Ninh explains, the Rules of Water Polo The object of the game is for your team to
score more goals than the opposing team. Water Polo is a game played by two teams of
14, with 7 players taking to the pool at any one time. They consist of 1 goalkeeper and
6 field players. To score a goal, a player must throw the ball
into the goal. These goals are 3m wide and 0.9m above the
surface of the water. The pool is a maximum of 30m long and 20m
wide, and is a minimum depth of 1.8m There is a red line 2 metres away from the
goal, an amber line 5 metres away from the goal,
and a midline in the middle of the pool. I’ll explain what these lines are for later.
The game starts with the ball in the midline of the pool.
Once the referee blows the whistle, both teams will swim for the ball and try and take possession
of it.
You can pass the ball directly between teammates in any direction, and swim with the ball by
pushing it in front of you. Field Players can only hold the ball with
one hand, and the idea is to pass the ball to a teammate and set up in a position to
be able to throw the ball into the goal. You have to be quick though, as once your
team has possession of the ball, you have up to 30 seconds to shoot the ball. Failure
to shoot results in the other team being awarded the ball.
The opposing team will try and stop you by blocking the ball in the air, intercepting
the ball, or trying to move you out of position so that they can get the ball.
They will try and take the ball away from you so that they can score themselves.
The game is played in four 8 minute periods, for a combined playing time of 32 minutes.
Highest score at the end of time, wins. Huh, that was easy?!
Well, Water Polo is an easy sport to understand, but there’s a few more things you’ll need
to understand before playing or going to a game.
For example: Ordinary Foul.
Ordinary fouls include the following, and result in the ball being awarded to the other
team. The clock does not stop during ordinary fouls,
and the offending team must allow the other team to play the ball.
The other team must put the ball in play within 3 seconds, otherwise they will lose possession
to the other team.
Major Foul. Major Fouls (also known as ‘exclusions’
or ‘kickouts’) are more severe than ordinary fouls and include the following:
The offending player is excluded for 20 seconds and cannot participate in play during this
time. If that same player racks up 3 major fouls,
they are ejected from the game.
In the rare case that a player deliberately tries to injure another player, this is known
as a brutal or brutality foul, and results in the player being ejected immediately.
2 Metre Line The 2 metre line, denoted in red, is an area
where an opposing player may not pass the ball to a teammate. However, the player can
still swim with the ball.
5 Metre Line The 5 metre line, denoted in yellow – marks
an area where if an opposing player is fouled, he is awarded the ball. But he is only allowed
to pass the ball, he cannot shoot directly. The goalkeeper can use two hands to handle
the ball up to the 5 metre line. and this is also the line used for penalties.
Penalty If a major foul is committed on a player who
has a realistic chance of scoring, a penalty is awarded. The player is awarded the ball
at the 5 metre line and only the goalkeeper can stand in the way. Just like soccer, it’s
one shot only.
Time outs. A team can take a 1 minute period to take
a break or to discuss strategy. This is called a timeout and teams are allowed
one timeout per period.
Substitution. A team is allowed to have 7 substitutes on
the bench, which consists of 1 substitute goalkeeper and 6 substitute field players.
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Ninh Ly, @NinhLyUK, www.ninh.co.uk