Top 34 How To Get Open In Water Polo The 99 Latest Answer

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Contents

What makes a good waterpolo player?

In addition, players need considerable strength to hit, block, and push other players during game play (²⁷^,³²). For these reasons, the basic characteristics of the elite water polo player includes high levels of strength, swimming speed and lean body mass, and specific technical and tactical capabilities (¹^,¹⁷^,²³).

What body type is best for water polo?

Water polo players are usually tall and lean, with a long reach. Some amount of body fat is not a hindrance as it can add to buoyancy in the water.

How much money do professional water polo players make?

The pay depends on the team and experience level, likely around 20,000 euros (over $24,000) for first-year Americans in Europe — except for NCAA athletes who forgo a salary in order to retain their amateur status.

Why is waterpolo so violent?

With a majority of their bodies underwater, and lots of splashing to reduce visibility for the referees, players are prone to kicking or hitting beneath the surface. “With all these big bodies banging into each other, all the clutching and grabbing under the water, you have to stay close or you risk getting injured.

Do water polo players shave?

National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) rules for swimming, diving and water polo stipulate that athletes can not shave before, during or after a meet once a team is on-site.

Is water polo a girls sport?

Water polo happens to be one of those sports that’s played pretty much exactly the same way by men and women. The ball is ever so slightly smaller in the women’s game—men play with a size 5, women play with a size 4. But that’s about where the differences end (source).

How fit do you need to be to play water polo?

Water Polo is a very physically demanding sport. Water Polo players need to have the exceptional fitness to tread water for extended periods without using their hands, swim in short intense bursts and constantly change direction, palm off opponents, and pass and shoot at goal under fatigue.

Is running good for water polo?

Kavouras et al. (2006) found that “Water polo is associated with an apparent redistribution of bone mass and density from the lower to the upper limbs”. This is where I think some running as well as weight lifting exercises like Dead Lifts and Squats can be very good for Water Polo athletes.

What are the 3 most important water polo skills?

Water polo is a combination of swimming, wrestling, basketball, soccer and baseball. It requires three basic fundamental skills: swimming, treading (egg-beater) and passing (ball skills). Six field players swim, tread, pass and shoot in an attempt to score into a goal defended by a goalie.

What muscles are used to throw a water polo ball?

The elbow leads the hand and ball until about half-way through the throwing motion, when the triceps contracts and extends the elbow. The contraction of the triceps muscle moves the hand and ball past the shoulder and elbow, and extends the arm in front of the body, adding to the forward velocity of the ball.

What skills do you need for water polo?

Is water polo an easy sport?

The potential for bodily harm combined with inevitably violence means water polo is safely assumed to be the most difficult sport there is.

Is water polo a hard sport?

Water polo was named the most physically strenuous Olympic sport. Water polo often tops lists of most difficult sports. In 2016, Bleacher Report declared it to be “the toughest sport in the world” based on six parameters: strength, endurance, speed, agility, skill, and physicality.

Water Polo Offense

KAP7 Tip of the Week: How to Turn A Defender – YouTube

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Hips Up & Wrist Control (TIP OF THE WEEK) - YouTube — Hips Up & Wrist Control (TIP OF THE WEEK) – YouTube

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Relationship Between Characteristics of Water Polo Players a… : The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research
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Relationship Between Characteristics of Water Polo Players a… : The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research
Updating Alcaraz, PE, Abraldes, JA, Ferragut, C, Vila, H, Rodríguez, N, and Argudo, FM. Relationship between
Table of Contents:

Abstract

Introduction

Methods

Results

Discussion

Practical Applications

Acknowledgments

References

Article Level Metrics

Relationship Between Characteristics of Water Polo Players a… : The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research

Introduction

Water polo is a very stressful body-contact team sport that combines high-intensity short duration efforts such as swimming at maximum speed, elevation of the body from the water, and throwing, with rest or low-intensity actions (29). In addition, players need considerable strength to hit, block, and push other players during game play (27,32). For these reasons, the basic characteristics of the elite water polo player includes high levels of strength, swimming speed and lean body mass, and specific technical and tactical capabilities (1,17,23).

