and sliding riggers. By 1983, all six finalists used fixed seat boats with sliding riggers.
After 1983, moving riggers were ruled ineligible for competition. So competitive rowers went back to sliding seats.
The newer Frontrower™ system uses moving pedals to develop leg power. This simple but effective method has even less mass moving around in the boat than the sliding riggers. Of course this violates the official rules of rowing, as does just about everything else about the FrontRower system.
Paddling
Paddling was probably invented long before rowing in pre-historic times. But rowing works better on larger boats where the rowers are farther away from the water and need to use long oars. Full body rowing uses more and larger muscles. So many people think it is better exercise. Recreational paddling is more about having fun than it is about getting a good workout. The forward facing position of paddling lends itself to exploring new territory and the visual enjoyment of seeing where you are going.
The forward facing position of the Frontrower™ system gives the visual advantages of recreational paddling, and the full-body stroke gives the exercise quality of rear facing sliding seat rowing.
The reason most Americans row backward today is because this is the way pre-industrial English river-men rowed their boats. Rear-facing rowing was taken up as sport by English university students, then exported to America. Sliding seats and other improvements were made. Eventually rules were set down, and rear facing rowing became an established sport. One of the rules is that you must row facing backwards.
Rowing, as an established sport, gets publicity. People see athletes on television rowing backwards, and if they live near a rowing club, they see club members rowing this way. People who row for recreation or exercise end up imitating this backward rowing style because it is what they are exposed to.
Forward facing rowing
In some parts of the world, rowing facing forwards is the prevailing style. The gondolas of Venice are a good example. They are rowed facing forward, standing up, and pushing on a single oar. The boats have developed to suit that style. Gondolas are stable enough to stand up in and their hulls are shaped with a sideways curve (like a banana) to compensate for the one-sided power application. Asian river men row their boats facing forward. Some people "scull" their boats using a single oar off the transom, waging it back and for forth like a fish's tail. Pre-industrial American fishermen used to row their boats facing forward, standing up, and push rowing with a pair of oars. This is sometimes referred to as the fisherman's stroke. Present day sailors sometimes push row their dinghies so they can see where they are going in crowded harbors.
So called "bow facing oars" have been around for more than a century. These are articulated two-piece oars with a hinge in the middle and a reversing mechanism. These were an alternative to traditional one-piece oar-on-gunwale oars used on wide-beamed boats, and allow the rower to face forward and row with a pulling motion. This was the type of oars used by Wesley Snipes in the movie "U.S. Marshals".
The newer Frontrower™ system uses a different type of oar (with the oarlock on the inboard end, rather than in the middle). This gives forward facing motion with a pulling stroke without any reversing mechanism.
Sliding Seats
The sliding seat was a convenient way for early sit-down rowers to get their leg power into the stroke during races. But it is not very efficient. This method involves clamping down your feet and moving your body back and forth on the sliding seat. You can do the same thing more efficiently by sitting on a fixed seat and moving your feet back and forth—this results in a lot less mass moving around in the boat and reversing direction two times every stroke.
Sliding Riggers
There was a short period in rowing history when competitive rowers used fixed seat boats with sliding riggers. This is more efficient than using a sliding seat. The rowers moved the riggers (and the rigger-mounted oarlocks) with their feet. Peter Michael Kolbe used this method to win the men's singles at the 1981 World Championships in Munich. In the 1982 World Championships five boats in the men's finals had fixed seats and sliding riggers. By 1983, all six finalists used fixed seat boats with sliding riggers.
After 1983, moving riggers were ruled ineligible for competition. So competitive rowers went back to sliding seats.
The newer Frontrower™ system uses moving pedals to develop leg power. This simple but effective method has even less mass moving around in the boat than the sliding riggers. Of course this violates the official rules of rowing, as does just about everything else about the FrontRower system.
Paddling
Paddling was probably invented long before rowing in pre-historic times. But rowing works better on larger boats where the rowers are farther away from the water and need to use long oars. Full body rowing uses more and larger muscles. So many people think it is better exercise. Recreational paddling is more about having fun than it is about getting a good workout. The forward facing position of paddling lends itself to exploring new territory and the visual enjoyment of seeing where you are going.
The forward facing position of the Frontrower™ system gives the visual advantages of recreational paddling, and the full-body stroke gives the exercise quality of rear facing sliding seat rowing.
Frontrower™ rowing system