NorCal Water Polo

Breaking the Mental Barrier

2012-02-15T01:51:00.000-08:00

Check out this post by Josh Bridges, 2nd place finisher of the 2011 CrossFit Games about building mental toughness.

"The mind is a powerful thing, it can help you get through tough times, or it can cause you to crumble like Greg Norman in the ‘96 Masters. The strong learn how to handle and control their mind when it starts to rant, rave and tell them to stop what they’re doing. The weak let it take over and OWN them.

Is it possible to develop strategies to break your mental barrier? Absolutely. I prevent this little boss in my head from taking over in a couple of ways..."

Serbia - Germany 9-4 (2011 FINA WCH: Quarterfinal, 26.07.2011)

2012-02-06T07:16:00.000-08:00

Foam Rolling: Thoracic Spine (Upper Back)

2012-02-06T00:39:00.000-08:00

In Water Polo we use our thoracic spine often to shoot and pass. Increasing range of motion in the thoracic spine will increase your efficiency (harder, faster shots) and decrease the likelihood of injury.

Check out this article by Invictus CrossFit which details how to increase mobility in your T-Spine. And remember "*Do NOT roll your cervical spine (neck) or your lumbar spine (lower back), these are areas that don’t require increased mobility."

The Merrill Moses Blog USA Water Polo

2012-02-01T10:11:00.000-08:00

Check out this blog to read Merrill Moses' story and the USA Men's Water Polo adventures leading up to the 2012 Olympic Games.

"Now we are close to 200 days away from the London Olympics and are in a familiar position: we are ranked 6th in the world and most people are counting us out of medal contention. We believe as a team that we can shock the world again and this time bring home a Gold Medal."

Serbia - Australia 12-9 (2011 FINA WCH: Group B, 22.07.2011)

2012-01-31T07:14:00.000-08:00

Water Polo By The Sea @ Bondi Icebergs

2012-01-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

Click for more photos from the Australian Water Polo Facebook Album:

European Water Polo Championships Streaming Live!

2012-01-21T11:14:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Tony Azevado for posting this link on Facebook to Watch the European Water Polo Championships live.

Game Dates:
16-01 Preliminary Round 1 Men
24-01 Quarter Finals Women
17-01 Preliminary Round 2 Men
18-01 Preliminary Round 1 Women
19-01 Preliminary Round 3 Men
20-01 Preliminary Round 2 Women
21-01 Preliminary Round 4 Men
22-01 Preliminary Round 3 Women
23-01 Preliminary Round 5 Men
25-01 Quarter Finals Men
26-01 Semi Finals Women
27-01 Semi Finals Men
28-01 Finals Women29-01 Finals Men

Check out the quotes from the coaches and athletes after the games: Click Here for European Water Polo Championship quotes

USA Men Win PAN Pacs, Women take 2nd

2012-01-17T06:58:00.000-08:00

Congrats to both the Men's and Women's USA Water Polo teams for their hard work at the Pan Pacs! USA Men's water polo team defeats Australia 11-10 in overtime while USA women fall to Australia 7-4.

(If anyone has any water polo video of the pan pac games please let me know!)

How hard are you willing to work?

2011-12-09T15:17:00.001-08:00

Hip Mobility for Water Polo Athletes

2011-11-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

This page will be the start of information related to hip mobility so that we can improve athletic performance and reduce injury. To avoid hip injury make sure you stretch and strengthen your shoulder properly. Include a dynamic warmup before getting in the pool and try to warm up your passing going from simple movements to more complex full body movements. Also make sure to do your SMR exercises daily so that you avoid problems, don't wait until you have problems to start these.

These two videos cover the couch stretch in a more advanced setting with bands to get more out of the stretch:

Croatia - USA, water polo WC 2009, bronze medal game

2011-11-01T22:01:00.000-07:00

They take a good portion of this video to look at the ladies in the stands, and I am pretty sure I heard "Sweet Chest" in spanish, but there is also some good water polo in this clip. Check out Azavedo's shot on the quick after the ejection at 1:20. Croatia has some good outside shoots in this game.

Guadalajara 2011 Video

2011-11-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

Check out the finals of the USA Men and Women's victories over Canada with highlights from Guadalajara 2011 clips:
USA Men & Women's Water polo victory over Canada

Team USA Water Polo Video Library

2011-10-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

Check out the Team USA Water Polo video Library to watch full water polo games, youth junior olympics, Olympic trials, Olympic athlete profiles, and exhibition games.

Check out the boys 18 and under final featuring regency vs. stanford:
Stanford vs. Regency

Hollow Rock for Dynamic Stability

2011-09-22T12:54:00.000-07:00

Work on your hollow rock to "learn how to transfer body tension from top to bottom, and see if we can maintain the neutral position or neutral spine where everything is connected and linked—meaning we have some kind of traction through full range of motion, and thats what we kind of talk about dynamic stability—meaning that I can do anything at high speeds but feel like i have control of that movement, at any point of time at the movement that i'm never slacking, i'm never off tension, everything is connected. So any time you hear a coach tell you to stay connected and what the hell does that mean it just means stay tight, feel like you have control of the movement and that your hollow body or your center of position from your hips to your head is controlled and it extends out from your hips to your extremities." - Carl Paoli

In water polo we have a lot of transfer of energy from our hips to our extremities and we need to maintain the spine to make sure that our extremities stay in good load position so that we don't cause injuries. Work on your hollow rocks to build that midline stabilization, keep a strong core, stay healthy so you can play hard and minimize your risk of injury.

