The purpose of this paper was to document the systematic testing/training program used by the East Java Sports Council in the preparation of its Finswimming athletes for the 2016 Indonesian National Games. The testing/training program involved 7 items which included: (1) Kneel-Up; (2) Nordic Hamstring Return; (3) Stiff Legged Deadlifts; (4) Inclined Sit Ups; (5) Chin Ups; (6) Multi-Stage Fitness (MFT) and (7) Sit and Reach tests. The test results and development of 7 elite athletes, 4 male and 3 female, are presented over the 20 month preparation period which included 5 testing occasions. Substantial improvements were recorded in the Kneel-Up, Nordic Hamstring and Stiff Legged Deadlift test items. More moderate improvements were recorded for the Chin-Up and Sit-Up tests. Performance in the MFT test declined over the period and this was believed to be due to the non-specific nature of this running based test for aquatic athletes. East Java Finswimming athletes won 9 gold medals at the 2016 Indonesian National Games, setting 6 new National records and 1 Asian record. A big improvement over the 4 gold medals won in the previous National Games. Over the 12 month period from the qualification event to the main competition held in September 2016, the mean swimming times of the 7 athletes improved by 8.8 secs or 3.6%. The Kneel-Up and Nordic Hamstring Return exercises are recommend to be included in a comprehensive testing/training program for the development of Finswimming athletes, and also considered for other kicking based sports, such as Muay Thai, Mixed Martial Arts and Football. However, these exercises are stressful and hence need to be progressively introduced into the program with care.
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