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What is this site for; Coaching Philosophy; Common Terminology; Tactic of the week; This week's Coaching Conundrum!

This site is a forum for water polo coaches.
Finding or devising new drills that are effective, interesting and fun is a constant difficult task for coaches! This site intends to provide an interactive place for coaches to contribute to and benefit from.

I’ll identify components of the game and provide a structure and forum, and maybe some springboard ideas, drills and strategies. I hope that you will then add your ideas and variations (old or new).

I also hope it will be a place to discuss strategies as the game evolves. For example, what are the implications for set plays in normal offence given that an ordinary free throw for the centre forward is not guaranteed. I have yet to see any great creativity in team play that takes advantage of this interpretation

Its also a place where we can discuss a bit of the history of the game. Great games, great teams, great players, great strategies.

Contribute, please. Of course anyone who does will get their contribution recognised.

Common Terminology
(Source – Bruce Wigo)
I’ll try to use common terminology throughout this site. But if I don’t, here’s some translations. If you can do better – let me know. If you know of any other ‘common' terminology, let me know – eg mushroom, umbrella, D, extra-man attack
1. Driver - This is the shooter/driver who sets up near to the goal to the left of the Centre-forward.
2. Point - The is the player who runs the offence. In the offensive scheme, the point is typically a player who will be to the right of the Centre-back.
3. Centre-Back - This is the primary 2m defender, the specialist for whom this is the primary role. In the offensive scheme the 2m defender typically plays at the top of the umbrella offense.
4. All rounder - The All rounder is a versatile player who will be a secondary 2m defender but who is also capable of playing the hole and driver positions.
5. Right Driver - This is typically the shooter/driver who sets up near to the goal to the right of the Centre-forward.
6. Centre-forward- This designation is obvious.
7. Goalkeeper

Coaching Philosophy
Why am I coaching?

	Preparing athletes for the next level is a great challenge.
	Waterpolo gave a lot to me; this is a good way for me to give something back to the sport.
	Getting athletes to meet their potential and play well is satisfying.
	Watching people grow from a close distance is fascinating.
	I meet a wide range of people and make long-term friendships.
	Its fun (or it can be!)

Tactic of the week
Defending 2 Centre Forwards
Firstly, if the attacking team has resorted to setting up two centre forwards, then your defense must have been pretty good. These days a team is more likely to not set a centre forward at all.

Strategies

Push the center forwards out and to the side - this limits their capacity to make a set play between them, and also limits their shotmaking capacity.
Front them both and zone up top to stop the pass coming in, while putting hard, but no foul pressure on the wing players.

Any other ideas ??

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This week's Coaching Conundrum
Coaching Young Goalkeepers - Several people have emailed loooking for ideas on coaching young goalkeepers. I ought to know something about this, but then again...

The first key to getting a good young goalkeeper is at selection. Of this group of kids, which is best suited to play goalie? The biggest? The best at eye/hand co-ordination? The worst swimmer? The one who wants to? All of the above?

The main point at issue is 'reach'. As goalkeepers get bigger, they often use reach and reflex to get past ordinary technique. Because, at an early age, reach is something that goalkeepers might not have, I look for a kid who can move well laterally. I work on the technique of moving from side to side of the cage, and then I work on the capacity to jump up and back, not out as the textbook might have it for an older goalie. The reason I get them to go up and back is so that they have more time to see the ball. Its also true to say that young shooters' accuracy is not always that well developed. Once a goalkeeper can go up and back, it is then quite easy to get them to go up and out to cut the angles later on.

Finally, I always try to get the smartest kid to go goalkeper. They can have an enormous effect on how the team runs its defence and its transition to offense - so you really need a kid who can learn quickly. I'm sure that's the criteria my coach picked me as goalie when I started. (The fact that I couldn't swim out of sight on a dark night had nothing to do with it - OK!!!)

Any other ideas ??
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