Why Your Water Polo Technique Must Stay Perfect (Even in Warm-Up)

One of the biggest mistakes players make in water polo is thinking there are two versions of themselves:

• “Serious” technique in games

• “Whatever” technique in warm-up, beach games, or casual passing

But your body doesn’t know the difference.

It only knows what you repeat the most.

Right now, especially while you’re still developing, it’s absolutely crucial that your technique is done the right way every single time. It doesn’t matter if you’re:

• Passing on the beach with your friends

• Messing around in a hotel pool

• Doing the first two minutes of warm-up at practice

• Taking a “fun” shot after the drill is over

The strength of your passes or shots can change. The intensity can change.
But the technique must stay constant.

There is no such thing as “just a warm-up pass” or “just joking around with the ball” if you’re serious about improving. Every rep is either building a good habit or reinforcing a bad one.

In this blog, we’ll break down:

• Why technique must stay constant

• How this applies to passing, shooting, and defense

• How bad habits sneak in when you’re not paying attention

• How to use weekends, casual time, and low-intensity sessions to refine your skills

• How structured water polo courses and water polo classes can help you repeat the right things

1. Technique vs. Strength: What Actually Changes?

When we talk about “strong” shots or “hard” passes, players often think they need a special, different movement. But in reality:

• Technique = the pattern

• Strength = the intensity

You should not have two different throwing mechanics:

• One “lazy” and one “proper”

• One “for fun” and one “for serious games”

The foundation of your movement – your legs, hips, elbow position, wrist – should be the same. The only thing that changes is how much energy you put into it.

Example: Passing

• In warm-up: you might pass a bit softer, slower, more controlled.

• In a game: you pass faster, with more power and urgency.

But in both situations, your:

• Hips are high

• Elbow is above the ear line

• Wrist is aiming at the target

• Legs are working under you

If warm-up passes are done with low elbow, flat wrist, and zero legs, don’t be surprised when under pressure you throw the same way.

2. Passing: Every Pass Is a Chance to Get Better (or Worse)

Passing looks “simple,” so players relax first on this skill. They think:

• “It’s just warm-up, I’ll fix it in the game.”

• “We’re just tossing around, it doesn’t matter.”

It does matter.

2.1 Warm-Up Passing

During warm-up, when you’re passing softly with a teammate:

• You have time

• You have no pressure

• You can think clearly about body position

This is the perfect moment to:

• Keep your elbow above your ear line

• Use your legs to lift yourself in the water

• Let your wrist act like a sniper, deciding the exact direction

• Focus on a clean, tight rotation on the ball

If you throw 50 warm-up passes with lazy mechanics, that’s 50 reps teaching your body “this is okay.” Then in the game, you expect your body to suddenly upgrade to “correct form” just because you want to score. That’s not how learning works.

2.2 Beach Passing or Pool Messing Around

Same rule:
If you’re on the beach with a ball or hanging out in a pool with friends, you’re still teaching your body something.

You don’t need to go 100% power. But you can still:

• Keep your base position

• Swing from the same motion you’d use in a game

• Make it automatic to throw the right way, even when you’re relaxed

Think of casual passing as bonus practice. You’re training without even calling it “training” – if you keep your technique clean.

3. Shooting: Power Comes From Good Technique, Not Forcing It

Many players “save” their real shooting form for game situations and then fool around with bad shots the rest of the time.

Again, your body doesn’t separate them.

3.1 Shooting in Warm-Up

When you warm up shooting, especially early in the session:

• Keep the same shot pattern you want in a game:

  • Strong eggbeater

  • Hips high

  • Torso rotation

  • Elbow high

  • Wrist rolling over the ball

You can go at 50–70% power, but the shape stays the same. This trains:

• Consistency

• Accuracy

• Confidence in your motion

3.2 “Joke” Shots and Bad Habits

Curved lobs thrown with terrible body position, wild side-arm throws for fun, off-balance “whatever shots” from the halfway line – they might feel fun in the moment, but they are repetitions of bad mechanics.

If you do them all the time, they become natural.
Then when you’re tired, stressed, or under pressure in a game, your brain will choose the easiest, most familiar pattern – and often that’s the sloppy one you practiced for fun.

You don’t have to be a robot. You can be creative and have fun. But there should be a limit: most of your reps should still look technically correct.

4. Defense: Even “Easy” Reps Have to Be Sharp

Defensive technique is even easier to ignore. Players think:

• “We’re just doing light 1v1s, I’ll go hard later.”

• “I’ll save energy for the scrimmage.”

But if you’re not practicing good defensive habits when things are easy, why would you suddenly have them when a big attacker is posting you up?

4.1 Over-Hips Defense

Whether it’s a drill, scrimmage, or casual move:

• Your hips should be high

• You should be trying to stay over the attacker’s hips

• You should keep your body between the attacker and the cage

• Your head should see both ball and player

Even at 50% speed, these positions should be correct. The speed can change, but the angles and body shapes stay the same.

4.2 Light Drills, Serious Footwork

On lighter days, think of it like this:
“I’m going to move at 60–70% intensity, but my footwork and hips will be at 100% quality.”

That way, when the drill becomes harder or the game starts, your body is already used to:

• Fast lateral movements

• Good angle choices

• Hips staying up, not sinking behind the attacker

5. Eggbeater: Every Minute You’re in the Water Is a Leg Workout

Eggbeater doesn’t turn “on” only in drills and “off” in between. You’re always telling your legs how they should behave.

