This month, I was able to catch up with one of our all time favorites, Coach Ricardo Azevedo. Home with family and wife Libby for a few weeks before wrapping up his current gig as Program Director of Water Polo at Rari Nantes Camogli in Italy, Coach Azevedo and I had a fascinating discussion about coaching the sport of water polo and where the sport is heading in the USA.
Coaching, like teaching, is more about teaching talent than external experience. Coaching successfully is a meld of communication, understanding, subject knowledge and most important, the ability to motivate and inspire passion in your players. It’s about having the skill and creativity to take the round pegs and make the most out of their individual talents rather than whittle them away to try to fit them into a square hole. Coach Azevedos passion and innate charisma have made him one of the most visible ambassadors of our sport around the world as well as one of the best all around coaches of water polo, spanning both genders and all ages.
Looking into the future of our sport, Coach Azevedo took a look at where we are and what is wrong with the current coaching strategy in the USA. It is a fascinating look at where we are going wrong in the most critical component of our sport…and brings to mind a favorite quote of mine from football great Bill Beattie;
“The aim of education should be to teach us how to think, rather than what to think - to improve our minds, to enable us to think for ourselves, rather than to load our memory with the thoughts of other men.”
In the course of our conversations, I tried to push Ricardo to answer the question on everyones mind “So what next?”…he blew me off but as always, he did it so well, I finally stopped pushing and just allowed myself to be beguiled by the Azevedo charm. I guess we’ll all just have to wait and see.
You have spent the past few years building a winning program in a very small town in Italy. Share your insights on what skills young water polo players should be able to demonstrate at various age group levels;
It is very important to understand what age group you are coaching and what methods are best used with that particular group, which is why coaching certification and level grading is an important component that needs to be addressed immediately. Many federations around the world have done it already, but the US seems to be lagging behind in this critical area. The sport of water polo can only succeed up to the level of the available coaching pool. Train a kid and you have one good player. Train a coach and you have 50 good players.
10 and under:10&unders should work out no more than 3 to 5 hours a week. We want kids at that age to enjoy the sport and not peak at age 14. All skills should involve short distances and ball exercises, a happy child is one who wants to comes back to practice. By age 10, they should be able to pass, swim and have a passion for the game. In some situations a player at age 10 could be more advanced than the others in his or her group- If this occurs, don’t force the others in the group to become discouraged by the players higher skill, move him or her up into the next age group where the player will be challenged to improve.
12 and under:
12&unders should work out between 7 to 10 hours a week. Work outs should be designed with the idea that these could be future serious players. At this age, the biggest mistake a coach can make is to do too much too quickly which results in players who can do everything a little but nothing well. This coaching mistake creates mediocrity. At this age group players should start understanding the game so drills should be comprehensive-example: passing to a shot, driving for movement, shot blocking techniques,etc. Swimming should not exceed 40% of the workout with distances restricted to 25 and 50 yards. If players want to do nothing but swim, they would remain on a swim team.
14 and under:
14&unders should workout from 10 to 14 hours a week. This is a key age for coaching ramp up. Players have joined the brotherhood of water polo players and are getting ready to become serious players and competitors. Workouts must be designed with (LAS) limited attention span consideration. The coach must remember that these are teenagers and that by having 4 drills of 5 minutes each, the coach can cover one skill in many stages instead of the typical , "let's pass for 20 minutes" routine. Players should start to swim longer distances but nothing over 150 to 200 meters. By age 14, players should have the knowledge and capability to play the game at the high school level. A common mistake is to think that by age 14, they should be capable of doing it all but a coach must understand that a boy could grow 5 inches that summer and the girls could mature 2 years in the same summer. At this age, a successful coach must not worry so much about the physical part of the game but encourage the players to begin immersing themselves in the mental part of the game. This is a good place to begin developing game awareness and basic tactics.
16 and under:
16&unders is the final differentiation between players who want to move on and play in college and those who will be content to be strictly high school athletes. This is the point at which a great coach can make a difference by understanding that both choices are valid and should be respected. Coaches should not ignore the player who wants to stop at high school-these are future masters players, collegiate club players and parents of new water polo players. A good coach nurtures these players as the future of the sport.
At this age movement between choices will occur, so as a coach, you must be positive and supportive, always encouraging all of the players to be part of your program. Work on swimming as a main stay of the future and don't be negative of the swim program. Players should concentrate on the physical aspect of the game and the coach should work on developing each players self image and confidence. At this stage, players should understand the comprehensive game and skills-passing, shooting, shot blocking, positioning and have a high level understanding of the game. It is a known fact that 75% of the individual skill acquired by an athlete should take place between 14 and 17 years old. A good coach should not be in a hurry to train a player in tactics too early- it might sacrifice the future of your athletes
In Camogli you started a girl’s water polo program that has been very competitive in a very short time. Many years ago, I found (to my dismay) that girls are very different to coach than boys and have different psychological performance triggers. What is the “Ricardo Azevedo Secret” to successfully coaching girls?
Around age 12 to 13 years old girls and boys develop in opposite ways , boys physically, girls emotionally. A successful girls program starts with a good women's coach one who understands the need to explain the steps of training and use the right motivational tools to encourage girls to excel.
You would not say to a female athlete, "don't you want to get big and strong" instead you might say " don't you want to be fit and fast" so my secret is no secret at all but basic common sense. Ken Ravizza a noted sport psychologist once said " don't treat people equally but fairly instead".
The USA Junior Men have not been competitive internationally despite the fact that we have more players in the water aged 20 and under than any other country in the world. What, exactly, is the problem and what would you do to fix it?
Historically the junior program was created in 1978 with the born in 1961 and Bill Barnett as head coach, as a way for young players to get experience at the international level. The goal was to help aspiring players make the transition into players that could play at a National Team international level. At the time, the USA also created the "B" team in the years before the Olympics to address the players that were in between, with the understanding that players who were great HS or college players did not always equate to standing out at the international level. With this philosophy in mind, the success of a junior program should be judged on 3 categories.
How many players from the team went on to become national senior players and ultimately Olympians
Did we miss any player within an age group if so why? (i.e. Oversight, lack of program or favoritism)
How many games and/or competitions did they get?
When the 2 last cuts of a junior team go on to make the Olympics 3 years later, one must try to understand what happened within the selection process. Training and selections should take place at clubs, colleges and high schools - diversity is good for both the system and the sport. When training together, the National Junior and Senior teams should emphasize tactics and philosophy. Workouts should be game like and selective, have players play different defenses and offenses. In his or her life time as an athlete, he or she will have 6/7 coaches so the ability to adapt is an important key at this level. Winning is nice, but only if these players go on to help grow the senior national team program. As an example, the born in 1971 team finished 5th in 1991 Corona del Mar world junior championships, but from the top 15 players selected to the games (13 plus alternates) yielded 8 Olympians, other teams have finished higher but yielded 3 or less.
Lets talk about club administration for a moment. I have long believed that the most successful clubs have a full time, paid administrator to take care of club payment, scheduling, the website, travel arrangements and most difficult, parent relations. This structure allows coaches to do what they do best-coach. How much does a full time administrator help develop a successful club?
The reality is that a full time administrator would be fantastic as it occurs in the big teams, but again cost becomes a factor. The new (current) way in the US, with a professional paid national office does not work at the club level. With the advent of the new structure, we have lost super volunteers people like Dr.Barbara Kalbus, who has done more for water polo than all the paid administrators in the last 34 years of USWP. It is those dedicated and passionate volunteers committed to make the sport grow who make a genuine difference. This group of volunteers bring years of life and professional experience to the sport…to them, it was never about money !!!!!!! You are correct- we are coaches and that is what we should do. My experience in Italy has been fantastic and one of the main reasons why I was so successful was that I never had to worry about travel plans, tickets, hotel, caps, equipment, salaries, etc. As a coach, my job was to concentrate on the game- like how to improve the counter, 6 on 5 and defensive strategies.
Water Polo is virtually non-existent outside of California. As a former National Team and NCAA coach, you travelled a lot within the country meeting people and helping bring positive energy to the sport. Is it possible to develop quality water polo outside of California and what are the keys for success?
That is a problem that needs to take priority in this country as we seem to be going backwards. 15 years ago we had Outdoor nationals and Indoor nationals (outside California) , JOs moved around the country, outside California camps in Colorado Springs (2 a year) for players. These camps brought out players like Chris Duplanty, Wolf Wigo, Brad Schumacker ,Mark Maretzki , Andy Gramley Jr, all players who went on to become national players.
Lack of respect for areas outside California is the main problem. From the top, it is assumed that California is where the players come from. Those at the top don't realize that the key to success is coaching, lack of programs and competition for these kids. In order to solve these problems, we must create more zone competition and less national competition. Who really cares who won the 14& under championships… would it not be better to have a south, north, east and west champion? From that, the national coach could pick an all star and invite teams from Mexico, Canada and Puerto Rico for a fun tournament. That’s development.
