Warm-up in water-polo: report from usual practices of high-level Portuguese coaches

Authors

  • João Dias Department of Sport Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal; Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development, CIDESD, Covilhã, Portugal https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8549-3314
  • Daniel A. Marinho Department of Sport Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal ; Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development, CIDESD, Covilhã, Portugal
  • Konstantinos Papadimitriou Faculty of Sport Sciences & Physical Education, Metropolitan College, University of East London, Thessaloniki, Greece https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0059-2873
  • Henrique P Neiva Department of Sport Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9283-312X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6063/motricidade.40443

Keywords:

Pre-exercise, Warm-up exercise, Aquatic sports, Rewarm-up, Performance

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that warm-ups positively impact performance across various swimming disciplines; however, research on warm-ups in team sports such as water polo is limited. This study investigated the pre-game warm-up routines of water polo players from different Portuguese National Teams. Coaches from 22 national and international teams provided data through an online questionnaire. Results indicated strong consensus on the importance of warm-ups: 67% of coaches acknowledged mental benefits, and 83% recognised physical benefits. The most common dry-land warm-up exercises included bodyweight movements, stretch cords, and medicine balls, while in-water warm-ups lasted approximately 30 minutes and covered 300 to 800 meters, progressing through structured phases of varying intensity. The in-water warm-up started with a general warm-up, followed by techniques and positional skills, with and without the ball, and concluded with specific game scenarios, including substitute rotations. These findings suggest that elite water polo coaches favour a combined dry-land and in-water warm-up strategy to optimise physical preparation, mental readiness, and tactical execution before a competition.

 

Author Biography

Henrique P Neiva, Department of Sport Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal

Henrique Pereira Neiva is a Professor in the Department of Sport Sciences at the University of Beira Interior and a member of the Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development (CIDESD). Concluded his degree in Sport and Physical Education in the Faculty of Sport of the University of Porto and, in 2015, finished his PhD in Sport Sciences at the University of Beira Interior with the thesis "The effect of warm-up on swimming performance: the impact of volume, intensity and post-warm-up recovery in elite swimmers", supported by a grant from the Science and Technology Foundation (SFRH/BD/74950/2010), and with the final grade of Excellent. In the last 5 years, more than 130 documents were produced, among books, book chapters papers in Journals indexed at the Web of Science Core Collection and in other international scientific journals, conference proceedings, and all peer-reviewed publications. The impact of the research in the last years was recognized: invitation for oral communications in national and international conferences, editing and peer-reviews in high-ranked journals, and supervision of Doctoral, Master and Bachelor students. His investigation has focused on training control and evaluation, strength training, and endurance training in different populations. Recently he has been involved in several investigations regarding the effects of physical exercise in the elderly.

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Published

2025-12-08

Issue

Vol. 21 (2025): Motricidade: 20 years publishing human movement

Section

Original Article

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