Heel Restraints

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What Row Safe says

Section 2.3 - Boats and Blades - "All boats where 'fitted shoes' are employed must have effective heel restraints. These must be properly adjusted (the heel must be prevented from rising higher than the lowest fixed point of the shoe) and in working order. Likewise, the foot release from any other type of fitment that may be used must be self-acting and not require the intervention of the athlete or a rescuer."

Why do we have heel restraints?

So that the crew member can get his/her feet out of the shoes without using his/her hands. In the event of a capsize, you don't have time to fiddle about trying to untie laces.

Key features

• Each shoe must be independently restrained - you need to be able to get both feet out!
  • Note that this applies to all shoes including steering feet. You must still have an effective heel restraint even if it needs to allow the shoe to rotate. It just needs slightly more careful adjustment than the other ones. Don't be tempted to disconnect it!
• Each heel must be prevented from rising higher than the lowest fixing point of the shoe. NB this is a maximum height, and ideally you should aim to adjust them so that they are just about to become taut as the crew member reaches maximum compression at frontstops.
• They must be strong enough not to break in use.
• The shoes, stretcher and attachment points must all be in a good state of repair.

How to check

• Visual check of the general condition of the shoes, stretcher, etc.
• Taking each shoe in turn:
  • Check that its restraint is independent of the other shoe,
  • Holding the shoe underneath the heel, give it a sharp tug upwards (simply lifting it gently is not sufficient) and check the restraint holds firm,
  • Confirm that the heel does not rise above the lowest fixing point on the shoe.

If each crew member checks their own shoes, this should take only a few seconds before the outing. Don't skip it.

Repairs

If a heel restraint breaks due to excessive wear, replace it, don't just tie a knot in it and hope for the best. The odds are that the rest of the material is in a similar rotten state to the bit that broke. And mend it properly. On Control Commission you see a lot of very elaborate "Heath Robinson" repairs, and the one thing these normally have in common is THEY DON'T WORK! Go for the simple approach - take off the old broken heel restraint and replace it with a brand new one. Resist the urge to improvise. Some shoes, especially the ones where the original heel restraints are riveted on, can be difficult to repair. You need to think about how to maintain and repair your equipment before a case of normal wear-and-tear becomes something more serious. Don't leave it until the boating raft. Once repaired properly, you won't have to fix it again in a hurry. Bodge it, and you'll be mending it every time you go out.

It won't happen to me

If you're of the opinion that heel restraints matter only in small boats, and that fours and eights don't capsize, the members of this Thames RC four might disagree. Fortunately their heel restraints all worked perfectly, and the crew survived to tell the tale.

Get it right

Here are some examples of what well maintained shoes should look like.

• Richmond Regatta, 30 June 2001
  • The right hand heel restraint has broken in the past, but has been repaired well using a nut and bolt and a couple of washers. Unusual, but effective. A good repair - not a last-minute bodge.
  • A great example of a last-minute bodge. They should work, but it would be better to take a few minutes to fix them properly. Unless you can drill out the old rivet and rivet in a new heel restraint, often your best chance with shoes like these is to punch a small hole through the heel and thread a length of cord through it.
• BUSA Regatta, Holme Pierrepont, 28 April 2001
  • RoShoos with working heel restraints, and the "quick release" lace in place between the two Velcro flaps.
  • Sturdy heel restraints, much less prone to perishing than the older "leather" type, but still a pain to replace when they do break.
  • A pair of Adidas rowing shoes, with sturdy heel cups for the heel restraint. It would be preferable to tie the heel restraints with a decent knot and not a bow, as bows can come undone when you least expect it.

Rogues' Gallery

The purpose of this section is not to "name and shame", but to make you aware of some of the common (and some not so common) faults to look out for. If any of the shoes in your boat look anything like any of these examples, then get out and fix them NOW!

• BUSA Regatta, Holme Pierrepont, 27 April 2002
  • The latest technological breakthrough - invisible heel restraints. Also note that the handy lace linking the Velcro flaps has been taken off. Please don't - it's a useful backup and enables you to open both shoes one-handed (heel restraints allow you to get out without using your hands at all, of course).
  • Tied together. It is essential that each heel is independently restrained, otherwise you will only get one foot out.
  • No photos for this one, but worth recording. A recently refurbished eight turned up to race, with smart new shoes for everyone. They all had heel restraints, but without exception, they were far too long - the heels could come way above the shoes' fixing points. Never assume that boat builders will leave your boat properly set up - it's your responsibility to check it, not theirs.
• Richmond Regatta, 30 June 2001
  • Sometimes it's not the heel restraint itself that breaks. Here, the eyelet on the back of the shoe has become detached. Not an easy thing to fix on the boating raft.
  • The stretcher has fixing points for heel restraints built-in (you can see the screws!), yet this person has gone for a quick and dirty bodge, leaving the shoes not independent of one another. Use the fixings provided!
• Reading Amateur Regatta, 17 June 2001
  • A four turns up to race, and presents the following nightmare.
    • Some invisible heel restraints.
    • Only half a heel restraint.
    • Non-independent heel restraints.
    • But at least one of the four crew members will be able to get out. Shame about his three friends though.
    If your boat is in this condition now, then FIX IT. This is definitely a boat that should have been excluded, but the crew were allowed afloat after they'd repaired it properly.
• BUSA Regatta, Holme Pierrepont, 28 April 2001
  • Nice new shoes in a nice new boat, but the owner's only tied one of the two heel restraints.
  • Far too long.
  • Sometimes even if the shoes and heel restraints themselves are OK, the stretcher itself may not be. Here the stretcher's rotten, and had to be replaced.
  • Another set of shoes that are not independent of each other.
  • A horror story. Someone has tried to mend a broken heel restraint just by taping the broken ends together. It's so stupid I won't comment further.