NationStates Jolt Archive

Anyone play it? I only managed to get about 5 days worth of practices in for my school, but right now the coach was fired for a new teacher-coach so our summer practices are on hiatus until further notice.

So anyone have tips? Stories? I'm rather new to the game, but I'm trying to get better obviously.

i love that game. played three years, two high school, one college.
best piece of advice is make sure your practices focus on swimming as much as they do on the ball related aspect of the game. too often, teams which are unstoppable with a ball in their hands end up straggling in the wake of a bunch of off season swim-team jerks. invest in a five-pound training ball. ten is better, if you can find it. that improves your throw so much faster than anything else. drill everyday. even when you're out of the water, find a wall, and do throwing drills. and if someone punches you in a game, don't be afraid to punch back. that's what makes it fun. rearing up out of the water and punching someone in the face right in front of the ref. i only did that that once, but it was still pretty amusing.

i love that game. played three years, two high school, one college.
best piece of advice is make sure your practices focus on swimming as much as they do on the ball related aspect of the game. too often, teams which are unstoppable with a ball in their hands end up straggling in the wake of a bunch of off season swim-team jerks. invest in a five-pound training ball. ten is better, if you can find it. that improves your throw so much faster than anything else. drill everyday. even when you're out of the water, find a wall, and do throwing drills. and if someone punches you in a game, don't be afraid to punch back. that's what makes it fun. rearing up out of the water and punching someone in the face right in front of the ref. i only did that that once, but it was still pretty amusing.Really? They have 5 or 10 pound training balls? Awesome. I gotta go look for one.

Well I tried once with a bunch of friends, we had a few water polo experts giving advices to us (they were playing in a league). It didn't go very well. To survive in this sport, you need to be a very good swimmer with very muscular legs. Exercise on bicycle as often as possible!!!! You need to be able to swim with your legs only, your upper body popping up from the water. When you catch the ball (if ever), it can get nasty (you can get pushed down and drink a gallon of water).

Soooo... I got very exhausted very fast, and almost drowned.
I'm not a very good swimmer, I tell you.

So I went back to volleyball, which is definitely my favorite sport. Won a provincial tournament with my team. Never tried to play water polo again.

Well I tried once with a bunch of friends, we had a few water polo experts giving advices to us (they were playing in a league). It didn't go very well. To survive in this sport, you need to be a very good swimmer with very muscular legs. Exercise on bicycle as often as possible!!!! You need to be able to swim with your legs only, your upper body popping up from the water. When you catch the ball (if ever), it can get nasty (you can get pushed down and drink a gallon of water).

Soooo... I got very exhausted very fast, and almost drowned.
I'm not a very good swimmer, I tell you.

So I went back to volleyball, which is definitely my favorite sport. Won a provincial tournament with my team. Never tried to play water polo again.Yep well, I finished my swimming season a month or two ago. And I can't keep my entire torso out of the water, like the goalie, but I can go high enough.

And yeah, I've experienced catching the ball and getting good ol varsity guys dunking me down. Good God. Even fellow JV players.

But it's all fun. I do the same to them so they say the same about me.

I played waterpolo this year and the previous one. Probably one of the most intense games (along with Rugby) I've ever played. I'm done playing it as I've decided to focus on swimming and practice year-round. I still play once in a while for the fun of it. Advice for getting better would be as NS said, invest in a ten-pound training ball and practice against a wall, throwing it from one hand to the other or simply passing left to right, left to right, left to right... Most important is the swimming, mostly freestyle and backstroke. Butterfly helps too if you plan on being a goalie or set (If you don't know what a set is, it's also called the hole, hole man, middle man). After swimming and ball handling comes team cooperation. Your whole team can memorize every play in the book but it'll be useless if you don't work as one. Figure out which position is best for you and work at helping your team from there. That's all I got for now. Good luck.

i love that game. played three years, two high school, one college.
best piece of advice is make sure your practices focus on swimming as much as they do on the ball related aspect of the game. too often, teams which are unstoppable with a ball in their hands end up straggling in the wake of a bunch of off season swim-team jerks. invest in a five-pound training ball. ten is better, if you can find it. that improves your throw so much faster than anything else. drill everyday. even when you're out of the water, find a wall, and do throwing drills. and if someone punches you in a game, don't be afraid to punch back. that's what makes it fun. rearing up out of the water and punching someone in the face right in front of the ref. i only did that that once, but it was still pretty amusing.

what he said.. I was on a two time HS State Championship team (back in the 1970s... I am so old)... my daughter plays now, she is just starting out and loves the game

lots and lots of swimming workout... you have to be able to make those fast swims down the pool when the ball is moving