Training

[leighton_uk]

hi was just wondering if any one had any ideas for training exercises i could implement into my teams training sessions

thanx
leighton

[Polo 15]

Hi there,

An exercise that we have recently started using, and that seems to work quite well is to mark out a 10m area..then have one person at one end with the ball, and one person at the other end...Now, the objective of the drill, is for the player with the ball to get it off the end of the area at the opposite side to the one he started at. The other player can do 2 things to prevent this....he can either drive the player with the ball off the area back the way he came, or he can obtain the ball.

We were trying this on the canal, and it really does work well.....you can do it on a winner-stays-on system if there are more than 2 of you.

Hope that helped.

Polo 15 :bow:

[wayne]

I tried this one for improved awareness: you pass the ball to a player. While the ball is still in the air the player has to call the name out of who s/he is going to pass to, catches the ball, passes it on and so on. The best players know what they are going to do with the ball before they catch it, and this simple drill helps instill this.

Another variation is to get all players to put in two quick strokes immediately after releasing the ball. The short time after releasing the ball is critical, as it is at this time that you have a chance to lose your marker/make a break etc.

Finally, to teach players about finding space and breaking I have two players line up 15 m from the goal, 1 metre apart, one attacking, one defending. A player is behind them with a ball. The attacking player is allowed a single stroke headstart and the ball is fed through infront of them. The attacker nearly always scores, and this teaches players how little advantage they need to get free. If there is a huge difference in ability between the players you can allow two or three strokes advantage.

Hope these help,

Wayne

[Robski Aitken]

Hi There,
:thumbup:
I was just busy trying to help my Russian team with some trainings exercises... And guess what!? My team-mate in NL had just started a thread of "trainings exercises" just as I decided that my Russians needed some animated illustation... I answered his post, and it seems to be doing well...

So... :cool:

click here for to go to my exercise page!! (http://www.rapwebsolutions.nl/rob/canoe_training_exercises.htm)

It's not quite finished yet, and I hope to put up at least 5 more before the the end of next week.

So, Let me know what you think!! Is it

Rob.
ps. there was snow here in Moscow this morning... :frosty: and ice last night after the training. The outdoor season is over!! :'(

[Robski Aitken]

Hi everyone,

Is it ok if I add a few of the exercises that people describe to my website?

I wanted to make this site for the general improvement of polo. sometimes it's not easy to understand an exercise just by the discriptions, and an illustration is needed.

:bow: Rob. :bow:

[henk]

There was even snow in holland :)

[wayne]

You can post my suggestions. I'd be flattered. Now if you don't post them I'll be depressed. See what you brought upon yourself? Responsibility.

[Polo 15]

Hi,

Please feel free to use mine if you want to. :bgrinhat:

Polo 15

[leighton_uk]

thanks guys you have been a great help

and the web site is a great idea Rob thanks


leighton

[clarke]

hey hey.. this is very useful for country that is still young in canoepolo... i hope more different ideas and trainin methods are comin up to help and raise the standard in many places like tiny island of singapore...
cheers to all.... :drunk:

[tyler]

ps. there was snow here in Moscow this morning... and ice last night after the training. The outdoor season is over!! :'(


my club is still goeing outside and we'll be there untill the water's frozen :headbang:

[Izzy]

We are tough guys here in California too. Sometimes we practice under the rain!

[tyler]

I just went paddeling and as it turns out the water was a little bet frozen. :waah:

looks like in a short time I'm gona hafta pay for indoor sessions :thumbdown

[richk]

Does anybody know of any good drills that dont involve the ball, weve managed after much negotiation to get a pool for the winter but were not allowed to use the ball in it. Weve tried a couple of slalom drills but is therte anyone out there who knows some good drills that are relevant to polo?
Cheers
Rich

[Polo 15]

Hi,

Something that we do, and alot of other teams, is to line up along the long side of the pool, facing the opposite side. When the whistle goes you have to sprint to the middle, do a 360 turn, and then carry on sprinting to the other side. When you get there, you do a 180 turn and do the same going the other way. You have 2mins to do as many of these as you can. Getting to the other side is 1. The most i have seen anybody do is 7&1/2. This is also my record. :eek: :thumbup: :eek: but i think it is impossible to get more :bang: . If anybody has done more than 7&1/2, please let me know.....

This drill is very good at getting your turning lightning fast, and then sprinting from that turn....2mins may not seem like very long, but if you sprint all the way you are deaded:sleep::sleep:

Hope that helped

Polo 15

[niall]

Rob -- Having problems getting to your page. Is the server down at the moment???

