14 & UNDER - BOYS

14 and Under (14U) Water Polo is a crucial developmental stage designed to prepare young athletes for high school-level competition. This level emphasizes refining fundamental skills, understanding advanced strategies, and building the physical and mental attributes necessary for success in high school water polo. Here's a detailed description of 14U Water Polo with a focus on high school preparation:

Game Objectives:

• Advanced Skill Development: Focuses on mastering essential water polo skills, such as passing, shooting, and defensive techniques.
• Tactical Understanding: Introduces more complex team strategies and game tactics to prepare players for high school competition.
• Physical Conditioning: Emphasizes conditioning to build the endurance, strength, and agility required for high-level play.
• Competitive Experience: Provides opportunities for competitive play to acclimate players to the intensity and pace of high school water polo.

Rules and Adaptations:

• Team Size: Standard team size of 7 players per side, including a goalkeeper, to simulate high school game conditions.
• Pool Size: Played in a regulation-size pool (25 meters) to familiarize players with the dimensions used in high school games.
• Game Duration: Matches typically consist of 4 periods, each ranging from 6 to 7 minutes, to build endurance and game stamina.
• Ball Size: Uses a regulation-size ball appropriate for the age group, which helps players adjust to the equipment used in high school.
• Goal Size: Regulation goals are used to provide realistic scoring practice and defensive challenges.
• Contact Rules: Full-contact rules are enforced, although safety and sportsmanship are emphasized to prevent injuries and promote fair play.
• Refereeing: Games are officiated by certified referees to accustom players to the formalities and expectations of high school matches.

Skills Development:

• Technical Skills: Enhances advanced ball handling, shooting accuracy, and defensive maneuvers.
• Positional Play: Develops an understanding of specific positions, such as center forward, center back, wings, and goalkeeper roles.
• Tactical Skills: Teaches complex strategies, including man-up (power play) and man-down (penalty kill) situations, pressing defense, and counterattacks.
• Game Sense: Cultivates a deeper understanding of game flow, reading opponents, and making quick decisions under pressure.

Physical and Mental Conditioning:

• Endurance Training: Incorporates extensive swimming workouts to build cardiovascular endurance.
• Strength Training: Emphasizes dryland workouts focusing on core strength, upper body strength, and leg power.
• Agility and Speed: Develops agility and quickness through water drills and land-based exercises.
• Mental Toughness: Encourages resilience, focus, and positive mindset through challenging practices and competitive experiences.

Competitive Experience:

• Local and Regional Tournaments: Participation in tournaments to gain experience against varied competition levels.
• League Play: Regular season games to simulate the structure and schedule of high school seasons.
• Skill-Based Grouping: Players may be grouped by ability to ensure appropriate competition and development opportunities.

Benefits:

• High School Readiness: Prepares players for the physical and tactical demands of high school water polo.
• Leadership and Teamwork: Develops leadership qualities and emphasizes the importance of teamwork and communication.
• Confidence Building: Builds confidence through skill mastery, game experience, and competitive success.

Coaching:

• Experienced Coaches: Training under coaches with experience in high school, club, international, and professional providing insights into high school-level expectations.
• Opportunities for younger players to shadow older, more experienced athletes.

14U Water Polo serves as an essential bridge between youth water polo and high school competition. It focuses on advanced skill development, tactical understanding, physical conditioning, and competitive experience, all aimed at preparing young athletes for the challenges and opportunities they will face in high school water polo.

Available for boys ages 12 to 14.

Eligibility is determined by the athlete's age as of August 1, 2024.

Please complete the Registration Forms 2024 prior to registering for any other session. You will only be asked to complete these forms once a year. These forms must be submitted before participating in any pool activities.



DRYLAND

Dryland training is optional and provided at no extra charge.

Dryland training is the exercises and workouts swimmers do outside the water to improve swimming performance. Using dryland workouts as part of your swim training offers several significant benefits, including improved strength, power, endurance, range of motion, and injury prevention.