Although water polo requires high levels of physical fitness (22,30), throwing velocity is considered to be one of the most important aspects of performance (27,32). The extent of throwing speed will depend on the muscle-skeletal strength added to coordinating factors between body segments (lower limbs, body and upper limbs) and player technique (16). Consequently, there are many studies that have analyzed the biomechanical factors of water polo shot (5–7,9,21,28,32,33). Furthermore, accuracy and throwing velocity are 2 crucial factors for the efficacy of the throw (24). Nevertheless, studies that have included tactical situations when examining throwing velocities are scarce (6,32).

Anthropometry is another key aspect in elite water polo players, and this characteristic is developing continuously in sport (25). In fact, in water polo, Lozovina and Pavicicet (17) have noted anthropometrical changes across generations. In the last decade, there are some studies that have analyzed the anthropometric characteristics of elite male water polo players (1,4,11,23,31). However, studies that analyze the anthropometric characteristics of male water polo players in the last 5 years are again scarce (1,31).

In summary, physical (strength, power, throwing velocity) and anthropometrical factors are important for determining the outcomes in water polo. However, each of these variables has been defined in different studies in isolation. So, this is insufficient when it comes to describing the whole profile of elite water polo players. In addition, Hughes and Bartlett (12,13) explain that greater emphasis should be placed on the notation analysis for increasing performance from a biomechanical and physical point of view. Actually, it has been demonstrated that tactical awareness could be more decisive than physical aspects when the aim is detection of talent and early development of elite water polo players (8). Even, significant differences have been found in some efficacy indices between men’s winning and loosing water polo teams (3) and for different competition levels (18,19). Some of these parameters are the offensive tactical phases: even, counterattack, and power play.

Thus, this study had 2 aims: The first was to define the anthropometrical characteristics, maximum isometric grip strength, competition throwing velocities (both by zones, and by the different offensive tactical phases), and the efficacy indices in high-level competition. The second was to determine the relationships or differences between the variables mentioned above in elite male water polo players.

Methods

Experimental Approach to the Problem

The study was developed in 2 phases. The training month before (precompetitive phase) and during the 2008 European Championship (competitive phase). In the precompetitive phase, standard anthropometry (height, body mass, arm span, skinfolds, body girths, and skeletal breadths) and grip strength were assessed. In the competitive phase, efficacy indices, and average and maximum throwing velocities from all the participants in the complete championship were recorded.

Subjects

Eleven elite trained male water polo players (age = 26.9 ± 4.5 years; height = 187.7 ± 7.4 cm; weight = 94.9 ± 12.5 kg; body mass index [BMI] = 26.9 ± 2.5 points; and grip strength = 48.7 ± 7.8 kilogram force [kgf]) were recruited from the Spanish water polo team (field players only). The participants read and signed statements of informed consent before participation in the study, and approval for the study was given by the Human Subjects Ethics Committee of the Catholic University San Antonio. For the 2008 Men’s European water Polo Championship records, formal authorization from the Spanish Royal Swimming Federation and the Ligue Européenne de Natation (LEN) were obtained.

Anthropometry

The protocols of the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (14) were used to determine the anthropometric profile of the water polo players. The subjects were measured in the early morning during a single session. Unilateral measurements were taken on the right side of the body. The participants wore ‘light clothing’ but no shoes. Physical characteristics were measured in the following order: height, body mass, arm span, skinfolds, body girths, and skeletal breadths. The anthropometric program included 25 measurements. Height and weight measurements were made on a leveled platform scale (Seca, Hamburg, Germany) with an accuracy of 0.01 kg and 0.001 m, respectively. Eight skinfolds (triceps, subscapular, biceps, axillary, abdominal, iliac crest, suprailiac, front thigh, and medial shank) were measured by means of a Holtain Skinfold Calliper (Holtain, Crymych, United Kingdom) with 10 g·mm−2 constant pressure. Ten limb/body girths (arm relaxed, arm flexed and twitched, forearm, wrist, chest, waist, gluteus, thigh, shank, and ankle) were measured using a diameter steel tape (Lufkin Executive Thinline, Lufkin, TX, USA), and 5 skeletal breadths (biacromial, biepicondylar-humerus, biepicondylar-femur, biiliocristal, and bistyloid) were measured using an anthropometer (GPM, Zurich, Switzerland).

