Repetition: before the denouement of this long season, that is what UCLA women’s water polo will depend on to tie up loose ends and taper workouts before NCAAs.
“We’re trying to go a little lighter, a little shorter, a little quicker. We still did all the normal things (at Monday’s practice) – half-court offense, defense – but we’re starting to wind down,” said coach Brandon Brooks.
With players in their peak physical shape, the team has shifted its practices to more technical aspects of game play. This involves a lot of constructive repetition, which Brooks says is necessary for overall awareness in game situations.
“We slow it down. One or two reps, and then talk. I try to do as much as I can as far as correcting people, so that when I do see a mistake we talk about it, correct it and move on,” Brooks said. “Some points in the year we have to just get repetition and just go through it and go through it.”
“We have to stay mentally there in practice,” said senior attacker Gisselle Naranjo. “Staying focused – you just gotta do it.”
According to Naranjo, this mental stamina is important for practicing 6-on-5 and 5-on-6 power plays, as well as for learning to be patient while on offense in order to properly read the defense. This is critical against strong teams like Princeton, whom the women have never faced before, and Stanford, whom the players have lost to three times so far this season.
On the other hand, freshman defender Maddy McLaren sees the defense as the team’s strong point going into NCAAs, crediting senior leadership on defense and tight-knit team unity for UCLA’s defensive strength. Brooks agreed that the unity of the team this year is commendable.
“I am very proud of this team. I’m proud of this team for being a team. No one’s a star, no one puts themselves above the group, everyone shows up every day. They give themselves to the team, top to bottom,” Brooks said.
And in these final few practices, the players realize they will have to give a little more before the last three games of the season.
“It’s the very end of a long season, so we just have to have that one final push,” McLaren said. “We know we only have a few practices left … so we just have to give it all of our focus and all of our energy.”