Out of sight, out of the rule book

"Play by the rules."

It's a simple concept we have all heard before. After that line probably comes the one where you are told that if you follow the aforementioned rules, you will probably win. But it does not always work that way.

Rules are made to be broken. Such words of wisdom are especially true when it comes to men's water polo.

Just like nearly every other sport, water polo has an extensive collection of rules — 66 pages in the NCAA's version, to be exact — that govern nearly every conceivable action by the players. Unlike other sports, however, most of the playing area in water polo is completely out of sight for the referee.

Though the rules cover what should and should not happen under water, the referee who stands outside the water cannot see the majority of what occurs underwater.

"Seventy-five percent of the game is about what you do or keep the other team from doing underwater," senior utility Reid Joseph said. "Whatever you can grab is fair game: your body, suit, hair."

"Underwater there is a lot of punching, elbowing, kicking, and grabbing," senior center Nicholas Seaver added.

Most underwater tactics, though often violent, are not pointless. They are used to control a player's movement, particularly after he makes a strong drive breaking away from a majority of the defense, because there is a very high likelihood he could then score. By slowing his opponent's momentum, a player buys his team time to set up an adequate defense, or he can cause his opponent to make an error and possibly lose possession.

Because impeding a player's movement underwater is illegal, the defender has to do his best to make sure the referee does not know what is going on in the pool.

"If you are smart about [underwater defense] it is usually not a problem," Joseph said. "Most of the times you get caught are when they are showing the ref you are acting illegally. Because a lot of the officiating is so subjective, a lot of times it comes down to who is the best actor."

Using illegal defense strategies is a calculated move, because you are risking an ejection if caught. Being ejected gives the opposing team 30 seconds where they have a man-advantage, vastly increasing the likelihood they will score.

Even when referees suspects there is illegal action occurring in the pool, they do not always eject. Since water polo is a game about keeping advantage for as long as possible, referees tend to favor not giving away the advantage. In man-on-man defense, the defender has the advantage when he is between a player and the goal. Therefore, if the defender is in front of the attacker, he tends to have more leeway from the officiators.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

"If you have the advantage, you will probably get the call," Joseph said.

Though the Tigers try their best to calculate when they will be allowed more freedom in improperly restraining a player, sometimes they have to take the risk.

"A lot of times you will take an ejection to keep someone from scoring," Seaver said.

When grabbing, punching and kicking during crucial moments, players have to be especially careful, as an ejection could turn the tide of a match. In Princeton's two-goal loss to Navy last weekend, the Midshipmen scored a key goal with 1.26 seconds left in the half because they were given a man-up situation by the Tigers.

Because illegal defense is such a crucial part of the game, players have to be prepared for it like they do any actions of their opponents.

"The best strategy is to be prepared, keep your hips and your head above the water," Seaver said. "If you are above water, the ref will see it and it gives them less to grab."

If that doesn't work, "then your only recourse can be to hurt the guy," Joseph said.

Clearly violence is an important aspect of the sport.

"I have had my eye split twice and my lip split twice," Seaver said. "It is all part of the game and it is all fun."

While playing by the rules may get a player ahead in some sports, water polo clearly is an athletic endeavor whose rules are truly meant to be broken.