Move Before You Catch: How Sliding and Fakes Help You Use Space Better in Water Polo (Especially Ages 10–14)

Think about a typical possession:
You might touch the ball for 3–5 seconds… but you’re in the water for 30 seconds for that same attack.

That means:

The way you move without the ball controls the quality of what you can do with the ball.

If you float in one spot waiting for the pass:

• Your defender is already on you

• Your angle to the cage is fixed

• You don’t have enough space to fake, shoot, or pass comfortably

But if you’re moving before the ball comes:

• You can slide into a better angle

• You can create distance from the defender

• You can arrive in your favorite shooting spot already loaded and ready

So rule number one:

Don’t wait for the ball to move. Move so the ball can arrive where you already want to be.

This principle is valid for all levels, but it’s especially crucial for younger athletes aged 10–14 who are building their base.

2. Why Movement With the Ball Is Limited

Once you actually receive the ball, your movement options become smaller:

• You can’t travel far left or right while still controlling the ball

• Every extra movement slows down your shot or pass

• Defenders and goalies gain time to react

• Defenders attack you

You can make small adjustments, but big repositioning after you catch the ball is very hard. That’s why:

You use off-ball movement and slides without the ball to create space.
When you receive the ball, you are already where you need to be.

3. What if you need to move and you received the Ball? How to do it? For Beginners: Slides First, Fakes Later

As players get older and more experienced, they use a combination of:

• Slides (horizontal movement using breaststroke kick)

• Fakes (ball and shoulder movement while legs are underneath them)

But at the beginner level, and especially between ages 10–14, I don’t want you to start by using fakes to move forward. Why?

Because:

• Fakes are more complex – you must coordinate legs, core, shoulders, head, and ball

• Beginners often lose balance or destroy their shooting technique when they try to move with fakes

• It’s easy to start doing “crazy” fakes that look active but have zero quality

Instead, I want you to start with slides.

Slides are:

• Simpler

• Easier to control

• Great for teaching you how to use space in front of you

• A safe way to come closer to the goal without breaking your body position

Once you own the slide and the restart into a shooting/passing position, you can upgrade to using fakes to come closer. But not before that.

4. Starting Point: Proper Shooting/Passing Position

Before we talk about sliding, we need a correct starting point.

Imagine you’re in a standard shooting/passing position:

• Hips high in the water

• Chest slightly forward

• Strong leg support (eggbeater or a strong vertical kick)

• Elbow high, above ear line

• Ball in a strong hand position, ready to pass or shoot

From this position, you are:

• Balanced

• Powerful

• Dangerous to the defense

Now we’re going to use this strong, stable position as the base, and from here we’ll go into the slide.

5. How to Slide: Step-by-Step Technique

Here’s how I want you to slide at the beginner level.

Step 1: From shooting position to horizontal

Starting from your regular shooting/passing position:

1. Keep your arms parallel to the surface of the water as you begin to move.

2. Extend your body into a more horizontal position – you’ll be closer to a streamline, like when you swim.

3. Your head stays above water and eyes looking where you want to go (towards the cage or space).

Step 2: Use a strong breaststroke kick to slide

Now your movement comes from your legs:

• Use a breaststroke kick to push your body horizontally.

• The stronger and cleaner your breaststroke kick, the more distance you’ll get.

• Your body should feel like it “glides” on the surface, not like you’re fighting the water.

Think: slide, don’t splash.

Step 3: Arms parallel during the slide

While you slide:

• Keep your arms parallel, stable, and under control.

• Don’t wave them around. If your arms go crazy, your balance and your restart into shooting position will suffer.

• Your upper body is calm; your legs are doing the work.

You slide as much as you need to:

• Sometimes it’s half a meter

• Sometimes it’s one full strong kick

• It depends on how far the defender is and how much space you want to use

The key is: slide with purpose. You’re not just moving for fun; you’re moving to arrive in a better spot.

6. The Most Important Detail: Restarting Into Shooting Position

This is the part where most beginners struggle.

Sliding is not the main goal. Sliding is a tool to get into a better shooting position.
So the most important detail is:

How fast and clean can you come from horizontal slide back into your perfect shooting/passing position?

From the horizontal slide, you must:

1. Stop the slide when you’re in the space you want.

2. Rebuild your leg base underneath you.

3. Bring your upper body back into the strong shooting position without losing technique.

Key points:

• Don’t rush so much that your elbow drops or your body collapses.

• Don’t let your hips sink. You must get back into a high, powerful body position.

• Your final position before the shot should look just as good as if you never moved.

The defender and goalie don’t care that you did a nice slide if your final shot is weak. So your focus is:

Slide → Restart fast → Be in a perfect position to shoot or pass.

This transition is exactly what we break down step-by-step inside the Waterpolo University course on moving closer to the cage with slides and fakes.

