Water Polo

by CHARLES F. CICCIARELLA
3rd edition, 140 pgs., $14.95
978-0-89641-348-1

Water Polo

Water polo players play, often well into middle age, for fun, fitness, and for the sheer love of the game. This book is written as an introduction and guide to water polo hoping to share the fun, the fitness, and the love of the sport.

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Textbooks for sport skills, such as this, necessarily have a structure that is different from the sport itself. Whereas the sport is extremely dynamic and spontaneous, the textbook must be divided into discrete chapters covering such parts of the sport as basic skills, offense, defense, and so on. A sport should be learned the way it is played; a dynamic and spontaneous sport should be learned dynamically and spontaneously. Rather than attempting to study and learn material presented here chapter by chapter, it should be learned all at once, initially in crude approximation and subsequently in greater precision. As skills are being practiced and mastered, learning will be enhanced by a quick first reading and later a more careful reading of the games performance.


CONTENTS

  • Chapter 1: THE SPORT OF WATER POLO

  • Chapter 2: WATER POLO SKILLS
    Swimming
    Deep Water Accelerations and Turns
    Treading Water
    How to Pick Up The Ball
    How to Hold The Ball
    Dribbling and Carrying the Ball
    Passing
    Faking
    Individual Defense

  • Chapter 3: OFFENSIVE STRATEGY
    The Fast Break Offense
    The Hole Man Offense
    The Double Post Offense
    The Rotation Offense
    The 6 On 5 Offense
    The 3 - 3 Zone
    The 4 - 2 Zone
    Situational Tactics
    Other Tactics
    Use of Time Outs
    Stalling
    Substitutions

  • Chapter 4: DEFENSIVE STRATEGY
    The 3-3 Zone Defense
    The 2-2-2 Zone Defense
    The 1-2-3 Zone Defense
    The Fake Zone Defense
    The Zone Press
    The Player for Player Defense
    The Player Disadvantage Defense
    The Two Player Disadvantage Defense
    Situational Tactics
    Other Tactics
    Goal Tending

  • Chapter 5: CONDITIONING
    Kinds of Conditioning
    Season Training Plan
    Assessment of Needs
    Specificity of Training
    Improvement in Endurance
    Improvement in Strength and Power
    Improvement of Flexibility
    Cramps and Residual Muscle Soreness
    Injuries
    Nutrition and Ergogenic Aids
    Environmental Factors

  • Chapter 6: PRACTICE ORGANIZATION & ROUTINES
    Organization of Practices
    Warm-up Exercises
    Conditioning Exercises
    Skill Drills
    Variations of Water Polo
    Safety Notes

  • Chapter 7: STARTING A WATER POLO PROGRAM
    Why Start Water Polo?
    Facilities and Equipment Needed
    Finding Competition
    Planning and Running a Game
    Planning and Running a Tournament