The catch is the part of the stroke where the spoon of the oar enters the water. This is done by raising the hands on the way to the front stops position (where the shins are vertical), before pressing with the legs to propell the boat, ideally the spoon will be completely in the water as the wheels on the seat change direction. This is a quick clean movement and stops when the spoon is just covered in the water, the colour on the spoon should always be seen and not go to deep.
An effective catch should have both backsplash and frontsplash, the backsplash show that the oar (and therefore the rower) is still moving forward as the blade starts to enter the water, the frontsplash occurs as pressure is applied in the opposite direction, the air pocket created by entering the water then closes, as the water splashes agains the front of the spoon it creates frontsplash, together making a 'V'. Backsplash without frontsplash indicates going in the water too early, no splash shows you are travelling at the same speed at water, therefore missing part of the stroke, and frontsplash without backsplash inicates travelling faster than the water, again missing the stroke.
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