Water Ball Competition: Rules and Play

Waterball, also known as water polo, is a very exciting Olympic game. It is enjoyed by thousands of fans from all over the world, who are excited by the fast-paced games of seven-man teams. In this article we will present the basic rules of water polo and its history.

History of water polo

-- Advertisement --

Although it may seem like a fairly new sport, the opposite is true. It has been played since the 19th century in Scotland, from where it was popularised throughout Europe. Water polo debuted at the Olympic Games as early as 1900, although the rules were slightly different then. Today, the best teams come from southern Europe, the United States and Australia.

Interestingly, competitions take place not only at club level. Water polo competitions are also held at the level of international teams. There is even a Champions League, in which the best European teams take part. If you are interested in this class of competition, you can watch it on sports TV and online. A good online bookmaker such as Unibet even makes sports betting on water polo available.

Rules of the game

Each team has six regular players and a goalkeeper. Unlike in football or basketball, in water soccer it is rare for players to play in specific positions. Players move quickly to attack or defence, so tactics play a lesser role. The only clearly marked role is the goalkeeper, who has two privileges. He can bounce the ball with his fist and also touch the ball with two hands. However, this is only possible if he is within five metres of his own goal. Teams can be distinguished from each other by their caps. Usually one team wears white caps, while the other team wears dark-coloured caps. Goalkeepers Other teams wear red caps or caps with red stripes. The game is played in four short quarters, with the timing depending on the level of competition. In the Olympics, for example, it is 8 minutes, but in the senior club competition the time increases to 9 minutes. As you can see, the matches do not last long, which makes them extremely dynamic. The clock is stopped when the ball is not in play – at the time of a foul, for example. Players can be excluded from the game until the end of the match and this happens on the third foul of a player.

The game takes place in a pool ranging in size from 20 x 10 m to 30 x 20 m. As the dimensions are not exactly fixed, the course of the game can be quite different depending on the pool. The size of the goals, on the other hand, is defined in more detail. The goal must be 3 metres long by 90 cm high. There are also several variations of this game, including surf polo, which is played on surfboards. Another variant is kayak polo, popular in the UK. This is a dexterity-intensive game played in one-man kayaks. In conclusion, water polo is a very spectacular and contact game. If you would like to start playing this sport, it certainly requires a strong fitness level. It is also not difficult to get injured. Players even wear mouth guards similar to those used in boxing. If you haven’t seen a match of these games yet, it’s worth getting interested. The interesting rules and high pace of play should keep you in suspense throughout the match.