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The pre-season playbook
No two rowing schools approach pre-season training in quite the same way. We chat to four rowing coaches to uncover the philosophies shaping their pre-season playbooks.
Every programme has a different philosophy around pre-season. What are the two or three things you want your athletes to have achieved by the time racing begins, and why do those priorities matter?
Steve Finlayson (Mount Albert Grammar School Director of Rowing): At Mt Albert Grammar, our preseason philosophy is focused preparing our rowers for the long term.
The first priority is at they are healthy. After a long rowing season, some rowers finish with niggles or minor injuries. We see the off season as the time to rest, recover and properly rehabilitate
Secondly, we want our rowers to play a winter sport. We believe this gives them a better all round athletic base, gives them different experience to different skills and coaching, and keeps them physically active without rowing becoming a year round activity.
The final priority is that they return with a solid aerobic base and good training habits. We don’t want our rowers peaking before the season starts. We want them to have stayed active, looked after themselves, and maintained a level of fitness that allows them to build into the season.
Gus Scott (Master of Rowing at Whanganui Collegiate School): Our expectation is that every student will play a winter sport, so we don’t have a rowing pre-season. We commence regular rowing training at the beginning of term four, which is normally around the third week of October.
Beth Anderson (Head coach at Columba College): Our pre-season is predominantly focused on building fitness. By the time racing has started, I want the rowers to have maintained the correct technique both on and off the water. For our returning rowers, an important part of the pre-season is revisiting the goals that were established during their end-of-season feedback. These goals provide a clear starting point for the new season and ensure each athlete continues to build on previous progress.
Cam Patten (Director of Rowing at St Peter’s College, Auckland): By the first regatta of the season, I like our rowers to have the following key things in place: a strong aerobic base, sound technical habits, and a team-first mindset. Our base fitness provides the engine for the season, good technique helps us to create efficient boat speed on the water, and a strong culture helps us to navigate the hard days and weeks ahead as a team.
Can you describe what a typical pre-season week looks like for your squad? What are you trying to achieve through the balance of rowing, strength work, cross-training and recovery?
SF: The focus for winter is to help athletes recover from the previous season while maintaining a good level of fitness. During Winter we want our rowers to maintain the base that allows them to perform consistently once the season begins.
For our rowers who aren't involved in a winter sport, they complete three strength sessions each week, with a focus on movement quality, injury prevention and core stability. They also complete aerobic training through running, swimming or cycling, with the workload adjusted to be the equivalent of around 30km of erg work each week. We actively encourage them to stay away from the erg over winter.
The aim for winter is to make sure our rowers are physically prepared and technically ready to be able to handle the demands of the rowing season.
GS: Most of our senior rowers are in rugby, hockey, netball or cross-country first teams, so are busy. We have a strength and conditioning facility on-site and a full-time coach who works year-round with these students. He knows which sport each individual plays during both summer and winter, so creates complimentary training programmes involving functional movement and strength development for both their sports. Because of this approach we have very few injuries.
BA: A typical pre-season week for the squad balances aerobic conditioning, technical development, strength training and recovery. In Dunedin, the water can be temperamental, so we need to be flexible, and some workouts may need to be completed on the erg. Strength training is included once or twice each week for our senior girls, depending on the training phase, to develop general strength, improve power production and reduce the risk of injury. With our younger athletes, we prioritise home workouts and core fitness.
CP: Our week is built around quality rowing/erg sessions with an emphasis on technical development and aerobic base work. We then combine that with two to three strength sessions. Every session has a purpose, and the goal is consistent improvement rather than simply accumulating kilometres.
Pre-season is also when athletes can make mistakes that affect the rest of the year. What do you pay particular attention to - whether that's injury prevention, technique, training load, athlete wellbeing or something else - and how do you manage those challenges?
SF: One of the biggest things we focus on during preseason is managing the overall load. At Mt Albert Grammar, many of our rowers are also play winter sport to a high level. This is a great opportunity, but we need to be careful that athletes are not training at a high level all year risking fatigue and burnout.
A big part of this is helping our rowers understand that more training is not always better. We encourage them to talk to us about how they are feeling. To be honest when they are struggling to balance their commitments and understand the importance of finding the right balance between training, school, sport and recovery. This will hopefully help them make better decisions and reduces the risk of small issues becoming bigger problems later down the track.
During this time, we also focus on developing the culture within the programme. We run leadership and culture workshops with our senior squad to help them understand their role in setting standards and supporting each other.
GS: We do have a number of C2 ergs and RP3 ergs available during winter for anyone to use in their spare time and we mostly advise steady state work around 22 strokes per minute for between 30-40 minutes. During term three as the rower’s enthusiasm for the season builds, we often open the boatshed on a Sunday for an on-water row. This is voluntary and at the discretion of the rowers.
