It doesn’t matter if you are watching your 1st or your 101st water polo game, you are going to have questions during the game.
Water polo like a cross of a swim meet with a little bit of a soccer, basketball, and hockey mixed in it. Six field players and one goalkeeper are on each team; they will sprint towards mid-pool to controls the ball at the start of each period. Perimeter players try to take a shot or attempt a wet pass into the hole-set (a strategy called “setting the hole”). Quite often, you’ll see the Defensive hole player (called the D-Hole) foul the hole-set to force a free-pass, rather than allowing him to shoot the ball. This results in a whistle being blown. Immediately following this whistle, there are 3 seconds of dead-time; during this time, perimeter players drive towards the goal to either become available to take a shot or ’draw a foul,’ which results in the defender’s exclusion from the game for 20 seconds. During the 20 second exclusion, the offensive team is in a power play that creates a high probability for scoring. The team with the most goals at the end wins the game!
GAME STRUCTURE
- Four periods of play with 2 two timeouts during a game (and one extra timeout if the game goes into overtime).
- A second shot clock indicates how much time remains to shoot.
THE FIELD OF PLAY
- 2-meter lines (red cones). No offensive player is allowed to swim inside of the 2-meter line unless he/she has possession of the ball.
- 5-meter lines (yellow cones). If an offensive player is fouled outside of the 5-meter line, the player may pick up the ball and take an immediate shot.
THE PLAYERS
- Goalie: Red capped leader on defense who acts as a second coach in the water.
- The Hole Set (or Center). Sets up at the 2 meter area in front of the goal. This player’s day will be filled with wrestling matches trying to gain position to take a high percentage shot.
- D-Hole: Guards the hole set on defense and prevents the hole-set from scoring, often by purposely committing ordinary fouls.
- Point. Player at the center of the pool and then plays agains the opposing team’s hole player.
- Wings. Play near the 2-meter area, kitty-corner from the goal.
- Flats/drivers. Play in the 5-meter area and drive after a common foul occurs.
WHISTLES
- One whistle. A common foul (and there’s no limit on how many a player can get). The most common reason is for impeding the free movement of a player who is not holding the ball. This results in a free pass.
- Two whistles. This typically occurs when a player touches the ball with two hands or pushes off the bottom of the pool or if the team failed to take a shot within 30 seconds.
- Many whistles. Something BIG happened (multiple whistles usually means that a defensive player has been excluded for 20 seconds). When a defensive player holds, sinks, or pulls back an offensive player, that player is excluded for 20 seconds. A penalty shot (5 meter shot) may be awarded is any foul occurred that prevented a probable goal. Once a player has committed three exclusions, that player must leave the game and may not return.
WATER POLO TERMINOLOGY
Chances are, you’ll hear coaches and players use the following terms throughout games and during practices:
- Anticipate: The skill of swimming back on defense or offense when the other team is on the verge of losing possession.
- Backhand: A pass or shot that is thrown backwards, most commonly seen from the hole-set.
- Ball under: An ordinary foul for taking or holding the ball underwater while in contact with an opposing player.
- Ball side: The area between the ball carrier and the intended receiver of the ball. This where good defenders play.
- Brutality: An exclusion foul for extremely rough play such as striking another player. Results in player being removed from the remainder of the game.
- 2 Meter (Corner) throw: A free throw by the offensive team when the ball goes out of bounds over the goal line and was last touched by the defense.
- Drive: To swim with the ball using a head above water crawl stroke, or swimming quickly toward the goal without the ball to become open for a pass.
- Crash/Slough: A strategy in which a defender swims toward the hole to double team offensive players and especially to help guard passes into the hole-set.
- Dry pass: A pass in which the ball never touches the water.
- Eggbeater: A kicking motion, using alternating circular motions of the leg, for treading water.
- Foul and Drop: It is wise to foul a player who is in a position to score inside the 5 meter area (turning that shooter into a passer) and then dropping back to play defense.
- Hips Up: Playing in a horizontal angle to maximize reaction time. Good defenders always have their belly buttons pointed toward the bottom of the pool.
- “Hole-Set”: When you hear this phrase, the hole player has good position and an entry pass should be made
- Misconduct (very uncommon) When the behavior of participants is inappropriate, the referees removals the player or coach from the game
- Pump-fake: Pumping and moving the ball in an effort to move the goalie out of position.
- Press: Strategy in which defensive players put pressure, without fouling, on the player with the ball and attempt to block the passing lanes.
- See the Pool: Keeping one’s head on a swivel so as to see the entire field of play during a game
- Six on Five (“We’re up!”): The offensive advantage when a defensive player serves an exclusion foul; exclusions last for 20 seconds and good teams will pump-fake and pass the ball around the perimeter for at least 15 seconds to wear down the defense before taking a shot. Also called a 6-on-5 or man-up.
- Triple Threat (Base Position): Holding the ball in a position which would allow the player to immediately shoot, drive, or pass
- “Walk it In”: To hold the ball up on offense and approach the goal, taking advantage of the open water between the player and the defender.
- Weak: The side of the pool opposite the ball. During the game, players often yell ‘weak’ to indicate that a player is open on the other side of the pool.
- Wet pass: A pass in which the ball lands in the water. A wet pass is used to ’set’ the hole-set.