Eye on the Future for NSWIS Water Polo Talent

The future stars of the NSWIS water polo program are beginning to make their mark on the international stage, with close to 40 athletes making the most of overseas playing opportunities.

One of the success stories of NSWIS, the water polo talent squad has evolved from a state focused program to one that aims to consistently produce Australian players for national touring teams.

Of particular focus is players getting exposure to the European style of water polo, something that NSWIS assistant water polo coach Tim Hamill says is key to future success.

“Recent changes to the pathway now allows our younger athletes to experience international, particularly European water polo, and they get to do so earlier in their career, which is a great benefit to the future,” Hamill said.

“We have three key areas we are working on with the NSWIS Water Polo Talent Program and they are:

• Physicality – this is an area that our athletes struggle with the most compared to Europeans
• Game sense – water polo IQ, making sure our players know the intricacies of the game
• Shooting – working on technique and speed with the ball.

“What we are integrating with this focus is ensuring we use the full benefits of the NSWIS Performance team to develop ‘Water Polo Combine’ (essentially an athlete profile) where all talent athletes will be tested and measured across physiological, psychological, tactical and technical components.

“The results of this will influence both individual and squad focus areas.”

The major focus for NSWIS athletes in 2016 will be the Youth World Championships. For boy’s that will be from August 26 in Podgorica, Montenegro. Meanwhile the girl’s will play their Youth World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand in December.