Water Polo Holiday Game Plan: How to Stay in Shape During the Holidays (Without Missing the Fun)

For most water polo players, the holidays look like this:

• No regular practices

• Lots of food

• Late nights, screens, and “I’ll start again in January”

Then… first practice back:

• Legs are heavy

• Hips are down

• Breathing feels hard

• Coach blows the whistle and you feel like you lost months of work in just a couple of weeks.

The good news?

You can enjoy the holidays and stay in shape for water polo, or better said be able to come back in the shape in very short amount of time.
You just need a simple plan.

In this guide we’ll cover:

• What to do during the break so you don’t lose your progress

• How to stay active without training like a maniac

• How to handle all the holiday food without overeating

• How not to get lazy and waste the whole break

• And how to get back into the water smart, not shocked

You’ll also see how to use Waterpolo University courses as a structure, so you’re not guessing what to do.

This is written mainly for players ages 10–15 (and their parents), but coaches can share it with their whole team.

1. The Holiday Mindset: Break vs. “Off Switch”

First, let’s fix the way we think about the break.

There is a big difference between:

• Taking a break from organized practices, and

• Hitting a complete off switch (no movement, no skills, just sitting and snacking).

You don’t need to:

• Do double practices

• Swim 10 km a day

• Or lift like a pro

But you do want to:

• Keep your legs and lungs alive

• Keep your body used to moving

• Stay connected to water polo skills

Think of the holidays like this:

“Light training period with more fun and more freedom – not zero training.”

And yes – it’s completely fine to take a couple of full days off for travel, family time, or just mental rest. The key is that you don’t let “a couple of days” quietly turn into 2–3 weeks of nothing.

2. Simple Holiday Training Plan (Ages 10–15)

Here’s a realistic plan you can follow even with family trips and parties.

Main goal:
Stay active, keep legs and hips awake, keep skills alive – without turning the holidays into a boot camp.

Key idea:

Light activation is the key.
Short, simple sessions that wake up your body and remind it, “I’m still an athlete.”

Weekly Target

Aim for:

• 3 light training days per week

• Each day: 20–30 minutes total

That’s it. If you want to do more, great. But start with this.

You can also choose 2–3 specific days to be completely off (Christmas, New Year’s, travel days). On all the other days, just stay a little active.

Option A – If you have pool access

On any 3 days of the week:

1. 5–10 minutes – Easy swimming

   • Freestyle, backstroke, some short sprints

   • Focus on long strokes, good body line

   • Nothing crazy – just waking up the body

2. 10 minutes – Legs & hips

   • Vertical kicking (no hands, then with ball)

   • Eggbeater up to chest and higher

   • 20–30 sec work / 20–30 sec rest

3. 10 minutes – Simple water polo skills

   • Passing with a friend or parent (or against a wall if possible)

   • 1-hand catches, strong body position, hips up

   • Short shooting form work: high elbow, balanced body

Inside Waterpolo University, you can follow:

• Eggbeater & Hips-Up Fundamentals

• Passing & Catching Basics

• Swimming With the Ball in 3 Steps

Pick one of these courses, watch 1–2 short lessons, then go to the pool and focus on just a few key cues from the video.

Option B – No pool access? Use dryland.

If you don’t have a pool, no problem. You can still stay in water polo shape with dryland and light activation.

3x per week – 20–30 minutes:

1. Warm-up (3–5 minutes)

   • Arm circles, shoulder rolls

   • Light jogging in place or jumping jacks

   • Dynamic stretches (leg swings, hip circles)

2. Legs & core (10–15 minutes)
   Do 3 rounds of:

   • Squats or chair squats – 12–15 reps

   • Lunges (forward or backward) – 8–10/leg

   • Glute bridge – 15–20 reps

   • Plank – 20–30 seconds

3. Water polo-specific dryland (5–10 minutes)

   • Eggbeater imitation sitting on a chair or edge of bed

   • Shoulder band work (if you have bands)

   • Throwing motion with light ball or towel snap (focus on elbow high, core rotation)

Inside Waterpolo University, you can use:

• Dryland for 12U

• Dryland for 14U

• Band and activation routines you can repeat 2–3 times per week

Treat it like this:

“I press play, follow along, and my daily activation is done.”

3. How Not to Get Lazy During the Holidays

The holidays are dangerous for one main reason: no schedule.

You wake up whenever.
You go to sleep whenever.
Days blur together.

So here’s a simple rule:

Pick your training time and protect it.

For example:

• “Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 11:00 I do my WU session.”

• Or “Before dinner on 3 days per week, I do 20 minutes of training.”

If you know which days are complete days off (for example: 24th, 25th, 31st), mark them and relax. On the other days, your only job is to hit that small activation window.

Holiday Anti-Lazy Checklist

You can even print this and put it on the fridge:

• ☐ Move at least 20 minutes on most days (walk, light jog, games, dryland)

• ☐ 3x per week: do a structured WU session (pool or dryland)

• ☐ Take 2–3 full days off guilt-free, but don’t let it turn into 14

• ☐ Go to sleep before midnight most nights

• ☐ Spend some time outside every day (not just screens)

You don’t need perfection—you just don’t want to go 5–7 days in a row with zero movement.

