WATER SPORTS AND THEIR APPLICATION FOR THE DISABLED. Any exercise or sport helps physically disabled people to improve the quality of their life, to integrate better in the society, to establish new contacts, to keep or get their jobs, etc. Ability to go in for a sport successfuly has undisputedly a very positive influence on the psychical condition of the disabled person since it eliminates or at least alleviates the negative feelings of inferiority, frustration and futility of their lives, and helps their personal selffulfilment. Water sports for the physically disabled A large group of sporting activities of the disabled consists in various water sports. The disabled go in for sailing, canoeing, water skiing and other sports successfully and together with healthy people. Special equipment is constructed e.g. for wheelchair users. Canoeing of the physically disabled The most popular of all water sports is definitely canoeing. It helps the disabled overcome the barriers surrounding them ashore. The immobility, limiting them in their everyday life, disappears – conditions are the same as for other people without health impairments. Sailing of the physically disabled Sailing gives the disabled a chance to engage in a physical activity in healthy environment and allows virtually unlimited travel on the water surface using relatively simple technical equipment – a sailboat. The disabled feel joy from fighting with the natural forces – water and wind – and forget about their handicap. Choosing a suitable sailboat for the disabled Objectives: 1. To determine most important conditions under which a disabled person can control a sailboat on his own 2. To define the requirements that such a sailboat must meet 3. To choose the most suitable sailboat for the disabled, based on theoretical and practical assessment of its parameters Conclusion: Based on the theoretical analysis of the degree to which various types of single-hulled and twin-hulled sailboats meet most relevant requirements (good initial stability, wellbalanced trim, small and narrow sail, small draught, possibility for the disabled person to move around the sailboat easily and safely) and after practical testing of some of them, we have come to the conclusion that the most suitable sailboat for the disabled is the HOBIE WAVE catamaran.

Katedra sportů v přírodě FTVS UK Praha

Water sports and their application for the disabled

Lit.: 8