Double measures for each of 25 anthropometric dimensions (triple measures for skinfolds) were obtained by 1 accredited levels 2 and 3 accredited level 1 ISAK anthropometrists. The technical error of measurement was <2% for all skinfolds and <1% for all bone breadths and body girths. Other derived variables included the following: (a) the BMI was calculated as weight (kilograms) divided by height2 (meters); (b) percentage of body fat was estimated from the measurements of skinfold thickness using the method described by Jackson et al. (15); and (c) fat-free mass (kilograms) using the method described by Martin et al. (21). Maximum Isometric Grip Strength Maximum isometric hand-grip strength was recorded using a handheld hand-grip dynamometer (TKK 5401, Tokyo, Japan) to the nearest 0.1 kgf. The participants were familiarized with the dynamometer and performed 3 warm-up repetitions on the same day of the testing, with 3 minutes of rest. After that, the players performed 2 repetitions at maximum intensity with the dominant hand, with 3 minutes of rest. They carried out the test from a standing position and the dynamometer set parallel to the body. In this position, the player was invited to exert maximal grip force without arm or wrist flexion. The best trial was used for further analysis. Championship Throwing Velocities To assess ball velocity, a radar gun (StalkerPro Inc., Plano, TX, USA) with a record data frequency of 33 Hz was used. The radar was placed 10 m behind the goal post and aligned with the penalty line (Figure 1). Usually, it is recommended that the throwing velocities registered by radar should be done from a frontal plane. However, a recent study has validated the radar vs. a photogrammetric method with a high-speed video camera from different zones of the pool (player θ = 20° from the radar gun) with coefficients correlations of r = 0.97 and p = 0.001 (10). We analyzed all the shots carried out in the 2008 Men's European Water Polo Championships by the male Spanish team (163 throws in 7 matches). Individual average and maximum throwing velocities were classified by different zones (Figure 1): zone 0 was defined by the area between the goal and the 1/2 pool line; zone 1 was defined by the area between the goal and the first 2 m; zone 2 was defined by the area between 2 and 5 m from the goal; and zone 3 was defined by the area between the 5 m and the 1/2 pool line from the goal. The zone from 0 to 2 m (off-side area) from the goal was not selected for the analysis because there were very few throws from this zone for all the players. In zone 0, a minimum of 5 throws and a maximum of 30 by each player were assessed (average = 14.8 ± 8.9 shots); zone 2 had min = 2, max = 13, average = 7.4 ± 4.0 shots, and zone 3 had min = 1, max = 17, average = 8.2 ± 6.2 shots. Figure 1: Schematic representation of the radar position and the different pool zones established when recording the competition throwing velocities and the tactical actions. Efficacy Indices The analysis of the tactical variables was based on an observational methodology from previous research (26). The selected variables were determined by a group of expert coaches and researchers. The matches were analyzed through systematic observation by 2 experienced observers, trained using the methodology described by Anguera and Santoyo (2). Additionally, the interrater reliability of 2 separate observations was calculated to guarantee the quality of the observation system, with a subsequent reliability index of 0.95 being observed (intraclass correlation coefficient and kappa index). Furthermore, throwing velocities were also analyzed in relation to the following offensive tactical phases (i.e., even, counterattacks, and power play). In particular, even situations are characterized by a number of offensive players relative to the ball position, which is never larger than that of the defense; counterattacks refer to playing situations in which the number of offensive players relative to the ball position is larger than that of the defense; power play actions are played further to an exclusion foul of a defensive player who has to go out of the court for 20 seconds of clock time (18,19). The variables recorded have been divided into offensives (i.e., when the Spanish team had possession of the ball) and defensives (i.e., when the Spanish team was not in possession of the ball). In addition, we subdivided the offensives into 4 categories. These were (a) percentage of shot definition (PSD) = sum of goals × 100/sum of throws performed; (b) percentage of shot resolution (PSR) = (sum of goals × 100/sum of throws performed − [sum of throws went out + sum of throws blocked + sum of throws went post]); (c) percentage of shot precision (PSP) = (sum of throws performed − [sum of throws went out + sum of throws blocked + sum of throws went post]) × 100/sum of throws performed; and (d) percentage of blocked shots received (PBSR) = sum of blocked received × 100/sum of throws performed. The defensive values were subdivided into 2 categories. In this case, they were (a) PSR when defending (PSRD) = throws detain × 100/total throws; (b) percentage of shots stopped when defending (PSSD) = throws detain × 100/total throws − (sum of throws went out + sum of throws blocked + sum of throws went post). Furthermore, the efficacy indices were classified by zones (0, 2, and 3; Figure 1). Statistical Analyses Mean and SD scores were calculated for all the variables measured in the study. Significant differences between efficacy indices by zones and throwing velocities between the offensive tactical phases were analyzed using 1-way analyses of variance. When significant differences were obtained, Tukey's post hoc test was applied over zones and offensive tactical phases. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients (r) were used to determine the relationships of all anthropometric measures and tactical variables with throwing velocities and grip strength. Effect sizes were calculated using Cohen's d and were reported when appropriate (small effect size; d = 0.2–0.3). The p ≤ 0.05 criterion was used for establishing statistical significance. Results Table 1 summarizes the mean values (±SDs) of the upper and lower girths and breadths of the players. The body composition was as follows: muscular = 48.6 ± 2.2%; bone = 15.7 ± 0.8%; fat = 11.6 ± 2.4%; sum of 4 skinfods (triceps, subscapular, suprailiac, and abdominal) = 67.7 ± 22.2 mm). Table 1: Upper and lower limb girths and breadths (n = 11).