The sprint tests an athlete's speed in terms of water polo swimming. A dive and flip turn are irrelevant in water polo. This drill is what distinguishes swimmers from water polo players. Higher (which is negative) times in this drill can mean the athlete is not going over their hips efficiently, not using a big breast stroke kick before swimming and/or they are not quick/powerful when swimming. 

To improve in this drill, watch the videos from this chapter to understand exactly what the technique should be for execution. Take notice of the sculling over the hips and doing a big breast kick before sprinting. Coaches can incorporate more sculling and pull over hip lunge (use a breast kick to lunge) drills to improve timing. Additionally, incorporating sprints after gym or a hard dryland workout to train the muscles both in and out of the water can help with all around fitness. 

Suggested Drills: