Background: Tactical skills are a key determinant of performance in water polo, a sport requiring rapid perception, decision-making, and execution. Although a validated instrument exists to assess these skills, the absence of sport-specific normative benchmarks limits the interpretation and applied use of tactical assessment outcomes. Aim: To develop a normative classification for tactical skills in water polo by establishing percentile-based cut-off points using the Tactical Skills Inventory for Sports (TACSIS). This study complied with the Declaration of Helsinki (1975, revised in 2013) and was approved by the Research Ethics Committee (65204422.3.0000.5347). Methods: A total of 182 water polo players (16.7 ± 4.6 years old) from different competitive categories participated in the study (U16, n = 92; U18, n = 35; Adult, n = 55). Tactical skills were assessed using the water polo-specific adapted and validated version of the TACSIS, comprising 34 items across four domains: positioning and deciding, acting in changing situations, knowing about ball actions, and knowing about others. Players completed a self-assessment using a six-point Likert scale, anchored according to item characteristics. Percentile cut-off points (20th, 40th, 60th, and 80th) were calculated and used to define five normative categories: Learning (<20th), Developing (20th-40th), Good (41st-60th), Very Good (61st-80th), and Excellent (>80th). Results: The established thresholds were determined for each category: Learning * 3.9 (3.4 ± 1.1; CI: 3.3-3.5); Developing 4.0-4.3 (4.1 ± 0.4; CI: 4.1-4.2); Good 4.4-4.7 (4.5 ± 0.1; CI: 4.5-4.6); Very Good 4.8-5.1 (4.9 ± 0.0; CI: 4.9-5.0); and Excellent 5.2-6.0 (5.4 ± 0.7; CI: 5.3-5.5). Conclusions: The proposed normative classification provides evidence-based reference values for tactical skill assessment in water polo, supporting talent identification, player development, individualized training, and longitudinal monitoring.
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