The idea behind the obstacle course is to see how an athlete swims around “defenders” at an angle with the ball while tired. The 8 jumps are to tire your legs so we can see your skills while fatigued. When they come around the final buoy, the better players in this drill throw their right leg in a hurdle position to get around and get a shot off quickly. 

High (or negative) scores on this drill can mean a variety of things. It can indicate weak leg strength, lower fitness level, inability to turn around “defenders'' and comfort level swimming with the ball.

If fatigue is resulting in a bad score, that is most likely because the athlete’s legs are not strong or in shape. Legs are extremely important in our sport, so if an athlete has weak or out-of-shape legs, that means they are compensating with their arms (which fatigue much faster). Stronger, more explosive leg drills will help athletes improve on this drill and in the game. 

If the problem is the comfort level while swimming with the ball, incorporate sprints with change of direction and swim sets with a ball. Lots of horizontal to vertical and vertical to horizontal drills and wall drills with hurdle legs like in Hudnut’s series. 

If athletes have a tough time turning around defenders, this indicates weakness in leg and/or torso strength. Work on flexibility exercises out of the water, Tony’s turn series and repetition of shooting to hit corners or targets (not score)!. These drills will also help overall game ability. 

Suggested Drills: