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.

Developing Water Polo Power

Coaches know it is extremely important to use correct terminology. A major problem with most sports training content on the internet is the loose standard for terms used to describe training effects. The term “strength” refers to the application of force independent of time or distance. Strength is used correctly for events requiring the maximum application of force to complete one action, such as a barbell bench press, but it is not the correct term to use when referring to one athlete overcoming the abilities of another athlete in a timed event.  Usually, “arm strength” is used when explaining an athlete's ability to throw a ball at a high velocity. But, as a water polo ball always weighs the same, about 13 ounces, an increase in maximal force does not necessarily move the ball quicker (generally; this doesn’t even address the specific muscles that must be trained to improve shooting). This article continues on WaterPoloPlanet.com

Performance Based Interval Training for Water Polo

PBIT might be considered an overarching term for training that includes USPRT for swimming and USWPT for water polo. PBIT can also be used for run training but very little personal research has been conducted or applied to running in this instance. This article will focus on PBIT in terms of resistance training or performing bodyweight exercises. This article continues at Water Polo Planet

The Future of Water Polo Conditioning - USWPT

Ultra-short Race-pace Training (USRPT) is a set of swim training principles researched, developed and articulated by Dr. Brent Rushall during his decades-long career coaching swimming and performing scientific studies. The results of dozens of tests are posted in his database "Swimming Science Bulletin" and I would refer you to this short article as a primer, "The Mechanisms of Ultra-Short Training". If this is not adequate in depth I would advise the longer, "Swimming Energy Training in the 21st Century". These methods have been proposed for water polo before (Water Polo Training Based on Game Metrics) but had previously failed to incorporate the optimal development of the players' energy systems and the reduction in performance-degrading fatigue. Now, a true scientific conditioning system is ready to be unleashed on your players. (Just in time for the season!)

This article continues at Water Polo Planet

Developing Your Head-Up Water Polo Technique, Part 2

Now that you have mastered some of the basic head-up drills in Head-up Water Polo Technique Part 1 you can start training your transitions. In a water polo game you will perform a water polo transition from swimming to eggbeater, or vice versa, at least two times each possession.

From your defensive end, you will perform a water polo start and swim to the offensive end where you will transition back to eggbeater. You may catch a pass early in the counterattack and then pass and swim to another position. You may also initiate a drive in your half-court and end the drive by kicking-up to catch a pass and score a goal. As you can tell, transitions are extremely important to work on. Fast transitions allow you to: 1) play mobile defense 2) counterattack quicker 3) pass and shoot from a stable and high eggbeater position 4) save energy.

Let's try some transition drills that will help you get in shape for the season.

Transition technique 121 is a simple drill to add to your water polo conditioning. Instead of swimming laps and starting and stopping on the walls, begin and/or finish each lap with some eggbeater. On an eggbeater start, make sure you are balanced with your hands out of the water and explode into the swim position with a forward breaststroke kick lunge. To finish, work on getting your knees up quickly and eggbeatering hard to the end of the lap.

Transition technique 122 adds some game situations to the eggbeater transition. If you start eggbeatering at the beginning of the lap you are in a shot-blocking position with one hand up and your palm facing the shooter. Knock down the shooter after a few yards and explode into your swim with a breaststroke lunge. If you finish the lap in the eggbeater position you should transition to eggbeater about 7 yards out and move forward high in the water with a shooting hand up looking for a cross pass. Finish the lap with a high shooting motion. If you eggbeater before and after the swim you should be sprinting head-up the middle 10-14 yards of the pool.

Transition technique 123 is a variation of technique 121. Here you will start from various positions and facing different directions. Face left, right, backwards and forwards. Start with your legs pointing in different directions as well. Each direction requires different explosive movements. Finish the laps with hard eggbeater for 5-10 seconds and at least one vertical lunge. It is up to you to make this drill harder and harder. 8x15 yards head-up sprint with 5 seconds of eggbeater at the end and 2 vertical lunges is a pretty good set! Take 20 seconds of rest between each rep.

