30 Must-Know Rowing Terms, Phrases and Slang

67 rowing terms explained, from catch, drive and feathering to cox, power ten and way enough, plus the sayings rowing gave English.

Rowing terminology is half boat-building and half shouted command, and a newcomer meets both in the first outing. What follows is a glossary of rowing terms in the order they come up: the words related to rowing equipment, the words associated with the stroke itself, and the calls the coxswain makes over the crew. If you only need one line on a single term, use the rowing glossary further down.

New to the sport? Our guide to rowing rules explains how a race is run and won, which makes most of the terms below fall into place.

👉 Think you know rowing? Test yourself with our Rowing Quiz.

Must-Know Rowing Terms, Phrases and Slang:

1. Blade
2. Bow
3. Coxswain
4. Catch
5. Drive
6. Ergometer
7. Feathering
8. Finish
9. Foot Stretcher
10. Gunwale
11. Keel
12. Lightweight
13. Oar
14. Port
15. Power Ten
16. Quad
17. Regatta
18. Rigger
19. Scull
20. Shell
21. Slide
22. Starboard
23. Stern
24. Stroke
25. Sweep
26. Waterline
27. Way enough
28. Catch a crab
29. Yaw
30. Bow ball

Rowing Glossary: Every Term A to Z

Terms B to C

Term	What It Means
Back it down	The command to row backward to move the boat in reverse.
Blade	The flat end of the oar that enters the water. Its shape decides how the stroke feels and how the boat moves.
Bow	The front of the boat, and the rower sitting closest to it.
Bow ball	The soft ball fixed to the very tip of the bow, required for safety so a collision does not spear another boat.
Bucket rig	A rigging where two neighboring rowers have their oars on the same side, breaking the usual alternating pattern.
Bumps race	A race in which crews start in a line and try to catch the boat in front, held at Oxford and Cambridge.
Catch	The moment the blade drops into the water and the stroke begins.
Catch a crab	The blade gets caught in the water at the finish and the handle is driven into the rower’s body. It stops the boat and looks worse than it is.
Collar	The ring on the oar sleeve that sits against the oarlock and sets the gearing.
Cox	Short for coxswain, the person who steers and calls the commands.
Coxed pair	A sweep boat for two rowers and a cox, written 2+.
Coxless four	A sweep boat for four rowers without a cox, written 4-.
Coxswain	The crew member who steers, calls the race plan and sets the rhythm. Usually seated in the stern facing the rowers.
Crew	A rowing team, and the American name for the sport itself.

Terms D to L

Term	What It Means
Double	A sculling boat for two rowers, written 2x.
Drive	The powered half of the stroke, legs first, then back, then arms.
Eight	A sweep boat with eight rowers and a coxswain. The fastest boat class on the water.
Engine room	The middle seats of an eight, where the biggest rowers usually sit and most of the power comes from.
Ergometer	The rowing machine, called an erg. Used for training and for testing, and disliked in equal measure.
Feathering	Turning the blade flat to the water during the recovery so it cuts the air and clears the surface.
Finish	The end of the drive, where the handle comes into the body and the blade leaves the water.
Foot Stretcher	The adjustable footplate the rower’s shoes are attached to.
Four	A sweep boat with four rowers, with or without a coxswain.
Gate	The bar that closes the oarlock over the oar.
Gunwale	The strip along the top edge of the boat’s side, pronounced gunnel. It carries the riggers and stiffens the shell.
Head race	A long-distance race against the clock, with boats starting one after another instead of side by side.
Keel	The line running along the bottom of the hull, which keeps the boat straight and balanced.
Launch	The coach’s motorboat.
Let it run	The command to stop rowing and hold the blades off the water.
Lightweight	A racing category with a weight limit for crew members.

