Water Polo is a physically demanding water sport that non-players have a very difficult time understanding. Imagine running as fast as you can for an hour, now imagine running as fast as you can for an hour but only being able to breathe half as many times as you would have liked. Now imagine all of the above but at the same time there is a person running next to you and kicking you in the gut every few minutes. Now you might begin to understand what it is like to play a game of water polo. After taking several blows to the stomach or groin even the most even tempered player will begin to look for opportunities to elbow their opponent in the face. This is one of the easiest hits to get away with as it looks very similar to a basic arm stroke if done correctly.

There is one position that gets particularly physical and that is the Hole-Set and the opposing Hole-Set defender. The Hole-Set is positioned right in front of the goal, similar to a center position in basketball. With their close proximity to the goal the opposing team guards this player closely. Not only are they close to the goal, but they are the key playmaker. Traditionally a Hole-Set defender places both of their elbows on the shoulders of the Hole-Set and attempts to keep them as far underwater as possibly without getting in trouble from the ref. This includes common tactics such as sticking one’s foot into the swimsuit of the Hole-Set and attempting to drag them underwater while keeping your hands above water to “prove your innocence.”

Lastly the game gets vicious when shots are taken on the goalie. Goalies must have exceptional treading water skills because they must be able to remain out of the water from waist up for a period of several seconds. If they are unable to tread waist high out of the water for several seconds they will sink back down into the pool and at that time the shooter will have a wide open opportunity to score. The goalies often do not have enough time to get their hands out of the water if a unsuspected shot is taken, and as a result it is not uncommon for goalies to get hit in the face.

Tags: Scuba Diving, Water Polo, Water Sport

This entry was posted on December 6, 2010 at 2:16 am and is filed under Water Polo. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.