With Two Oars: Reflections on Sculling

by William B. Irvine

WITH TWO OARS explores the art and science of sculling. Written with intermediate and advanced-intermediate rowers in mind, it addresses questions any thoughtful rower will want answered, including What is boat set, and why is it important? Who is smarter, rowers or their oars? How can you avoid splashing at the catch? How can you row "with your ears"? Where should your foot stretchers be set? What role does hydrodynamic lift play in sculling? Should your hands be symmetrical at the catch? Why should strong rowers care about form?

156 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2013

About the author

William B Irvine is professor of philosophy at Wright State University. The author of seven books, including A Guide to the Good Life, he has also written for the Huffington Post, Salon, Time, and the BBC. He lives in Dayton, Ohio.

Reviews

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an intermediate, mostly recreational rower, I found this book very useful. It's written in a friendly tone -- not the hectoring voice of perfection bad rowing coaches seem drawn to -- and it's very thoughtful. Things are explained, not dictated. The overall theme is how to achieve and maintain "set" -- balance, side-to-side, front-to-back -- and how small changes in technique can have surprising consequences.

Note -- it's about sculling (the two oars part?), and largely single sculling; if you're looking for something on sweep technique, this isn't it.

[cellomerl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a truly useful book. I got a lot of technical tips that I put into use straight away, and it has really helped my sculling. In only a few days I've seen my splits improve as a result of improving my boat set. This book would benefit from some diagrams, it is a very detailed and arcane discussion that would bore you senseless if you weren't a sculler (of course), and he makes a few bald statements that I believe are a bit of a credibility stretch, but in all I'd certainly recommend this to any athlete who is serious about improving his/her rowing technique. I liked the author's inclusiveness in speaking to both men and women, and his honesty about how the sport favours a certain body type.