How to Play Water Polo
Water polo may not be as popular as basketball, soccer or football, but did you know that it is one of the oldest sports in the Olympics? Take a dive and learn more about the game, and how to win!
Skills Required
Since water polo is a sport played in-you guessed it-the water, players must have the following skills:
Swimming, specifically knowing how to tread water.
Ball handling skills, since water polo rules dictate that the ball may only be handled in one hand.
Field sense, because not only are you swimming, but you are playing a team sport as well.
Positions
Water polo calls for 13 players in one team, with 7 players (6 field players and 1 goalie) in the water at a time. While water polo is not as strict with positions and is entirely flexible depending on the needs of the team as the game progresses, each position as a specific role in the team. They are:
Offense
The offensive positions are: one center, two wings, two drivers and a point man. The center is the player who directs the attack, and the drivers and the wings help with helping him achieve the goal. Because of this, it is usually the center player who racks up the most number of individual points.
Defense
The defense are typically positioned the same way as the offense players, only switching when the team or the game calls for it. Each player’s specialties on offense and defense defines their major role within the team.
Goalie
The goalie must have a special set of skills to go with his role. He must be able to shoot out of the water, maintain a vertical position without sinking and all at the same time tracking the ball to prevent it from scoring. The goalie is also provided special privileges, provided that he or she is within the five meter area in front of the goal. What the goalie can do is:
Touch the ball with both hands
Touch the bottom of the pool
Rules
Water polo is a sport that is very much like soccer and team handball. The goal of the game is to score as many points as you can by throwing the ball straight into the goal. Here are other rules when playing water polo.
The game is made up of four quarters that can last as long as five to seven minutes, with two minute breaks in between.
Players are rotated after a goal is made, between quarters, during breaks, or when a referee takes out a player.
At the start of the game, the players line up on opposite sides of the pool. The referee’s whistle is a sign for them to lunge at the ball that is placed in the middle of the pool or dropped in by the referee.
The ball should be shot at the goal within 35 seconds of your team possessing it. Any longer than that, the opposing team gets a free throw.
The ball can be handled in one hand at a time, with the exception of the goalie, who can hold it with two hands. It can be passed using a “dry pass”, where the ball is thrown a few inches above water, or a “wet pass” where the ball is passed in the water. Each player is given five seconds to pass the ball.
The Two Meter Line mark two meters out from the goalposts. No field player may cross that line unless he or she is holding a ball.
The Four Meter Line marks where one can shoot a penalty shoot.
Penalty shots are given to players who are fouled within the Four Meter Line.
A foul is when a defensive player hits the offensive player in the back or when he or she interferes the shot within the Four Meter Line.