👉 Preview the full course here:
https://www.waterpolouniversity.com/fakes-slides

To watch the full course inside our library of water polo courses, you need to be enrolled in one of our memberships (Basic or Premium).

7. Why You Can’t Shoot During the Slide

Another important concept:

• When you’re in a horizontal slide, you can’t shoot properly.

Your legs are extended and not under you, so:

• You don’t have vertical power

• You can’t generate a strong, accurate shot

• You’re basically in “transport mode,” not “attack mode”

So remember:

Sliding is how you travel into space.
Shooting position is where you attack from.

That’s why the restart is everything. It’s not enough to just move; you must move and arrive correctly.

For ages 10–14, this clear separation actually helps a lot:

• The player understands:
  “Now I slide. Now I restart. Now I shoot.”

• One action at a time, with good technique.

8. Fakes: Moving Closer While Always Ready to Shoot

Now let’s talk about the next level: using fakes to come closer.

Once a player is comfortable with:

• Solid shooting/passing position

• Clean sliding and restarting technique

…then they can start using fakes to gain distance on the defender.

The big difference:

• In slides, you go horizontal and move, but you lose the ability to shoot during that time.

• In fakes, your legs stay underneath you, and you can shoot at any moment.

When you fake properly:

• Your legs are strong and vertical

• Your hips stay high

• Your arm and shoulders move the ball, making the goalie and defender react

• You can take small, controlled steps/adjustments closer to the cage while still being ready to shoot

This is why fakes are so powerful at higher levels. You’re:

• Threatening the goal

• Making the defender react

• Slowly stealing distance and angle

• Always ready to finish

But again, this is Phase 2.
For beginners and 10–14-year-olds, I want Phase 1 to be slides, because they teach:

• Using space in front of you

• Control of your body line

• Strength in the breaststroke kick

• Discipline in restarting into the correct shooting position

Once that’s stable, fakes become a natural upgrade.

9. How to Practice Slides at 10–14 Years Old

Here’s a simple drill structure you can use in your training or share with your coach.

Drill 1: Slide and Restart (No Shot)

• Start in a strong shooting/passing position

• Slide horizontally using a breaststroke kick

• Stop, rebuild shooting position as fast as possible

• Hold it for 2–3 seconds

• Focus on balance and body position

Drill 2: Slide – Restart – Shot

• Same as above, but now after the restart, you take a controlled shot

• The priority is technique, not power

• Coach or parent watching should focus on:

  • Elbow height

  • Body line

  • Hip position

Drill 3: Slide from Different Spots

• Practice from the wing, 4–5 side, 1–2 side, and outside shots

• The goal is to learn how to use space differently depending on where you are

If you’re inside Waterpolo University, this is exactly the type of sequence we show in our online water polo classes and position-based water polo courses.

10. Course & YouTube Preview

If you want to see these concepts in action with real in-water demonstrations, you can:

👉 Watch the free YouTube video preview here:
https://youtu.be/yIJlkpffxIw?si=mXbSZ61Ip8l7gjFN

👉 Check out the full Waterpolo University course on slides and fakes:
https://www.waterpolouniversity.com/fakes-slides

Remember:
To access the full course and all other age-specific, position-based water polo courses, you need to be enrolled in one of our memberships (Basic or Premium). The link above can be used as a preview, but full access is only for members.

11. Summary: What to Focus on as a Beginner

If you’re between 10 and 14 years old, or at the beginner level, here’s your roadmap:

1. Move without the ball first. Don’t wait to receive it; move into the space you want before the pass.

2. Use slides to come closer and change angle. From a proper shooting/passing position, go horizontal, use a strong breaststroke kick, arms parallel, and slide with purpose.

3. Master the restart. The most important detail is how fast and clean you can come back into your shooting position without losing technique.

4. Understand the role of fakes. They are for later, once your base is strong. Fakes let you come closer while keeping your legs under you so you’re always ready to shoot.

5. Train with structure. Use drills that separate slide → restart → shot, and focus on quality over power.

If you follow this progression, your game will feel more controlled, more intelligent, and much more dangerous – not because you suddenly started throwing the ball harder, but because you learned how to use space and move with purpose.

Ready to Go Deeper? Join the School or Bring Your Whole Club

If you want a clear, step-by-step system instead of guessing at practice, you can join Waterpolo University and get access to all of our:

• Age-specific water polo courses

• Position-based water polo classes (drivers, wings, centers, defenders, goalies)

• Dryland programs, game IQ breakdowns, and communication tools

👉 Individual Memberships:
Choose between Basic (full access to all courses) and Premium (courses + video feedback, game analysis, and direct support from me).

👉 Club Licenses:
If you’re a coach or club director, you can unlock access for your entire team or club with our Club License options – so every athlete can follow the same structured roadmap online and then apply it in the pool.

To learn more about memberships and club licenses, visit:
Memberships

Club licenses

Move before you catch, slide with purpose, restart fast, and your real level will finally start to show in the water. 🌊💪