A Guide for Aqua Instructors Ready to Fine-Tune Their Hand Technique and Teaching

You cue the legs. You cue the arms. But how often do you cue the hands?

In aqua fitness, hand positioning is often overlooked. Yet it plays a significant role in determining the level of resistance a participant feels, how quickly a movement can be performed, and which muscle groups are recruited.

Let’s take a closer look at how refining your hand positioning can elevate your aqua instruction. Whether you’re planning your next class or cueing in the moment, small adjustments in technique can make a big impact.

My Six Hand Positions I Use In Every Class

These six hand orientations offer a spectrum of resistance in the water. Try them yourself, and encourage your participants to experiment as well:

Slice (hand vertical like a knife edge)

• Least resistance
• Allows for quicker movement speeds
• Great for transitions, recovery phases, and modifications for those needing less effort

Fist

• Second least resistance after the slice
• Reduces surface area dramatically, minimising drag
• Useful when focusing on speed or shifting the resistance demand to other body areas

Fingers Together, Palm Open

• Noticeably more resistance than a slice
• The hand acts like a swimmer’s paddle, moving a solid wall of water
• Often used in jacks or travelling arm actions

Fingers Apart

• Increased resistance due to turbulence as water moves between fingers
• Requires a firm, aligned wrist to maintain control
• Great for amplifying standard moves with more upper body demand

Fingers Apart with a Claw

• One of the highest resistance hand shapes
• Requires muscular engagement through the hand, wrist, forearm, shoulders, and chest
• Excellent for creating strength-based challenges

Cupped Hand

• High resistance
• Ideal for scooping and strong pushing or pulling motions
• Helps with controlled, powerful directional changes

Each of these hand shapes can completely transform a move you already teach.

“Every Aqua Instructor should go to Marietta’s workshops. Especially those who never or rarely get in the pool. The practical skills are invaluable.” Robyn Bate — Melbourne Aqua Day Participant

Orientation Matters

Beyond the shape of the hand, the direction your palm faces also changes everything.

For example:

• If the palm faces forward during a sweeping motion, you’ll recruit the anterior deltoid, biceps, and pectorals, engaging through the chest and into the abdominal fascia line.
• If the palm faces back, you’ll target the posterior deltoid and triceps, but also continue to involve the biceps due to the rotation and control required.
• If the palm faces in and the arms move forward, that’s one recruitment pattern; but if the palm faces in and the arms move backward, it activates a different muscular chain.
• Working with the back of the hand, especially when the palm is facing inward, provides yet another variation in resistance and effort.
• Encourage your participants to become aware of this. Simply rotating the wrist can shift an exercise from a light mobility drill to a high-resistance strength action.

What About the Wrist?

If the wrist is floppy, your hand position won’t matter.

Instructors should cue a neutral but active wrist — one that is aligned and stiff enough to hold the shape of the hand. Whether you’re asking for a claw or a cupped hand, the wrist needs to stabilise to effectively translate force through the water.

It’s not about gripping or clenching. It’s about holding tension through the forearm to the fingertips.

Why This Matters in Your Teaching

Changing hand shape or orientation is one of the easiest ways to:

• Adjust the intensity of a move without changing choreography
• Target different muscle groups without needing equipment
• Help participants become more body-aware
• Offer progressions or regressions simply by adjusting hand positioning and resistance demands.

The next time you plan a class, try using just one movement pattern — like jacks or rocking horse — and explore what changes when you rotate the palms, alter the hand shape, or focus on wrist control.

This is functional neuromuscular training, hidden in plain sight.

See It in Action: AquaTips on YouTube

Want to see exactly how these concepts look above and below the surface? Check out my AquaTips YouTube series, where I break down specific exercises, including how to teach and cue hand positioning.

You’ll get clear examples of:

• The six hand positions in action
• Wrist alignment and cueing language
• How resistance changes the tempo and intention of a move

Subscribe to my YouTube channel here

“Love the energy and authenticity of Marietta when she runs the workshop. I learned a lot from the practical part and got some very good points from the lecture content. Her honest sharing really made me reflect on my own attitude when I teach. Thanks again, Marietta—you’re the best!” Lynna Boo— Melbourne Aqua Day Participant

Small Changes, Big Results

Cueing hand position isn’t just a detail — it’s a tool.

It empowers you to:

• Tune the intensity of a class moment-to-moment
• Support participant safety and control
• Encourage thoughtful, engaged movement

So the next time you plan a class, ask yourself: What’s in a palm? Quite possibly, everything.

Join Us for a FREE LIVE Aqua Mentoring Zoom Session

I’m opening the doors for a special FREE Aqua Mentoring meeting, and you’re invited!

• Thursday 26th June at 6:00 PM AEST, check your timezone here
• LIVE & VIRTUAL – join from anywhere in the world

This is just like my popular Aqua Tips seminars — a free, practical session where we will explore in depth Hand positioning, resistance, and cueing techniques to help you refine your classes and boost participant results.

Click here for the Zoom link to join us on Thursday, 26th June at 6 pm AEST. No strings attached. 

Come along and:

• Experience how our weekly aqua mentoring sessions work
• Meet the passionate community of instructors who gather each week
• Get inspired by real discussions, real questions, and real learning
• See if Aqua Mentoring is right for you — all with no obligation

And if you love it? You can continue with a 30-Day FREE Trial and gain access to the replay, resources, and a network of like-minded instructors.

We’d love to welcome you in.

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