{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,9]],"date-time":"2026-10-09T01:38:23Z","timestamp":1791509903482,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,16]],"date-time":"2026-03-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1773619200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JFMK"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Sports performance in aquatic environments is governed by biomechanical, physiological, neuromuscular and perceptual\u2013mental constraints that differ fundamentally from those encountered on land. As a result, athletes with comparable general physiological or motor capacities may achieve markedly different performance outcomes in aquatic sports. Within functional kinesiology and sport science, aquatic performance is still frequently interpreted through isolated physiological, biomechanical, or technical variables, which limits both explanatory depth and applied relevance. This Perspective article introduces aquaticity as an integrated latent construct representing a multidimensional determinant of sports performance specific to the aquatic environment. Aquaticity is conceptualized as a functional framework that modulates how general physiological and motor capacities are expressed under aquatic constraints, integrating key domains of exercise physiology, sport biomechanics, neuromuscular control, energetic regulation, and perceptual\u2013mental stability. The relative contribution of these domains is considered discipline-specific and dependent on task and environmental demands. Breath-hold diving is presented as a particularly suitable model for examining aquaticity, as apnea and hypoxic\u2013hypercapnic stress amplify interactions between physiological regulation, neuromuscular control, and biomechanical efficiency. Training and diagnostic tasks performed in real aquatic settings are interpreted as manifest indicators of aquaticity, enabling ecologically valid athlete monitoring and performance assessment. Within this framework, energetic aquaticity is highlighted as a central functional sub-construct linking metabolic regulation, movement efficiency, and neural control during performance under respiratory constraints. The proposed conceptual framework has important implications for functional kinesiology, sport biomechanics, exercise physiology, and applied athlete monitoring in aquatic sports. Aquaticity is advanced not merely as a descriptive concept, but as a unifying framework that can guide future experimental research, discipline-specific diagnostics, individualized training design, and safety-oriented performance assessment in aquatic environments.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jfmk11010120","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,16]],"date-time":"2026-03-16T14:30:32Z","timestamp":1773671432000},"page":"120","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Aquaticity as a Latent Dimension of Aquatic Performance: Conceptual Framework and Application to Breath-Hold Diving"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"given":"Ivan","family":"Drvi\u0161","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1259-6230","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dario","family":"Vrdoljak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Heart, Lung and Vascular Health, University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nikola","family":"Foreti\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Split, 21000 Split, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"\u017deljko","family":"Duji\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Integrative Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Split, 21000 Split, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"585","DOI":"10.1002\/j.2040-4603.2018.tb00014.x","article-title":"Breath-Hold Diving","volume":"8","year":"2018","journal-title":"Compr. 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