The Rowing Club, a century-old Marseille rowing club

A sport of Anglo-Saxon tradition, rowing is still assiduously practiced in English colleges and American universities.

Here are ten principles you need to know about this practice before your child gets on the water.

Rowing is...

Excellent for posture.
The back stands upright and the effort is evenly distributed over all parts of the body, including the legs. A practice recommended from 12 years old.

A culture of team spirit.
To row well together, you have to be extremely attentive to your teammates, aim for absolute synchronization behind the "swimming leader", the one who sets the pace for the boat. No way to bicker on the water, discipline and regularity above all! And there's no way you're going to miss a training session: if only one rower is missing, the boat doesn't come out.

A mixed sport.
Although the crews are separated between men and men, girls and boys, for competitions, almost a third of today's rowers are rowers. The training sessions are often done in common... like parties for that matter!

An ideal discipline for competition.
You can row from time to time when you need to be nice, but often the ambitious get a taste, train each other on the boat and set goals in terms of results. There's no shortage of opportunities! The most determined will try to place at the Championships, aim for a place in the French team and want to compete against the best boats in the world. As rowing is a very physically demanding sport and very dependent on geographical situations, the practitioners are not legion! Medals are closer than in a sport that attracts crowds, like football. And since rowing is hardly media or financially endowed, the risks of doping are very small.

A wonderful outdoor activity.
The lake, the mountains, the sky... when rowing, you often have the feeling of evolving in the heart of postcards. But beware: neither the cold nor the rain prevents young people from training. The saying: "Hey, we're not sugar!"

A gentleman's tradition.
Historically, rowing has been linked to the prestigious American and English universities, with a certain idea of savoir-vivre and fair play. An attitude that leaves its mark: rowing is a sport without violence - and not just because physical contact is reduced!

A very fine technical gesture.
It's not about shooting like a brute on the oar. The technique is more complex than it seems and it is almost a gift to have the sense of sliding, in a boat.

A sense of effort.
On a boat, it's sometimes sweat and pain. But there is no question of putting the oars - to several, we are in solidarity.

Fragile material.
Boats are fine, they require respect and maintenance.

A way to get to the end of yourself.
In rowing, you learn to win - but also to lose. The golden rule? Endurance. And the pride of having surpassed each other, all together.

In the river

Boats

They are free-built, but must meet certain obligations:

• the bow of the boats must be equipped with a white ball and a numbered support
• footrests or shoes must meet safe standards to allow the rower to get out of the boat without the help of the hands in the event of a capsizing
• the place of the coxswain
• The weight of the equipment, a minimum weight is set for each boat (without oars or accessories)

Couple boats:

• skiff (1x)
• torque two (2x)
• the torque four with coxswain (4x)
• the four torque without coxswain (4x)
• the torque eight with coxswain (8x)

Advanced boats:

• the two of the tip with coxswain (2)
• the two point without coxswain (2-)
• the four-point with coxswain (4)
• the four-point coxless (4-)
• the advanced eight with coxswain (8)

The types of courses

The route can come in two forms:

• The line course: 6 boats are lined up to cover the race distance in their respective lanes