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Where Is the Goal?

Swim with the ball and look up to find the goal and your teammates every few strokes.

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

Set up

Swim head-up with the ball in front of you.

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

Ages
7 and up
Time
6 min
Space
Pool
Bring
Ball, pool
Level · skill
Beginner · Game IQ

The steps

How it works

  1. Swim head-up with the ball in front of you.
  2. Every 4 strokes, look up and point at the goal.
  3. Then point at one teammate or a cone.
  4. Do 6 widths of the pool.

Coaching point

Look up, then swim.

Safety: Swim only with a lifeguard or coach watching and, under 14, a grown-up within arm’s reach.

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.

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