1. Drills
  2. Water Polo
  3. Game IQ

Call the Open Player

On the pool deck, a partner moves cones that stand for defenders; you call which teammate spot is open.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

Set up

Set 3 cones as defenders and 3 marks as teammates.

Core: Two. Beat your own best out of 10.

Ages
7 and up
Time
6 min
Players
You and a partner
Space
Pool
Bring
3 cones, partner
Level · skill
Beginner · Game IQ

The steps

How it works

  1. Set 3 cones as defenders and 3 marks as teammates.
  2. Your partner moves one cone each round.
  3. Point to the open teammate within 3 seconds.
  4. Do 15 rounds, then switch.

Coaching point

Find the space, not the ball.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Call-the-play: a partner shows a hand signal or color and you say what you will do. Swap, and count correct calls together.

Challenge

Pick a level: Less (one signal), Core (two), More (a surprise signal). Beat your own best out of 10.

Story

You are the captain reading the sea for the next move.

My best

Beat your own count

Beat your own best out of 10. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

Print it now, or save it free

Free for families and teams

Save this drill to your child or team, free

Sign up and the free water polo week for this age opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits. A coach can send this drill to the whole team as homework, and parents see every session logged.

14 days free for a family, no card · Running a team is always free

Does your child's coach know about this?

An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.