Ever felt like you or your athlete’s stroke was off? Perhaps the blade digs too much no matter how many times you remind yourself or your athlete where to finish? Sometimes, it isn’t operator error. In this video, I will show you how to check and adjust the pitch of your oarlock bracket to get the most out of every stroke.

• You will need a 13mm wrench, pitch meter, and a standard level. The pitch meter can be purchased on our online store.
• First, you want to make sure the entire boat is completely level. You may have to adjust the sling position below the boat to achieve this. 
• To see when the boat is level, place your standard level on the deck and look to see if the bubble on the horizontal tube is centered. When it is, make sure the boat does not move from this position and keep the level where it is for future reference.
• Next, take your pitch meter and secure it to the top and bottom of the oarlock pin. From here on out, regularly check on the deck level to make sure the boat remains even throughout the rest of the process.
• Proceed to take your 13mm wrench and loosen the central bolt on the oarlock bracket until you can move the bracket around with your hand.
• With the bracket loose, adjust it until the horizontal level on the pitch meter is centered in both the parallel and perpendicular positions relative to the boat’s gunnels.
• Once the bracket is level in both of these positions, carefully retighten the central bolt, taking care not to upset the balance of the deck or pitch meter levels. Also be sure to tighten the bolt down as hard as you can, so that the newly adjusted pitch angle does not fall out of balance.
• With the bracket tightened back up, your pitch is balanced and you are ready to row! Simply repeat this process on any other oarlock brackets on the boat as needed.