Introduction to Water Polo
Alexandre Morin
Water polo
Water polo is one of the best sports out there.
First of all, a set of very precise rules assures this sport stays practicable. To start a normal water polo game, seven players (six field players and a goalie) from each team (fourteen total) are needed. These teams have four quarters of about seven minutes (eight minutes at Olympic level) to put the ball as many times as possible in the opponent’s net. Although, a team may not have possession of the ball for longer than thirty seconds. In addition, players are allowed to foul opponent players. A respectable foul happens when a player drops the ball because he is shocked or pulled underwater. There are two types of fouls: one only results in the "fouler" giving up the ball and backing off; the other results in an ejection. In the case of an ejection foul, the player is kicked out of the play for about thirty seconds or until his team gets possession of the ball again. To top of these rules, players, except the goalie, can’t take the ball with two hands.
Second of all, the sport requires specific but simple equipment to be played. To play water polo, a pool of about ten to twenty meters in width and twenty to thirty meters in length is needed. At each end of that pool, two goals of 2,8 m2 of face area are placed. Players usually wear a speedo (the small ones). They also have to wear caps fitted with ear protectors. A mouth guard is also recommended, but not mandatory. Finally, the water polo ball is waterproof, floats and has a very good grip.
Third of all, water polo is a very technical sport. There are many basic ball-handling skills needed to play the sport: picking up the ball, passing, wet or dry passes, shooting, faking shots and swimming with a ball in hand or in front. The players also have to master their front crawl and backstroke swimming techniques perfectly if they want to swim up and down the pool so many times. They also have to be able to tread water using a
Water polo
Water polo is one of the best sports out there.
First of all, a set of very precise rules assures this sport stays practicable. To start a normal water polo game, seven players (six field players and a goalie) from each team (fourteen total) are needed. These teams have four quarters of about seven minutes (eight minutes at Olympic level) to put the ball as many times as possible in the opponent’s net. Although, a team may not have possession of the ball for longer than thirty seconds. In addition, players are allowed to foul opponent players. A respectable foul happens when a player drops the ball because he is shocked or pulled underwater. There are two types of fouls: one only results in the "fouler" giving up the ball and backing off; the other results in an ejection. In the case of an ejection foul, the player is kicked out of the play for about thirty seconds or until his team gets possession of the ball again. To top of these rules, players, except the goalie, can’t take the ball with two hands.
Second of all, the sport requires specific but simple equipment to be played. To play water polo, a pool of about ten to twenty meters in width and twenty to thirty meters in length is needed. At each end of that pool, two goals of 2,8 m2 of face area are placed. Players usually wear a speedo (the small ones). They also have to wear caps fitted with ear protectors. A mouth guard is also recommended, but not mandatory. Finally, the water polo ball is waterproof, floats and has a very good grip.
Third of all, water polo is a very technical sport. There are many basic ball-handling skills needed to play the sport: picking up the ball, passing, wet or dry passes, shooting, faking shots and swimming with a ball in hand or in front. The players also have to master their front crawl and backstroke swimming techniques perfectly if they want to swim up and down the pool so many times. They also have to be able to tread water using a