The ODP program has been criticized as all training, no competition. As one of the worlds top coaches of international water polo, what is your take on ODP’s heavy training/low competition structure as a preparation for international
As I have already mentioned, coaching should take place at the club, high school and college levels. Diversity in individual training is both good and healthy for the sport. Having every player shooting, passing and blocking the same way creates frustration for those whose individual skills exist outside the norm and rewards lack of creativity on the part of players and coaches. Kasas, Azevedo and Perrone are some of the top drivers in the world and each has completely different methods of passing, shooting and blocking. We should ask ourselves which of these (now) outstanding players would have been cut by not being able to adhere to the "there is only one way to do it” method we use in the US now? We MUST ask ourselves how many potentially great players we are losing who do not fit into a very narrowly defined definition of “correct”.
The “national method” way of coaching where all the coaches have to do the same thing creates one thing only; the team with the most athletes will win. Wake up, people! We are Americans- it's nice when a Princeton almost beats UCLA by using slowdown tactics, or a player like Spud Web makes it because he never listened the national statistics. Creativity in coaching is a gift and should be encouraged rather than taken away. Coaches who participate in these national programs should come from coaches certification level grading, the ones that have produced great shooters, goalies, defenders, etc and not only the ones who are willing to conform to a system where one person decides unilaterally that there is only one correct way to play.
The largest issue we have outside California is the severe lack of trained coaches. USA Water Polo background checks their coaches but seems to care little if they know the game or can coach kids. What can be done to help train coaches, develop good programs and get the sport out in front of more people?
During this entire interview, I have stressed the importance of training and certification for coaches. Unfortunately, most federations are afraid of empowering programs and coaches with real knowledge -which they feel causes questions and opinions that may differ from their own. We must begin to teach coaches how to think about the game, how to look at what exists now and create new ways of playing. Coaches need to be taught about the myriad tactics and views of the game rather than just one. They must be encouraged to identify and utilize each of their players unique skills to become the best he or she can be rather than to force each player into a predetermined role. Great players are nurtured in large part by a good coach’ ability to identify and develop each players own unique skills and talents.
Two way communication is the only way to end a dictatorship. A certification program is a start, but the most important element is coach training.
We need a National Water Polo University that trains and certifies coaches everywhere across the country, whether it is Sacramento, California or Boise, Idaho. Start with a free online program to help new areas get water polo games introduced to Learn to Swim programs. Teach the fundamentals of coaching beginners and young kids on line with an annual or semiannual regional clinic for coaches to come together and share experiences and tactics. Move on to a National coaching convention where experienced coaches can make presentations about their own area of expertise and again, encourage dialog and sharing between coaches and referees. When coaches and referees begin to understand each others roles, we will have a more cohesive and cooperative game.
When we look at coaching as it exists today, we need to ask;
How many coaches in US know how to train goalies, centers, shooters, defenders?
How many coaches know multiple defenses and offenses and the best ways to teach and instruct the players how to execute the specific tactics?
How many coaches understand the differences coaching age group boys and girls or a 12 year old versus a 14 year old?
Train a team to execute according to talent level and player availability, versus using the famous excuse "we had no center this year" what a crock!!!
A coaches greatest skill is adapting- to player skills and talents, teams and circumstances. The ability to motivate and use individual strengths is impossible when there is only one way to play.
I could go on forever. I have been coaching at a high level since 1983 and even this year, I learned a different way to teach shot blocking. If there is no place for coaches to interact and share our views, to learn different ways to teach our sport, the sport is doomed to mediocrity. A federation is trusted by the USOC with guiding and directing the sport across the country, by teaching coaches, running national championships and maintaining a national program for the international level.
With that being said, one way to make the sport grow and get more exposure to more people is to eliminate JOs. With the existing JO’s structure, only the federation makes money and the sport is once again, stuck in California.Create 6 to 8 regional championships by zone. At it’s conclusion, each player is ranked as level 1,2, or 3. Work with local media, sponsors and community to promote the sport. Begin with less, but at the end it will yield more.
There are currently too many national levels. For the sport to grow, it really does not matter that 10,12, and 14& unders have a national championship. Leave competitions at that level at the regional level - save the parents money, encourage more participation and spectators and make the older levels more goal oriented.