Terms O to R

Term	What It Means
Oar	The lever that moves the boat: handle, shaft and blade.
Oarlock	The swiveling gate on the end of the rigger that holds the oar and lets it turn.
Pair	A sweep boat with two rowers, one oar each. Technically the hardest boat to balance.
Piece	A set stretch of rowing at a given rate or effort, the basic unit of a training session.
Pin	The vertical post on the rigger that the oarlock turns on.
Port	The left side of the boat looking forward. Rowers on that side are called port rowers.
Power Ten	Ten strokes at full effort, called by the coxswain to move on another crew or to break away.
Puddle	The swirl of water the blade leaves behind at the finish. Coaches read them to judge the stroke.
Quad	A sculling boat with four rowers, two oars each.
Rate	Strokes per minute. Races are usually started high, settled in the middle and lifted again at the end.
Ratio	The balance of time between the drive and the slower recovery.
Recovery	The half of the stroke between finish and catch, when the rower slides forward with no power applied.
Regatta	A rowing competition, from a club event up to Henley or a world championship.
Release	Another word for the finish, when the blade comes out of the water.
Repechage	A second-chance race for crews that did not qualify directly from the heats.
Rigger	The frame reaching out from the side of the shell that carries the oarlock.
Rudder	The small blade under the hull that steers the boat, worked by the coxswain or by a rower’s foot.
Run	How far the boat glides between strokes.

Terms S to Y

Term	What It Means
Scull	Rowing with two oars, one in each hand. Also the boat used to do it.
Set	The lateral balance of the boat. A boat that is down to one side is off set.
Shell	The racing boat: long, narrow and built for as little drag as possible.
Single scull	A one-person sculling boat.
Skying	Lifting the blade too high above the water before the catch.
Slide	The track the seat runs on, which lets the rower use the legs through the full stroke.
Split	The time it would take to row 500 meters at the current pace. The number rowers watch on the erg.
Square	Turning the blade upright before the catch.
Starboard	The right side of the boat looking forward.
Stern	The back of the boat, opposite the bow.
Stroke	The rower nearest the stern, who sets the rhythm the rest of the crew follows.
Sweep	Rowing with one oar held in both hands, one rower per side.
Swing	The feeling when a crew moves as one and the boat suddenly runs easily. Hard to produce on demand.
Walking	Moving up on another crew stroke by stroke during a race, seat by seat.
Washing out	When the blade comes out of the water before the end of the drive.
Waterline	The line where the hull sits in the water. An even waterline means the weight is spread right.
Way enough	The command to stop rowing and let the boat run. Often written and pronounced weigh enough.
Weigh enough	The same command as way enough, spelled the way most crews say it.
Yaw	The side-to-side swing of the bow. Uneven rowing causes it and it costs speed.

What Is It Called When…? Rowing Terms by Situation

Know what happened but not the word for it? Find the situation on the left and the rowing term on the right.

When…	It Is Called
The cox tells the crew to stop rowing	Way enough
The oar gets stuck in the water and hits you	Catch a crab
The crew goes all out for ten strokes	Power ten
The blade enters the water	Catch
The blade comes out of the water	Finish
You turn the blade flat over the water	Feathering
You push with the legs through the stroke	Drive
You slide back up to the catch	Recovery
You row with two oars	Sculling
You row with one oar	Sweep
The person sits in the back and steers	Coxswain
The rower sits nearest the stern and sets the pace	Stroke
You train on a rowing machine	Erging
The whole crew moves in perfect rhythm	Swing
The crew row backward	Backing down
The race starts one boat after another against the clock	Head race
The blade comes out early before the end of the stroke	Washing out
You lose the race but get a second chance	Repechage

#1 Blade

The flat end of the oar that goes into the water. Most racing blades today are the asymmetric hatchet or cleaver shape, which replaced the older, narrower Macon blade. Clubs paint their blades in their own colors, so a crew can be recognized from the bank long before the faces can.

In a sentence: “Square the blade early and bury it before you push.”

#2 Bow

The front of the boat, which crosses the finish line first. Because rowers sit facing backward, the bow is behind them. The rower in the seat nearest the bow is also called bow, and in a coxless boat that rower often steers and calls the commands.

In a sentence: “Bow, take a look over your shoulder, there’s a launch ahead.”

#3 Coxswain

The crew member who steers the boat, calls the race plan and motivates the rowers, usually shortened to cox. In an eight the cox sits in the stern facing the crew or lies in the bow of some fours. Coxes are small and light because every kilogram has to be carried, and World Rowing sets a minimum weight topped up with dead weight.

In a sentence: “The cox called a power ten right as we passed their bow.”

