Rowing Science

Volker Nolte, PhD, is a professor emeritus of the University of Western Ontario, where he taught biomechanics and coaching (1993-2019) and also was the head rowing coach (1993-2017). Nolte's leadership has led Western University Mustangs men's rowing team to 14 Ontario University Athletics Championships and six Canadian University Rowing Championships. Since he took over the women's team in 2010, they have won five Ontario University Athletics Championships and four Canadian University Rowing Championships. In 2008, the men's eight won the German University Championships, the Temple Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta (against 74 other crews from around the world), and the Canadian University Rowing Championships. In 2013 and again in 2015, Nolte's Mustang teams swept all university events in Canada, winning the Ontario and Canadian Rowing Championships in the women's and men's divisions. In 2016, the Western University team not only won both Ontario University Athletics Championships (women's and men's), as well as the Canadian University Rowing Championships for women, but also won two gold medals at the Head of the Charles Regatta. In addition, Nolte was the lightweight men's national team coach with the German Rowing Association from 1984 to 1990 and with Rowing Canada Aviron from 1992 to 2000. His crews won an Olympic silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games, two world championship titles in 1993 and 2000, and several more medals at world championships. His latest successes with the Canadian national team were bronze silver medals at the 2012 and 2013 U23 World Championships in the women's single. In 2015-2016 he again coached the Canadian women's single, this time to two Pan Am Games gold medals, a first place at the FISA World Cup in Italy, a sixth place at the World Championships 2015, and a 10th place at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. Nolte received undergraduate degrees in both physical education (1976) and civil engineering (1979) from the University of Saarbruecken and a PhD in biomechanics (1984) from the German Sport University in Cologne, Germany. He is an internationally acknowledged expert in biomechanics and coaching, and he presents frequently at scientific and coach education conferences worldwide. His research includes biomechanics of high-performance sport and coaching. He is also a distinguished researcher in the field of sport equipment, and his innovations range from special measurement tools to new boat designs. His research has produced many papers in refereed journals, articles in various publications, and several books. For his work in coach education, he received the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in January 2013. For his outstanding success as a coach, he was named Ontario Coach of the Year in 1993 and again in 2014. Finally, Row Ontario presented Nolte with the President's Award in 2017, and Rowing Canada Aviron honored him with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 to recognize his achievements in many areas of rowing. Nolte is an experienced rower, representing his home country of Germany at several world championships. He is still a keen competitor in the Masters events. Nolte lives in London, Ontario.

Introduction. The Study and Knowledge of Rowing Volker Nolte Part I. The Role of Biological Attributes vs Practice in Rowing Success Chapter 1. The Genetics of Performance Paula Jardine Chapter 2. Biological Maturation Paula Jardine Chapter 3. Neurobiology of Rowing Paula Jardine Chapter 4. Mileage Makes Champions Paula Jardine Part II. Rowing Mechanics for Efficiency and Effective Technique Chapter 5. Biomechanical Principles for Stroke Efficiency Volker Nolte Chapter 6. Optimal Rowing Technique Volker Nolte Chapter 7. Biomechanical Principles to Optimize Rowing Performance Volker Nolte Chapter 8. Shell Design Glen Burston and Dan Bechard Chapter 9. Equipment and Rigging to Individual Anthropometry Volker Nolte Part III. Physiology of Rowing Chapter 10. Overview of Rowing Physiology Gunnar Treff and Brett Smith Chapter 11. Rowing Metabolism Gunnar Treff Chapter 12. Physiology of Rowing Strength, Speed, and Power Ed McNeely Chapter 13. Environmental Stress Stephen Cheung Part IV. Practical Issues and Components of Rowing Training Chapter 14. Principles of Exercise Brett Smith Chapter 15. Aerobic and Anaerobic Rowing Conditioning Brett Smith Chapter 16. Resistance Training Ed McNeely Chapter 17. Cross Training Ed McNeely Chapter 18. Distance-Specific Training Volker Nolte Part V. Practical Application Chapter 19. Designing Training Programs Brett Smith Chapter 20. Monitoring Training Brett Smith Chapter 21. Environmental Countermeasures Stephen Cheung Chapter 22. Recovery Ed McNeely Chapter 23. Tapering Ed McNeely Part VI. Sports Medicine for Rowers Chapter 24. Principles of Rowing Injuries Jane Thornton Chapter 25. Mechanisms and Management of Rowing Injuries Jane Thornton Chapter 26. Medical Aspects of Rowing and Special Populations Jane Thornton Part VII. Rowing Nutrition Chapter 27. Fueling Strategies Susan Boegman Chapter 28. Optimizing Energy Susan Boegman Chapter 29. Supplements Susan Boegman Part VIII. Psychology of Rowing Chapter 30. Motivation and Psychological Skills for Optimal Performance Penny Werthner Chapter 31. Building an Effective Team Culture in Rowing Penny Werthner Epilogue. The Future of Rowing Volker Nolte

"Volker Nolte's work provides a legacy for every rower, researcher, and sport leader. It records the connection of theory to practice that lays the foundation for advances in rowing and in sport in general. In Rowing Science, Nolte and some of the world's top sport scientists have come together to offer this one-of-a-kind resource for people interested in improving rowing performance and optimizing results at all levels." -Cam Kiosoglous, PhD, National Team Sport Science Director for US Rowing