Improvements In Balance And Agility After High Intensity Water Exercise For Land-based Athletes

Abstract

The extent to which water training affects athletic performance on land is unclear. Agility and balance performance responses to water exercise are not well documented. PURPOSE: To determine effectiveness of water-based exercise on agility and balance performance by land-based competitive athletes during off-season training. METHODS: Twenty-nine healthy, competitive athletes (23.7 + 6.5 years) were recruited to either a water exercise (WE, n= 14), or control (C, n=15) group. The WE group trained 9 weeks, a minimum of 3 days per week, 90 minutes a session. WE exercises included: cardiovascular resistance and stretching in shallow and deep water using running, jumping, cadence and interval sets; aquatic cycling; underwater running. The control group maintained land-based, off-season training and recorded activity. Agility and balance were measured at, baseline, midway and at the end of training. RESULTS: No injuries were reported for either group. For all measures the WE group significantly improved greater than the C group. Wilcoxon Rank Sums Test was used to test the difference between EX and C groups for compass clockwise, compass counter clockwise, hexagon clockwise, hexagon counter clockwise, sway and stability.TABLECONCLUSION: This water exercise program conducted during off-season for a variety of competitive land-based athletes resulted in greater improvements in all measures for agility and balance when compared to controls. While both groups had improvements, the WE group improved significantly more than the C group. Water exercise appears to show promise as an effective training option for healthy competitive athletes who want to improve balance and agility.