Basic Swimming

The base of water polo is the ability to move in the water. For this reason, it is important to focus on the fundamental skills of swimming. Each stroke adds value to an athlete’s success.

Swimming also helps athletes develop the different muscles needed in water polo as well as better body awareness. There is no need to be a swim coach or an expert at how to properly do each stroke. But it is important to focus on developing swimming skills during training, as this will help build a solid foundation. 

Once these skills are developed, coaches can add a breaststroke kick to each stroke to make these skills even more applicable to water polo. Basic swimming is essential in the Crawl Phase and should be integrated into each training.

Summary of what is taught during this stage: 

• The basic swimming strokes 

• How to feel comfortable in the water (and use of swimming as a natural element)

• Introduction of horizontal to vertical training

Videos on the 6-8 Sports App