Courtesy: USA Water Polo
Huntington Beach, Calif. – USA Water Polo is proud to release the USA Water Polo Coaching Manual, an online document designed to provide all the necessary resources for coaches at any level to be better informed regarding the sport of water polo. From the basic fundamentals on the art of coaching to advanced tactical elements and everything in between, this manual has all the key tools for any water polo coach to build a strong foundation. This is a living document, as the game evolves and adjustments are made to best practices, the manual will be updated to reflect those changes. To download the manual, click here.
“This manual was produced by USA Water Polo in collaboration with some of the best coaches from across the country both past, present and future,” said John Abdou, USA Water Polo Chief High Performance Officer. “Further consultation and reference have been made to top coaching science resources available to guide coaches in developing holistic athletes and teams. This digital resource is to be shared in the spirit of growing water polo in America at the grassroots, age group, scholastic and national levels.”
This manual was written, edited and produced by USA Water Polo: John Abdou, Drew Clute, Brian Alexander, and Ian Davidson. USA Water Polo would like to publicly thank the following coaches for their contributions made to the development of the content of this manual: Guy Baker, Gavin Arroyo, Kyle Kopp, Adam Krikorian, Dejan Udovicic, Terry Schroeder, Dan Klatt, Jack Kocur, Brett Ormsby and Bryan Lynton. USA Water Polo would also like to recognize the pioneers of our sport in America and their countless efforts made over the last several decades to put us in a position to produce the first ever USAWP Digital Coaching Manual.
What They’re Saying About The USA Water Polo Coaching Manual:
“This manual provides a broad range of practical and timely information to run a team at the high school, club or age group level and have productive & effective practices. It is a necessary resource to develop into the best coach you can be. I highly recommend and endorse it.”
– Felix Mercado, Head Coach of Brown University & ACWPC President
“This manual provides the best coaching resource in the sport of water polo. The information is current, easy to follow, and hits on everything that a water polo coach needs to know in order to excel. I highly recommend that coaches of all levels take advantage of this manual and begin to implement the teachings within.”
– Brett Ormsby, USA Olympian and Pipeline National Team Coach
Coaches aspire to be their best for their athletes, but it is difficult to be your best if you have a narrow scope through which to view your role as a coach, or if you have not had mentors to help build your foundation. This manual serves as an all-inclusive guide for coaches to learn or brush up on their technical and tactical skills, as well as guiding us through some skills that can help our respective programs turn the corner toward competitive greatness. I am thrilled that USAWP has created this manual, as it will serve to make our sport more organized, more respected, and more competitive. Our coaches and athletes around the country will directly benefit from utilizing this resource.
– Natalie (Golda) Benson, USA Olympian and Hall of Famer
Tedious to find the links to the youtube videos. They should release something with all the video links in one spot instead of searching around a 95 page document.
They tended to just piece together a bunch of ideas from other sports and coaches. Overall, sloppy editing, but the tactical sections were better updates of previous USAWP material. Use the LA84 manual for coaching structure and philosophy and this guide for tactical training. Avoid the weight training material listed. And, despite what sections of the manual imply, there is no reference or instruction provided for improving technique in the 3 fundamental movements: freestyle swimming, eggbeater kick, and overhead shooting. Coaches need that more than “mental skills training”.
I imagine that Monte Nitzkowski would be happy. Thanks for the hat-tip within the opening to the pioneers. Triple thanks to the open-source sharing model from all the others yet to join the water polo community for the years to come.