* Table 2 describes the maximum and average throwing velocities (by zones and by offensive tactical phases) of the Spanish national team at the 2008 Men's European Water Polo Championships. Regarding the maximum competition velocities by zones, the only significant differences found were between zone 0 and zone 2 (p = 0.027). Also, significant differences were found between average velocities from zone 2 and zone 3 (p = 0.001). Concerning the average throwing velocities by offensive tactical phases, significant differences (p = 0.043) were found between even and power play situations. Table 2: Average and maximum (average of the fastest throws by each of the 11 players) competition throwing velocities by zones (n = 11) and by the different offensive tactical phases.* The efficacy indices shown in Table 3 indicate that there are differences between zones; however, these differences were not statistically significant. As expected, in the offensive variables, the percentages are higher when the players are nearer the goal. However, in the defensive variables, they are lower when the players are farther from the goal. Table 3: Efficacy indices in the different pool zones (n = 11).*† Relationships between physical fitness and anthropometric characteristics and efficacy indices were also analyzed, and different significant correlations were found. With regard to grip strength, significant correlations were found with different body composition (muscular mass: r = 0.69, p = 0.017; bone mass: r = 0.72, p = 0.011), girth (mesosternal: r = 0.65, p = 0.031; gluteus: r = 0.72, p = 0.013; upper thigh: r = 0.70, p = 0.016; medial thigh: r = 0.61, p = 0.047), and breadth (biacromial: r = 0.67, p = 0.024; femur: r = 0.76, p = 0.007) variables. Regarding the championship throwing velocities, significant correlations were found between these velocities and different offensive efficacy indices (V 0average vs. PBSR: r = 0.66, p = 0.05; V 2average vs. PSP: r = −0.68, p = 0.03; V 3max vs. PBSR: r = −0.88, p = 0.049). Discussion To our knowledge, this study is the first to concurrently define and investigate the relationships between anthropometry, grip strength, competitive throwing velocities, and tactical characteristics of elite male water polo players. One of the major finding of the present research was that throwing velocities are different between some of the offensive tactical phases. A second major finding was that grip strength has a strong correlation with body composition and different body girths and skeletal breadths, whereas competition throwing velocities significantly correlate with different efficacy indices in highly skilled water polo players. Although, some authors (3,18–20) considered tactical aspects of elite water polo, especially in relation to playing situations involving an even or uneven (i.e., power play and counterattack) numbers of players. To our knowledge, this is the first study that compares the throwing velocity between the different offensive tactical phases. In this study, the even actions were characterized by a high throwing velocity (17.9 ± 2.4 m·s−1) vs. the lower velocity (16.7 ± 2.6 m·s−1) in the power play situation, suggesting that the players have more time for preparing the shot, and this throw is faster and, consequently, more dangerous. For this reason, the higher occurrence of goals scored by the winning teams during even actions (20) could be explained by the higher velocity reached by the players in the situation mentioned. Competition throwing velocities significantly correlated with some offensive efficacy indices. Blocks received significantly and inversely correlated with average throwing velocity from zone 0 and maximum throwing velocity from zone 3. Although we have not found research that correlated efficacy indices with high-level water polo throwing velocities, again, we can deduce that the faster the ball is, the lower is the goalkeeper and defender reaction time to block the throw. From zone 2, an inverse and significant correlation was found between shot precision and average throwing velocity. It should be noted that from zone 2 throwing velocities are typically lower, this occurs probably because the players have the aim of being more accurate. Regarding the efficacy indices, the highest values were registered at zone 2, for both offensive and defensive situations, although these differences were not significant. It is clear that zone 2 is the higher efficacy zone (PSD, PSR, PSP). The key actions relating to losing a match (i.e., PBSR, PSRD, PSSD) took place mostly in zone 3. The data could not be compared, because other studies that relate the efficacy indices in water polo were not found. Concerning the significant correlations between physical characteristics and anthropometry and tactical indices, biacromial and biepicondylar-femur breadth showed a positive and significant correlation with hand-grip strength. We only found significant correlations between mesoesternal girths with throwing velocity from zone 3. Therefore, the anthropometric characteristics do not seem to be much representative of competition throwing velocities. Practical Applications After studying the physical and anthropometric characteristics and efficacy indices and correlating them in highly skilled water polo players, we conclude that (a) throwing velocities in the even situation is higher than in the power play situation; (b) there is a strong and significant correlation between conditioning and performance factors with anthropometrical and tactical characteristics; (c) grip strength is significantly related to some anthropometrical variables of lower and upper limbs; (d) offensive tactical aspects (blocked received and shot precision) are related to throwing velocities; and (e) in the zone close to the goal, precision and accuracy seem to be more important than throwing velocity is. On summarizing, this study is applied to training because it shows a lot of different determinant variables related to each other in high-level water polo players. In this sense, coaches should pay attention to these indices for the development of performance throughout the season. Acknowledgments The authors wish to thank the Spanish Royal Swimming Federation and the LEN for the facilities offered for measuring in the 2008 Water Polo European Championships. In addition, they would like to thank the collaboration of Peter Hastie. This Research is supported by a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (DEP2008-06114).

