BIOMECHANICAL CONSIDERATIONS OF TAKEUMA-WALKING IN WATER

"TAKEUMA " is one of Japanese classic style of playing. Usually it is played on land, but in water, one can easier ambulate with TAKEUMA in water, for buoyancy and resistance force. The purposes of this study were to clarify biomechanical features of TAKEUMA-walking in water and to compare the motion characteristics of skilled TAKEUMA players with those of unskilled. The TAKEUMA-walking motions were recorded both in a water tank and on land. It was revealed that the body inclination to the forward direction would be a key feature of the well-trained TAKEUMA-walking, and even in unskilled subjects the relatively greater forward-inclined posture was preserved in water. It is important to handle and hold a TAKEUMA by using upper limbs, especially forearms, when walking with TAKEUMA in water. KEY WORDS: TAKEUMA, walking in water, upper limb, lower limb, forward-incline posture. INTRODUCTION: Walking is one of the most safety aerobic exercises, for impact forces acting at lower limb joints are smaller than the other exercises such as running, aerobic dance etc. Walking in water could be a more advantageous exercise mode if physical characteristics of water are properly utilized