1. Passing Like a Pro
For best results in ball passing in water polo, the player lines up their hips with the target. Ball handling in water polo is very important to game strategy. For accurate passing, the entire upper body moves, with the hips pointing to the target when the ball is released. There are two kinds of passing in water polo, wet and dry. In wet passing, the ball is deliberately passed into the water, slightly in front of the player. Dry passing occurs when the ball is thrown from one player to another without touching the water.
2. Shooting With Precision
Although players can take a long shot, by throwing the ball directly at the goal, the chances of scoring a point are fairly low. These types of shots are easy for the goaltender to see and intercept. Most successful goals come from fairly close range. The hole set or center player is located near the goal and their role is to score the point. This role is critical to scoring and is usually filled by a very strong player.
3. Outside Water Shots
In water polo, there are three kinds of outside water shooting techniques. The power shot is when the player moves their body up and out the water and uses this force for shoot the ball forward. A powerful shot, but accuracy is very important. A bounce or skip shot occurs when the player angles the ball to strike the water and bounce up into the goal. The lob shot is from an angle and the ball is thrown into the space between the goalie and the top cross bar. The goalie is expecting a lower shot, mistimes the leap and the shot goes in.
4. Understand Baulking
This is a pump fake. The player positions themselves for the shot, and moves their body to take the shot. At the last second, they palm the ball and force the goalie to move out of position. They can then take the actual shot with little interference from the goalie. This move is well known in all other ball games, such as basketball, soccer and even hockey.
5. Inside Water Shots
There are four common shots in water polo, executed when most of the player’s body is inside the water. These shots do not require the player to stop moving forward. The t-shot or bat shot is when the player scoops up the ball in the weaker hand, putting it into the stronger hand and taking the shot. A pop shot occurs when the player grabs the ball from underneath the water and shoots it up, usually towards the goal. It is part of the swimming stroke, allowing the other team to be caught off guard. The screw and spring shots occur when the player pushes the ball just under the surface of the water and then quickly releases.
About this Author
Carol Francois has been teaching and coaching swimming for 10 years. She is well versed in the most effective techniques for improving general fitness and health. Francois writes health-related articles for websites and is the author of a popular quarterly newsletter on swimming and fitness.