If you spend:

• One minute in a drill with strong, correct eggbeater

• And then five minutes floating lazily with bad leg position

…which do you think your body will remember?

5.1 Between Reps and On the Wall

Even between reps, when you’re waiting in line or holding the ball:

• Keep your hips high

• Knees out

• Feet making circles

You don’t need to sprint with your legs the entire time. But you should avoid:

• Knees under your chest

• Feet dropping straight down

• Hips sinking low

This is especially important in younger players. How you sit in the water becomes your default.

5.2 Casual Time Is Extra Repetition

Every minute of eggbeater – in warm-up, drills, casual games, beach ball – is extra leg training. Use it.

If your legs are strong and your eggbeater is clean, everything else becomes easier:

• Passing

• Shooting

• Defending

• Holding position at 2m

Don’t lose that opportunity by going completely lazy between reps.

6. Examples Outside “Official” Training

To understand how powerful this is, think about other sports:

• A basketball player who always shoots around with bad form when “just playing” will bring that same form into games.

• A tennis player who messes around with ugly swings in friendly rallies will struggle with clean technique in competition.

It’s the same in water polo.

6.1 Passing with Friends at the Beach

You can:

• Stand tall in the water

• Use your legs

• Keep your elbow high

• Work on clean, accurate passes

You don’t need to throw rockets. But if every relaxed pass is technically clean, you’ll get a huge number of extra reps without even thinking about it.

6.2 Throwing the Ball Around Before Practice Starts

Those few minutes before the coach officially blows the whistle are gold.

Instead of:

• Slapping the ball around

• Taking crazy side-arm shots with no legs

You can:

• Focus on your base position

• Take controlled, correct shots at lower power

• Practice good catching and passing mechanics

These “small moments” make a big difference over weeks and months.

7. The Mental Side: Decide Who You Want to Be

At some point, you have to decide:

Am I someone who only cares when the coach is watching and the scoreboard is on?
Or am I someone who takes pride in every repetition?

Players who go far usually have one thing in common:
They care about the details even when no one else is paying attention.

This doesn’t mean you have to be tight and serious every second. You can still laugh, enjoy practice, and hang out with your teammates. But there is a level of respect for the technique:

• When you pass → do it correctly

• When you shoot → do it from a strong base

• When you defend → use proper hips and angles

• When you move → use good eggbeater

The more you do this, the less you’ll have to think about it in games. It becomes automatic.

8. How to Keep Technique Clean: Practical Tips

Here are a few simple rules you can start using right away:

8.1 One Focus Per Session

Don’t try to think about everything all at once. Choose one main focus per session:

• “Today, every pass is going to be with elbow above the ear line.”

• “Today, I will keep my hips high on every defensive rep.”

• “Today, my eggbeater will be clean, even between drills.”

That single focus will immediately raise your level.

8.2 Slow It Down When Needed

If your technique breaks when you go full speed, slow down.

• Do the movement at 70–80% intensity, but perfectly.

• Once your form holds at that speed, increase intensity again.

This is exactly how we structure many drills inside Waterpolo University water polo courses and water polo classes:
Start with control → then add speed → then add game pressure.

8.3 Use Video

Film yourself (or ask someone to film you):

• Passing

• Shooting

• Defending

• Eggbeater

Then watch in slow motion:

• Where is your elbow?

• Where are your hips?

• How are your legs moving?

Often, what you “feel” and what you actually do are very different. Video closes that gap.

9. Using Waterpolo University to Build the Right Habits

One of the reasons we built Waterpolo University is exactly this:
To give you a clear technical model you can trust and repeat every day.

Inside the platform you’ll find water polo courses and water polo classes that focus on:

• Eggbeater & hips up

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

• Passing & catching fundamentals

• Over-hips defense and staying in front

• Spacing and movement

• Pre-game and in-water warm-up

• Dryland for different positions

• Self video analysis

Each lesson is designed to:

1. Show you the correct technique

2. Give you progressions and drills

3. Help you repeat that movement in:

   • Warm-up

   • Training

   • Games

   • Even free or casual water time

When you combine that with the mindset from this blog – technique always, intensity changes – you start to grow much faster than players who only focus when the scoreboard is on.

10. Final Message: Every Rep Counts

Right now, it’s really important to have your technique in a proper way. This is the stage where your habits are being built.

It doesn’t matter if you’re:

• Passing on the beach

• Warming up before practice

• Throwing the ball around with friends

• Playing in a tournament final

The power of the pass or shot can be different.
The technique cannot.

Starting from passing, going to shooting, to defense, to eggbeater – your technique needs to be at the top level all the time. That’s how you become the player who improves every month, not just every season.

So next time you touch the ball, ask yourself:

“Am I reinforcing the player I want to be in games, or am I practicing bad habits?”

Every rep is a vote.
Make sure your votes are going in the right direction.

Individual Membership / Club License

Whether you’re an individual player, a parent, or a coach, you can train with us inside Waterpolo University. If you’re a player or family, you can join with an individual membership and get full access to all online water polo courses and water polo classes, so you always know exactly what to work on. If you’re a coach or club director, you can get a club license and put your entire program on the same development system – one platform where all your athletes learn the same fundamentals, technique, routines, and game habits, from beginners all the way to advanced groups.