Free drill library · Water Polo

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

This is a free sample week of at-home water polo training for 11 to 13 year olds, for a goalkeeper: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 13 to 14 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

Goalie legs and hands 13 minutes

  1. Eggbeater in the ready position · 4 min
    Only with a lifeguard or coach watching
  2. Lateral moves along the goal line · 4 min
    Stay square, hands up
  3. Block soft tosses · 5 min
    Hands up, push up out of the water

Session 2

Goalkeeper: Hop and Hold 14 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Hop and Hold · 5 min
    Stick it like glue. 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.
  3. Four-Corner Box Drill · 5 min
    Plant outside foot, stay low. Safety: Use a clear, non-slip space and change direction only as fast as you can control. Stop if a knee or ankle hurts.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Goalkeeper: Star Reach Balance 14 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Star Reach Balance · 5 min
    Hips level, knee over toes. Safety: Practice on soft ground or near a wall with clear space around you, so a wobble is no problem.
  3. Pick-a-Landmark Speed Play · 5 min
    Pick a tree, go, then recover. Safety: Bring water, go at a pace where you can still talk, and stop if you feel dizzy, sick or have chest pain.
  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

Hop and Hold

Ages 10 to 14 · 8 min

Hop forward on one leg and hold the landing for 3 seconds. Trains the knee control that protects ligaments.

  1. Stand on one leg.
  2. Hop a short distance forward.
  3. Land softly and hold for 3 seconds, knee over toes.
  4. Do 2 sets of 5 each leg.

Coach's cue: Stick it like glue.

Bring: soft ground

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.

Four-Corner Box Drill

Ages 10 to 14 · 10 min

Move around a small square using a different movement on each side: run forward, shuffle, backpedal, shuffle.

  1. Set a square of cones 5 yards apart.
  2. Run forward up the first side, shuffle across the top.
  3. Backpedal down the far side, shuffle back to the start.
  4. Do 3 each direction with rest between.

Coach's cue: Plant outside foot, stay low.

Bring: 4 cones

Safety: Use a clear, non-slip space and change direction only as fast as you can control. Stop if a knee or ankle hurts.

Star Reach Balance

Ages 9 to 14 · 8 min

Stand on one leg and reach the other foot out to the front, side and back, like the points of a star.

  1. Stand on one leg in the middle of three taped lines.
  2. Reach the other foot along each line as far as you can and tap lightly.
  3. Return to the middle without touching down between reaches.
  4. Do 3 rounds on each leg.

Coach's cue: Hips level, knee over toes.

Bring: tape or chalk

Safety: Practice on soft ground or near a wall with clear space around you, so a wobble is no problem.

Pick-a-Landmark Speed Play

Ages 10 to 14 · 15 min

Mix easy jogging with short faster bits whenever you choose, like to the next tree. Fitness through play.

  1. Jog easily for 3 minutes.
  2. Pick a landmark and run a bit faster to it.
  3. Jog easily until you feel ready again.
  4. Repeat for 12 to 15 minutes.

Coach's cue: Pick a tree, go, then recover.

Bring: park or field

Safety: Bring water, go at a pace where you can still talk, and stop if you feel dizzy, sick or have chest pain.

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)

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