The 8 Most Important Fundamentals Every Beginner Water Polo Player Must Master

Every beginner wants the same things:

• To shoot harder

• To pass better

• To stop feeling lost in games

Most of the time, the problem isn’t talent.
The problem is that the wrong things are being prioritized.

Before you think about power shots, complex tactics or special positions, you need a strong foundation. If you skip this step, you’ll always feel like you’re trying hard but not really improving.

These are the 8 most important fundamentals I believe every beginner must master:

1. Eggbeater & hips up

2. Body position for passing & shooting (no ball first)

3. Passing & catching basics

4. Defense fundamentals: over-hips & staying in front

5. Spacing in offense and defense

6. Beginner dryland (bands & bodyweight)

7. Pre-game & practice warm-up

8. Self video analysis

Inside Waterpolo University, we have full water polo courses and water polo classes dedicated to each of these topics, but first let’s understand why they matter and what they actually look like.

1. Eggbeater & Hips Up: The True Foundation

If there is one thing that decides whether a beginner will be able to play long-term, it’s this:

Can you keep your hips high with a strong eggbeater?

Everything comes from your legs:

• Staying high to shoot and pass

• Holding position on offense or defense

• Moving laterally to stay in front of your player

• Surviving long practices and tournaments

A beginner who learns correct eggbeater early will:

• Feel more comfortable in the water

• Get tired slower

• Have more time to think and make decisions

A beginner who never learns it will always be fighting the water.

Key ideas:

• Knees bent, feet turned out, making circles

• Hips underneath you (not behind)

• Continuous, relaxed movement rather than panicking and kicking

Inside the school we break this down with progressions and routines, but the main message is simple:
No strong eggbeater = no real progress later.

2. Body Position for Passing & Shooting (No Ball First)

Most players try to fix their shot by only focusing on the arm.
But the arm is just the last 10% of the movement.

The real shot and pass come from:

• Legs

• Hips

• Torso rotation

• Elbow position

• Wrist direction

That’s why it’s so important to first learn the correct body position without the ball.

For a right-handed player, that usually means:

• Left leg slightly in front, right leg behind

• Hips high and under the shoulders

• Non-shooting arm sculling and helping balance

• Shooting elbow clearly above the ear line (not flat and low)

• Wrist acting like a “sniper,” pointing exactly where you want the ball to go

When you master this without the ball, adding the ball later becomes easy and natural. You don’t have to think about a thousand things at once, because your body already knows the pattern.

At Waterpolo University, we dedicate full lessons to this “no-ball first” approach so players can repeat the correct body shape from different angles and speeds before they ever worry about power.

3. Passing & Catching 101: Controlling the Ball

A player who cannot catch and pass will always feel stressed in practice and games.

Good ball control lets you:

• Stay calm when the ball comes to you

• Keep the rhythm of the offense

• Help your teammates instead of losing the ball under pressure

For beginners, passing and catching fundamentals include:

• Hand shape on the ball – fingers spread, relaxed wrist

• “Soft hands” when catching – you cushion the ball instead of slapping it

• Using your legs and hips while you pass, not just the arm

• Simple movements: 1–2 strokes, stop in good body position, then pass

Once this feels automatic, more advanced passes (cross passes, quick releases, long passes) become much easier. In the school, we connect this directly to the body position work so every pass uses the same strong base.

4. Defense Basics: Over-Hips & Staying in Front

Many beginners think defense means grabbing, sinking, and wrestling.
Real defense is about:

• Legs

• Hips

• Angles

If you can keep your hips up and stay over the attacker’s hips, you are already doing more than most beginners.

Defensive fundamentals look like this:

• Hips high, not dropping behind the attacker

• Staying in front – between your player and the goal

• Moving laterally with quick eggbeater, not just swimming around

• Simple blocking position with active hands

Instead of teaching complicated defensive systems to beginners, it’s much more effective to teach a few clear rules:

• See both the ball and your player

• Keep your hips on top of their hips

• Don’t turn your back to the ball

We go deep into over-hips defense and positioning inside the school with demonstrations from different angles, because this is what keeps players from feeling helpless on defense.

5. Spacing in Offense and Defense

You can have good technique and still feel completely lost if you don’t know where to be.

Spacing solves that.

On offense, spacing means:

• Not crowding the ball or your teammates

• Leaving room for drives, passes and shots

• Understanding simple positions (wings, point, posts, center)

On defense, spacing means:

• Knowing how far to be from your player

• When to press and when to help

• How to adjust when the ball moves

Beginners don’t need a 50-page playbook.
They need simple rules like:

• “If the ball is here, you stand here.”

