A basic understanding of the aquatic environment is critical in implementing safe and effective aquatic classes. Mastering the principles of the water will help you create effective, safe movement so that you can give your participants the most positive SilverSneakers class experience possible. Manipulating water principles will help you adapt the intensity of your Splash class for a wide variety of participant skill levels and abilities.
Drag is the force that you feel opposing your body and your movements in the water. Drag is affected by the amount of frontal surface area of an object, the velocity of the object and the shape of the object. Intensity can be increased or decreased using the principle of drag.
For example, changing a hand position from a slice to a fist, then progressing to a cupped hand will change the amount of drag experienced by your participants.
Acceleration is how fast you can change your velocity. The acceleration of an object depends on both the mass of the object and the amount of force applied. In the pool, acceleration is felt by pushing off the bottom with more force or rebounding. Not every person will be able to generate the same amount of force. This is dependent on a variety of factors, including strength, skill and mass. Acceleration training improves power.
For example, in a squat, if the cue is, “show me more of you,” participants will use acceleration to push their feet up off of the pool floor.
Forces that act on our bodies occur in pairs. This is the principle of action and reaction, Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion. Action/reaction means that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. You can use your body and the water to create either complementary forces or opposing forces, to decrease or increase intensity.
For example, if a participant is traveling forward in the water, their arms can assist with a breaststroke, or while traveling forward in the water their arms can resist by reversing the breaststroke, sweeping the arms out and forward, drawing the water toward the body.
Turbulence is how the water is moving around a submerged individual. If movement is performed for multiple repetitions in the exact same place, water begins to move with the body. If a participant resists the water by changing direction, and therefore the way the water is traveling, the movement becomes more challenging. Be aware of turbulent flow as it can make those who are unstable in the water feel even less stable. Use this property of water to your advantage to increase or decrease intensity in a safe, effective way.
Buoyancy, or buoyant force, on a submerged object is equal to the weight of the fluid that is displaced by that object. An object in water is subjected to two opposing forces: buoyancy and gravity. Buoyancy is the upward force created in the aquatic environment, while gravity exerts a downward force. Several variables contribute to a person’s buoyancy, including percentage of body fat, relative density, body size and lung capacity.
Buoyant force can assist class participants and provide them with more support and postural stability. The splashboard is a piece of buoyant equipment. Utilizing the splashboard as an assistance tool, merely holding the board on the surface of the water for extra support, can help participants to find their balance and stability. It’s also a resistance tool. The intensity of a movement will increase as the surface area of the tool increases in the direction of force.
Buoyancy provides many advantages while exercising. It decreases the effects of gravity and reduces compression in joints. Buoyancy can assist or resist movement in water.
When working with the property of buoyancy, it can be helpful to ask the question, “Do I want to use this equipment for support and assistance, or do I want to use this equipment to provide resistance?”