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How to Run a Water Polo Tryout: A Coach's Step-by-Step Guide

To run a water polo tryout, you evaluate every player across core skills (eggbeater and treading, swimming speed, passing and catching, shooting, and ball handling), score each on a consistent 1-to-5 scale, then read game sense in a scrimmage before you set the roster. The hard part is rarely the scoring sheet. It is organizing the whole event so the evaluation stays fair, the pool stays busy, the day runs on time, and you can defend every roster decision afterward, especially when you are moving hundreds of players through limited lane space in a single weekend. This guide walks through exactly how to conduct a water polo tryout from first planning to final offers, whether you are a club running placement evaluations, a high school selecting a varsity squad, or a large program putting 300 players in front of 15 to 20 coaches.

Coaches running a youth water polo tryout with players rotating through eggbeater, swimming, and shooting stations in a pool

What Skills Should You Evaluate at a Water Polo Tryout?

Evaluate five core skills at a water polo tryout: eggbeater and treading, swimming speed, passing and catching, shooting, and ball handling. Most coaches add a sixth, intangible category (water sense, toughness, and coachability) that adjusts a player's overall score up or down. These six cover everything a player does in a game, and a short list keeps a large evaluation panel focused and consistent.

Here is what evaluators look for in each skill and how each is typically assessed at a tryout:

Skill	What evaluators look for	How it's assessed
Eggbeater and treading	Steady leg drive, body height out of the water, and the ability to stay vertical without using the arms	A timed vertical hold and a max-height test (the player drives up to touch as high as possible above the surface, best of a few tries)
Swimming speed	Head-up freestyle speed, repeat-sprint capacity, and quick turnover	Timed sprints (commonly 25-yard repeats end to end, head up)
Passing and catching	Clean dry-pass catch with either hand, a quick catch-to-release, and accuracy on the move	Partner passing in pairs and on the move; evaluators grade hands and accuracy
Shooting	Velocity, accuracy to corners, and clean release out of a strong eggbeater base	Shots from about 5 meters at targets or against a goalkeeper; speed and placement scored
Ball handling	Control while swimming with the ball, lifting and protecting it, and decision speed with the ball	Dribble lanes and one-on-one moves; observed in the scrimmage
Intangibles	Water sense, toughness, communication, and coachability	Observed throughout, especially in the scrimmage; used to add or deduct points

The eggbeater is the foundation of the sport: players cannot touch the bottom, so a strong, efficient kick is what lets them hold position, rise to pass or shoot, and defend, which is why the vertical max-height test is such a useful objective number.

How Do You Score a Water Polo Tryout?

Score each player from 1 to 5 on every skill, where 5 is the best, then total the scores to rank players objectively. A simple, shared 1-to-5 scale turns subjective impressions ("she looked strong") into comparable data you can sort, defend, and revisit. Swimming speed and intangibles are usually handled as adjustments: add a point or two for the fastest swimmers and the players who compete on every possession, and deduct for the slowest or those who coast.

Position matters in water polo, so score with the role in mind. A center (set) and a perimeter driver are not measured against the same shooting or speed standard, and goalkeepers are evaluated on a separate set of skills (eggbeater explosiveness, reaction, blocking, and the outlet pass). Grade the core skills the same for field players, then add a short positional read so a player is judged against the demands of their position.

Two rules make the scores trustworthy at scale. First, align your evaluators on what each number means before the tryout, so a "3" shot and a "4" shot mean the same thing to every coach on deck. With 15 to 20 evaluators grading the same players, this calibration is what keeps scores comparable. Second, score immediately after each rep while it is fresh, and add a short note next to the number. "Strong leg base, rushes the release on the shot" tells you far more in a week than a bare "3."

How to Set Up Water Polo Tryout Stations at Scale

Set up one station per skill and rotate small groups through them so the pool is always busy and every player gets identical reps. Use lanes and a goal to define each station: a deep-water eggbeater and max-height station, a sprint lane, a passing area in pairs, a shooting station at the goal, and a ball-handling lane. Reserve part of the pool for a scrimmage at the end.

