There’s not many sports that will condition an athlete like water polo. That’s because players often swim
1,600 yards in a single game. That’s nearly a mile of just swimming! There’s also a considerable amount of treading water competitors have to do during offensive and defensive possessions. And there’s basically no breaks for competitors during games. According to
burned-calories.com, an hour of playing water polo burns an average of
680 calories! That’s a lot of calories for such a short period of time! Just to put that in perspective, jogging on a treadmill for an hour usually burns 400-500 calories. So yes, along with calorie-burning, water polo is great for improving
endurance and
cardiovascular health.