Pre-recorded sound file versus human coach: Investigating auditory guidance effects on elite rowers

Abstract

We report on an experiment in which nine Norwegian national team rowers (one female) were tested on a rowing ergometer in a motion capture lab. After the warm-up, all participants rowed in a neutral condition for three minutes, without any instructions. Then they rowed in two conditions (three minutes each), with a counterbalanced order: (1) a coaching condition, during which they received oral instructions from a national team coach, and (2) a sound condition, during which they listened to a pre-recorded sound file that was produced to promote good rowing technique. Performance was measured in terms of distance traveled, and subjective responses were measured via a questionnaire inquiring participants about how useful the two interventions were for rowing efficiency. The results showed no significant difference between the two conditions of main interest–the pre-recorded sound file and traditional coaching–on any measure. Our study indicates that auditory guidance can be a cost-efficient supplement to athletes’ training, even at higher levels.