What is rowing like for a beginner?

There is something about rowing that people find irresistible once they have seen it at dawn: mist on the river, the clunk of oars in the gates, a boat sliding past in near-silence. The reality of the first session is a little less elegant, and a great deal more fun.

Learn-to-row courses

Rowing clubs often teach newcomers through short courses, usually a few weekly sessions with a coach, on the water and sometimes on rowing machines in the club gym. Nottingham Rowing Club, as one example, describes its Learn to Row course as weekly coached sessions that start beginners in stable recreational boats before they move into narrower, faster ones.

Expect a course to cover:

• Carrying and launching boats, which is a team job and a surprising part of the sport.
• Getting in and out without going in, which is the first great achievement.
• The basic stroke, in parts, then joined together.
• Steering, stopping and safety, including what to do if a boat tips.

Ask the club about any swimming requirement before you go on the water, and always follow the club's safety rules and the coach's instructions.

Sculling and sweep

Rowing comes in two families.

• Sculling: each rower holds two oars, one in each hand, as in a single scull.
• Sweep rowing: each rower has one oar, usually held with both hands, with the crew's oars split between the two sides of the boat. Wikipedia's sweep rowing entry lists pairs, fours and eights.

Some clubs, Nottingham included, teach beginners to scull first. Sculling teaches balance in a direct way, because both sides of the boat are your responsibility. Sweep comes later, once you join a crew.

What it feels like

• The rhythm. A good stroke is legs, then body, then arms, and then the same in reverse on the way back. In a crew everyone must do it together, which is the hard part and the beautiful part.
• The balance. Rowing boats are narrow. Beginner boats are wider and steadier, but it still takes a few sessions before you stop gripping the oars as if they owed you money.
• The pace. Early sessions are slow, with lots of stopping to talk. That is normal.
• The early mornings. Many clubs row early because the water is calm and the river is quiet. Some people discover they love this.
• The company. Rowing is intensely sociable. There is no such thing as a quick visit to the boathouse.

The rowing machine as a preview

An indoor rower is a good way to get a sense of the movement before you commit, and it is also where clubs often teach the sequence of the stroke. It does not teach balance, timing in a crew or what a river feels like, but it gives your legs and back an idea of what is coming. Our guide to using a rowing machine properly explains the basic stroke.

Is it for you?

Rowing suits people who like routine, water, teamwork and a bit of ritual. It suits people who enjoy feeling a crew come together after weeks of practice. It suits people who are happy to get up early on a Saturday, or at least to complain about it with friends. It is less suited to people who want to turn up whenever they like, since crew boats need everyone there.