1. Drills
  2. Water Polo
  3. Game IQ

6-on-5 Spots Walk-Through

Walk the six spots of a power play on the deck and say where the ball goes first.

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

Set up

Lay 6 cones in two lines of three like a power play.

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

Ages
11 and up
Time
12 min
Players
Just you
Space
Pool
Bring
6 cones, ball
Level · skill
Developing · Game IQ

The steps

How it works

  1. Lay 6 cones in two lines of three like a power play.
  2. Stand at each spot and say its name.
  3. Pass the ball around the spots and call the first open shot.
  4. Do 3 walk-throughs, then try it in the water.

Coaching point

Know the spot before you swim to it.

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.