At-home water polo drills for 11 to 13 year olds

This is a free sample week of at-home water polo training for 11 to 13 year olds: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 12 to 13 minutes, with every step and minute. Nothing here is written for this page alone; it is what the app gives a family.

Everything here can be done in a room, garage or yard. Drills that need a team are left out; a parent can be the partner in a pair drill.

A free sample week of water polo for 11 to 13 year olds

Session 1

Lift and shoot 13 minutes

Shooting form on land · 3 min
Elbow high, follow through
Eggbeater lift and shoot at a target · 6 min
Only with a lifeguard or coach watching
Skip shot practice · 4 min
Aim at the water in front of the target

Session 2

Steady legs 12 minutes

Easy warm-up swim · 3 min
Only with a lifeguard or coach watching
30 seconds eggbeater, 30 seconds rest, x 6 · 6 min
Steady, not frantic
Easy swim down · 3 min
Loosen up

Session 3

Read the game 13 minutes

Watch 3 minutes of a game video and pause on each possession · 5 min
Who is open? Say it out loud before you play it
Draw the 6-on-5 set on paper · 4 min
Name each spot and where the ball goes first
Explain one counterattack to a parent · 4 min
Who swims, who passes, where the space is

Want the rest of the plan?

This sample is 3 of the 7 water polo plans SSTracker has for this group. In SSTracker every step is on the screen, your child logs the work, and you see it. No club needed: the family plan is $7.50 a month per player, or $12 a month for the whole household, and the first 14 days are free.

Get the full plan free for 14 days Coach or club director? Set up your team free Print a free week for another sport or age

Safety for ages 11 to 13

Plans for this age group use beginner and developing drills only. Advanced drills open from age 13 in the app.
Home plans use only drills for a room, garage or yard. Stop if anything hurts.

Before you start: water polo

A polo cap with ear guards for every shooting, goalie or contact drill.
A ball your size (size 1 for the youngest).
A lifeguard or water-safety certified coach watches every session.
Deep-water play only after you can tread for 30 seconds; until then, play where you can stand.
Contact: hands on the body only, never on the head or neck, and never push anyone under.
Shoot at the goal corners, never at a person. Goalies start with soft balls.

For every sport and age (7)

Head knock or concussion signs (headache, dizziness, confusion, feeling "off"): when in doubt, sit them out. See a doctor, and no return the same day.
Back to sport only with a doctor's written OK, after a step-by-step return. Every U.S. state has a youth concussion law.
Heat: drink water before, during and after. Take shade breaks, ease into hot weather over about two weeks, and stop if dizzy, sick or headachy.
Lightning: if you hear thunder or see lightning, go inside a building or a closed car. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder (the 30-30 rule).
Pain is a stop sign, not something to push through. Stop and tell a grown-up; pain that lasts or comes back each session needs a doctor.
Water and rest are part of training: 1-2 rest days a week, plenty of sleep, a meal or snack before and after, and other sports welcome.
Know where the nearest AED (heart defibrillator) is, and who calls for help in an emergency.

The research behind these plans

Which drills are shown at which age, and the safety notes, follow the 29 sources below: national governing bodies, medical associations and studies on youth sport (last reviewed October 2026). Where no study gives an exact number, the plans use cautious defaults, and we change them as the research does.

Water Polo: governing bodies, safety and development (9)

Youth athletic development and safety (20)