Conditioning for Water Polo

“To play the sport effectively, it is critical for all Water Polo players to be in top water shape. Conditioning is an ongoing process and, once committed to the sport; Water Polo athletes should train to stay in top shape year round.”- Water Polo Planet. For water polo athletes this typically means competitive swimming on the offseason to stay in peak condition for water polo season, and also learning to increase your lung capacity. For those that play recreationally swimming as a form of conditioning is still an excellent recommendation to maintain the stamina needed for this intense sport.

In addition to both long distance (endurance based), and sprint based (anaerobic threshold) swim training; “drills” are an excellent way to prepare for the game. Drills should be practiced after a warm-up and stretching so the body is prepared. Drills can include conditioning based that help build endurance, skill based (including ball handling, shooting, ball stealing, etc.), strategy based (offensive and defensive drills), or any combination of the three. A complete list of effective water polo drills for training can be found here.

In addition to training in the water, working in order to increase your lung capacity can help build your stamina so you experience less shortness of breath during a water polo match. The most effective way to condition your respiratory system is to use a breathing resistance exercise device like Expand-A-Lung. By providing inspiratory and expiratory resistance Expand-A-Lung strengthens your diaphragm and your intercostal muscles which increases your lung capacity.

Dryland training and learning to increase your lung capacity are also great ways to condition the body for water polo, be an alternative for rainy days when in the water is not an option. “Water polo players are swimming so much that they overwork their chest/pectorals muscles and have a tendency to become out of balance (strong chest – weaker back).  My recommendation would be to do 2-3 sets of pulling for every one set of pushing type exercise.  For example, I would do 2-3 sets of a seated row for every one set of bench press.  Or 2-3 sets of a lat pulldown compared to one set of flys ( a set may consist of 8 – 12 reps). This will help to keep the balance between chest and back musculature. Also, if you are doing a bunch of legwork in the water, I would recommend going a little lighter on the legs in the weight room. “- Water Polo Planet

In addition to weight training, it’s recommended to work on the core as this will help prevent injuries. Using the Expand-A-Lung can also help with this as the diaphragm and the intercostals are not only respiratory muscles but also form part of the core. However, it is not enough to really strengthen the core you will need to add stability exercises like planks to your conditioning. Crunches and Pilates-based core/abdominal exercises are also effective.

For dryland cardiovascular conditioning low impact endurance workouts like cycling are great, as well as HIIT training like running stairs.

For any type of training it is always important to stretch pre and postconditioning to help avoid muscle tightness and prevent injury. For water polo, dynamic stretching (stretching through movement) is recommended over static stretching (longer holds).

While training in the water is the most important way to train for water polo there are various ways you can and should be complimenting your water polo conditioning to get the most out of your game.