How To Get Good at Water Polo Fast! (Complete Guide) – HydroPursuit

Water polo is quite a challenging sport with elements that bring together ball-possession skills, shooting accuracy, and swimming efficiency, among other things. These demands can be overwhelming to novice players that wish to speed up their improvement.

You can get good at water polo fast by improving your one-handed catch, enhancing your long-distance passing skills, mastering heads-up freestyle swimming, and developing a powerful shot. Various swimming exercises and wrist strengthening drills all help in this regard.

Below, we will explore several strategies and drills that both successful water polo players and coaches swear by. If you actually absorb these tips and incorporate these drills into your practice regimen, you’re bound to rapidly progress your water polo game.

Refine Your One-Handed Catching Ability

In contrast to other popular sports—like basketball or football—water polo players don’t have the luxury of catching the ball with two hands. Water polo players can only legally catch with one hand.

You can find more detailed information on this specific rule and others by clicking over to Basic Rules of Water Polo Explained: A Beginner’s Guide.

Since many water polo beginners transition from these other popular sports, their first instinct is to put both hands up to catch the ball. It takes time for these players to neglect this instinct and re-teach themselves how to catch.

If you plan on becoming a goalkeeper, you may not have to worry about re-teaching yourself how to catch the ball. For the rest of you, though, it may be a bit of a struggle to learn how to catch the ball with one hand, particularly if you don’t have the biggest hands to begin with.

The key to the one-handed catch is to cup your hand and leave it soft enough to accept the ball into your grasp. By giving with the ball, you stop the ball from hitting your hands and immediately bouncing away.

Some beginners have trouble developing this delicate touch. Fortunately, there’s a drill to help with this very issue.

Soft Hands Drill to Improve One-Handed Catching

Find a wall or thick flat post in a place where you will not be interrupted. Stand half a meter away from the wall and face towards it. Take the ball and use your wrist to flick it at the wall. Your arm should be in the same position as it would be during a game. As the ball bounces off the wall, catch it with a single hand. Repeat this process. Gradually increase the distance between you and the wall as you begin to progress.

Not only is this drill helpful for developing soft hands, but it also helps with overcoming your instinct to use both hands to catch the ball.

When you’re performing this drill for the first time, you may drop the ball every few repetitions. This is normal, but you should make sure that you make the necessary adjustments after each drop.

