it is funny how very few going for international level, even top domestic level competition, where a few feet make the difference between joy and sorrow, do not seem to master any of these technical points in this video. I am thinking the hands / scull clearance / entry & exit. A bit like a darts player just being happy to hit the board and have the point stick in. This is such a good video to ponder.

What a great video, what a good comment. Main principles still there after so many years. Long live Thomas Lange: last Olympic champion with Macon blades and first one with the Big Blades. I remember Gianni Postiglione -- then of the Italian Team -- showing us footage of his perfect finish back in the Eighties.

This is how I like to scull! I sculled R over L for 30 yrs but changed so I could scull in crews. The E Germans all sculled R over L. We joked at the time that it was to prevent defection :-D But I sculled against a Berlin 4x in the final at Henley Veterans regatta and they had 2 from E sculling R over L and 2 from W sculling L over R. It only worked of there were equal numbers! Nobody else used their boat!

Thomas Lange employs a style of sculling that emphasizes a lot of body swing, and while this is a style that works for Lange, it is not style that should be imitated unthinkingly. It is not the style that makes the man, but rather the man that makes the style.

muy buen video explicativo...

The original vhs video was obtained by myself from the German Federation in 1986, whilst I was working with BIRO. Ron Needs then put an english commentary in place of the german commentary.

@bcdrachman I think it's Ron Needs. Well anyway, some of the credits (that got cut off because of a "bad spot" in the tape) said the tape was Produced by Ron Needs. I think that means it's his voice :)

Still around in UK, tagging along to GB rowing I believe.

exelent video,saludos

For the first 42 seconds he's using cleaver blades, and they were seen first in late 91 and then more widely in the '92 games

great video, great rowing! What a very good style in compare with this year olympic champion. But i dont think that this is from 1986. In 1986 Thomas rowed for East-Germany (GDR) and used eastgerman boats (now BBG), not empacher.

Love the video. Who is the commentator?

Ron Needs! Where is Ron now?

Right over Left! Ha!

How could the original be from 1986 when footage was created later? Example: Thumbnail above was "August 31, 1993"