Water Polo - Home
Australian Sports Commission
It has often been said of water polo that 90 per cent of the action goes on below the water as players fight off opponents. But at elite level, much of the action also goes on away from competition as players work on their core building blocks of strength, fitness, speed and flexibility. These skills help them tread water without using their hands, swim four to five kilometres in an average match, shoot and pass accurately when they are physically exhausted, and deal with, or even inflict, heavy contact. An all-around sport such as water polo needs the benefit of an all-round training program such as that offered by the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).
The AIS Women's Water Polo program is a non-residential program, with athletes training in their home states at state institutes and academies, and coming together for specialist camps. Head Coach of the program is Greg McFadden.
Water polo players will swim up to four kilometres per game; they catch, throw, block and sometimes dodge balls thrown up to 60 kilometres an hour. In a high-level competition, players may also lose two to three kilograms during a tournament. All of this means that athletes must have exceptional fitness, technique and stamina. These skills are honed to the highest levels through the world-class coaches and sports science and sports medicine programs at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).
Craig Calder