For example, if you’re prone to tightening up your body under pressure, you may need extra time to unlearn this habit. This way, you can relax your hand as the ball makes initial contact.

As a final tip, make sure to aim the ball slightly higher on the wall as you start to move away. Gravity will take its due course the farther you’re positioned from the wall.

Improve Your Passing Precision

Passing the ball is easier said than done. Not only are the distances of your passes completely dictated by the positions of your teammates, but the direction of your passes is also continuously shifting.

Unfortunately, you may not always have the luxury of being comfortably situated when throwing a pass. As a matter of fact, you will rarely ever be comfortably situated when throwing passes since water polo defenders are extremely aggressive with their pressure.

For these reasons, you have to get comfortable with the uncomfortable, whether it be passing long distances or throwing from unorthodox positions. The following exercise will help do exactly that.

Passing Drill to Improve Precision & Accuracy

Take a water polo ball and bring a friend with you to the pool. Head towards the deep end of the pool and distance yourselves so that you have about five to ten yards of separation from each other. Pass the ball to your partner and begin actively moving to a different area in the pool. Your partner should do the same. After about five seconds, your partner will throw the ball back at you. Catch the ball and repeat the process of moving to a different area in the pool. While you’re on the move, try not to touch the ball. Instead, use both arms to swim and create waves to push the ball forward along with you. This is the basic premise behind dribbling in water polo. Make sure to vary the distances and angles of your passes so that you’re well-versed in a variety of throwing styles.

This drill may seem simple from an outside perspective, but many beginners make the mistake of repeating the same old throwing motion with little to no variation. In the sport of water polo, you need to prepare for the unexpected because defensive pressure will always be nearby.

While performing this drill, make sure to warm up with a couple of short throws first. Then, once your muscles and joints are warmed up, gradually work your way up to the longer throws.

Increase Your Swimming Speed

It should go without saying, but swimming with efficiency is a vital skill in water polo. After all, it is a water sport.

You can have all the tools when it comes to passing and catching, but it won’t matter all that much if you can’t put yourself in a position to do so. By mastering your swimming technique, you give yourself a tremendous advantage over the opposition. You’ll be capable of doing things like quickly putting yourself in scoring position, racing against opponents for possession, and moving between the ends of the pool with ease.

Even if you think you know how to swim well, water polo demands an altogether different style of swimming called heads-up freestyle.

This swimming style resembles the traditional freestyle stroke in many ways, but there are a few key differences that every beginner should know. These subtle technique modifications will be analyzed in further detail below, along with strategies on how to easily integrate these changes into your swimming repertoire.

Keep Your Head Still & Above Water

As the name suggests, the foremost difference between the heads-up freestyle stroke and the traditional freestyle stroke is your head position. Since water polo players need to pay close attention to the whereabouts of the ball, their teammates, and their opponents, their heads need to be up and out of the water.

Generally, you want to keep your head facing toward where you intend to go. You should only rotate your head when you’re not strictly swimming in a linear direction. Otherwise, you’re likely to lose speed or drift off course.

While practicing this technique, it often helps to focus your eyes on a single point and swim towards it. As you gather more experience with this technique, you can begin experimenting with rotating your head as necessary.

Keep Your Elbows High

In traditional freestyle, swimmers are advised to stretch their arms out as far as possible to push themselves forward quicker. This may work in a swimming race, but it won’t work in a water polo game.

Instead, water polo players need to swim with their elbows high to keep their strokes short and quick. Short, quick strokes are better for water polo for several reasons.

For one, it minimizes the time that a player keeps their arms underwater. When a player has their arms underwater, they’re not capable of making quick plays with the ball. Water polo athletes need to keep their arms close to the water’s surface to react immediately to current play developments.

Another overlooked benefit to this modality is that it deters defenders from venturing too close. Defenders may think twice about entering your personal space if your elbows are flying high.

Lastly, maintaining a high elbow position also helps you to better control the ball while dribbling. The constant ripples created by short and quick strokes will help to keep the ball directly in front of you. With longer and slower strokes, the ball is more apt to slip past your guard.

Make Better Use of Your Legs

In the standard freestyle stroke, your body position is almost parallel to the bottom of the pool. In contrast, the heads-up freestyle stroke features a slightly more vertical position. This is because as you bring up your head, the rest of the body tends to follow, causing your feet to angle more towards the ground.

