Fundamentals

Water polo’s fundamental skills all focus around balance in the water. Coaches should teach these skills early on and make them a consistent part of each practice. In water polo, as in basketball and hockey, athletes are constantly changing direction to play offense and defense and they have to do it quickly. 

This means athletes need to be able to move over their hips (change directions) and do it explosively (lunging, jumping, breast kicks). Changing directions and moving through the water explosively are only some of the actions that require these fundamentals. These skills should be implemented into the training plan every single day.

Focusing on these in the CRAWL Phase will lead to a stronger fundamental foundation and allow the athletes to move more efficiently through the water, be more balanced, and better execute their game. (Some of the skills in this section are to help develop these fundamentals and develop balance, but may not traditionally be used in a real game).

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