Free drill library · Water Polo

At-home water polo drills for 7 to 10 year olds

This is a free sample week of at-home water polo training for 7 to 10 year olds: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 12 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 7 to 10 year olds

Session 1

Eggbeater basics 12 minutes

  1. Eggbeater holding the wall · 4 min
    Only with a lifeguard or coach watching
  2. Sculling with your hands · 4 min
    Small figure-8s, stay upright
  3. Hands up for 10 seconds · 4 min
    Rest at the wall between tries

Session 2

Ball buddies 12 minutes

  1. One-hand catch and throw on land · 4 min
    Spread your fingers, throw from up high
  2. Shallow-end passes to a parent · 5 min
    Only with a lifeguard or coach watching
  3. Pick the ball up from underneath · 3 min
    Scoop up, then throw

Session 3

Swimming: Tall Marching and Skipping 12 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Tall Marching and Skipping · 4 min
    Stand tall, knee up, toes up. Safety: Run on flat, clear, non-slip ground with plenty of room to slow down. Stop if anything hurts.
  3. Target Kick Practice · 4 min
    Plant foot next to the ball.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

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

The drills in this week

Tall Marching and Skipping

Ages 6 to 10 · 6 min

March and then skip with tall posture and quick arms. These are the building blocks of good running form.

  1. March 10 steps lifting each knee to hip height, arms swinging from the shoulder.
  2. Now skip the same distance, staying tall.
  3. Try a quiet skip and then a high, bouncy skip.
  4. Repeat 4 times each way.

Coach's cue: Stand tall, knee up, toes up.

Bring: open space

Safety: Run on flat, clear, non-slip ground with plenty of room to slow down. Stop if anything hurts.

Target Kick Practice

Ages 6 to 10 · 8 min

Kick a ball at targets from a short distance, using both feet. Builds eye-foot coordination.

  1. Set 3 targets about 5 steps away.
  2. Step beside the ball and kick toward a target.
  3. Try with your other foot too.
  4. Count hits out of 10 with each foot.

Coach's cue: Plant foot next to the ball.

Bring: ball, boxes or cones as targets

Safety for ages 7 to 10

  • Plans for this age group use beginner 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)

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