• “Don’t sit on 2m unless it’s your job.”

• “If your teammate drives, you slide to open the space.”

In Waterpolo University, we use diagrams and video examples to make spacing easy to visualize, so players understand what their coach is asking during real practices.

6. Beginner Dryland: Bands & Bodyweight

Water polo is tough on the shoulders, core and legs.
If you only train in the water, you’re missing a big opportunity to:

• Prevent injuries

• Build strength for eggbeater and shooting

• Improve stability and balance

Beginner dryland doesn’t need to be heavy or complicated.
With just resistance bands and bodyweight, you can:

• Strengthen the small shoulder muscles (external rotation, rows, pull-aparts)

• Build core stability for better hip control

• Strengthen legs for higher, more stable eggbeater (squats, lunges, wall sits)

Short routines, 2–3 times per week, can completely change how strong and safe you feel in the water. That’s why we include detailed dryland sessions in our water polo courses, with video demonstrations and clear sets/reps.

7. Pre-Game & Practice Warm-Up

Many players arrive at practice, jump in, swim a little bit, and then start shooting cold. The result:

• Stiff shoulders

• Slow legs

• Weak first quarter

A good warm-up:

• Activates the shoulders and hips

• Wakes up the legs and eggbeater

• Gradually builds intensity before shooting

For beginners, learning a simple, repeatable warm-up is huge. It means:

• You’re ready from the first minute of practice

• You reduce the risk of shoulder problems

• Games feel smoother because your body is already “on”

Inside the school we have a complete pre-game and practice warm-up you can follow exactly, on your own or with your team.

8. Self Video Analysis: Learning to Coach Yourself

One of the most powerful skills you can learn as a player is how to analyse yourself.

With just a phone, you can:

• Record your eggbeater, shot, pass or defensive stance

• Watch it back in slow motion

• Compare it to the key points from the courses

A simple checklist for beginners might be:

1. Where are my hips?

2. What are my legs doing?

3. Where is my elbow and wrist?

Instead of always needing someone else to tell you what’s wrong, you start spotting patterns by yourself. This makes every water polo class, training session and game more valuable, because you know what to look for.

In Waterpolo University, we guide players step-by-step through this process and give examples of real players being corrected, so you can copy the same method.

How Waterpolo University Uses These Fundamentals

Everything I just described is not random.
It’s the exact structure I believe every beginner should follow.

Inside Waterpolo University, we have full online water polo courses and water polo classes that go into detail on each of these areas:

• Eggbeater & hips up

• Body position for passing and shooting (starting without the ball)

• Passing & catching

• Defense basics and over-hips defense

• Spacing on offense and defense

• Beginner dryland programs

• Pre-game and practice warm-up

• Self video analysis and examples

Each course includes clear explanations, demonstrations from different angles, and practical routines you can take directly to your next practice.

So whether you’re:

• A beginner player

• A parent trying to help your kid

• Or a coach who wants a structured path for the younger group

you can use these fundamentals as your checklist. If these 8 areas are strong, everything else in water polo becomes easier, more fun and more rewarding.

If you’re already inside the school, I recommend you start by focusing on these fundamentals first and move through them one by one. If you’re not in yet, use this article as your roadmap and keep these 8 things in mind every time you train.

How to Keep Training These Fundamentals

If you want help actually doing all of this every week, you can train with us inside Waterpolo University. All of the fundamentals from this article (and a lot more) are broken down step-by-step in full video courses.

You can join in two ways:

For Clubs & Teams

If you’re a coach or club director, we have club licenses so your whole team can get access:

• One login system for all your athletes

• All fundamental courses (eggbeater, hips up, body position, passing, defense, spacing, dryland, warm-up, self-analysis and more courses) in one place

• You can use the lessons as “homework” between practices or as a structured part of your training plan

• New videos and courses added every week

If you’re interested in a club license, reach out and we’ll find the best option for your roster size and level.

For Individual Athletes & Families

If you’re an individual player or parent, you can join with a personal membership:

• Full access to the beginner fundamentals

• New videos and courses added every week

• Learn at your own pace and rewatch any lesson as many times as you want

• Part of Water Polo Community where we post weekly updates

Choose what fits you best – club access if you want your whole team on the same page, or an individual membership if you want to start improving on your own right away.