Calvin Coolidge Quotes

2011-09-15T19:58:00.001-07:00

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race" -Calvin coolidge

Carbs Are Bad?

2011-09-04T07:10:00.000-07:00

This is another video discussing nutrition and insulin response to carbohydrates. Nutrition is extremely important for the water polo athlete both in season and out of season. In season it becomes difficult to maintain muscle mass for a water polo athlete. And many high school players gain fat as soon as the season is over, probably because they keep caloric intake similar to their in season amount without the benefit of the 30+ hours of training a week.

In this video Dr. Oz makes a good point about sustainability when trying to eat a basically Paleo diet. Of course you could just try the Primal diet which is about 80% Paleo, the primal diet is pretty sustainable, and you will still be much healthier for doing so. The struggle for the water polo athlete is the same in season, making sure to get enough of the right kind of food to maintain muscle mass so that you can perform at the best of your ability.

Dr. Oz and Gary Taubes debate the effectiveness of exercise for weight loss Pt. 1

You are what you eat

2011-06-24T12:31:00.000-07:00

Is fat the enemy? Take a look at this article from the Los Angeles Times to get some insight on carbs and sugar and what these macronutrients do for or to our body:

A reversal on carbs

Sports Mantras

2011-06-19T22:30:00.000-07:00

Sports Mantras can become powerful message for success in life. Here are a few listed below. Post your own favorite Sports Mantras to the comments.

No excuses, No regrets.

Just Do it.

No pain no gain.

Nothing to it but to do it.

It's go time.

No guts, No Glory.

Do or do not, there is no try.

Pain is weakness leaving the body.

Do the work.

Act of Valor

2011-06-11T17:51:00.001-07:00

Check out the article about the Navy Seal Movie: Act of Valor

Navy Seals look at Water Polo for competitive athletes to join the Seals!

"Assigned to retool the Navy's outreach, Smith suggested competitive athletes as a likely resource. SEAL recruiters began to appear at endurance races, triathlons, water polo and lacrosse tournaments. Smith also wanted to mount a more credible effort to publicly share the ethos."

I like the quote from Rorke, a Navy Seal who is also an actor in the film,

"We've seen our buddies in caskets draped with that flag. They didn't end up there because they were chasing a paycheck. You know your brothers on the teams have your back, and you've got theirs. You will give up everything for each other, and for this country, so we can move the ball down the field for a better world."

In the Game of life the Seals work as a team to move the ball down the field for a better world, awesome.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/06/06/MN301JPQVF.DTL&ao=2#ixzz1Op0G7L7n

Staying in the Fight

2011-05-25T14:37:00.001-07:00

"If you value discipline but don't practice discipline then it is not your value. It is just a trait you appreciate in others." -Mark Divine

Character Matters

2011-04-27T08:29:00.001-07:00

You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one. ~Henry David Thoreau

How to Breathe Correctly

2011-04-26T10:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a good article from Mark's Daily Apple. Mark's daily apple is a good blog to search through for information on diet and fitness ideas:

How to Breathe Correctly, Mark's Daily Apple

The article tells how learning to breathe correctly can increase your athletic performance as well as help you to relax. Without consciously practicing breathing with our diaphragm and fully breathing in and out each time we are using oxygen less efficiently and denying our bodies the full amount of oxygen it deserves. Only when we let out heavy sighs do we clear out all of the old air.

Because Water Polo is a metcon (metabolic conditioning) workout our breathing and ability to maximise oxygen can greatly enhance or diminish our performance.

Leave a comment and let me know what you do to maximize your V02 and any good breathing techniques you find useful.

To Believe or not Believe

2011-04-24T10:55:00.001-07:00

"Whether you believe you can or you can't, you are right" - Henry Ford

The 3 Primary SMR Exercises

2011-04-22T12:03:00.000-07:00

Check out this great resource for the 3 Primary SMR Exercises.

"Just like there are 3 colors in art that you can make all the other colors with, the 3 primary SMR exercises are the most important self-care exercises to do on a weekly basis to maintain proper function and range of motion.

By practicing these three movements you find your ‘trouble areas’ that make the greatest impact on your movement."

MR stands for Self-Myofascial Release. If you are tight from Trauma, Overuse, Dehydration, or for some other reason get yourself a $10 foam roller and use these three stretches every day to work on trouble areas. Network Fitness is a great resource on SMR Exercises, Especially their handy 3 primary exercises (daily), Secondary Exercises (combine these with the primary exercises for a regular maintenance program), and the Extended SMR Exercises (add these in to work on trouble areas). Now you have no excuse to let tight trouble areas inhibit your peak fitness capabilities!

Water Polo DVD's

2011-04-17T20:56:00.001-07:00

Does anyone have any good links to videos on the web of water polo games? I am looking for Olympic, International, Pro League, Or Collegiate games online.

Thanks!