I think you know about football, basketball, and swimming. Water Polo is a game where these three things are involved simultaneously. The basic Water Polo rules are simple, but you should know a few things before playing this game.
In this article, we will be talking about some rules for Water Polo. The rules include fouls, time-outs, and penalties. But before the rules, you should know some basic things about the game and field.
What Is Water Polo?
Two teams of swimmers try to get the ball and score a goal against the opponent’s goal post. The game is played in the water. Simply put, a water polo game combines swimming, basketball, and football. The team with the maximum number of goals wins the match.
According to the Water Polo rules, the field is 30m in length and 20m in width for men, and for women, the field is 25m in length and 20m in width. Most people have a question: how deep is the water polo pool? On average, the pool has a 1.8-meter depth.
The goalpost in a Water Polo is three meters wide and has a 0.9 meters height above the surface. You should know about the field, the Water Polo field has four different lines.
White Line
The “mid-pool” or the “centerline” in a Water Polo game is marked with a white line. The game starts and restarts from this white line. There is also a white line that is aligned with the goal, which is called a “goal line.” When the ball passes through a goal line, the score is counted.
Red Line
The red line is located 2 meters away from the goal. During a game, an offensive player is not allowed to pass the red line if they do not have possession of the ball.
Amber Or Yellow Line
The line is located 6 meters away from the goal. When a defensive player commits a foul within the 6-metre line, the offensive team gets a “penalty throw.” An offensive player takes a direct shot at the goal in a penalty.
Before 2020, the line was 5 meters away. But Water Polo rules Olympics 2020, the line was changed to 6 meters.
Top 10 Water polo rules
There are some simple rules, and there are some unique rules in Water Polo. It is not like Lacrosse rules that are way hard to follow.
Here, we will talk about the top 10 rules that will help you to understand the game.
Boundaries of Water polo rules
The game must be played inside a pool. Players can not play the game outside the water. The pool size can be different, and the Water Polo pool depth can vary, but there is an average size of the field. There are different lines or boundaries for the player’s position that I have already discussed.
Treading Water
During a Water Polo game, players can not touch the ground or the bottom of the pool. Every player must swim or tread water throughout the game. A player can move their arms and legs and keep their head above the water.
But a goalkeeper can stand. This is one of the basic Water Polo rules. This rule applies when a player is moving or advancing to the goal. For example, suppose a player touches the bottom of the water. A foul is committed, and the ball is given to the other team.
Time
A Water Polo game is divided into four quarters. Different-level games have different quarters, but a professional game has an 8-minute quarter. But there are fouls, stoppage, and timeouts, so it lasts around 12 minutes. If a game ends with a draw, then two 3 minutes of extra time have been given.
In professional games, a shootout happens to decide a winner. When a team gets possession of the ball, they have to shoot or goal within 30 seconds. If they fail to do that, the opponent gets the ball. And in a rebound, they have 20 seconds extra.
Ordinary Foul
There are two types of fouls. First, we will talk about minor fouls. When a minor foul commits, the other team gets a free throw. These fouls often happen in a game, and these are extremely common. A player can not touch another player while snatching the ball.
There are other scenarios as well, like pushing a player, touching the ball with two hands (excluding a goalkeeper), taking the ball underwater, and other small fouls. Unlike other sports, Water Polo rules are different. A player can commit a foul as many times as possible.
Major Foul
Major fouls are different than minor fouls, the committed player needs to be out of the game for 20 seconds. And if they do it three times, they can not play for the rest of the match. When a player sinks, grabs, talks back to the referee, obstructs a free pass, and hits or kicks an opponent player, a major foul commits.
When a player commits a foul within the yellow line, a penalty has given to the other team. The offensive team gets a penalty, and a player shoots the ball from 6 meters away.
Ball Handling according to Water polo rules
Water Polo rules say a player must hold the ball with one hand. The rule is not applied to goalkeepers as long as they are inside the yellow line. With the possession of the ball, a player can swim, dodge, and dribble the ball. And while swimming, the water strokes keep the ball moving.
A player can keep the ball underwater if there is no defender around it. Players can pass the ball anywhere. There are two types of passes, a dry pass, and a wet pass. Dry passes include hand-to-hand throws, and a wet pass happens when a player throws a ball to a certain place in the water.
Teams
Normally a team has seven players each on their side. There is a goalkeeper and 6 outfield players. There are specific Water Polo positions, one center, two wings, two drivers, and one point. Players can be anywhere until they are not breaking any rules.
The point plays as a defender, the wings play on the two sides, and the center plays as an attacker. And one of the most important players are the drivers, they must be excellent swimmers to roam around the field. Most of the time, a point plays as the leader and shouts throughout the game as they can see the whole pool.
Substitutions
A team can substitute unlimited times. Players can substitute at any time of the game, but most of the time the team substitutes during a stoppage time. There is a ten-minute stoppage time between the second and third quarters. And two short breaks between the other two quarters.
Start The Game
The teams need to wear specific colored caps before starting the game. The stars from the goal line. Players need to be away by 1 meter. There are only two players who can line up inside the goalposts. A player can not pass the line with any of their body parts.
After starting a game, players try to snatch the ball and begin to swim toward it. This is called a “swim-off.” Then, the player who gets the ball, the team starts to attack.
End The Game
After ending the fourth quarter, the team with the highest points is the winner. If a game ends with a tie, the game enters overtime. In a professional game, the match immediately enters into a shootout. Each team takes 5 shots. The NCAA and American high schools use overtime of 3 minutes.
Water Polo Terms
There are different terms in Water Polo rules. You should know about these terms.
- Deadtime
The time between a foul and the referee’s whistle.
- Bunny Shot
When a shot hits the goalkeeper’s head and then enters inside the goal.
- Wet Shot
A shot that touches the water while moving.
- Greenie
When a player takes a shot after getting a pass from the wing.
- Drop
When defenders try to block shots by dropping back.
- Dribbling
When a player swims and tries to handle the ball.
- Goal Throw
When the goalkeeper throws the ball freely.
- Dry Pass
When a pass is committed without touching the surface of the water.
- Lob Shot
When a shot is committed above the goalkeeper’s hand.
- Double Post
A strategy to hold the ball is by assigning two or more players to the position of each goal.
Further Words
So, there it is. Water Polo rules are simple. Though there are some technical things, you will get those things with time. You can enjoy this game with your friends. I hope you will get all the information in this article.
If you have any questions regarding Water Polo, I will happily answer. You just need to let me know in the comment section.
Thank You.
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