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Interview with Hannes Ocik, batsman of the Germany eight

Hannes Ocik has won three world championship titles as a batsman in the Germany eights. In the interview he talks about the qualities that a competitive athlete needs, the success factor of consideration as well as his impressive training volume and the reliability of the Concept2 RowErg.

The world class rower Hannes Ocik was born in Rostock in 1991 and is a senior police officer at the state police in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, sports promotion group. As a batsman in the Germany eights, he was world champion three times (2017, 2018, 2019), won two Olympic silver medals (2016, 2021) and was able to win seven European championship titles. In addition, Hannes Ocik was also Junior World Champion in the eight and U23 World Champion in the coxless four.

fM: Mr. Ocik, you have been a world-class rower for over ten years. How did you get into rowing?

Hannes Ocik: I come from a very sporty family. My parents were both former competitive athletes. When I was young I tried different sports, e.g. athletics, judo and triathlon. (Also read: ‘Rowing increasingly popular’)

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In my triathlon club in Schwerin, a former rower approached me and said that, given my stature, I could try rowing.

At the Schwerin Rowing Society we rowed a hiking boat twice a week until the state trainer in Schwerin came up to me and said: “Hannes, don’t you want to try it a bit more seriously?” And whoops, 15 years have passed.

Many people row, but few become worldmaster:in. What did you do differently or better than many other rowers?

Above all, you always have to have fun with what you are doing. When you lose the fun, you lose motivation very quickly. Rowing is one of the sports that is very extensive in terms of training. There are definitely moments when you have doubts and wonder whether this is the right path.

The main thing about rowing is that you are on the water in spring and summer. You have to enjoy it, have fun with it and not be too dogged.


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I would say I had good staying power. I’ve always tried to learn new movements or new stimuli. New exercises in training always feel strange at first and I think I was able to push through better than many others.

I never had the mega values ​​on the ergometer or in the weight room, but this stamina and the stamina to keep going have distinguished me.

Your greatest successes so far have been in Deutschlandaproperly celebrated. What special qualities and skills do team rowers need to have?

In the rowing eight with the helmsman you have nine, if you include the trainer, even ten different characters who have to be considerate of each other. These ten are together all year round, about five hours each day; in training camps for two to three weeks even 24/7.



I think it’s completely normal to offend under such circumstances. One of the essential soft skills to learn is considerateness. In our case: Nine athletes selected by the coach are in the same boat and want to achieve something.

These athletes don’t have to be friends, but being considerate and understanding each other’s weaknesses or having a bad day is fundamental to pushing one another.

After seven years as a batsman in the Germany eights, you switched to the one in autumn 2021 – from straps to skulls. What were your reasons for taking this step?

I was active in the belt area for ten years. After the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021, I had the feeling that I needed a break, a break, or rather a change of perspective.

I moved to Munich at the time and had the opportunity to train there with Oliver Zeidler, who was world champion in singles in 2019 – and singles are ridden with skulls. I then decided to switch disciplines for 2021/22, from straps to skulls.



The basic thought behind the move was to try something different and to look at the sport from an outside perspective to bring fun and curiosity back to the fore.

That definitely happened and I am very grateful for the last few months and that I was able to take this step.

How many times a week are you out on the water for boat training? How do you structure your additional training?

If you take the average over the past ten years, I’ve been on the water about eight to ten times a week. In training camps you also complete twelve to fifteen units in the boat. The training units are always between 60 and 90 minutes.

Training in the boat is supplemented by strength training – two to three times a week – balance and stability training, e.g. B. yoga, and flexibility training supplemented. To train endurance on another level, we also run, bike or swim – depending on which of our trainers prefers.

These units usually last 60 to 90 minutes. There isn’t much more time in a week either. (Also interesting: ‘Medal rain at World Indoor Rowing Championships’)

To what extent does this training composition change in the winter months?

We try to cover as many kilometers on the water as possible, even in the winter months. Compared to other nations, we don’t have the financial means to do so many training camps in the south.

If the weather conditions no longer allow it, you go on the ergometer, also in units of around 90 minutes.

How important is training on the ergometer?

A big. Internationally, however, ergometer training plays a much larger role; Germany is still a bit behind. In some other countries, it is clearly defined which standards the squad athletes must meet on the ergometer in order to be nominated.



Accordingly, it plays a very important role. In case of doubt, an athlete who is highly rated on the ergometer will be given preference in nominations.

The continuous step tests that we do at regular intervals in Germany, as well as our performance tests and a championship, we all do on the rowing ergometer Concept2.

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The RowErg has the great advantage that it is very precise and that the performances on the devices can be compared very well, so that all athletes compete under the same conditions.

We benefit from this in top-class sport and also in CrossFit®scene therefore relies on the devices. The Concept2 units have a simple design and are therefore very robust. With our training volume, they have to endure a lot. (Also worth reading: ‘HYROX relies on Concept2’)

What is your goal for the 2022 rowing season?

I have a lot of fun doing the sport of rowing and also fast, i. H. operate at a competitive level. The goal for next year goes in the direction of simply investing the maximum in order to be as successful as possible. In which boat class, that will be revealed in the coming weeks and months.

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