How you staff those stations depends on size. At a small tryout, one coach can grade a whole skill. At scale, with 300 players and 15 to 20 coaches, you do the opposite: put several evaluators at each station so a large group keeps moving, and have every coach score the same drill against the shared rubric. Some programs run it in panels, splitting evaluators across stations, while others move all coaches to one station at a time so everyone grades the same drill together, which is common for the sprint test and the eggbeater max-height test. Either way, the goal is multiple independent scores per player, which you average for a more reliable result than any single grader could give. Keep a staffed check-in table on deck and certified lifeguards on the water at all times, so you always know who has arrived and everyone stays safe.

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Water Polo Tryout Timeline: From Planning to Finalized Teams

Plan to start two to three weeks before tryout day, then move through registration, check-in, evaluation, review, and offers. Here is the full end-to-end checklist for hosting the event:

Two to three weeks before: Planning

Lock the date, pool time, and a backup slot; reserve the facility and lifeguards
Decide age groups, number of teams, and roster sizes
Build (or reuse) your evaluation form with the six categories above
Recruit and brief evaluators; align all 15 to 20 coaches on the 1-to-5 standards
Open online registration so you have a confirmed player count

Registration

Collect each player's name, age or birth year, preferred position, swim background, and contact info
Assign every player a tryout number (numbered caps) so evaluators score by number, not by name, which keeps scoring objective even with hundreds of players
Send a confirmation with arrival time, location, and what to bring

Tryout day: Check-in

Check players in against your registration list and hand out numbered caps
Group players by age or level and brief them on the station flow and pool safety

Tryout day: Evaluation

Run players through each station; evaluators score 1 to 5 and add notes in real time
Finish with a scrimmage so you can read water sense, decision-making, and toughness
For multi-day tryouts, repeat key stations on day two so a single off-day doesn't sink a player

After the tryout: Review and decide

Combine every evaluator's scores into one ranked list
Discuss bubble players as a staff, using notes alongside the numbers, and balance the roster by position
Finalize teams and positional depth

Offers: Accept, decline, and finalize

Extend offers to selected players with a clear accept-by deadline
Track accepts and declines, and go to your next-best player when a spot opens
Send respectful, timely notice to players who weren't selected
Confirm final rosters and communicate next steps (practice schedule, fees, gear)

Run Your Entire Water Polo Tryout with Rizzler Sports

A tryout at scale is a logistics problem before it is a water polo problem. Three hundred registrations, hundreds of check-ins, a stack of evaluation sheets for every coach, then the follow-up: inviting selected players, tracking who accepted, and back-filling spots as players decline. Rizzler Sports handles all of it in one place, which saves coaches and administrators hours of work per tryout. Players register online, coaches score evaluations on a phone or tablet at every station, results rank automatically, and you send and track offers without a single spreadsheet or group text.

Running a larger program, a full club, an aquatics association, or a school district? We will set your tryout up end to end and show you how much staff time it saves.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long should a water polo tryout be?

Most youth water polo tryouts run 90 minutes to two hours per age group, since pool time is limited and you need to fit skill stations, a sprint test, and a scrimmage. Competitive programs often use two sessions so a player's evaluation isn't decided by a single off-day. Build in time for check-in before the clock starts.

How do you staff coaches at a large tryout?

At scale, do not assign one coach per skill. With 300 players and 15 to 20 coaches, put multiple evaluators at each station, or move all coaches through one station at a time, and have everyone score the same drill against a shared 1-to-5 rubric. Averaging several independent scores per player is more reliable, and far faster, than a single grader working through hundreds of athletes.

How do I keep a large water polo tryout safe?

Keep certified lifeguards on the water for every session, group players by age and swim ability, and never let a tired player keep sprinting. Confirm every athlete is comfortable in deep water before any drill begins.

What should players bring to a tryout?

A swimsuit (or two), goggles if they use them, a towel, water, and any cap they prefer. The program usually supplies numbered caps and balls. Tell players to arrive early enough to check in and warm up before evaluations begin.

How do I tell a player they didn't make the team?

Communicate quickly, privately, and respectfully, and keep it about the roster decision rather than the player's worth. A short, kind message with an offer to share specific feedback goes a long way, and it protects your program's reputation for next year's tryout.

See also: How to Run a Swim Team Tryout → · Player Evaluations in Rizzler → · How to Run a Soccer Tryout →