End Zone Ball
Teams score by passing to a team-mate who catches the ball inside an end zone – no goals or goalkeepers needed.
- Stages
- Water Polo – Stage 8, Water Polo – Stage 9
- Difficulty
- Developing
- Skills
- Head-Up Swimming, Passing, Game Awareness
- Equipment
- Float, Water Polo Ball, Team Caps or Bibs
- Age
- 8–99 years
- Group size
- 6–16 swimmers
- Time
- About 8 minutes
- In a lesson
- Game / Consolidation
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- No contact; referee stops play for holding, pushing or splashing faces.
- Check pool depth and that all players can tread water.
What it develops
- Play simple small-sided games safely
- Understand basic positions and spacing
How to run it
- Mark an end zone at each side using lane lines, floats or the wall.
- Teams pass and dribble to get the ball to a team-mate who catches it in the end zone.
- No contact; the defending team can intercept or block passes.
- Restart from the middle after each score.
Teaching cues
- Move into space ahead of the ball.
- Head-up swimming.
- Pass before you're blocked.
Make it easier
- Allow the ball to be dribbled into the zone.
Make it harder
- Catch must be dry and one-handed to score.
Common faults
- Everyone swims to the end zone at once.
- Forgetting to defend.
Corrections
- 'Some go, some stay.'
- 'When you lose the ball, get back.'
Assistant / L1 role
- Referee from one side, watching for contact on your half while the teacher watches the other.