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

This is a free sample week of at-home water polo training for 7 to 10 year olds, for a center: 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

Center: Bear Crawl Trail 12 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Bear Crawl Trail · 4 min
Flat back like a table. Safety: Good form beats more reps: stop the set when your form slips. Muscles may feel tired; stop if a joint hurts.
Traffic Light Start-and-Stop · 4 min
Fast feet, soft stops. Safety: Run on flat, clear, non-slip ground with plenty of room to slow down. Stop if anything hurts.
Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 2

Center: Seated Eggbeater on Land 12 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Seated Eggbeater on Land · 4 min
Knees wide, feet circle. Safety: Use a clear, non-slip floor with space around you. Stop if anything hurts.
Rope Skipping Rhymes · 4 min
Small jumps, steady beat. Safety: Land softly on grass or a mat, knees over toes, never caving in. Keep the number of jumps low. Stop if knees, shins or ankles hurt.
Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Center: Dry-Land Throwing Arm Path 12 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Dry-Land Throwing Arm Path · 4 min
Elbow high, turn the trunk. Safety: Slow and controlled; stop if your shoulder hurts.
Rope Skipping Rhymes · 4 min
Small jumps, steady beat. Safety: Land softly on grass or a mat, knees over toes, never caving in. Keep the number of jumps low. Stop if knees, shins or ankles hurt.
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

Bear Crawl Trail

Ages 6 to 10 · 6 min

Crawl like a bear on hands and feet along a trail. Builds arm, shoulder and tummy strength through play.

Set a start and finish 10 steps apart.
Get on hands and feet, knees just off the ground.
Crawl forward with a flat back, then backward.
Do 4 trips.

Coach's cue: Flat back like a table.

Bring: open space

Safety: Good form beats more reps: stop the set when your form slips. Muscles may feel tired; stop if a joint hurts.

Traffic Light Start-and-Stop

Ages 5 to 10 · 8 min

A grown-up calls green and red: run fast on green and stop under control on red. Builds quick starts and safe stops.

Line up at one end of the yard; the caller stands at the other.
On "green" run fast toward the caller.
On "red" stop and freeze with soft knees.
Reach the caller, then walk back and play again.

Coach's cue: Fast feet, soft stops.

Bring: open space

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

Seated Eggbeater on Land

Ages 7 and up · 6 min

Learn the eggbeater leg circles sitting on a chair at home.

Sit on the edge of a chair with your knees wide.
Circle one foot inward, then the other, taking turns.
Keep your knees still and your toes turned out.
Do 4 rounds of 20 circles.

Coach's cue: Knees wide, feet circle.

Bring: chair or bench

Safety: Use a clear, non-slip floor with space around you. Stop if anything hurts.

Rope Skipping Rhymes

Ages 6 to 10 · 8 min

Skip rope to a rhyme or song with breaks. Builds stamina, rhythm and springy feet.

Skip to a rhyme or song for 30 seconds.
Rest for 30 seconds.
Try a new rhyme or a new step each round.
Do 8 rounds.

Coach's cue: Small jumps, steady beat.

Bring: skipping rope

Safety: Land softly on grass or a mat, knees over toes, never caving in. Keep the number of jumps low. Stop if knees, shins or ankles hurt.

Dry-Land Throwing Arm Path

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

A dry-land drill for a room at home. Hold rolled socks high, turn your trunk and bring your arm forward slowly with a high elbow, without letting go.

Sit tall on the edge of a chair, socks held high above your shoulder.
Turn your chest away, elbow high.
Turn back and bring your arm forward and down slowly, holding on.
Do 3 sets of 8 each arm.

Coach's cue: Elbow high, turn the trunk.

Bring: rolled socks

Safety: Slow and controlled; stop if your shoulder hurts.

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)