| Summary: | The aim of this study was to analyse the phenomena associated with coordination between a crew of rowers during a race by confronting an analysis of the rowers’ courses of experience and an analysis of correlative mechanical parameters of their activity during the race. It was designed (a) to acquire a better understanding of performance and to optimize the rowers’ training, and (b) to explore the usefulness of a method that describes the processes of coordination at both significant and non-significant levels for the actors. Two female crews volunteered to participate in the study. Their activity was studied in situ during two time trials, relating to the theoretical and methodological framework of the course of action (Theureau, 2006). Mechanical measurements were collected, enabling a set of parameters on the rowers’ performance and coordination to be calculated. The results are presented in two parts. The first describes the significant phenomena for the rowers related to their coordination. Three phenomena were highlighted: (a) a particular sensitivity to their state of coordination, (b) a recurring interpretation of their partners’ activity, and (c) four typical ways of making mutual adjustments. In the second part, a case study analyses one specific moment in a race, experienced by the rowers as a malfunctioning of their coordination, by confronting analyses of the rowers’ courses of experience and mechanical parameters. These findings are discussed at three levels, answering the empirical, methodological and practical aims of the study.
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