Women’s water polo camps offer specialized training to help you improve your skills and get noticed by college coaches. If earning a college water polo scholarship is your goal, attending a showcase or water polo summer camp is a great way to boost your chances. This guide will help you learn more about women’s water polo camps and how to choose the right one for you.
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Jun 9, 2025
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Jun 12, 2025
FAQs about women’s water polo camps
- What to expect at women’s water polo camps
- How to choose the right women’s water polo camp
- Water polo camps vs. water polo clinics
- When is the best time to attend a women’s water polo camp?
- How to stand out at a women’s water polo camp
- Top women’s water polo camps
What to expect at women’s water polo camps
Most women’s water polo camps offer both technical and tactical training to help athletes enhance their skills. What’s the difference?
- Tactical training: Water polo camps that usually include attacking multiple defensive schemes and learning about anticipation, decision-making and defending multiple offensive schemes.
- Technical training: Women’s water polo camps that concentrate on fundamental skills like ball handling, drive defense, correct body positioning, specialized driving techniques and pure shooting.
Many camps blend these methods and offer women’s water polo players instruction in power swimming and flexibility.
How to choose the right women’s water polo camp?
Choosing the right women’s water polo camp is key to improving your game and getting noticed by college coaches. Here’s what to consider:
- Expert coaching: Look for camps with coaches who can help you refine your skills like ball handling, defense and shooting. Coaches will also pay attention to your coachability, so finding a camp that provides personalized feedback is important.
- Skill development vs. exposure: Some camps focus more on developing your skills, while others are geared towards getting you seen by college coaches. If you’re looking for a scholarship, choose a camp that provides both training and exposure.
- Budget: Camps can vary in price, so find one that fits your budget. Be on the lookout for camps that offer discounts or early sign-up fees.
- Location: Consider how far you’re willing to travel and whether the camp is in a region where you’d like to be recruited. Camps near college programs can offer more exposure to coaches.
By considering coaching, your goals, budget and location, you can find the right women’s water polo camp to help you grow as a player!
Water polo camps vs. water polo clinics
If you’re deciding between a water polo camp or clinic, it’s helpful to know how they differ. Here’s a simple breakdown:
- Water polo clinics: Water polo clinics help athletes improve their game under the guidance of experts. These clinics instill confidence in athletes by running practice drills, mock competitions and player tips. Clinics typically run for a few hours or even an entire day.
- Water polo camps: Like water polo clinics, water polo camps help student-athletes work on their skills and technique through drills and mock competition under the guidance of experts. The primary difference between these two training opportunities is that camps generally span a couple days or an entire week. Various organizations and colleges host water polo camps. College camps allow recruits to work with coaches that lead programs they are interested in.
To sum it up, camps offer more time for training and possibly provide exposure to college coaches, while clinics are great for quick, focused skill improvement and often more budget friendly.
When is the best time to attend a women’s water polo camp?
The best time to attend a women’s water polo camp is during the off-season or pre-season when you can focus on skill development and conditioning. If your goal is to compete in college and earn a scholarship, consider attending camps during key recruiting periods, especially as a rising junior or senior, to get noticed by college coaches.
How to stand out at a women’s water polo camp
To make the most of your women’s water polo camp experience, focus on showcasing your skills, demonstrating coachability and leaving a positive impression through your attitude and interactions with coaches and other players.
Here are some key skills to focus on at a water polo camp:
- Water Polo IQ: Work on reading the game, seeing plays early and reacting quickly.
- Swimming Skills: Build up your speed, endurance and technique in the water.
- Ball Control: Practice passing, shooting and dribbling with both hands.
- Defensive Skills: Focus on guarding your opponent, stopping plays and recovering fast.
- Offensive Skills: Create scoring chances, find teammates and finish plays.
- Goalie Skills: If you’re a goalie, sharpen your reflexes, positioning and shot-stopping.
It’s also a good idea to let college coaches know ahead of time which camps you’ll be attending so they can evaluate you. After the camp, follow-up with a thank-you email. This shows initiative and can help you stay on their radar during the recruiting process.
Insider Tip: Need help writing a camp email to college coaches? Our email templates and tips can help you craft a message that stands out and makes a lasting impression. Check out NCSA’s email templates for your next camp.
Top women’s water polo camps
To play at an NCAA Division 1 water polo program, student-athletes need to have experience with competing against top talent. Water polo camps across the country can help student-athletes gain the experience they need to compete at a top-tier college.
East Coast
- Brown Water Polo Camps
- Princeton Water Polo Camps
- East Coast Water Polo Clinic
- 5Meter Water Polo Camp Miami
- Florida International Water Polo Camp
- US Naval Academy Water Polo Camps
Midwest
- Chicago Water Polo Showcase
- Michigan Water Polo Camps with Coach Cassie Churnside
West Coast
- Cal Water Polo Camps
- Malibu Water Polo Camp
- Nike 5Meter Water Polo Camps at San Diego State
- Pacific Water Polo Shooting & Goalie Analytics Camp
- Stanford Water Polo Camps
- UCLA Water Polo Camps
- Wolf Wigo’s Santa Barbara Water Polo Camps
IMG Academy Performance Camps
Success in water polo takes more than just time in the pool. IMG Academy performance camps help athletes build strength, speed, confidence and more through expert training. Open year-round for ages 12 to 18, these camps focus on total athlete development to help you train smarter, stay healthy and compete at your highest level.
Learn more about IMG Academy performance camps and how they can help you reach your full potential
Looking for more help?
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