1-
History & Object
2- The
Essentials (Offense & Defense,
Scoring, Etc.)
3- Fouls
4- Field Diagram and
Positions
5- Glossary
of Water Polo Terms
Field
of Play
The
diagram illustrates standard
measurements for a water polo
field, however, many pools were
not designed for water polo
and play must be adapted. For
example, some pools have a shallow
end. With the exception of the
goalie, players may not use
the bottom of the pool to stand
or push off during the game.
Regardless of its size, each
water polo pool is marked with
several important lines:
Goal
lines (white)-Lines that
mark the boundary on either
end of the pool.
2-meter
(red)-Line that not be crossed
by offensive players without
possession of the ball, unless
the ball is inside the line
and they are behind the line
of the ball. Corner throws are
taken from the 2-meter line,
and goal throws are taken between
the goal line and the 2-meter
line.
4-meter
(yellow)-Line from which
penalty shots are taken. Also,
the goalie becomes a regular
field player if he crosses the
4-meter line.
7-meter
(green)-Line outside of
which an offensive player may
immediately shoot the ball in
one continuous motion (no pumping
or faking) following an ordinary
foul.
Mid-pool
(white)-Marks the spot where
the referee drops the ball during
the sprint. This is also where
players line up after a goal.
The goalie cannot cross mid-pool.
Positions
There
are two teams of seven players
each. Each team has one goalie
and six field players. The goalies
wear red caps, the home teams
field players wear dark-colored
caps, and the visiting teams
field players wear white caps.
Offense
Hole-set:
An offensive player who
positions himself directly in
front of the opponents
goal to run the offense. Teammates
pass the ball to the hole-set,
who attempts to shoot it or
pass it to an open teammate.
Also called the center forward,
hole, hole-man, or 2-meter man.
Driver:
Field players who constantly
rotate around the perimeter
of the offense to find scoring
opportunities. A driver is not
assigned to one position; rather,
he rotates through the following
three positions: point, positioned
at the tip of the offense farthest
from the opponents goal; flat,
positioned about 7 meters from
the goal line; and wings, positioned
near the 2-meter line. Most
driving occurs from the point
and flat positions; the wings
rotate up to the flat as teammates
drive their direction.
Defense
Goalie:
Defensive player who guards
the goal by blocking the opponents
shots. The goalie is the only
player who can touch the ball
with two hands at once. Also
called goalkeeper.
Hole
guard: A defensive player
who guards the hole-set. The
hole-guards main objective
is to prevent the hole-set from
scoring, often by purposely
committing ordinary fouls. Also
called center back.
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