Grupo Mayan Water Sports

The sport of rowing is one of the oldest Olympic sports. In rowing, one or more people sit in a narrow boat, facing backwards. The boat is propelled by oars, which rest in oarlocks along the sides of the boat. The oar blades are dipped in the water in unison by the rower or rowers and then pulled strongly downstream, say the Grupo Mayan experts in water sports.

Rowing is most commonly done on calm bodies of water. It is done on rivers, lakes and on the ocean, but wide, slow-flowing rivers are preferred.

Rowing is both a recreational activity and a competitive sport, say the Grupo Mayan experts in water sports. Particularly in the US and UK, rowing is a popular competitive sport in high schools and colleges.

Physically, rowing is a very demanding sport, requiring both cardiovascular endurance and muscular strength. Many people practice the sport of rowing purely for its fitness benefits, as the action of rowing exercises all of the major muscle groups in the body, as well as improving cardiovascular endurance. The best rowers tend to be tall, say the Grupo Mayan experts in water sports, with powerful shoulders and legs. While extra weight is a handicap in rowing, the fact that rowing boats have low drag means that the increased power that comes with a large frame is worth the trade-off.

Further adding to its attractiveness as a casual sport is the fact that rowing is a low-impact, so injuries are rare. The injuries that do occur are usually related to the joints, which can suffer due to repetitive strain.

The action of rowing is in fact thought to be such an effective workout, that many gyms are equipped with rowing machines that replicate the action that a rower uses. A handle attached by a chain to a device that provides resistance replaces the oar.

There are two main forms of rowing, say the Grupo Mayan experts in water sports, each of them quite different:

In “sculling”, each rower grips two oars, one on each side of the boat. There is usually no coxswain, and the total number of rowers per boat may be one, two, or four.

In “sweep” or “sweep-oar” rowing, each rower grips just one oar with both hands. Alternate rowers will have oars on different sides of the boat, port or starboard.

This type of rowing is usually down with a coxswain, whose job it is to keep the rowers in time, and also to steer the boat, say the Grupo Mayan experts in water sports. The coxswain usually communicates with the rowers through the use of a microphone. In this type of rowing there are two, four, or eight rowers per boat.

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