Aqua Sports Conditioning transitions land-based sports-specific training drills into the safer environment of the pool. A sports fan, Chris was inspired to use his knowledge of water fitness to create sports-specific drills that utilize the water’s properties. Instructors can take away exercises for creating sports-themed classes. Water exercise enthusiasts can enjoy a more athletic fitness experience in the pool. WATCH Chris talk about his inspiration for this video.
Why Water?
Sports teams and coaches are discovering the training advantages of water and adapting some of their traditional land-based training to the pool. Athletes can train more vigorously and with more confidence in the low-impact environment of the pool. When standing in chest-depth water, a person is only bearing 25% of their body weight. Jump training is very popular in the water because athletes can challenge their vertical height without the fear of injury. Fast, hard sprints with quick directional changes are also much more challenging in the pool because of the water’s resistance and inertia.
Aqua Sports Conditioning: Video-at-a-glance
The workout includes a warm-up and cool down and includes five segments for five different sports. Each sport segment includes five exercises, each targeting a different sports-specific skill, including agility, strength, conditioning, coordination and rotation. The featured sports include basketball, football, baseball, soccer and track & field. Get ready for blitzes, zig zags, jump shots, suicides, bat swings, soccer kicks, hurdles and more.
Music used in the video
The music playlist used in this video is Sweat 132 BPM and available for download and purchase through Muscle Mixes Music.
Aqua Sportz
If you are looking for more sports-related fitness content and don’t mind a more choreographed approach, be sure to check out Aqua Sportz. Yes, that video was surprisingly done by yours truly. I have ZERO sports background but thanks to YouTube research I was able to compile some drills, skills and thrills. Growing up, I was an abysmal failure at anything that involved a ball. I couldn’t throw a ball, catch a ball, bat a ball or dribble a ball. And I most certainly couldn’t dodge a ball. Reared in an athletic family, my older brother and sister were star athletes and my father was a Little League coach. Athletically challenged from an early age, I had more interest in Barbie Campers than I did in baseball mitts. However, in my 20’s, I developed a passion for fitness. 30 years later, that passion is still going strong.
Water exercise IS a sport for many people and it has been my mission through Fitmotivation and Poolfit to provide lesson plans and a means to participate in that sport. Joining me in that mission are my fitness colleagues from around the world, including Chris LaCour. We once again extend a big thanks to Chris for his content contributions. Stay tuned! Another edition of Dude Moves, featuring Chris, will post next month.
Author: Mark Grevelding is the founder of Fitmotivation. He is also a training specialist and consultant with the Aquatic Exercise Association’s (AEA). Mark has been active in the fitness industry for 22 years as a group fitness instructor, personal trainer, international presenter and a continuing education provider for AEA, AFAA & ACE.