Characteristics of the Sport

Water Polo is a water based team sport.  In actual fact, it’s the oldest team sport continuously contested at the Olympic Games. During a game, players are required to swim, pass the ball while being defended by opponents, as well as score by throwing into a goal (3m wide x 0.9m high) defended by a goal keeper (goalie). Seven players from each team (six field players and a goalkeeper) are allowed in the playing area of the pool during game play. For international senior competition, the “playing field” is 25m x 20m for women and 30m x 20m for men.

The game is divided into four quarters, with each quarter lasting 8 minutes. The game clock is stopped when the ball is not 'in play' (between a foul being committed and the free throw being taken, and between a goal being scored and the restart). As a result, the average quarter lasts around 12-14 minutes in 'real time'. Two minutes is allowed for at quarter time and five minutes at half time. A team may not have possession of the ball for longer than 30 seconds without shooting for the goal unless an opponent commits an ejection foul. After 30 seconds, possession passes to the other team. However, if a team shoots the ball within the allotted time and regains control of the ball, the shot clock is reset to 30 seconds. Each team may call two one-minute timeouts in the four quarters of regulation play, as well as an additional timeout if the game goes into overtime. During game play, only the team in possession of the ball may call a timeout.

Water Polo is a very physical contest as players are expected to perform repeated high intensity sprints in moving up and down the pool. Once play has been established at the attacking end of the field, players will wrestle with their opponents in an effort to gain an advantage in field position to create a better goal scoring opportunity. Typically, players will be rotated in and out of the game regularly as there are unlimited substitutions allowed throughout the game.

AIS Womens Water Polo

The Australian Institute of Sport has a women’s program for water polo. It is a camp based program, providing support to players during intensive training camps and overseas tours.  The remainder of the year, players reside in their home states and undertake training with their state-based program. The national Women’s water polo program has three National Training centres located at the Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS), New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) and Western Australia Institute of Sport (WAIS). Current AIS players form the National squad from which the National Team is selected to represent Australia at World League, World Championship and Olympic Game events. To find out more about the Australian Institute of Sport Women’s water polo program visit their website on: http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/sports/waterpolo/home

Training

National level water polo players will train twice daily (more during intensive training camps) including swim training sessions, water polo specific sessions, gym workouts and games. Given the importance of achieving or maintaining a robust physique, players will routinely undertake 3-4 gym sessions a week, with a particular focus in off-season of increasing muscle mass. Players will typically swim 3-5km in conditioning swim sessions, with water polo specific sessions lasting one-and-half to three hours.

Physical Characteristics

Elite female water polo players have higher body mass and tend to carry additional body fat compared to elite level female swimmers. It’s likely the additional size provides a physical advantage in terms of buoyancy and physical contact (e.g. wrestling) during the game. Average height, weight and sum of seven skinfolds for Australian women water polo players are listed in Table 1. National water polo league (NWPL) players and national water polo (NWP) squad members are represented. Interestingly, national team squad members are heavier and taller than their national league counterparts.

Table 1. Anthropometric characteristics of national water polo league (NWPL) players and national water Polo (NWP) squad players (mean ± S.D.).

 *Indicate significant difference from NS players.

Table adapted from Tan et al. “Anthropometric and physiological characteristics of elite Australian female water polo players”; in press).

Common Nutrition Issues

A hectic schedule requires planning

In Australia, water polo is an amateur sport. As such, players have other commitments such as work or study scheduled throughout the day in addition to daily training sessions. A key issue for water polo players is to organise their daily snack and meal routine in order to optimise daily training and facilitate recovery between training sessions. It’s common place for players to travel straight to work or University immediately following morning training. Athlete friendly options are rarely offered at the pool, work or university cafés, hence the importance of being prepared before embarking on a hectic day of training. Players need to be organised and ensure they have a range of nutritious snacks, rich in carbohydrate and protein, on hand to initiate refuelling and repairing of muscle after training. Below are some examples of snacks that have sufficient carbohydrate to optimise recovery.

Resistance training

By timing suitable pre and post-exercise snacks or scheduling meals around training, athletes can maximise their response to regular resistance training. As previously mentioned, regular weight training is an integral component of the training schedule of elite water polo players.  The following is a list of snacks designed to provide adequate protein and carbohydrate to maximise the response to weight training.
 
Appropriate pre-strength training snacks 45-60minutes before a weight training session:
• 200g tub of low-fat fruit Yoghurt/Custard/Rice Custard
• Cup of cereal and reduced-fat milk
• 1-2 slices of toast with glass of reduced-fat milk
• Lean meat/fish/chicken sandwich
• 4xcrackers and cheese
• Liquid meal supplement (e.g. PowerBar Protein Plus powder)
• Fruit and Nut mix – handful (50g)

Appropriate post-strength training snacks if your next meal is not scheduled within 60-90 minutes:
• 200g tub of Low-fat fruit Yoghurt/Custard/Rice Custard
• 2 x pieces of fruit
• 600ml of sports drink or cordial
• Cup of cereal and reduced-fat milk
• 2 x slices of raisin toast with jam
• Sports Bar (e.g. PowerBar Performance Bar)
• Liquid meal supplement (e.g. PowerBar Protein Plus powder) or glass of flavoured milk (e.g. Milo)

Travel to overseas countries

Water Polo is played throughout the world, particularly in Europe. As a result, our players often spend several months a year overseas, with some players basing themselves in Europe playing in one of the many semi-professional or professional leagues. For some athletes, life away from their favourite foods and daily meal schedule can be disastrous. It’s important for players to adjust their daily food selection and timing of meals to accommodate a new cuisine and lifestyle in order to meet their daily nutritional requirements. A unique aspect of travelling as a water polo team overseas is that the accommodation and meals are arranged by the host country. This can mean staying in 5 star establishments when travelling to countries where the national water polo federation is well funded, to staying in sub-par accommodation where meals are inadequate in meeting the requirements specific to athletes. Many of our players will take a small supply of their favourite snack foods such as fruit and nut mix and cereal bars, along with specialised foods items such as sports bars, liquid meal supplements and sports drinks.

This fact sheet is based on AIS / National team athletes and is therefore specific to these athletes. Written by AIS Sports Nutrition, last updated April 2009 © Australian Sports Commission.