Dribble Slalom
Dribble the ball around a slalom of floats, changing direction without losing control.
- Stages
- Water Polo – Stage 8, Water Polo – Stage 9, Water Polo – Stage 10
- Difficulty
- Developing
- Skills
- Head-Up Swimming, Ball Handling, Water Polo Movement
- Equipment
- Float, Water Polo Ball
- Age
- 8–99 years
- Group size
- 2–16 swimmers
- Time
- About 6 minutes
- In a lesson
- Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2, Game / Consolidation
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- One swimmer in the slalom at a time per lane; next starts when the first passes the third marker.
What it develops
- Swim with the ball under control
- Simple attacking ideas: space, movement and support
How to run it
- Set out four or five floating markers in a line, two metres apart.
- Swimmers dribble the ball weaving in and out of the markers.
- At the end, they pick up the ball one-handed and pass it back to the next swimmer.
- Score a point for each marker passed with the ball still under control.
Teaching cues
- Small turns, keep swimming.
- Ball stays between your arms.
- Look ahead to the next marker.
Make it easier
- Markers further apart.
Make it harder
- Markers closer together.
- Dribble with a passive defender shadowing.
Common faults
- Stopping at every marker.
- Ball drifts away on the turns.
Corrections
- 'Turn your head and shoulders first.'
- 'Shorter strokes on the turns.'
Assistant / L1 role
- Reset markers that drift and send the next swimmer when the course is clear.