BA: Pre-season is a critical period because it establishes the foundation for the rest of the season. One of my biggest priorities is managing training load to ensure athletes develop their fitness progressively without becoming overtrained or injured. Athlete wellbeing is another important consideration. As a school programme, our rowers are balancing training alongside academic commitments and other responsibilities. Regular conversations with athletes allow us to monitor how they are coping physically and mentally, and we adjust training where appropriate.
CP: Our focus during pre-season is ensuring every athlete has clear goals for the season. We start with a longer-term season goal, then break it down into shorter-term checkpoints supported by daily behaviours that become part of their routine. Having a big goal gives athletes a strong sense of purpose, while the smaller milestones make that goal feel achievable and help maintain motivation.
If another secondary school coach asked for one piece of advice about running an effective pre-season, what would it be?
SF: My advice would be to remember that pre-season is about preparing athletes for the upcoming season, not trying to win the season before it starts. At Mt Albert Grammar, we place a lot of value on giving athletes time to recover, rebuild and return ready to train consistently.
I would also encourage coaches to invest time in building the culture of their programme, encouraging senior athletes to set standards and support younger rowers. If athletes enjoy the environment and understand the purpose behind what they are doing, performance will follow.
GS: We believe that our system works as the rower’s general fitness is maintained and their mindset will be helped by playing winter sport and having time off from rowing. This approach means our squad arrive for the full-on demands of training during term four and term one full of enthusiasm.
BA: If there was one piece of advice I could give to another coach, it would be to establish your team culture from day one. Set clear expectations, outline your values, and communicate the team's goals from the very first training session. This doesn't need to be done in a harsh or authoritarian way; instead, it should be a collaborative process that encourages athletes to understand what is expected of them and to take ownership of the team's standards.
One way we encourage a strong team culture at Columba is through our 'Rowing Families' initiative. Each family consists of one athlete from each age group, creating a small support network that remains together throughout their rowing journey.
CP: I would say set goals with each athlete. Develop strong, consistent processes before/after training sessions and strive for all rowers to be doing the basics well.
Steve Landells
Steve Landells is an experienced communications specialist and sportswriter with more than 25 years' experience. He is currently a proud dad of a rower who competes for St Peter's College, Auckland.
2026 Rowing NZ’s Coaches and Leaders Conference
This year it is being held in Hamilton on Sept 5-6. Previous conferences have been targeted at coaches, but this year the programme is expanded to include a dedicated stream supporting club leaders and committee members, recognising the important role they play in developing our sport.
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- Home
- /
- School Rowing
- /
- The pre-season playbook
The pre-season playbook
No two rowing schools approach pre-season training in quite the same way. We chat to four rowing coaches to uncover the philosophies shaping their pre-season playbooks.
Every programme has a different philosophy around pre-season. What are the two or three things you want your athletes to have achieved by the time racing begins, and why do those priorities matter?
Steve Finlayson (Mount Albert Grammar School Director of Rowing): At Mt Albert Grammar, our preseason philosophy is focused preparing our rowers for the long term.
The first priority is at they are healthy. After a long rowing season, some rowers finish with niggles or minor injuries. We see the off season as the time to rest, recover and properly rehabilitate
Secondly, we want our rowers to play a winter sport. We believe this gives them a better all round athletic base, gives them different experience to different skills and coaching, and keeps them physically active without rowing becoming a year round activity.
The final priority is that they return with a solid aerobic base and good training habits. We don’t want our rowers peaking before the season starts. We want them to have stayed active, looked after themselves, and maintained a level of fitness that allows them to build into the season.
Gus Scott (Master of Rowing at Whanganui Collegiate School): Our expectation is that every student will play a winter sport, so we don’t have a rowing pre-season. We commence regular rowing training at the beginning of term four, which is normally around the third week of October.
Beth Anderson (Head coach at Columba College): Our pre-season is predominantly focused on building fitness. By the time racing has started, I want the rowers to have maintained the correct technique both on and off the water. For our returning rowers, an important part of the pre-season is revisiting the goals that were established during their end-of-season feedback. These goals provide a clear starting point for the new season and ensure each athlete continues to build on previous progress.
Cam Patten (Director of Rowing at St Peter’s College, Auckland): By the first regatta of the season, I like our rowers to have the following key things in place: a strong aerobic base, sound technical habits, and a team-first mindset. Our base fitness provides the engine for the season, good technique helps us to create efficient boat speed on the water, and a strong culture helps us to navigate the hard days and weeks ahead as a team.
Can you describe what a typical pre-season week looks like for your squad? What are you trying to achieve through the balance of rowing, strength work, cross-training and recovery?
SF: The focus for winter is to help athletes recover from the previous season while maintaining a good level of fitness. During Winter we want our rowers to maintain the base that allows them to perform consistently once the season begins.
For our rowers who aren't involved in a winter sport, they complete three strength sessions each week, with a focus on movement quality, injury prevention and core stability. They also complete aerobic training through running, swimming or cycling, with the workload adjusted to be the equivalent of around 30km of erg work each week. We actively encourage them to stay away from the erg over winter.