Although this may allow you to better see what’s happening above the surface, it comes at the expense of more water drag. To counteract this, you cannot rely solely on your arms. Your legs need to pull their weight as well.

Your feet should act as a propeller, performing hard flutter kicks at a rapid rate. This should take a little bit of the swimming burden off of your upper body so that you can conserve your energy and make plays when they count the most.

Widen Your Catch

Finally, you need to catch water with your arms wide apart. For those who do not know, the “catch” phase describes the point in a swimming stroke where the hand enters the water (source).

When your hands are too close to each other, you’re prioritizing speed but compromising your ability to perform short strokes and dribble the ball. This is why you should catch the water with your hands at least shoulder-width apart.

Other Quick Tips to Increase Swimming Speed

Increase Stroke Frequency – While your strokes may be short and choppy, they shouldn’t be fewer in number. Progressively build up your stamina to strike the water at a high rate and you’ll see a noticeable difference in how fast you move.

– While your strokes may be short and choppy, they shouldn’t be fewer in number. Progressively build up your stamina to strike the water at a high rate and you’ll see a noticeable difference in how fast you move. Prioritize Leg Training – Even though your entire body is involved in swimming, heads-up freestyle can exact a heavy toll on the upper body. For this reason, it’s even more important for your leg strength to get sufficiently involved. The greater the impact of your kicks, the faster you will swim.

– Even though your entire body is involved in swimming, heads-up freestyle can exact a heavy toll on the upper body. For this reason, it’s even more important for your leg strength to get sufficiently involved. The greater the impact of your kicks, the faster you will swim. Practice Makes Perfect – Although all these tips are valuable, there’s no better way to get better at heads-up freestyle than to actually jump into the pool and practice heads-up freestyle. There’s no magic way around this. If you genuinely want to swim fast during water polo games, putting in the practice hours is the only way to do so.

Seven Lines Swimming Drill

Now that we’ve covered the fundamentals of the heads-up freestyle technique, let’s look at an effective practice routine so that you can improve at an accelerated rate (source):

Mark seven points across the pool so that they’re about five to seven feet apart from each other. The distances should be relatively uniform. Swim to the first mark using the heads-up freestyle technique. As soon as you reach the spot, turn around and swim back to your original starting point. Once you’re back to where you started, turn around and swim to the second mark With each lap, you should cover a line you have not previously done. Do this until you have completed all the seven lines.

The purpose of this drill is to distract your mind from the fact that you’re performing heads-up freestyle. Since your mind is so occupied by the lines and conventions of the exercise, your only focus is moving from one mark to the next.

Plus, this drill improves upon your ability to switch directions at a moment’s notice, which is an essential skill for a water polo player.

Develop a Robust & Accurate Shot

Whether you can advance the ball or not, your ability to deliver an accurate and powerful shot when it matters will be a great asset to your team. Every water polo player needs to be an active scoring threat in the game. Any player that’s not a real scoring threat will be an offensive liability to their team.

To improve your shot, you must be aware of the common issues that novices run into when learning how to shoot.

For one, many players try to pack power into their shot by relying heavily on their biceps. While this can help add distance to your shot, it comes at the expense of stability. As a result, it’s much more likely that you will lose ball possession and misplace your shot. Accuracy should take precedence over power.

Aside from an over-reliance on the biceps, players also tend to incorporate shooting habits from other sports, which can actually end up doing more harm than good.

If you have personally played handball or basketball, you’re prone to keeping a rigid wrist with your long-distance throws. Although this may have worked in handball or basketball, it won’t work in water polo.

Consequently, you will have to unlearn these habits and build flexibility in your wrist to improve your shooting technique. During a practice shooting session, your biceps and triceps shouldn’t be on fire. Instead, your shoulder and wrist strength are the ones that should feel the strain.

It is for this reason that wrist isolation exercises help so much with shooting in water polo.

Warm-Up Stretch to Improve Wrist Flexibility

Start by stretching out your arm in front of you with your palm up. Gradually open your wrist, moving your fingers towards the floor. Continue lowering your fingers until you feel a stretch. With your other hand, pull the fingers down until they’re pointing at the floor. Hold this position for 30 seconds. Release the position so that your fingers point outward and away again. Repeat these steps three times for each hand.

