Water Polo
Harry Peterson
10 Benefits Of Playing Water Polo:
● Burns calories – When you play water polo, you are guaranteed a non-stop, fat-burning workout. While in the water,
you are not allowed to touch the bottom of the pool, as it is one of the main rules of the game. This means your legs
must be kicking constantly, treading water, in order to keep your upper body above water so that you may continue to
play the game. This constant movement burns calories and helps lead to weight loss.
● Cardio workout – All of this movement gets your heart pumping! To ensure proper heart health, one must partake in
cardio workouts for at least 30 minutes each day. Getting your heart pumping higher than its resting rate each and
every day in order prevent heart-related illnesses, repairs damage and can whip your heart back into shape. Water
polo is an excellent way to do cardio training because of the constant exercise you partake in.
● Full-body workout – No part of your body sits still during a water polo game. You tread water with your legs, contort
your body with your core, and you reach, catch, and throw with your arms. Muscle groups throughout your entire body
are engaged, and with repeated activity they gain increased strength.
● High-resistance- The properties of water allow you to stay afloat in it, but they also mean that you have to exert quite
a bit of energy to move against it. This extra resistance against your movement causes you to push your body against
the flow of the water, and combines a cardiovascular workout with a strength workout. If you play water polo often,
your body will easily tone right up!
● Builds endurance – As an intensive workout, water polo pushes the athletic boundaries of the player and increases
their stamina and endurance. This is beneficial because it allows you to exercise for longer without becoming
exhausted, making you a stronger athlete. One study conducted in 2001 found that taking part in exercises that
increase endurance even has the ability to reduce oxidative stress.
● Cooling effect – Exercising in the water is a great choice because it keeps your body from getting overheated, which
leads to feelings of exhaustion. Therefore, water polo, swimming, and other aquatic exercises allow you to exercise
your body thoroughly without giving up. This provides for long, fulfilling workouts.
● Teaches strategy – In water polo, it is necessary to strategize with your team in order to overcome your competitors.
Putting this into practice builds your mental strength, which will benefit you in all areas of life and reduce the stress
you experience in the work environment and in your personal life.
● Injury prevention – Another great benefit of water sports is that water acts as a cushion for the body. Even when a
player gets knocked around or dives hard for the ball, there is no hard surface to fall against, and the water prevents
strain on the joints. Water polo is one of the only high-impact sports in which the injury rate is low, despite the vigor of
the sport.
● Team sport – You are way more likely to come to practice when all your friends are there waiting on you. Team
sports build accountability and make your exercise patterns much more regular. Regular exercise that fits into your
daily circadian rhythm has large benefits for your metabolism, which burns fat and increases your overall health and
fitness.
● Stress relief – Playing water polo, beating your legs to stay above the surface and throwing the ball with all of your
upper body strength, you will literally feel the tension float away from you. Over time, your mental aggression grows
physically in your body, making you feel tight and uncomfortable. Intensive exercise is one of the only ways to release
this tension and water polo is a great source of this exercise.
Skills Needed To Play Water Polo:
When swimming with the ball in water polo, you need to stay aware of your opponents' and
teammates' positions. That means that classic swimming strokes where your head dips
underwater generally doesn’t work. Instead, you keep your head out of the water, and push the
ball forward with your shoulders.
Scoring and throwing in water polo is to hold the ball steady but without upper body tension.
Keep your body positioned toward your intended target. Your arm should whip forward in a
baseball-style motion, making sure you follow through for maximum power and accuracy.
A lot of your time as a water polo player will include treading water while waiting for the ball. The
ideal position involves keeping your shoulders and head straight and above the water's surface.
The best way to stay upright and ready is to keep your legs moving alternately backward and
forward in a so-called "egg-beater" motion.
Rules Of Water Polo:
● 6 “Field” Players and 1 Goalie start the game. Teams consist of up to 15 players.
● Field players must pass, catch, and shoot with only 1 hand. Goalies may use 2 hands.
● Taking the ball under water when guarded is a turnover.
● The official playing field is at least 25 yards long, 20 yards wide, and 7 feet deep.
● Players may not touch the bottom or hang on the wall.
● Games consist of 4 quarters and typically last 45 minutes to 1 hour.
● There is a 30 second shot clock per possession.
● Minor fouls occur frequently and result in a free pass. There is no limit to minor fouls.
● After 3 major fouls (ejections), a player may not return to the game.
