Youth Program
Youth Practices
Fridays 5:45 pm - 8 pm at Martin Luther King Pool, 5701 3rd St, SF, CA 94124
(Enter through door on Carroll Ave, behind the bike share)
Children 9-15 years old need to be able to:
Swim 4 lengths of a 25 yard pool (200 yards) without stopping (form and style don't matter)
Tread water for 1 minute
Dive to the bottom of a 7-ft pool
We generally find that children 9-10 years of age are the youngest we can train, but some players are ready when they're as young as 7 or 8. We're not very strict about the age limits but we want to coach underwater hockey, not babysit or teach a swim class. Younger children often require too much attention and older teens may have a better experience at the adult practice.
We have equipment for beginning players at the pool. There is no need to purchase gear to start playing UWH.
Players that have been in the program for more than 6 months and intend to continue are expected to buy their own gear. See Gear for Young Players for advice on what to buy. If this is a financial burden, please talk with the coaches.
Children need to be ready to get in the water at 6pm. Our practice finishes at 8pm and parents must pick their child(ren) up immediately afterwards.
Parents don't need to stay during practice but are welcome to sit on the bleachers.
With tremendous gratitude to all of our coaches and philanthropic donors, San Francisco Sea Lions Youth Underwater Hockey program is free to participants. We especially want to thank these philanthropic organizations:
Adult Practice (encouraged for older teens and advanced players)
Depending on coach approval, the advanced teens are encouraged to join our adult practices. To stay informed about adult practices, events, cancellations and other news, join the email listserv.
Adult practices must be paid for online (indicate the name of the player). This is a pre-paid activity; you can check your balance online.
2023 Tahoe Youth Skills Clinic, September 22-24, 2023
Located in Incline Village, NV this clinic will focus on players who are 12 - 19 years old.
Player families can register here and Atlantis Sports, the organizer, invites everyone to fill out the form, even if they cannot attend, so they can include you in their future outreach efforts. You'll also be able to share interest in a youth division at this year's PCCs (Pacific Coast Championships).
General information about tournaments and clinics
All players that participate in Underwater Hockey tournaments and clinics need to be current members of the Underwater Society of America (USOA).
Parents/Guardians need to sign the "Waiver of Liability" and acknowledge reading the US UWH "Safety Guidelines".
USOA registration and payment, as well as electronic signing of the waiver and guidelines, can be done online at USA UWH.
You can check if USOA has received your payment at USOA list of players who have paid and/or signed the waiver.
All tournament/clinic players must bring their own gear (not club gear), including:
Mask and snorkel (with mouthguard)
1 pair of fins
1 glove — any color other than white, black, yellow, orange or red (We can host a glove-making party, if needed)
2 sticks, one black, one white.
2 headsets/caps, one blue or black, one white.
See What Gear Do I Need for gear recommendations, and suppliers.