Fitness

Coaching Water Polo
Individual Physical Building Blocks
Fitness

The Conditioning drills below have been provided by Joe Camporese from San Diego !
The acronyms are easy. HU is head up, OTW is on the whistle. Go to it !

CONDITIONING W/O H20 polo balls
1. Builds…Increase speed as you go down the pool VAR. head up or down.
2. Flutter kick hands in front elbows locked. Lots of white water with the feet.
3. Front to Back alternate hip roll right/left snapping the hips around.(OTW) look all around not just backwards.
4. Stop & Go (OTW) HU freestyle. On the whistle you stop and get your legs underneath you and lacing the fingers on top of the head getting the shoulders out of the water. (OTW) you return to a HU sprint. Continue down the pool.
5. Out of the hole- a stop & go (OTW) on the stop keeps the hips up.
6. Eggbeater facing backward. Your back faces the direction you are traveling with hands up. (OTW) you turn 90 degrees keeping your hands out of the water.
7. Change of direction on the whistle (Springing over the hips)
8. Springing over the hips and attack (alternate right/left)
9. Transition (showing the hands on a drive)
10. All out sprints with Press outs pressing the body up out of the pool.
11. Back to Ready-(OTW) starting with the hips up, getting over the hips & Swimming 4-6 backstrokes, going right back to the ready position.
12. Square out drill 4 forward 2 right, 4 forward 2 left.
13. FACE ME double arm pull pushing away from the body then explode swimming 4 hard stokes. Face opposite wall after every 4 strokes.
14. Burst and lunges-4 hard strokes then explode R,L,C, block the ball after a shot has been taken.
15. Vertical Butterfly- shorter arm pulls w/ breaststroke kick. Pull kick pull
16. Add 2 change of Directions- e.g. 2-1, 4-1, 6-1, etc.
17. Backwards Feathering with hands pushing the water away & keeping the hips up and the toes pointing in the direction you are going.
18. Shark- Freestyle with one knee bent and the foot out the water. Alt legs
19. Bursts & slants 6 hard strokes at a 45 degree angle (OTW)change direction
20. Change of directions following side markers.
21. Elbows high- high turnover driving the hands very quickly (15-20 times) going from a vertical to a horizontal then sprinting to a set point.
22. Sprinting Out & Back- (sets of 5) as the 1st player returns the second player takes off. Variations (HU) HU out HD back.

CONDITIONING with a partner
1. Jousting face your partner and center pool (OTW) push the person back by pushing with the arms (never stop moving the arms) keeping the hips up.
2. Jousting for 15 seconds (OTW) after then end 15 seconds to find a new partner and joust again.
3. Jousting, then swimming in a direction with one partner pressing the hips down for the specified length. Return to jousting and switch who presses the hips down.
4. Back Crossover- (not loosing eye contact with the person you are guarding as they swim over your back every 4 to 5 strokes). Start swimming side by side as the person swim over your back roll over onto your stomach maintaining eye contact as they swim to the other side.
5. Satan Drill (my favorite) Partner presses down for 10-15 seconds then they swim to a specific point and back. While the person swim the person that was pressing downs lacing their fingers on top of their head. Repeat 3 times then switch partners. Three sets of three
6. Lunges up with a partner pressing you down.