A thletes of all ages enjoy participating in sporting activities. Children and adolescents participate in youth sports teams, while adults enjoy events such as running races, triathlons, and adult sport leagues. This type of recreational sportsenthusiast comprises the majority of the athletic population. However, a small percentage of athletes chooses to pursue a higher and more demanding level of training and competition. Some athletes excel in a sport early in adolescence and focus exclusively on those physical skills. Master-level athletes are continuing to compete well into the fifth and sixth decades of life. Athletes of this caliber level are training harder, competing more often, and taking less time to taper. As such, the elite athlete frequently suffers from overuse injuries, particularly soft tissue injuries, such as tendinitis, bursitis, and stress fractures. Selfcare for the average athletic population may include temporary rest and discontinued training. Research has shown that 3 weeks of inactivity can lead to a significant loss of cardiovascular fitness, where 6 weeks of rest can lead to a decrease of as much as 14-16% of maximal oxygen consumption (1 0.1 1,27). Because of such losses and demanding competition schedules, the elite athlete is often under time constraints for injury rehabilitation. As such, many athletes have found utili7ation of a water-based program during their "active rest" Elite athletes are competing for longer seasons, training more hours, and taking less time off. This schedule may predispose the elite athlete to overuse injuries. When an injury occurs, aquaticbased rehabilitation may expedite the recovery process, as effective cardiovascular and musculoskeletal training may be accomplished by aquatic exercise. The pool may be used both during rehabilitation and postrecovery as an adjunctive tool. Knowledge of the unique physical properties of water, as well as the physiological responses to immersion both at rest and during exercise, will aid the physical therapist when designing a rehabilitation or training program for the athlete. Understanding the principles of movement in water will provide a foundation for creative use of water's unique properties.