With the 3 levels established at the regional level, create true national JOs with a smaller group of teams at 16 and 18 & unders. These would be better served with higher quality games and exposure and not have games at 6:30 am.
Eliminate paid selection camps and have national junior and cadet coaches attend these regional championships and select a group of 24 players for training and competition for the national program. This would encourage players to participate at JOs and eliminate useless tryouts of hundreds of kids where nepotism and lack of objectivity run wild.
These step can also be done at the regional level to make sure that no athlete is passed by and not given a chance.
With this system, a national coach is not just someone that knows Xs and Os but someone who can be responsible for creating a depth chart not only for players but also for coaches. Working with the federation, these coaches can work on ways to promote the sport by moving senior national team training camps around the country for exposure and friendly marketing. For example, the mens team is going to world league in Italy. On the way, why not hold a camp in Chicago of 5 days? Before going to World Championships in Shangai, train in Oregon on the way , Pan American games in Mexico , training in Florida on the way. Working with local clubs and zones, the costs can be offset by inviting teams to train together and with competition and clinics.
Finally federations should guide and encourage the country to embrace our national teams , and stop bleeding our zones and families of money to run programs. From experience I can tell you that the majority of the money is not arriving at the athlete level, the USOC is the one who supports our players financially. Moving our players around the country and having the kids and coaches get to know them will give everyone in the country a different look at how much these guys really have to give up to defend our flag and our country at major championships.
This years JO’s will have a record number of teams and games. What does your crystal ball say?
Read above , this is an American vice , bigger is not always better. Maybe we should at strive for quality, excellence and more important correctness.
The Lawsuit going between Reco and Savona in Italy and the more recent incidents at the Fisher Cup are alarming for the future of the game. What do you think the solution is?
The main problem with information gathered by hears say is that the sport takes a beating and that should not be the case. Rather let us deal with the guilty parties instead of destroying the sport. If a young couple reads all the negative messages about the sport, they will never allow their children to participate.
Granted, we need to address some very serious situations that have come up, but let's not forget that these same situations have happened before.
In the 50's, water polo was vicious, with injuries happening at almost every game. Images of the Hungary-Russia “blood in the water” game around the world changed the game for the greater movement and counter attack of the 60's. Dead time, ejections, brutality were all added to smooth the game. By the 70's, the game had return to more physicality. The addition of shot clocks, goalie could throw the ball past half and increased playing time made for more movement within the game. In the 80's it reached it's peak as the game had little change with lots of skill , players like Estiarte, Bukic, Figueroa, Demagistris just to name a few, were all drivers as the game was all about movement.
The 90's saw too many influence on the center that now we are now paying for. Yes, we must work with the federation to make sure the referees and coaches enforce the rules. Many of you may not know but the rule that covers holding, striking, kicking and pulling has never changed. It is still on the books as it was 30 years ago- what has changed is the way referees are taught to interpret these rules. People must remember that referees are guided by federation committees and are instructed how to call the game and coaches are also guided by rules and regulations created by organizations that they are part of.
Finally with all the recent criticism, water polo is still one of the healthiest sport to play. Yes, there are incidents like Recco vs Savonna or the Fisher cup, but as a community, let's deal with the perpetrators and keep working on making the game better and more popular. Trust me when I say that the whole world is going through this together and something will be done about it.
This year in Italy, there were on over 200 games of the mens league with only 6 injuries, none of which was life threatening. This was due, in large part, to more strict enforcement of the rules and increased penalties for aggressive fouls. For example, a player who commits a brutality is suspended for a minimum of 3 games and fined 1000 euro. Clubs who don't control the stands, or have faulty equipment pay from 60 to 500 euro fine depending on the violation.
Maybe if clubs, schools and universities had to pay fines for behavior, they might think twice about how they act. I also believe that we should allow video proof to show situations that might be missed by referees to allow us to better address the situation. This is simple to accomplish by requiring games be filmed by the home team and a copy of the game given to both teams and to the referee upon request. If this is not done in Europe, a fine of 300 euro is assessed.
Isn’t it great to hear another view on how the ODP can be structured. A view that is based on water polo players and originality not on just water polo skills and memorization. A plan which will not create “cookie cutter” players but will create players who will be able adapt to a variety of special situations that occur in water polo games. And wasn’t it refreshing to hear 1) all the Zones were an integral part of Ricardo’s ODP plan and 2) Ricardo’s ODP plan is NOT similar to a hat store which has a sign that reads “ONE SIZE FITS ALL!”