#4 Catch

The moment the blade drops into the water at the start of the stroke, with the rower fully compressed on the slide. A quick, clean catch locks the blade on and moves the boat at once. Splashing water back toward the stern means the blade went in late.

In a sentence: “Quicker at the catch, you’re missing water.”

#5 Drive

The working part of the stroke, from the catch to the finish. The order is legs first, then the back swings open, and the arms draw in last. Most of the power comes from the legs pushing against the foot stretcher.

In a sentence: “Legs, back, arms, keep the sequence on the drive.”

#6 Ergometer

The rowing machine, almost always called an erg. Crews use it for fitness and for selection, because the monitor shows split and distance with no boat or weather in the way. The 2,000 meter erg test is the standard benchmark in the sport.

In a sentence: “Selection comes down to your 2k erg score.”

#7 Feathering

Turning the blade flat, parallel to the water, as it comes out at the finish, and squaring it again before the catch. A feathered blade cuts less air and clears the water more easily. Beginners often row square blades at first to learn the stroke.

In a sentence: “Feather after the blade is out of the water, not before.”

#8 Finish

The end of the drive, when the handle reaches the body and the blade is lifted out by pushing the hands down. Also called the release or extraction. A clean finish keeps the boat moving and sets up the recovery.

In a sentence: “Hold the finish, don’t wash out early.”

#9 Foot Stretcher

The adjustable footplate with shoes or straps where the rower’s feet are fixed. Its position decides where the catch and finish fall relative to the pin. Every rower adjusts it before getting on the water.

In a sentence: “Move your foot stretcher one hole toward the stern.”

#10 Gunwale

The top edge of the side of the boat, pronounced “gunnel”. In racing shells it is a reinforced strip that carries the riggers. Rowers are taught never to step on it when getting in, only on the step plate or the keel line.

In a sentence: “Hold the gunwale with one hand and step on the plate, not the hull.”

#11 Keel

The line running along the center of the boat’s bottom from bow to stern. Racing shells have no real keel to keep them upright, so the crew balance the boat themselves. A level boat is said to be sitting on its keel.

In a sentence: “Hands level, keep her on the keel.”

#12 Lightweight

A weight category in rowing. Under World Rowing rules a lightweight men’s crew must average no more than 70 kg with no rower above 72.5 kg, and women’s crews 57 kg with a 59 kg maximum. Lightweight events were in the Olympics from 1996 to 2024.

In a sentence: “She has to be under weight by tomorrow morning to race lightweight.”

#13 Oar

The long pole used to move the boat, with a handle at one end and the blade at the other. In sweep rowing each rower holds one oar with both hands. The two oars in a sculling boat are called sculls and are shorter.

In a sentence: “Carry the oars down to the dock before the boat.”

#14 Port

The left side of the boat from the cox’s view, which is the rower’s right because rowers face the stern. In Britain a port side rower is also called stroke side. Commands like “back it down on port” refer to the oars on that side.

In a sentence: “Port side, take it light while starboard brings us round.”

#15 Power Ten

A call by the cox for ten strokes at maximum effort, often to make a move on another crew or answer theirs. Crews sometimes plan power tens into their race plan, for example at the 1,000 meter mark.

In a sentence: “On this one, power ten, go!”

#16 Quad

A boat for four scullers, each with two oars, written 4x. Coxless quads are the Olympic version, and coxed quads are common in junior rowing. It is one of the fastest boat classes after the eight.

In a sentence: “The quad hit 500 meters a length up.”

#17 Regatta

A rowing competition with several races, usually side by side in lanes over 2,000 meters. The word comes from Venetian boat races. Henley Royal Regatta, first held in 1839, is the most famous.

In a sentence: “We race three times at the regatta on Saturday.”

#18 Rigger

The metal or carbon frame bolted to the side of the boat that holds the oarlock away from the hull. Riggers give the oars the leverage they need and can be adjusted for height and spread. Wing riggers attach behind the rower in a single arm.

In a sentence: “Tighten the rigger bolts before we boat.”

#19 Scull

Rowing with two oars, one in each hand, and also the name for each of those oars. Sculling boats are the single, double and quad. The single scull is often called the single, written 1x.

In a sentence: “She started sculling in a single at twelve.”

