When I was a lifeguard in college, I used to see all sorts of people come to the pool to swim laps. Some were competitive swimmers and were exercising very vigorously, others were just exercising their joints. Many were elderly people who didn't really have any other way to exercise (a good example of how little impact there is). Whoever they were, they were exercising vigorously, but with little to no impact on their body.
I am writing to offer my knowledge on a couple of techniques I have seen and some I have tried that I think are great ways to exercise and to help joints. I am completely convinced that swimming is the best exercise.
An exercise that the school basketball team came in to practice many times (I never really do this though) was running in the water. You can get (and many times borrow from the pool) a floatation belt that goes around your waist and it keeps you afloat while in a vertical position. This makes it easy for a person to run across the pool in the normal running position using the same muscles and movements, but there is no impact on the knees of anything. I think that it is very helpful and used in rehabilitation, although I haven't really had the need so I have never really done this, so I can only testify so much in this regard.
What I am a big fan of, is kick boards. I also swim normally and I love it, but I use a kick board to do laps specifically to work my legs and joints. In one particular method, you can work your lower stomach muscles easily (I think the lower stomach is important to exercise with footbag as well from all the lifting of the legs).
Anyway, if you float on your back with the kick board perpendicular to your upper hips, so the edge is resting on your upper hip bones and giving resistance to the water as you kick your legs and move across the water, it will work your lower stomach. If you scrunch up your body it will work your lower stomach muscles very well if you do laps just kicking crunched up for 10 minutes or so. This is specific for the lower stomach.
There are a variety of other kicks associated with different swimming strokes, but what is really cool for footbag, is if you do eggbeaters keeping yourself above the water. I think this is good for knees.
As far as muscle soreness goes, I have kicked it out in the pool many times.
Whether you are hurt already or you want to prevent injury, swimming is good. If you can't swim, try the stuff with the kick boards in the shallow end. I am sure that you can see results if you do it enough.
Swimming helps joints
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Aaron Shepard
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footjam_heger
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