WATER POLO FITNESS SESSIONS

NOTES

1. Sessions are designed by Peter Brazier and Robert Stamp.
2. They are approximately 1 hour long.
3. Warm up and cool down are not included. (suggest 200 to 400m of various strokes including cycle leg kick)
4. They are designed for lane swimming in a 25m pool, deep at one end.
5. 5m swimming flags are also used as markers.
6. Tumble turns are only permitted when going from freestyle (head down) to freestyle (head down) i.e. 100m freestyle first and last length head up, you would only tumble on the second turn.

GLOSSARY AND ABREVIATIONS

L - Length
Fly - Butterfly
Bk - Backstroke
Br - Breaststroke
Fs - Freestyle (head down)
Hu - Freestyle (head up)
Trug - Trugeon (1 Br leg kick to 1 arm pull Hu).
Im - Individual medley, all 4 strokes done in the order Fly, Bk, Br and Fs.
(100m Im = 1L Fly, 1L Bk, 1L Br, 1L Fs)
(200m Im = 2L Fly, 2L Bk etc.)
Lift - High vertical drive doing cycle leg kick, getting one or both hands as high as possible.
Cycle - Cycle leg kick, flat on front arms in front with thumbs locked.
Cycleb - Cycle leg kick, flat on back arms in front thumbs locked.
Vcycle - Cycle leg kick, body vertical. This can be with 1 arm up, 2 arms up, stationary or with movement.
Pendulum - Start lying flat on the surface of the water, on your front. Bring your legs thru, underneath you, until you are lying flat on your back on the surface of the water. Take you legs back underneath you to the start position.
Zig-Zag Drill - Hu 5 strokes, Br kick and Zig to the other side of the lane, immediately kick and Zag back to the start side of the lane. You should be able to fit 2 in per length, turn near wall without touching it. The difficulty of this drill is increased sometimes by adding a lift (or more) after the Zig-Zag.

SESSION 1

1. 5 x 200m of 3min 30 sec, alternating 1L Trug and 1L Fs.
2. 10 x 100m, 20sec rest, 5 strokes HU, cycle to half way, 5 strokes HU, cycle to end. Same for all 4L.
3. 20 x 50m, 15 sec rest, ½ L HU, ½ L Bk for both L. Turn without touching the wall.

SESSION 2

1. 3 x 200m, 20sec rest, Zig-Zag drill. With single arm lift straight into 20sec stationary Vcycle both arms out after Zig-Zag.
2. 3 x 200m, of 3min 30sec, alternating Trug, HU.
3. 8 x 50m, 15sec rest, ½ L HU, ½ L 1 arm Vcycle facing sideways. Alternating arms and direction facing.
4. 1 x 200m, Zig-Zag drill with the ball. 1 Dummy shot at each point of the Zig-Zag(i.e. 3).
5. 1 x 200m with ball. At half way turn do 5 strokes back the other way, then turn again and continue up the L. Turn without touching the wall.

SESSION 3

1. 1 x 50m Fs of 1min.
2. 1 x 100m IM of 2min.
3. 1 x 150m Fs of 3min.
4. 1 x 200m IM of 4min.
5. 1 x 300m Fs of 5min.
6. 1 x 400m IM done as 16 x 25m of 30sec. followed by 1min rest.
7. 1 x 300m Fs of 5min.
8. 1 x 200m IM of 4min.
9. 1 x 150m Fs of 3min.
10.1 x 100m IM of 2min.
11.1 x 50m Fs of 1min.
12.4 x 25m IM order leg kick of 45sec.
13.4 x 50m IM order leg kick of 1min 50sec.
14.4 x 25m IM order leg kick of 45 sec.

SESSION 4

1. 5 x 200m off 3min 30sec alternating, Trug and HU.
2. 8 x 100m 20sec rest. All Ls, ½ L HU + ½ L Vcycle moving sideways + 1 arm up, alternating arms and facing direction.
3. 8 x 50m 20sec rest. Both Ls, ½ L HU + ½ L cycle.
4. 8 x 25m off 1min. 5 strokes HU, turn, 3 strokes Bk (backwards towards start position), turn, 5 strokes HU, turn, 3 strokes Bk and then continue to end.
5. 2 x 200m 30 sec rest alternating, 1L easy Bk + 1L sprint HU.

SESSION 5

1. 5 x 200m done as :
- Fs off 3min 30sec.
- Fly-Bk-Br-Fs-Fs-Br-Bk-Fly off 3min 45sec.
- Fs off 3min 30sec.
- Fly-Bk-Br-Fs-Fs-Br-Bk-Fly off 3min 45sec.
- Fs off 3min 30sec.
2. 16 x 25m off 45sec, legs only medley order.
3. 10 x 100m Fs done as:
- 4 off 1min 45sec.
- 4 off 1min 40sec.
- 2 off 1min 35sec.

SESSION 6

1. 8 x 100m 20sec rest. 1L Trug + 2L HU + 1L Cycle.
2. 3 x 200m 20sec rest, turn no wall touch. ½ L underwater, come up 2 strokes Bk then HU to end.
3. 2 x 200m 20sec rest, Zig-Zag drill with single arm lift.
4. 1 x 200m Trug, turn no wall touch.
5. 1 x 100m. ½ L cycle + ½ L Vcycle both arms up, same for all 4L.

If you have time, continue with

6. 2 x 200m 20sec rest. HU with ball. Full turn (body vertical) in middle of L + 1`½ turns at each end. Alternating hands and direction of turn.
7. 8 x 25m off 70 sec. With ball, 5 strokes HU forward, Turn, 3 strokes Bk (backwards), turn, 5 strokes HU, etc.

SESSION 7

1. 12 x 20m off 25sec HU sprint (start and turn 2.5m form wall at each end).
2. 4 x 100m 20sec rest. HU, turn without touching wall + 5sec underwater in middle and end of each L.
3. 8 x 50m off 1min. 1L trug + ½ L HU + ½ L cycle.
4. 2 x 200m 20sec rest. Zig-Zag drill with 20sec stationary Vcycle both arms up, after Zig-Zag.
5. 8 x 20m off 25sec. HU sprint.
6. 1 x 200m 3 strokes HU + 3 strokes Bk. all L.
7. 1 x 200m 1 Pendulum in middle + 1 ½ Pendulum at each end.
8. 4 x 20m off 25sec HU sprint.

SESSION 8

1. 1 x 800m Fs every 4th L Fly.
2. 4 x 175m Fs off 3min.
3. 4 x 125m Fs off 2min 10sec.
4. 4 x 75m Fs off 80sec.
5. 1 x 200m stretching Br.
6. 4 x 100m Br off 2.15.
7. 1 x 200m Br legs only.

SESSION 9

1. 5 x 200m Fs off 3min 30sec.
2. 8 x 100m off 2min 1 l trug + 2 l Fs + 1 L Fly.
3. 12 x 1L, alternating 1 L trug off 25sec and 1 L Fs off 35sec.
4. 4 x 75m HU off 80sec.
5. 2 x 200m 20sec rest, all ½ L HU + ½ L Bk.
6. 1 L cycle, 2 L Br legs only, 3 L cycle, 4 L Br legs, 3 L cycle, 2 L Br legs, 1L Cycle.