#20 Shell

A racing boat: long, narrow and very light, built from carbon fiber or wood. An eight is about 17 to 18 meters long. Shells are fragile, so crews carry them upside down above their heads or on their shoulders.

In a sentence: “Hands on the shell, ready to lift.”

#21 Slide

The pair of tracks on which the rower’s seat rolls back and forth. The sliding seat lets the legs drive the stroke and is what separates modern rowing from fixed-seat rowing. Coaches talk of half slide or full slide in drills.

In a sentence: “Half slide for five strokes, then full slide.”

#22 Starboard

The right side of the boat from the cox’s view, the rower’s left. British clubs also call it bow side. In most eights the stroke seat rows on port and starboard rowers alternate with them down the boat.

In a sentence: “Starboard, give me a bit more pressure into the bend.”

#23 Stern

The back of the boat, which leads in the rowers’ line of sight because they face it. The cox of an eight sits in the stern, and the rudder and fin are mounted there.

In a sentence: “Cox in the stern, ready to come forward.”

#24 Stroke

One full cycle of catch, drive, finish and recovery. It is also the rower in the seat nearest the stern, who sets the rhythm the rest of the crew follow. Stroking a boat means sitting in that seat.

In a sentence: “Follow stroke, she sets the rhythm.”

#25 Sweep

Rowing with one oar per person, held in both hands. Sweep boats are pairs, fours and eights, with oars alternating between port and starboard. Most rowers specialize in one side.

In a sentence: “He rows sweep in the eight and sculls in the winter.”

#26 Waterline

The line where the hull meets the water. Every boat is built for a crew weight range, and a crew too heavy for the hull sits deeper than its design waterline, which slows it down.

In a sentence: “You’re sitting below the waterline, we need the heavyweight shell.”

#27 Way enough

The command to stop rowing, given by the cox or the steering rower. It is often pronounced and written “weigh enough”, and both spellings are in use. The crew finish the stroke they are on and let the boat run.

In a sentence: “Way enough! Let it run.”

#28 Catch a crab

When a blade gets caught in the water at the finish and cannot be pulled out, so the handle hits the rower in the chest or stomach. In a bad crab the rower is thrown back or even out of the boat. It usually comes from feathering too early or rough water.

In a sentence: “Number five caught a crab right off the start.”

#29 Yaw

The swing of the bow from side to side around the boat’s center. Uneven pressure between port and starboard or a late catch on one side makes the boat yaw and loses speed. The fin under the stern helps limit it.

In a sentence: “Even pressure, the boat is yawing every stroke.”

#30 Bow ball

The rubber ball fixed to the tip of the bow. It protects people in a collision and is required on racing boats by World Rowing rules. In a photo finish the race is decided by the bow ball crossing the line.

In a sentence: “We won by a bow ball.”

Rowing Slang Players and Fans Actually Use

Slang	What It Means
Erg	The rowing machine, and as a verb, to train on it.
Swing	The rare feeling when the whole crew moves in perfect time and the boat seems to fly.
Engine room	The middle seats of an eight, usually filled with the biggest and strongest rowers.
Puddle	The swirl left in the water by each blade. Coxes and coaches judge power by the size and spacing of the puddles.
Crab	Short for catching a crab.
Blades	At Oxford and Cambridge bumps races, the painted oar a crew earns by bumping on every day, as in “we got blades”.
Erg score	A rower’s best time on the machine, usually over 2,000 meters.
Pieces	Hard training efforts of a set time or distance, as in “three 2k pieces”.
Coxbox	The amplifier and stroke-rate monitor the cox speaks into.
Seat racing	Selection by swapping single rowers between two boats and timing the change, feared by every squad.
Bow ball win	A win by the smallest possible margin.

Rowing Expressions and Sayings in Everyday English

• In the same boat: In the same situation as others, usually a difficult one. The image is a crew who succeed or fail together.
• Pull your weight: Do your fair share of the work. In a crew boat anyone who does not pull hard is carried by the others.
• Rock the boat: To cause trouble or upset a stable situation. A rower who leans out of time throws the whole boat off balance.
• Pull together: Work as a team toward a shared goal, the way a crew must row in time.
• All hands on deck: Everyone needs to help. A nautical order that rowing shares with sailing.
• Ship oars: To take the oars into the boat, now used for stopping work or taking a break.

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