Transition technique 124 shows you three types of water polo turns. Remember, when training for water polo you should never start with wall pushes or do flip turns. Save those for swim season. The ankle turn involves lifting your foot and leg out of the water and spinning. Notice that if you spin clockwise you will be pushing your right foot out of the water. Keep your legs high in the water and get proficient at turning both directions. The knees-to-chest turn is straightforward; just pull your knees up as high as you can and fall backward into a swim position. The hip turn is hard to master but is a very quick transition move. Watch the video and practice these turns until you feel comfortable. Proper turns will help you conserve energy in a game!

Building a Water Polo Captain

"Because there are no predetermined solutions to problems, [sic] leaders must adapt their 

thinking, formations, and employment techniques to the specific situation they face. This 

requires an adaptable and innovative mind, a willingness to accept prudent risk in 

unfamiliar or rapidly changing situations, and an ability to adjust based on continuous 

assessment."

 - Foreword, Army Leadership ADP 6-22

Many of coaches talk about the delegation of responsibility they give to their team captains: 

"When a captain tells you to do something he speaks for the coach"

But, when do your captains actually speak with your vision? Usually, this is the last expression of delegation a coach will ever give to players. As a coach you should be delegating a portion of your practice to be run by your captains. Your captains need opportunities to practice their leadership skills every day. Coaches should provide the guidance, tools, and feedback necessary to build daily improvement. This will pay dividends in games when your captains are authoritative in executing your plan. 

College coaches are not exempt. Your captains and seniors are moving into the real world. These skills are not only essential but will benefit your players the rest of their lives. If you, or the assistant coach, are running warm-ups, conditioning, or basic drills by the second week of practice you are wrong. Coach staff should be correcting individual technique and coordinating team strategy. Captains should be enforcing proper repetition and pace. If ROTC college seniors are qualified to lead men into combat your players can run the first 45 minutes of practice.

First, establish a precedent for your captains. Give them a few orders to execute such as organizing team stretching and having everyone in the water at a certain time. If players are still on the deck, pull the captains out and hold them accountable (usually push-ups, make it hurt). Show the rest of the team that the captains are the conduit between the coach and the rest of the team. Essentially, the captains should be doing the heavy lifting, and yelling, during the mundane portions of practice.

Second, bring your captains into the daily planning of the the practice. Have them stand with your assistants as you disseminate the plan for the day. What is the conditioning plan, what is the major focus of the practice? Are there any recommendations from the captains based on play the previous game? Let them feel their input is important in building the team.

Third, talk only to your captains. This is the hardest step. Stand over your captains and give them the next drill. No yelling, no loud talking, just a normal conversation. If players are lost when the drill starts pull the captains over and ask why. Are they leading the drill or expecting inexperienced players to know what to do? Captains should be vocal and learn to relay any information you give to them. Again, this will pay dividends in crucial game situations. In ROTC, the leader is given 10 minutes to accept, develop, and disseminate a formal operations order to their subordinates prior to leading a 90 minute mission. Your captains will be fine.

My leader expectations are straightforward: 

• Communicate—up, down, and laterally; understand the practice
• Build agile, effective, high-performing teams 
• Empower subordinates and underwrite risk (playing creatively)
• Develop bold, adaptive, and broadened leaders 

Your captains will thrive with the latitude you have given them. I usually transition my next year's captains/seniors the last week of season to give the current seniors a chance to focus on enjoying the end of season. This also gives the juniors a taste of what is to come.

I have trained men who have seen combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Building water polo leaders is easy but still equally rewarding. Many players have committed significant portions of their lives to play water polo and, as a coach, you should enable them to lead men in this short profession as well. Your captains will never resent you because you let them lead.

"The fastest learning occurs when there are challenging and 

interesting opportunities to practice leadership with meaningful and honest feedback 

and multiple practice opportunities. These elements contribute to self-learning, 

developing others and setting a climate conducive to learning."

- Page 9, Army Leadership ADP 6-22