Water Polo – Stage 9 swimming activities

Developing control: eggbeater to stay high and stable, passing and receiving on the move, swimming with the ball, introductory shooting, positions and spacing, and simple defending without holding. Outcomes are SwimShare focus areas.

Water Polo · 35 activities.

Outcomes

Eggbeater to stay high and stable
Pass and receive while moving
Swim with the ball under control
Introductory shooting at a target
Understand basic positions and spacing
Basic defending without holding

Activities

Back-to-Front Roll and Go – Swim backstroke or tread on the back, then roll quickly onto the front and sprint head-up – the change used when a defender becomes an attacker.
Ball Handling Warm-Up Lines – Two lines pass across the pool while swimmers tread, with each pass followed by a swim to the back of the opposite line – a busy, efficient warm-up.
Ball Push Dribble – Head-up front crawl with the ball pushed along on the bow wave between the arms – the basic water polo dribble.
Ball Retrieval Relay – Teams swim head-up to a ball, pick it up one-handed and pass it back to the next swimmer – a fun way to rehearse swimming, pick-ups and passing together.
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.
Cool-Down Pass and Float – A calm finish: easy passing in pairs, then a relaxed back float while the teacher recaps the key point of the lesson.
Defend the Line – One-to-one practice of staying between an attacker and the goal line using position and movement – no holding allowed.
Dribble Slalom – Dribble the ball around a slalom of floats, changing direction without losing control.
Eggbeater High Five – Pairs eggbeater face to face and rise up to give each other high fives on the call – fun repetitions of the lift used for passing and shooting.
Eggbeater Introduction – From wall to open water: swimmers use the eggbeater kick to stay upright, first with sculling hands, then with hands resting on the surface.
End Zone Ball – Teams score by passing to a team-mate who catches the ball inside an end zone – no goals or goalkeepers needed.
Fair Play and Safe Contact Talk – A short poolside discussion of the group's water polo safety rules – no holding, ducking, pulling or splashing faces – before and after games.
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.
High Ball Catch – Receive a higher, looping pass by rising on the eggbeater and catching it one-handed above the head – controlling passes that aren't perfect.
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.
Keep Ball Small-Sided Game – Three-a-side keep-ball in a small area with simple rules: one-handed, no contact, everyone touches the ball before scoring a point.
Lift and Look – From treading, swimmers kick up high to look over the water and call what they see – training the eggbeater lift used to spot passes.
Lift, Cock and Release – Break shooting into three parts – lift the ball, draw it back behind the head, release towards the target – practised slowly before adding power.
Mini Water Polo – A short, modified game with small goals or targets, simple rules and an emphasis on passing, space and fair play.
Noodle Tag Eggbeater – A deep-water tag game where players move only with eggbeater and sculling, and the tagger tags with the end of a noodle – no hands-on contact.
One-Hand Pick-Up – Learn to lift the ball off the water with one hand – scooping from underneath and lifting from on top – without the other hand helping.
Partner Dry Pass – Pairs pass so the ball arrives in the partner's raised hand without touching the water – the 'dry pass' that keeps play moving.
Pass and Move – In a marked area, small groups keep the ball moving with short passes and every passer must swim to a new space – teaching support play.
Positions Walk-Through – In shallower water, walk (or slowly swim) through simple attacking positions in an arc around the goal so players learn where to be before playing at speed.
Shadow Partner Swim – One swimmer leads with changes of direction and stops; the partner shadows them a metre away – like marking a player in a game.
Sideways Eggbeater Travel – Travel sideways across the pool using eggbeater with the body upright and hands sculling – the movement used to stay in front of a goal or a player.
Space Invaders – The pool is split into zones; attackers score by receiving a pass in an empty zone – teaching players to look for and move into space.
Stop and Go Squares – Swimmers move around a marked square, stopping to tread on command and sprinting off again in a new direction – builds the stop-start movement of water polo.
Swim, Turn and Receive – Swimmers swim away from a passer, turn quickly on a call and show a hand to receive – combining direction change and receiving.
Target Shooting – Hoops or markers hung in an empty goal (or on the wall) become targets – swimmers score points for accuracy, not power.
Tread and Pass Rounds – Short rounds of treading with ball tasks (hold up, pass, catch, fake) followed by rest – building the legs to stay up while the hands are busy.
Treading Passing Circle – Small groups tread water in a circle and pass the ball around one-handed, building ball control while staying upright.
Triangle Passing – Three players pass around a triangle, then move to a new space after passing – combining passing, receiving and movement.
Water Polo Debrief Circle – Treading or holding the wall in a circle, players share one good pass, one smart movement and one thing to improve as a team.
Wet Pass to Space – Pass the ball onto the water in front of a swimming team-mate so they can swim onto it without stopping.