OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE ROWING STYLES. 2/1 



ing to the old-fashioned models the arms straight 

 until the body has fallen back to an almost upright 

 position ; then comes the sharp drop back of the 

 shoulders beyond the perpendicular, the arms simul- 

 taneously doing their work, so that as the swing back 

 is finished, the backs of the hands just touch the ribs 

 in feathering. All these things are quite in accordance 

 with what used to be considered the perfection of 

 rowing ; and, indeed, this style of rowing has some im- 

 portant good qualities and a very handsome appearance. 

 The lightning feather, also, which follows the long 

 sweeping stroke, is theoretically perfect. Now, in 

 the case of the Oxford crew, we observe a style which 

 at first sight seems less excellent. As soon as the 

 oars are dashed down and catch their first hold of 

 the water, the arms as well as the shoulders of each 

 oarsman are at work. 1 The result is, that when the 

 back has reached an upright position, the arms have 

 already reached the chest, and the stroke is finished. 



1 I write this with full knowledge that many Oxford men deny 

 the fact. I have rowed behind Cambridge, Oxford, and London 

 strokes, and have several times taken the place (number 2 thwart) 

 of a London waterman in a four (' stroked ' by John Mackinney) 

 training for the Thames Regatta. So that I have had ample oppor- 

 tunities for comparing different rowing styles ; and I am satisfied 

 that the main defect of the real Cambridge style was (and perhaps 

 is) an exaggeration of the sound rule that a boat should be propelled 

 rather by the body than by the arms. The very swing in a Cam- 

 bridge boat shows that this must be so. On the other hand, the 

 Thames watermen do too much arm-work; and hence seem to 

 double a little over their oars. I once rowed with some Cambridge 

 friends from London nearly to Oxford and back, taking a Thames 

 waterman as ' help.' We set him, at first, for our strokesman, but 

 we soon had to make him row low, for we could none of us stand his 

 gripping, arm-working style. 



