The following is a list of water
polo equipment gift ideas for water
polo players.
Water Polo Equipment
• Swim Bag
or Backpack
• Sammy towels
• Sunblock
• Ball
• Swim suit
• Goggles
• Swim cap
• Fins
• Pull Buoys
• Paddles
• Kickboards
• Misc
Swim Bag
or Backpack ($25-75)
It is nice for players to have a
good bag that can carry towels,
suits, etc. when they go to practices
and games. There are two main options:
duffel or backpack. The bag should
be large enough to store street
clothes in the bag while the player
is in the water, but small enough
to fit into a gym locker. Getting
a bag that is specifically designed
for swimmers and water polo players
is great because the bags have special
compartments for suit to dry, goggles,
etc. Speedo, TYR, and Nike make
swim specific bags.
Sammy
towels ($10-15)
These are super-absorbent towels
that are great for drying off after
practices or games. Swimmers and
divers use these all the time. These
small towels don’t take up
much space in the bag and are designed
so that you can easily wring them
out to dry.
Sunblock
Water polo is mainly played outdoors
and players are exposed to the sun
frequently. Water polo players are
always in need of more sunscreen.
Here is an obvious piece of advice-
buy the water proof kind.
Ball
($30)
The major water polo ball equipment
maker is Mikassa, although other
companies such as Baiden do produce
balls. The team should already have
balls, but it is nice for a player
to have a ball to use outside of
practice to work on ball-handling
skills. Mikassa is the recommended
ball manufacturer, although several
other companies, such as Baiden,
do carry water polo balls as well.
In fact, Mikassa has developed a
ball that they call a "dry
ball," designed specifically
for developing skills outside of
the pool. However, some people have
complained that these balls are
an akward size. A regular ball will
function just fine as well. Make
sure that you purchase the right
size ball. There are different sizes
for men's and women's water polo
balls.
Swim
suit
water polo players usually wear
2 suits during games and practice-
an under-suit and a top-suit. The
under-suit is usually more elastic.
The outer-suit is designed to withstand
tearing (usually made of lycra).
This is a tough gift to get right
for someone else. Popular brands
include Speedo and TYR.
Goggles
Goggles are all about fit and different
goggles fit different players in
varying comfort. Popular brands
include Speedo, TYR, Barracuda,
and View. Swedish goggles are another
option, but players either love
or hate this type of goggle.
Swim
cap
Swim caps are more a gift for female
players (or male players with longer
hair). During practices and games,
long hair needs to be contained
in a swim cap.
Fins:
Some swimmers and water polo players
like to swim with fins to focus
on leg workouts. Often, players
use shorter fins for this training.
This isn't a highly recommended
gift because it depends a lot on
the training plan of the team and
the individual athlete. It is a
better gift for the player who also
practices on his own. Mono-fins
can also be an interesting gift
idea. A monofin is a single fin
that both feet fit into. Swimmers
are forced to use butterfly kick
when wearing a monofin.
Pull
Buoys
A pull buoy is a flotation device
that a swimmer can put in-between
his legs so that his lower body
floats while swimming without kicking.
Pull buoys are used to strengthen
the upper body. Pull buoys are often
used in combination with paddles.
Most swim teams and water polo teams
already have pull buoys, so this
is not a good gift unless your athlete
trains on his own.
Paddles
Paddles increase the surface are
of the hand and are used to strengthen
the upper body in swim practice.
Paddles are often used in combination
with pull buoys. Most swim teams
and water polo teams already have
paddles, so this is not a good gift
unless your athlete trains on his
own.
Kickboards
Kickboards are floatation devices
that a swimmer can hold in front
of him so that he can focus on kicking.
Most swim teams and water polo teams
already have kickboards, so this
is not a good gift unless your athlete
trains on his own.
Misc.
Stretch cord & drag belts are
specialized swim training equipment.
Please contact us with your feedback
