The 6-8 Challenge As part of the 6-8 challenge, athletes are assessed in seven drills that de​pend on whether they are a player or a goalie. The drills by player type are summarized below. Drill Player Goalie 12.5 m Sprint Medicine Ball Hold Vertical Jump Passing Radar Gun Two Buoy Obstacle Course Four Corners Eight Touch 25 m Breast Sprint 12.5 METER SPRINT Equipment • 6-8 Challenge rope • Stopwatch • Cone Setup Using the full length of the rope, measure 12.5 meters from the corner of the pool. Place a cone at the end of the rope. Assessment Have the athlete start with one hand on the wall and their legs out. On a ​“Go” command, start your stopwatch. The athlete should then swim down the pool and through the cone; they may not push off the wall when they start. When the athlete reaches the cone, stop your stopwatch and record the elapsed time in seconds. Measurement: time, in seconds Medicine Ball Hold Equipment • Three (3) medicine balls: 3 lb, 5 lb, 10 lb • Stopwatch Assessment Give the athlete a medicine ball in accordance with their age: • 11 and Under: 3 lb • 12 and 13: 5 lb • 14 and Older: 10 lb Have the athlete hold the medicine ball above their head keeping their elbows and chin out of the water as long as can. Start your timer on a “Go” command and give the athlete on​e warning when either elbow or their chin touches the water, or they stop maintaining the proper posture (see below). Stop your timer the second time either elbow or chin touches the water and record the elapsed time in seconds. Measurement: time, in seconds Improper posture includes but is not limited to: • Leaning back • Resting the ball on top of your head • Head back, eyes looking upwards Vertical Jump Equipment • Vertical jump apparatus • Measuring tape Setup Assemble the vertical jump apparatus by connecting the poles. See diagrams for height options. Place the apparatus just over the edge of the pool placing your foot on the holding rod and a hand at the top to stabilize it. Assessment From an eggbeater position below the apparatus, athletes have three tries to see how high they can touch on the apparatus. Move the measuring sticks arou​nd 180 degrees between attempts to give athletes a clear shot on their next attempt. Record the distance from the surface of the pool to the highest stick touched by the athlete. For ease of measurement, note that the sticks are 1 inch apart, so knowing the distance from the surface to the pool to the lowest stick on the apparatus provides a starting point from which you can add 1 for each stick reached by the athlete. Measurement: height, in inches Obstacle Course Equipment • Water polo cage (goal) • Three (3) water polo balls — not included in Kit • Shooting target with 6-8 logo or water polo cap • Two (2) buoy kits (including Velcro ball holder and weig​ht or clamp) • Stopwatch On Deck Setup Attach a 6-8 shooting target, or polo cap, to the center of the top bar of a water polo cage. Secure two water polo balls in their Velcro holders from the buoy kit. In Water Setup Place the cage in the water and secure it to the deck as necessary. Place a ball buoy 2 m in front of the left side of the cage (as viewed from the deck). Position the ball just inside the post. Secure the buoy to the bottom of the pool. Place a second ball buoy 5 m in front of the right side of the cage (as viewed from the deck). Position the ball just inside the post. Secure the buoy to the bottom of the pool. Assessment Athlete starts from an eggbeater position in the center of the cage. On a “Go” command, the athlete touches ​each vertical post of the cage — going side to side — four times for a total of eight touches. After their eighth touch, toss a ball to the athlete who then swims with the ball around the outside of the 2 m buoy, passing it with their right shoulder. Then swim the ball around the 5m buoy, passing it with their left shoulder. After passing the 5 m buoy, the athlete takes a shot on the goal. Stop your timer when the ball hits the cage. Reduce the athletes overall time by 2 seconds if they hit the target on the cage. Measurement: time, in seconds Radar Gun Equipment • Water polo cage (goal) • One (1) water polo ball • Radar gun Setup Setup a water polo goal in the water and secure it in place. Assessment Crouching low behind the center of the cage, have the athlete shoot from approximately 5 meters, throwing the ball as fast as they can. Pull the trigge​r on the radar gun when you instruct the athlete to shoot and release the trigger when the ball hits the cage. Record the ball speed in miles per hour (MPH). Athletes get one attempt at this drill. Allow a second attempt if their first was a wild throw or you obtained an inaccurate reading. Measurement: speed, in miles per hour (MPH) Two Buoy Equipment • One (1) buoy kit (including Velcro ball holder and weight or clamp) • 6-8 Challenge Rope • Stopwatch Setup Assemble the ball buoy kit on deck and place at the edge of the pool. 1. Place the ball buoy in its approximate location, attaching the clamp and/or weights to the bottom of the pool and adjust the length of the buoy rope. 2. Using the rope, starting from the corner of the pool, measure along the wall from the third S hook (#3) to the fourth S hook (#4) and place a cone at that location. 3. Using the rope, starting with the third S hook (#3), measure along the wall from that S hook​ to the second S hook (#2) and place a cone at that location. 4. Using the rope, measure from the second S hook (#2) into the water to the first S hook (#1), and adjust the location of the ball buoy to that location. Assessment Have the athlete start at the #2 cone with one hand on the wall and their feet out. On the “Go” command, start your stopwatch and have the athlete: 1. Touch the buoy 2. Touch the wall at the #4 cone 3. Touch the wall at the #2 cone 4. Touch the first buoy again After the athlete has touched the first buoy for a second time, stop your watch. Measurement: time, in seconds Passing Equipment • One (1) water polo ball • One (1) shooting ring including weight or clamp Setup Attach the rope with a weight or clamp to the shooting ring. Place the ring: • 12.5 meters from the wall or cage if you use a 25 meter course • 15 meters from the wall or cage if you use a 30 meter course​ Assessment The athlete gets five (5) attempts to shoot the ball inside the ring. If the ball hits the edge of the ring, it counts. If the ball goes in the hole, it counts. And if the ball bounces in, it counts. Measurement: number of shots that count based on the criteria above Goalie: Four Corners Equipment • Water polo cage (goal) • Four (4) 6-8 shooting targets • Stopwatch Setup Attach a 6-8 shooting target to each corner of the cage: • Lower Left • Upper Left • Upper Right • Lower Right Ensure the target covers the entire corner; do not leave any space between th​e target and the bar. Secure the cage in the pool. Assessment Athletes start from an eggbeater position in the middle of the cage. When the timer says “Go”, the athlete must touch each of the four targets. Stop your timer when the athlete touches the fourth target. Measurement: time, in seconds Goalie: Eight Touch Equipment • Water polo cage (goal) • Stopwatch Setup Secure the cage in the pool. Assessment Athlete starts from an eggbeater position in the center of the cage. On a “Go” command, the athlete tou​ches each vertical post of the cage — going side to side — four times for a total of eight touches. After their eighth touch, stop your timer and record the elapsed time in seconds. Measurement: time, in seconds Goalie: 25 m Breast Sprint Equipment Stopwatch Assessment The goalie should swim a 25 meter breaststroke as fast as they can. Starting on the wall, start your watch on a “Go” command. The athlete may push off the wall and must swim legal breaststroke fo​r a distance of 25 meters. Note the goalie may not start from a dive; they must start in the water from a push. Stop your timer when the athlete reaches the 25 meter mark. Record the elapsed time in seconds. Measurement: time, in seconds .