Lees, Terri (2007). Water Fun: 116 Fitness and Swimming Activities for all Ages (with Water Fun DVD). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishers (PO Box 5076, 61825; [800] 747-4457, FAX [217] 351-1549; website www. HumanKinetics.com; ISBN 10-0-7360-6378-1; paperback, 175 pg; $49.95 plus S/H USA UPS

Water exercise can be an important first step toward learning to swim, and an excellent way to make fitness more fun. One hundred sixteen individual and group stunts, skills, and games featured provide basic water exercises that can be performed in a vertical position without full submersion; water adjustment and stroke readiness skills to help in transition from water exercise to swimming; sport-specific and cross-training activities to enhance an overall fitness regimen; and safety skills that can be used for a lifetime.

The six chapters are (1) Introduction to Water Fitness and Swimming; (2) Activity Selection and Modification; (3) Aquatic Program Safety; (4) Water Fitness Activities and Workouts; (5) Water Games and Relays; (6) Swimming Activities and Games (information about swim strokes includes objectives, descriptions, and variations; aquatic basics are offered in terms of objectives, descriptions, variations, and progressions). Drawings throughout reinforce and clarify points made in the text. Four appendices include (a) Equipment for Water Fitness and Safety; (b) Aquatic Equipment Suppliers; (c) Associations Serving Aquatics Safety; and (d) Aquatic Exercise.

A fitness activity finder includes name, fitness types, fitness focus, equipment, variations, and page where found. A swimming activity finder provides name and information about activity type, prerequisites, equipment, variations, and page where found. Although no specific mention is made about participants with disabilities, the two activity finders, and format of activities (objectives, descriptions, variations) enable most of these activities to be appropriate and applicable for individuals with disabilities.

Activities from the book come to life in the 58-minute DVD. The author hosts, introduces, and narrates the five segments of the DVD--(1) levels of performance; (2) aqua basics; (3) sports aqua; (4) partner stunts and skills; and (5) water games that train. Each segment includes progressions and variations for several activities; instructors are encouraged to create their own variations of these activities, being sure to follow basic safety guidelines. Name and objectives of each activity are clearly shown. The DVD is presented so one can access all activities in a given segment at once, or select desired activities one-at-a-time. Underwater photography is used extensively throughout.