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

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

Head-up swim 12 minutes

Head-up freestyle across the shallow end · 5 min
Only with a lifeguard or coach watching
Swim, stop and look · 4 min
Find the ball, then go
Easy back float · 3 min
Relax and breathe

Session 2

Goalkeeper: 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.
Shadow Step Tag · 4 min
Quick little steps, then go! Safety: Play on soft, clear ground away from roads and hard edges. Tag gently with a hand on the arm or back.
Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Goalkeeper: Color Call Cones 12 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Color Call Cones · 4 min
Ready feet, go on the call. Safety: Use a clear, non-slip space and change direction only as fast as you can control. Stop if a knee or ankle hurts.
Wall Push-Up Countdown · 4 min
Straight like a board. Safety: Good form beats more reps: stop the set when your form slips. Muscles may feel tired; stop if a joint hurts.
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

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.

Shadow Step Tag

Ages 5 to 10 · 8 min

A chasing game for a sunny day: try to step on your partner's shadow while they run and dodge to keep it safe.

Pick a clear, sunny space with soft ground.
One person chases and tries to step on the other's shadow.
Swap roles every time someone is caught or every 30 seconds.
Rest and drink after every three rounds.

Coach's cue: Quick little steps, then go!

Bring: sunny yard or open space

Safety: Play on soft, clear ground away from roads and hard edges. Tag gently with a hand on the arm or back.

Color Call Cones

Ages 6 to 10 · 8 min

A grown-up calls a color and you run to touch that cone and back to the middle. Fun reaction and turning practice.

Set four colored cones about 4 big steps from a middle spot.
Stand in the middle in a ready stance.
When a color is called, run to touch it and come back.
Do 10 calls, rest, then 10 more.

Coach's cue: Ready feet, go on the call.

Bring: four cones of different colors

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

Wall Push-Up Countdown

Ages 6 to 10 · 5 min

Push-ups against a wall teach the right shape before ever going to the floor.

Stand an arm's length from a wall with hands at shoulder height.
Bend your elbows to bring your chest toward the wall, body straight.
Push back while counting down from 10.
Do 2 or 3 rounds of 10.

Coach's cue: Straight like a board.

Bring: wall

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