Conventionally, Stroke's oar is on stroke side and the sides alternate as you go down the boat. A rower is considered to be on the side where his/her oar is attached. This puts Stroke, 6, 4 and 2 on stroke side and 7, 5, 3 and Bow on bow side (see diagram above).

The arrangement of the oars is know as the rigging. Sometimes the boat will be rigged differently, however stroke and 7 will always be on opposite sides, as will 6 and 5, 4 and 3, and 2 and Bow.

The most common alternative rigging is called bow-rigging and has each oarsman on the opposite side to usual. It is important to note that stroke side always refers to the left-hand side of the boat as seen by the cox even if stroke's blade is on the right-hand side. Thus stroke is sometimes on bow side and indeed bow is sometimes on stroke side.

Sometimes you will want to refer to more than one rower at once. This can be done by listing the numbers of the oarsman to whom you are about to give an instruction but is often better achieved by using a standard abbreviation. The following abbreviations are often used in VIIIs:

• Stern pair – Stroke and 7
• Bow pair – 2 and Bow
• Stern four – Stroke, 7, 6 and 5
• Bow four – 4, 3, 2 and Bow
• Middle four – 6, 5, 4 and 3
• Outside four – Stroke, 7, 2 and Bow
• Stroke side – Usually Stroke, 6, 4 and 2
• Bow side – Usually 7, 5, 3 and Bow

Additional basic terms:

Backstops is the position when the legs are straight, the arms are up against the body, and the blade leaves the water.
The moment when the blade leaves the water is called the finish.
Frontstops is the fully compressed position when the legs are bent, the arms are outstretched, and the blade enters the water.
The moment when the blade enters the water is called the catch.
The drive phase is the half of the stroke in which the rower moves from frontstops to backstops applying effort to move the boat.
Pressure refers to the amount of effort being put in.
The recovery is the half of the stroke in which the rower moves forwards from backstops to frontstops in order to take another stroke.
When the blade is out of the water and perpendicular to the water's surface it is said to be square; when it is out of the water and parallel to the water's surface it is said to be feathered. Paddling with feathered blades means that on the recovery the blades are all feathered. This is the normal state of affairs and it will be assumed that this is what you mean unless you state otherwise. Paddling with square blades means that on the recovery the blades should all be square.