Hot Potato Passing
A quick-passing circle where nobody may hold the ball for more than two seconds – fast hands, soft catches and lots of touches.
- Stages
- Water Polo – Stage 8, Water Polo – Stage 9
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Skills
- Ball Handling, Passing, Receiving
- Equipment
- Balls, Water Polo Ball
- Age
- 8–99 years
- Group size
- 4–20 swimmers
- Time
- About 5 minutes
- In a lesson
- Introduction / Warm-up, Game / Consolidation
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Soft balls; passes to hands, never at faces; circles spaced apart.
What it develops
- Pass and receive over short distances
- Pass and receive while moving
How to run it
- Groups of four to six form a circle, standing or treading.
- Pass the ball across or around the circle, calling a name each time.
- Nobody holds the ball longer than two seconds – the group counts aloud.
- Add a second ball when the group is confident.
Teaching cues
- Catch and pass quickly.
- Call before you pass.
- One-handed where you can.
Make it easier
- Three seconds; standing depth; soft ball.
Make it harder
- Passes must be dry.
- Weaker hand only.
Common faults
- Wild passes under time pressure.
- Two-handed catches.
Corrections
- 'Quick but controlled.'
- 'One hand catches, the other sculls.'
Assistant / L1 role
- Count the two-second rule aloud for one group and retrieve balls that leave the circle.