These are samples of mechanical discomfort which may spoil any man's rowing, and against which it may be difficult for the most painstaking pupil to contend successfully. If the coach is good in practice as well as in theory of oarsmanship, he can materially simplify his own labours and those of his pupils by inspecting and trying the 'work' of each man in turn. He should bear in mind that if a young oar is thrown out of shape in his early career by bad mechanical appliances, the faults of shape often cling to him unconsciously later on, even when he is at last furnished with proper tools. If a child were taught to walk with one boot an inch thicker in the sole than the other, the uneven gait thereby produced might cling to him long after he had been properly shod. Young oarsmen in a club are too often relegated to practise in cast-off boats with cast-off oars, none of which are really fit for use. Nothing does more to spoil the standard of junior oarsmanship in a club than neglect of this nature. Having ascertained that all his pupils are properly equipped and are properly seated, fair and square to stretchers suitable for the length of leg of each, the next care of a coach should be to endeavour to trace the _cause_ of each fault which he may detect. This is more difficult than to see that a fault exists. At the same time, if the coach cannot trace the cause, it is hardly reasonable to expect the pupil to do so. So many varied causes may produce some one generic fault that it may drive a pupil from one error to another to tell him nothing more than that he is doing something wrong without at the same time explaining to him how and why he is at fault. For instance, suppose a man gets late into the water. This lateness may arise from a variety of causes, for example: 1. He may be hanging with arms or body, or both, when he has finished the stroke, and so he may be late in starting to go forward; or 2. He may be correct until he has attained his forward reach, and then, may be, he hangs before dropping his oar into the water; or 3. He may begin to drop his oar at the right time, but to do so in a 'clipping' manner, not dropping the oar perpendicularly, but bringing it for some distance back in the air before it touches the water. [Illustration: COACHING UNIVERSITY CREW.] Now to tell a batch of men--all late, and all late from different causes as above--simply that each one is 'late' does little good. The cure which will set the one right will only vary, or even exaggerate, the mischief with the others. Hence a coach should, before he animadverts upon a fault, of which he observes the effect, watch carefully until he detects the exact cause, and then seek to eradicate it.