4. Handling Food and Treats: Enjoy, Don’t Overdo

Holidays usually mean:

• Big meals

• Desserts

• Snacks everywhere

The goal is not to be on a strict diet.
The goal is to enjoy but avoid feeling heavy, sluggish, and sick when training starts again.

Simple Holiday Food Guidelines (Not a Diet)

1. Don’t skip all normal meals.

   • Try to keep 3 main meals per day.

   • Skipping everything and then attacking the dessert table usually leads to overeating.

2. Build your plate in this order:

   • First: some protein (meat, fish, eggs, beans)

   • Then: vegetables or salad

   • Then: other sides you like
     This helps you feel full and balanced.

3. Desserts: choose and enjoy, don’t just graze.

   • Pick what you really want, eat it slowly, enjoy it.

   • Avoid mindlessly snacking all day just because food is around.

4. Drink water.

   • Dehydration makes you feel more tired and hungrier than you are.

   • Aim to drink regularly throughout the day, especially if you’re active.

5. Listen to your body.

   • Stomach feels heavy? Take a break from sweets for a bit.

   • More movement will also help you feel better after big meals.

The goal is not “perfect nutrition”.
The goal is: have fun, don’t destroy your energy.

5. Protecting Yourself From Temptations (Screens, Sofa, Snacks)

Temptations during holidays aren’t just food. They’re also:

• Phones

• Games

• Lazy couches

Here’s a practical approach:

1. Use “fun first, screen second”

Make a simple rule:

“Move first, then relax.”

For example:

• Do your 20–30 minute WU session

• Go outside or play some game

• Then go on screens

You’ll feel better physically and mentally.

2. Create “no snack zones”

If possible:

• Don’t keep all snacks right next to where you sit for hours.

• Put them in the kitchen, not on the coffee table.

That way you choose to eat them instead of mindlessly grabbing all day.

3. Involve your family

You can ask:

• Parents to join you for a walk

• Siblings to do a little challenge (who holds plank longer, who does more squats etc.)

• Friends or cousins to try some dryland exercises with you

Now you’re not “the weird one training”—you’re the one leading.

6. Getting Back Into the Water After the Break

When the break ends, many players make the same mistake:

They try to “make up” for the whole break in one or two practices.

Result?

• Over-fatigue

• Sore shoulders

• Frustration (“I’m so bad now”)

Instead, think of the first 7–10 days back as a rebuild phase.

First Week Back: Smart Focus

1. Legs and hips first.

   • Lots of eggbeater, vertical kick, and hips-up work.

   • If your legs come back, everything else becomes easier.

2. Short, sharp skills, not long suffering.

   • Passing, catching, quick shooting from good form.

   • Focus on quality, not only hard sets.

3. Accept that your lungs will complain for a few practices.

   • That’s normal, even if you trained lightly in the break.

   • Don’t panic; your body adapts quickly if you stay consistent.

4. Sleep more in the first week back.

   • Your body is adjusting from “holiday mode” to “training mode”.

   • Good sleep will speed up that process.

If you’ve followed even part of the holiday plan (movement + light WU work), the return will be much smoother than if you did nothing.

7. Using Waterpolo University as Your Holiday Structure

The hardest part about holiday training is knowing what to do.

That’s where Waterpolo University can make things simple.

Instead of designing your own workouts from zero, you can:

• Pick 1–2 focus courses for the break

  • For example:

    • Dryland for 12U or Dryland for 14U

    • Eggbeater & Hips-Up Fundamentals

    • Swimming With the Ball in 3 Steps

    • Defense Basics: Staying Over Your Hips

• On each training day:

  • Log in

  • Watch 1–2 short lessons from your chosen course

  • Do the drills (at home or in the pool if you have one)

Think of it as:

“Press play, move your body, keep your skills alive.”

Combine that with a couple of full rest days, and you’ll still enjoy the holidays while staying ahead of most players who do nothing.

Train With Waterpolo University

Whether you’re a player, parent, or coach, here’s how you can use Waterpolo University beyond the holidays.

🔹 Individual Memberships – For Players & Parents

With an individual membership you get:

• Full access to all youth-focused water polo courses, drills, and dryland programs

• Clear structure for ages 10–15: fundamentals, shooting, defense, swimming with the ball, mindset, and more

• Short lessons you can watch before practice and apply immediately

If you choose a Premium option, you can also:

• Send me videos of your training

• Get direct feedback on your technique and next steps to improve

It’s a simple way to add a “private coach in your pocket” alongside your regular club practices.

🔹 Club Licenses – For Teams & Coaches

For clubs and teams, a Waterpolo University Club License gives:

• All your athletes access to the full WPU course library

• A shared curriculum for fundamentals, dryland, and youth development

• The option to add club-specific modules (your favorite drills, band routines, or systems) so players can watch them as homework

Coaches can assign lessons, keep terminology consistent across age groups, and use pool time for reps and corrections instead of repeating the same explanations every session.

If you want to keep your progress through the holidays—and even come back ahead of where you were—use light activation, a few smart sessions each week, and the structure inside Waterpolo University.

Enjoy the break, enjoy your family, and stay just active enough that January feels like an opportunity, not a punishment.