The aim for winter is to make sure our rowers are physically prepared and technically ready to be able to handle the demands of the rowing season.
GS: Most of our senior rowers are in rugby, hockey, netball or cross-country first teams, so are busy. We have a strength and conditioning facility on-site and a full-time coach who works year-round with these students. He knows which sport each individual plays during both summer and winter, so creates complimentary training programmes involving functional movement and strength development for both their sports. Because of this approach we have very few injuries.
BA: A typical pre-season week for the squad balances aerobic conditioning, technical development, strength training and recovery. In Dunedin, the water can be temperamental, so we need to be flexible, and some workouts may need to be completed on the erg. Strength training is included once or twice each week for our senior girls, depending on the training phase, to develop general strength, improve power production and reduce the risk of injury. With our younger athletes, we prioritise home workouts and core fitness.
CP: Our week is built around quality rowing/erg sessions with an emphasis on technical development and aerobic base work. We then combine that with two to three strength sessions. Every session has a purpose, and the goal is consistent improvement rather than simply accumulating kilometres.
Pre-season is also when athletes can make mistakes that affect the rest of the year. What do you pay particular attention to - whether that's injury prevention, technique, training load, athlete wellbeing or something else - and how do you manage those challenges?
SF: One of the biggest things we focus on during preseason is managing the overall load. At Mt Albert Grammar, many of our rowers are also play winter sport to a high level. This is a great opportunity, but we need to be careful that athletes are not training at a high level all year risking fatigue and burnout.
A big part of this is helping our rowers understand that more training is not always better. We encourage them to talk to us about how they are feeling. To be honest when they are struggling to balance their commitments and understand the importance of finding the right balance between training, school, sport and recovery. This will hopefully help them make better decisions and reduces the risk of small issues becoming bigger problems later down the track.
During this time, we also focus on developing the culture within the programme. We run leadership and culture workshops with our senior squad to help them understand their role in setting standards and supporting each other.
GS: We do have a number of C2 ergs and RP3 ergs available during winter for anyone to use in their spare time and we mostly advise steady state work around 22 strokes per minute for between 30-40 minutes. During term three as the rower’s enthusiasm for the season builds, we often open the boatshed on a Sunday for an on-water row. This is voluntary and at the discretion of the rowers.
BA: Pre-season is a critical period because it establishes the foundation for the rest of the season. One of my biggest priorities is managing training load to ensure athletes develop their fitness progressively without becoming overtrained or injured. Athlete wellbeing is another important consideration. As a school programme, our rowers are balancing training alongside academic commitments and other responsibilities. Regular conversations with athletes allow us to monitor how they are coping physically and mentally, and we adjust training where appropriate.
CP: Our focus during pre-season is ensuring every athlete has clear goals for the season. We start with a longer-term season goal, then break it down into shorter-term checkpoints supported by daily behaviours that become part of their routine. Having a big goal gives athletes a strong sense of purpose, while the smaller milestones make that goal feel achievable and help maintain motivation.
If another secondary school coach asked for one piece of advice about running an effective pre-season, what would it be?
SF: My advice would be to remember that pre-season is about preparing athletes for the upcoming season, not trying to win the season before it starts. At Mt Albert Grammar, we place a lot of value on giving athletes time to recover, rebuild and return ready to train consistently.
I would also encourage coaches to invest time in building the culture of their programme, encouraging senior athletes to set standards and support younger rowers. If athletes enjoy the environment and understand the purpose behind what they are doing, performance will follow.
GS: We believe that our system works as the rower’s general fitness is maintained and their mindset will be helped by playing winter sport and having time off from rowing. This approach means our squad arrive for the full-on demands of training during term four and term one full of enthusiasm.
BA: If there was one piece of advice I could give to another coach, it would be to establish your team culture from day one. Set clear expectations, outline your values, and communicate the team's goals from the very first training session. This doesn't need to be done in a harsh or authoritarian way; instead, it should be a collaborative process that encourages athletes to understand what is expected of them and to take ownership of the team's standards.
One way we encourage a strong team culture at Columba is through our 'Rowing Families' initiative. Each family consists of one athlete from each age group, creating a small support network that remains together throughout their rowing journey.
CP: I would say set goals with each athlete. Develop strong, consistent processes before/after training sessions and strive for all rowers to be doing the basics well.
Steve Landells
Steve Landells is an experienced communications specialist and sportswriter with more than 25 years' experience. He is currently a proud dad of a rower who competes for St Peter's College, Auckland.
2026 Rowing NZ’s Coaches and Leaders Conference
This year it is being held in Hamilton on Sept 5-6. Previous conferences have been targeted at coaches, but this year the programme is expanded to include a dedicated stream supporting club leaders and committee members, recognising the important role they play in developing our sport.
