Findings from the men’s water polo team review
Feb 20, 2020 06:00 am
The Singapore Swimming Association (SSA) on Tuesday announced the outcome of its review into the state of men's water polo, following the team's historic defeat at the SEA Games last December.
Singapore finished third at the biennial games in the Philippines, the first time in 52 years that the team failed to win gold.
Players, coaches and the water polo community were consulted for the review. Here are some of the steps to be taken.
- Build a larger pool of players training at the national level
- More potential national players will be identified earlier, so more structured training can be carried out to get them ready for the national team.
- Increase the opportunities for selected players to be attached longer at overseas professional clubs to gain more exposure.
- Organise more competitions and sparring games for the national team against stronger teams and regional teams.
- Increase retention and reduce early retirement by customising training schedules to help national players cope with work or studies.
- Improve mental resilience in competitions - Secure the services of a mental skills coach/sport psychologist.
- Solve issues between coach and players - SSA lost some senior players as a result of Serbian coach Dejan Milakovic's training style.
There have also been some assimilation issues between the coach and the team. After frank conversations, players and coach have reached an understanding.
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