Water polo: cannot keep the head up while swimming

Drops the face into the water after a few strokes or the hips sink as soon as the head lifts.

Activities that help

• Ball Push Dribble – Head-up front crawl with the ball pushed along on the bow wave between the arms – the basic water polo dribble.
• Breaststroke Head-Up Travel – Head-up breaststroke with a quick, narrow kick and small arms – an easier way to move while watching play, and a bridge to head-up front crawl.
• Counter-Attack Swim – On the whistle, defenders switch to attack, swimming head-up to the other end to receive a long pass – practising quick transitions.
• Head-Up Crawl – Front crawl with the head up, eyes forward – builds a stronger kick and prepares for water polo, lifesaving and open-water sighting.
• Head-Up Crawl Spotting – Head-up front crawl while watching the teacher's hand signals – swimmers must keep their eyes up to see which way to go, just like watching the ball in a game.