Inside shoulder hunched up

Symptom

Inside shoulder held high next to the earlobe and never relaxed during the stroke.

Cause and solution #1

Cause

Pulling too hard with the inside arm, common in people changing sides.

Solution

Establish that the inside hand controls feathering and squaring, and the outside hand draws the blade. Emphasized by the exercises: a. Paddling with the outside hand off the blade, b. Paddling with the inside hand down the loom.

Cause and solution #2

Cause

Hands too close together.

Solution

Check the position of the hands — they should be a minimum of two hands widths apart, but no more than shoulder width apart. A good method of establishing the correct position of the hands us to row with the outside hand off allowing the inside hands to find a position of comfortable draw, then replacing the outside hand close to the end of the oar handle.

Cause and solution #3

Cause

Grip of the inside hand too far over the oar handle.

Solution

Check the position of the grip, wrists and arms in a straight line during the draw.