Isolation Exercises to Improve Wrist Strength

While wrist flexibility will increase your ability to flick the ball with broad accuracy over long distances, the goal of any drill is to simulate game conditions as much as possible. This very next drill does exactly that by mimicking the shooting motion used in water polo:

Find an open location with a pillar or post. Get an exercise band with enough resistance to test your wrist strength. Tie one end of the band to the post and attach the other end onto your wrist. Walk a sufficient distance away until there’s tension in the band. Raise your arm by your side until your triceps are parallel to the ground. Your forearm should be perpendicular to the ground. Gradually flex your wrist back until it is 90 degrees. It should look as though you’re holding a pizza box. Flex your wrist forward without moving your arm. End the rep with a flick forward, stopping when your fingers point towards the imaginary goal. Perform three sets of 10-12 repetitions with each wrist.

Not only does this exercise build on your wrist strength and flexibility, but it also enhances the stability of your shoulder as well.

While performing this exercise, take care to maintain an upright posture. Leaning backward or sideways will take the stress off of your core. Also, by growing accustomed to this movement pattern now, you’re less likely to stray from an upright stance while you’re actually shooting the ball.

Once you’ve made sufficient progress, you can add an extra layer of difficulty by balancing on an exercise ball or Bosu ball. This added instability better simulates the conditions of being in the water.

Just take care not to push yourself too far beyond your limits, though with the band resistance and exercise ball instability. Otherwise, you may unknowingly put excess strain on your wrists and injure yourself.

After you’ve mastered the fundamental motion of shooting with these exercises, then you can go to a local pool and actually apply this hard work. If you don’t have a goal nearby, even a laundry basket can suffice! As long as you aiming your shot at something, you’re bound to improve.

3 Ways to Play Water Polo

Article Summary

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Water polo is a fun water sport where 2 teams try to score points by throwing a ball into the opposing team’s goal. For a regulation game, divide 14 players into 2 teams so each side has 6 field players and 1 goalie. For a casual game, just make sure there’s an even number of players on each team. Each team assembles on their side of the pool and the ball is placed in the exact center of the pool. Then, someone blows a whistle or yells “Go!” and everyone swims toward the ball to see who can grab it first. The team that gets the ball is on offense and the 30-second shot clock begins. Players are allowed to grab, hold, pass, and block the ball with 1 hand only. If a player uses 2 hands at any time, a foul is called and their team loses control of the ball. The only exceptions are the goalies, who can use both hands within 5 meters of the goal net to block the ball. The offensive field players must pass the ball to each another as they make their way down the “court” and try to throw the ball into the opposing team’s goal to score a point. The opposing team’s goalie must protect the goal and prevent the ball from going in. The defensive players try to intercept the ball or knock it out of an offensive player’s hand to gain control of it. Player-to-player contact will result in a foul. If the offense doesn’t score a point within 30 seconds, the defensive team gets the ball for a free throw. If the defensive team gains control of the ball, reset the 30-second shot clock. The only other times you’ll reset the shot clock are when the offense scores a point or if there’s a major foul. Major fouls include pulling, holding, or sinking players without the ball, splashing water in a player’s face, blocking a shot with 2 arms, and kicking or hitting another player violently. In regulation water polo, the game is divided into 4 quarters and each quarter is 8 minutes long. There are 2-minute breaks between each quarter and a 10-minute halftime between the second and third quarters. The teams switch sides of the pool when the third quarter begins. The team with the most points at the end of the fourth quarter wins the game! For more tips, including a few basic water polo strategies, read on!

So you have finished reading the how to get open in water polo topic article, if you find this article useful, please share it. Thank you very much. See more: water polo for beginners, water polo defense techniques, quarter turn water polo, water polo ball, water polo skills, water polo drill, pressure passing water polo, water polo dribble

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KAP7 Tip of the Week: How to Turn A Defender – YouTube

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Relationship Between Characteristics of Water Polo Players a… : The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research

Water Polo Shooting: Master the “Catch and Shoot” ft. Maggie Steffens | Olympians’ Tips – YouTube

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How To Get Good at Water Polo Fast! (Complete Guide) – HydroPursuit

3 Ways to Play Water Polo – wikiHow

how to get open in water polo

Relationship Between Characteristics of Water Polo Players a… : The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research

How To Get Good at Water Polo Fast! (Complete Guide) – HydroPursuit

3 Ways to Play Water Polo

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