First of all, you need a pool. Without a pool, you forfeit the “water” element expressed in the game’s title and are therefore playing polo. This requires a horse, a helmet, a long pole — well, let’s stick to water polo. After finding a pool, you need a standard, waterproof water polo ball and two goals to be positioned at opposite ends of the pool. Similar to soccer, teams are awarded points every time they put the ball in the goal.
Once you have all the gear, you need to find six of your friends to make a complete team. Every team has seven players: one two-meter man, two wings, two drivers, one point and one goalie. Though each position has its own unique characteristics, everyone except the goalie is responsible for both offense and defense.
When describing physical traits of certain positions, sophomore driver Tommy Donahue of the men’s water polo team said, “Drivers are usually about six feet [tall] and quick in the pool, while a two-meter man is usually a bit taller and bulkier.”
Though muscle and size do not always signify talent, try to pick strong players when assembling your team. After all, you have to tread water the entire game, which consists of four quarters of eight minutes each.
Now that you have a team, you need to know the rules. Defense is simple: Do everything in your power to keep the ball out of your team’s goal, but do not get too aggressive because one of the two referees monitoring the game may call a foul.
There are two main types of fouls in water polo. The first, and less severe, is known as a regular foul. Senior goalkeeper Mike Merlone described this type of foul as being called when “a defender is pressing down on you or reaching in.”
The second type of foul is called an exclusion. Merlone compared this foul to that of “a penalty in hockey” because when a referee calls an exclusion foul, the player who committed the foul is ejected from the game for 20 seconds. According to Merlone, this foul is called “when a defender takes away what would have been a goal-scoring opportunity for the opposing team” by means that are not allowed by the rulebook.
Merlone suggested keeping your hands above the water while defending or the “ref might assume that you are fouling.”
Finally, you need to know about offense. Water polo, like basketball, has a shot clock. Whenever a team gains possession of the ball, the 35-second shot clock resets. When that team shoots the shot clock resets again. The same rule applies whenever an exclusion is called.
Though 35 seconds may sound like a lot of time, Merlone explained, “it takes 10–15 seconds to swim from one end of the pool to the other.”
Once you arrive at the opposing team’s goal, you have to outsmart or outmaneuver the defense with the remaining time. It is, as you might have guessed, a very fast game.
You have the gear, you assembled a team, and you know the rules. Now go find a pool.
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