Dynamic Stretching for Water Polo

The following dynamic dryland stretching routine is designed to prepare the body for water polo movements. Dynamic dryland stretching is used to lubricate the joints and warm up the muscles prior to jumping into the pool. Remember, static stretching, in which you hold a stretch position for longer than 5 seconds, should never be attempted until after a complete pool warm-up or at the end of practice.

The hand stretch is a very underutilized method of preparing the hand and forearm to catch and throw a water polo ball. Place the thumb in a groove and attempt to grab the ball with the fingers spread as wide as possible. Squeeze the ball a few times when the hand is stretched to activate the hand and forearm muscles. Grip strength and flexibility in both hands should be developed every practice.

The ankle dorsiflexion stretch improves the positioning of the foot during the eggbeater motion. Keep the heels on the ground and push the knees forward. This is the opposite of the ankle plantar flexion stretch most swimmers use.

The squat stretch increases flexibility in a variety of muscles associated with the eggbeater and lunge motion. Place the feet outside of the shoulders to mimic a wide eggbeater platform and bend as low as possible while keeping the heels on the ground.

The hip hinge stretches the hamstring group. Hamstring flexibility will improve pelvic positioning during eggbeater and the hip hinge is a common movement used during the lunge and snap techniques.

Proper internal and external hip rotation is vital to developing a powerful eggbeater motion. Stretch this motion slowly then speed up the motion to partially mimic the eggbeater leg action.

Arm adduction is used in a technically correct freestyle stroke. Abduct the arm so that the elbow is over the head to stretch critical freestyle muscles then quickly adduct the arm to warm up the shoulder joint.

Scapular retraction and protraction helps stretch muscles in both the chest and back. This motion further warms up the shoulder joint as well.

The hip flexor stretch improves body positioning during head-up freestyle. This stretch can also be attempted by laying on the stomach and pushing the upper body off of the ground.

Perform dynamic dryland stretching along with a muscle activation warm-up to prepare your body for practice and games. After dryland warm-ups and at least 5 minutes of pool warm up, you can attempt static stretching in the water to address muscles that still feel tight. Be very careful of creating hypermotility in the shoulder as this will negatively affect water polo performance. Never over-stretch by pushing or pulling a joint beyond its realistic range of motion and never use a partner to stretch.

Water Polo Muscle Activation Warm Up

The following 4 movements are performed to activate key muscles groups used during water polo. These exercises can be performed before or after dynamic dryland stretching. These movements don’t require any equipment and this muscle activation routine can be performed every day. Set an interval timer to 15 seconds and begin each movement when the timer sounds. 4-10 cycles should be performed before practices and 4 cycles should be performed before a game as part of the pre-game warmup.  

Flutter kicks should be performed for 5 Seconds and the kicks should be as fast as possible. This movement activates the hip flexor muscle group and develops power for the downward kicking motion used during head-up freestyle

Depending on your strength, 1-4 push ups should be performed as fast as possible in order to activate the chest muscles. This muscle group is an important component of the freestyle swim stroke and is also used during most wrestling actions. Place your hands just outside of shoulder width and at the same level as the bottom of your chest. Make sure your arm extend out from your shoulders at a 45-degree angle to decrease stress in the shoulder joint.

The top half back extension should be performed for five seconds. Try to keep your feet on the ground and lift the shoulders and arms as high as possible. This movement activates the lower back muscles used during head-up freestyle. Extend the arms as far in front of the head as possible to increase the difficulty.

The hip bridge should be performed for 5 seconds. Place both feet flat on the ground less than 12 inches apart and push the hips to the ceiling as hard as possible. This muscle group helps develop a powerful eggbeater motion by keeping the pelvis properly aligned.

Always incorporate muscle activation and dynamic dryland stretching into your warm up routine so that you can perform your best.