Shooting Skills and New WP Equipment

Sponsored
1

Greetings WP Exchange!

I’m seeking some feedback on a new water polo training device I’m working on and to start a conversation about shooting drills & skills. The device is a shot blocker that mimics the size and look of a defender. The goal of the device is to help athlete’s get more productive shooting reps when training on their own, in small groups, or at practice.

The blocker has an adjustable arm that allows shooters to work on different types of releases. It is also stationary in the water thanks to pool anchors and is made of a shooting safe EVA foam.

Can the water polo community share any other ideas or features they think the blocker could have? Is this new tool something you see yourself using? For coaches, what are some drills or skills you employ to help your athletes improve their shooting skills?

Link to video about the blocker

PoloBlock
PoloBlock1070×1084 116 KB

1 Like
2

This is a really interesting concept! I’ve personally talked to several coaches over the years about what a device like this could look like and how it could be used.

I see a lot of use for individuals for skill development on their own, but also like the versatility it can add to practices for whole teams. Especially when the numbers aren’t there for everything you want to do or the skill levels at the practice vary, this device could be used to fill those gaps.

I’d see a lot of use in station work and high rep shooting drills. I especially like it in an application where you are using it to teach how to read defenders and how to get developing players to start varying their shot selection and release points etc. This is especially true for developing extra player shooting and attacking zones.

Another skill I’d like to use something like this for is leg movement while faking/shooting as well as relocating after a pass. For this I’d emphasize the player stepping around the blocker rather than just changing arm position or (in the case of a relocate) fake, pass the ball, relocate to a shooting position outside the blocking lane (simulating a defender dropping back after the pass) and then receive the ball again for a catch and shoot.

I’m also thinking about how this could be used to work into a counter attacking drill where the players start by attacking and shooting around the equipment and then have to counter on the shot.

Thats just a few of the quick thoughts I’ve had but I’m sure there are many more applications I’m missing.

A few questions/concerns. My first would be about the price, but I’m sure that’s not completely determined yet. I’d just say that while these devices are a useful training tool that more than one is probably required for almost any size program and if the price is too high it’s unlikely it will be widely adopted even if it is a great tool.

Likewise, I’m curious about the robustness and longevity of the devices. First, how well and for how long can they hold up to being repeatedly hit by strong shooters? Also, what type of longevity can be expected on one of these considering chlorine and sun damage? If they fall apart too quickly they aren’t a worthwhile investment for most programs.

One last thought, is there a way to make the blockers size adjustable so that it is a more accessible tool for age group players? Something as simple as switching out the arm or body height would help a lot for developing players.

Overall, I love the idea and am excited to see more development of the product and information about pricing and durability.

3

This is some awesome feedback! Really appreciate the time and thoughtfulness of your suggestions!! I love the drills you suggested for the blocker and am super excited for the potential of the product in team settings too!

As for your questions, we are still in the design phase and are super thankful of feedback like this because it can help us direct and validate the product. If you check out this youtube link, you can see that our earlier prototypes had issues with robustness taking direct shots from athletes. The newest version (the red blocker) uses a more dense and durable EVA foam and has had no problems taking full speed shots in our latest validation tests. The same foam is designed for water activities and has natural levels of UV resistance (used in outdoor furniture, etc.) which suggests the product will last a while. However if the blocker is consistently left out in the sun, I imagine like many things it will begin to breakdown. We just started a sun-longevity test as a result of your question and will be sure to report back in time! The products blocking arm will be able to be length-adjustable as well and we’re working on making it height adjustable too. If we can find an elegant design for this feature, we will be sure to implement it.

If anyone is willing to fill out this brief survey about the product, we would be super thankful as it will help us design and manufacture blocker to be best suited for our users!

4

I love this. It looks very much like a soccer ‘wall’ for free kicks.

I agree with the durability question mentioned above. It seems like potentially using foam would be ‘breakable’. But I’ll leave that up to you, the expert!

In club, we have used ‘elevation’ devices so a shooter has to shoot over a small rope that hangs between stands. The issue became keeping the device stable. If the device keeps moving, ultimately you’d need a player to keep it in place. At that point you might as well use that player.

How will this thing be held in place?

6

So we use two adjustable ropes that are secured to the blocker on one end and connected to a weight belt/weights at the other. The weights act as an anchor while the two ropes keep the blocker and place and also prevent it from rotating completely. The anchor system is designed to be depth adjustable so it can work in most pools!

And yes, the durability of the blocker is a very important to its functionality. We tried multiple different types of foam and ran each version through “durability tests” (read shooting a ball full speed at the foam blocker). The first versions failed miserably, while the most recent prototype made of a higher density EVA foam has shown no weakness even after repeated full speed shots.

Check out this Link and sign up if you want updates about the blocker! What other training tools have you used in club practice to help shooting technique?

7

Well very similar to this ‘blocker’, we have used a device to locate positions in the pool so that players could drive and know exactly where their drive was supposed to go to.

We used to use those bands that had a ball attached to the end of it, but they went out of stock everywhere…

8

I have often pondered how shooting drills could be enhanced to facilitate greater repetition. In sports like tennis and basketball, ball feeders serve this purpose effectively, but how might we engineer a similar solution for water polo? Such an innovation could dramatically transform the game.

9

This reminds me of the shot blocker you see in basketball. Great concept!

Our daughter always complains that she doesn’t get enough shooting practice. We would love if there was something portable you could take to a community pool that wasn’t inflatable or made of PVC. Something that popped open like you see with some soccer goals…instead of stakes for anchors, you could use water filled 5 gallon buckets.