[Brad]

Speaking of winter!
I had to chip my net out of the ice this week. I think the ice was about two cm thick. You couldn't walk on it, but when you put your boat on it you could sit in your boat without falling through! It was actually two nets and my hands, in gloves, kept freezing to them as I was removing them from the water for the winter!
My indoor season has begun!
As for drills:
I do lots of interval training in the mornings, cause I can't use balls much when people are swimming close. As an example you say that every minute you will do x number of lengths. So start out by paddling easy for one minute and see how many lengths you can do. Say 4. Now instead of four you do three lengths every minute. In this example it will likely take you 45 seconds to do three lengths, so you get 15 seconds rest, then you do another 3 lengths, and so on for as long as you like, 30 minutes is a good number. As a beginner you may want to start with two ten minute sets with a two minute rest in the middle, just like a game hey? Or even one ten minute set to try it out. If you are faster than 45 seconds you get more rest, if you are slower you get less. The first while should be easy and towards the end it will start to get hard. When you start to get bored ... in a week or two change it up a bit, maybe two minute sets, or some forwards and backwards, or dribbling or on your side, or two lengths slow one fast, or two sets of three lengths and one of four on the same time, etc....
The one thing that is important is that when you are doing intervals you work hard and you get a short rest. It is not meant to be continuos ... if you want to paddle continous just paddle! If you do intervals you work and then rest and work then rest. This will train you to work when you need to and rest when you get a chance. In polo it is very much work hard, then a short rest, work, then a short rest.
As was said above, two minutes is a very long time to be working hard. But if you get intermittent rests you should be able to work up to 30 minutes or more on the total sets.
As with all excersise suggestions start slow and build over the course of weeks and months, not days.
If you have any questions or need suggestions just email me.
Later
BC

[Niek]

Hi there polo 15,

I can imagine that the challenge that you posted will trigger some players.

Just to get the definitions of your challenge right: the lenght of the pool in your case will be 25 meters (or 82 feet) ??

Since turning on the 25 meters is not possible due to the side of the pool, the actual distance of the bodie that turns is at the minimum 22 meters (25 minus two times the length of half the kayak) ??

Well, I think we will give it a go and let you know if we succeed. (If not, of course we will be too embarrassed and you'll never hear from us again)

[Sebi the Fin]

Rich,

Tackle each other. Try to paddle from one side of the swimming pool to the other while someone is trying to flatten you. If your doing well, ask two players to flatten you. If you are getting bored take a bath tub duck inside the swimming pool. Try to reach the other side of the pool with your duck. Bored again start singing a song a try to stay in the middle of the pool, while being tackled and singing. Instead of straight line tackles make a circuit. The one who tackles should try to visit the different posts of the circuit in the right order . Etc.

Start at one side of the swimming pool, another player starts 1, 2, 3 meters behind you. Start to sprint, the last player tries to tackle (push) the stern of the first player so the first player gets in a lousy angle to shoot. Instead of starting 1, 2, 3 meters behind let the second player start 1,2,3 meters to the side or in front. Make snakes in which everyone tries to tackle everyone.

Make a snake, paddle around the swimming pool. Everyone should try to bite the tail of the player in front of him. If one player succeed he can stop. The rest continu.

Take a rodeo boat inside the swimming pool and practice double pumps, flat water cartwheels, stalls, etc…it is an excellent practice for your boat control and there are many excellent rodeo instructors in Norway.

After all winter is not so long in southern Norway,
Sebastiaan

[paul_s]

Hi Niall,
The link indeed didn't work anymore. We stupidly just changed the name without changing the link.
The link is working again, and this one also works:
http://www.rapwebsolutions.nl/rob/exercises.php

Rich, maybe you could try to do canoe rugby but with a helmet instead of a ball and the rule that you may not throw the helmet more than 1 meter or something.
Horribel to try to polo without a ball.

Greetings,
Paul

[Polo 15]

Origionally posted by Niek
Hi there polo 15,

I can imagine that the challenge that you posted will trigger some players.

Just to get the definitions of your challenge right: the lenght of the pool in your case will be 25 meters (or 82 feet) ??

Since turning on the 25 meters is not possible due to the side of the pool, the actual distance of the bodie that turns is at the minimum 22 meters (25 minus two times the length of half the kayak) ??

Well, I think we will give it a go and let you know if we succeed. (If not, of course we will be too embarrassed and you'll never hear from us again)

Hi Niek,

I think I should hear from you even if you fail :p its soooo hard, i have been training at it for years and cant break 7&1/2. :thumbdown

I bow down to the person that acheives more :worship: :bow: :worship: :bow: :worship:

Polo 15 :headbang: