What is Water Polo?

Water polo is a game of strength, quickness and endurance. Ball handling skills and exceptional swimming ability are especially important with the mobile, fast-paced style of game play.

The Game

• The playing area is 30 X 20 m (25 X 17 m for women) with a minimum of 2 m (6 1/2 feet) of depth. The goals are 3 m across and 0.9 m tall.
• The "pitch has markers for 2m and 5m areas from each goal-line.
  Penalties are taken from 5m and corners from 2m (at the edge of the pool).
• Each team is allowed 13 players, with seven (a goalkeeper and six field players) participating at any one time. Players tread water the entire game and cannot touch the bottom or sides of the pool. Players may only handle the ball with one hand, except for the goalkeeper.
• There are four periods in a game. Each period is eight minutes in length. There is a two minute interval between periods. Each time the whistle blows, time is stopped. So, each game consists of 32 minutes of playing time.
• Each team has two time-outs that can be used at any time during the game. The team must be in possession of the ball to call a timeout.
• In a game that requires a definite winner, if there is a tie, two three-minute periods of overtime are played. If the score is still tied, one sudden-death overtime period is played.
• Up to 6 substitutions can be made per team, after a goal is scored, between periods, during timeouts, for an ejected player, or during running time. For running time substitutions, players swim to their re-entry area and exit the playing field. The substitute can enter as soon as the head of the exiting player breaks the surface of the water in the re-entry area.
• Physical contact is common, as players maneuver for position. The referee indicates fouls by blowing a whistle and using hand signals to point out the direction of the attack and where the ball is to be put in play. Unlike most sports that stop on a whistle, action in water polo is initiated by the whistle.
• A goal (1 point) is scored when the ball is thrown or pushed completely past the face of the goal.

Fouls
There are three types of fouls in water polo: (1)Ordinary fouls, (2) Exclusion fouls and (3) Penalty fouls.

(1) Common ordinary fouls include: impeding an opponent who is not holding the ball; pushing or pushing off an opponent; touching the ball with two hands; taking the ball underwater when tackled; and stalling. When the referee calls an ordinary foul, the offended team is awarded a free throw. The free throw is to be taken at the point of the foul or the location of the ball if the ball is behind the line of the foul. A free throw must be taken within three seconds by releasing, swimming or passing the ball. A player may shoot the ball directly on goal if the foul occurred outside 7 meters.

(2) Common exclusion fouls include

• holding, sinking or pulling back an opponent who is not holding the ball
• an ordinary foul committed by the defense during dead time (after a foul occurs but before the offended player has put the ball into play)
• kicking or striking
• Interfering with a free throw
• deliberate splashing in the face

Exclusion fouls result in a player being excluded for 20 seconds. The excluded player (or substitute) may not return until the 20 second exclusion time expires, a goal is scored or a change of possession takes place, whichever occurs first.

(3) Penalty fouls are committed within the four-meter area where a goal probably would have resulted. An attacking player fouled while in control of the ball and facing the goal inside the four-meter line is usually awarded the penalty throw. Any player in the game (excluding the goalkeeper) from the offended team can take the penalty throw. The shot is taken from the four-meter line, with only the goalie defending. The award of a penalty throw most commonly occurs in the following situation within the four-meter area when:

• any player, including the goalkeeper, pulling down or pushing away the goal;
• any player, except the goalkeeper, playing the ball with both hands or a clenched fist;
• the goalkeeper or a defensive player taking the ball underwater when tackled inside the four-meter area and near the goal;
• when an attacking player facing the goal who is in control of, but not holding, the ball is fouled by holding, sinking or pulling back.

Both exclusion and penalty fouls are personal fouls. They are recorded by the game secretary. A player with three personal fouls is removed from the game, with substitution.

One special class of exclusion fouls is major fouls. Players who are assessed major fouls are immediately removed from the game, with substitution. Major fouls include:

• misconduct or disrespect to the referee;
• any foul language;
• violent play.

Deliberately kicking or striking with intent to injure (brutality) results in ejection of the offending player for the remainder of the game, without substitution.

Time Clocks
As in basketball, two clocks are used to time a water polo game. One indicates the time remaining in the period and the other, called the possession or 30 second clock, indicates how much time remains for the offensive team to shoot the ball (the team is allowed 30 seconds to shoot the ball).

Starting
Each period is started with the teams lined up on opposite goal lines. On a signal (whistle) from the referee, the teams sprint toward center pool where the referee releases the ball into the water. In some competitions, the ball is placed in a floating ring in the center of the pool. The team gaining possession of the ball advances it toward its offensive end of the pool by swimming, dribbling, or passing the ball.

Water Skills

• Water polo is a fast moving game that demands good all round swimming ability. All the players must go for long periods without touching the bottom of the pool, this requires good leg strength with an "egg-beater" kick being used for treading water.
• Swimming with the ball involves the player swimming front crawl with his head well out of the water and the ball being kept under control at his chest with a high elbow swimming action.
• Catching and passing the ball must be with one hand only, with the exception of the goal keeper who can use both hands.
  The ball must not be taken under the waterby any player if it interferes with play.
• Shooting skills come in many variations including:
  • the straight shot
  • the "bounce" shot
  • the lobbed shot
  • the back shot
  • the "one-on-one" shot
• The center forward position is the most demanding and players in this position require good upper body strength as well as good leg strength
• The goal keeper needs to have the "best" leg strength as he is constantly treading water, moving across the goal to cover shots and needs to get high out of the water to make a save.
• Blocking is a defensive skill, widely used, where a player will try to block a shot with his up-held arm, it requires good timing and a good "let kick". Blocking a shot with two hands results in a penalty being awarded.

Equipment

• Two pairs of swimming trunks and a cap with ear protectors are the only requirements. Some players also wear a protective "box" and a gum shield in case of "accidental contact".
• a team needs two sets of caps, one blue and one white set. There should be 13 caps in each set with one cap being a red No. 1 for the goal keeper.
• The ball is made of a plastic material with a "roughened" surface to make it easier to grip when wet, it is normally yellow.
• Goggles are not allowed but special glasses or contact lenses may be worn.
• Players must keep their finger and toe nails cut short to prevent "scratching" injuries. No rings or other jewelery may be worn.
• Referees use hand signals to indicate fouls etc. Goal judges have a white flag, to indicate a goal throw, and a red flag for a corner. A stop clock and scoreboard are also required.

Facts

The game was developed in Britain during the middle of the 19th Century and was recognised as a sport by the Amateur Swimming Association in 1885.
Water polo was first introduced to the Olympic Games in 1900. Untill the mid-1920's, Great Britain remained the most dominant nation at water polo, but Italy, Spain, Hungary and the USA are now some of the most powerful countries.

Womens water polo is becoming increasingly popular in most countries with Holland, Russia and Italy being the most dominant nations.

The main competition in England is the National Water Polo League which has 3 divisions of 10 teams.
In the womens league there are 2 divisions of 6 teams.

Water Polo is considered to be one of the toughest and most physically demanding sports. It requires fast swimming, great physical strength and high cardiovascular stamina. International athletes train at least 6 hours a day in the pool, working on their strength, fitness, speed and flexibility to reach the level of fitness required to compete.

These skills help them tread water without using their hands, swim four to five kilometres in an average match, shoot and pass accurately when they are physically exhausted, and deal with, or even inflict, heavy contact. It is estimated that the average water polo athlete will lose between 5 and 10 pounds during an Olympic tournament.

The sport can be likened to a sort of aquatic handball, in which a ball has to be throw into a goal. The game consists of four quarters and is played in a pitch that is 30m long, 20m wide and at least 2m deep. Each team consists of a squad of 13 players and a coach. There are 7 players in the water at one time consisting of one goalkeeper and 6 field players. The other 6 players make up the bench. The coach is responsible for calling the plays, team changes and timeouts. The game is strictly adjudicated with two referees and a table of judges.

The Varsity match, an annual game between Oxford and Cambridge universities, is the longest running water polo fixture in the world and is currently in its 107th year.
 
The most famous water polo game of all was the semi-final match between Hungary and the Soviet Union in the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. It was a month after Soviet tanks rolled into Budapest to crush the anti Communist uprising. With feelings between the two sides antagonistic, the game descended into a series of brawls and the Police had to escort the Hungarians from the pool.