Dictionary of Meaning

<<Back
Please select a letter:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0-9

Water polo

*** Shopping-Tip: Water polo
siehe Water polo Water polo is a team water sport, which can be best described as a combination of swimming, football (soccer), basketball, ice hockey, rugby and wrestling. A team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The goal of the game resembles that of football/soccer—to score as many goals as possible, each goal being worth one point. A perfect water polo athlete can be best described as having the over-arm accuracy of a baseball pitcher, the vertical of a volleyball player, the toughness of a hockey player, the endurance of a cross-country skier and the strategy of a chess player. Of course, to find a player of this ability is difficult.

Basic skills needed for a water polo player

- Swimming: As water polo is a team water sport, swimming is most commonly a skill which is acquired before playing this sport. It is a key element as it is needed to swim back and forth across the pool often. The freestyle stroke used in water polo differs from the usual swimming style in that water polo players swim with the head out of water at all times to observe the field.

Ball_handling_skills|Ball handling skills: As all field players are only allowed to touch the ball with one hand at a time, they must develop the ability to catch and throw the ball with either hand. A water polo player can be strong, fit and generate large amounts of power through their body but if they can not develop good ball control or be comfortable with the ball in their hand, then it is a waste of time playing.

- Treading water: The most common form of water treading is referred to in the United States as the "egg-beater," named because the movement of the legs resembles the motion of an egg (food) beater. The advantage of the egg-beater is that it allows the player to maintain a constant position to the water level (as opposed to the scissor kick, which results in the player bobbing up and down.) Also, by kicking faster for a brief period the player can get high out of the water (as high as their suit—below their waistline) for a block, pass, or shot.

Some of the best ever include Spain's egg (food) beater. The advantage of the egg-beater is that it allows the player to maintain a constant position to the water level (as opposed to the scissor kick, which results in the player bobbing up and down.) Also, by kicking faster for a brief period the player can get high out of the water (as high as their suit—below their waistline) for a block, pass, or shot.Some of the best ever include Spain's Manuel Estiarte, who played in a record six Olympics and led in scoring for four of them. Another major figure in the sport is Tamas Farago. In the United States, Water polo players also tend to have prestigious academic backgrounds as well. A number of players, including former USA captain Wolf Wigo, who retired after Athens 2004, and international phenom Tony Azevado attended Stanford University. The sport's most notable balancing act to date includes Omar Amr, who played on the US National Team while attending Harvard Medical School and recovering from a near career ending knee injury in 2001.

Overview

Note: Rules below reflect the latest FINA Water Polo Rules 2005-2009 The game is divided into four periods, of which the length depends on the level of play: {| |- | Olympics: | 8 minutes |- | High School: | |- |

Varsity:

| 7 minutes |- |

Junior Varsity:

| 6 minutes |- |

Fresh/Soph:

| 5 minutes |- |} The game clock is stopped when the ball is not 'in play' e.g. between a foul being committed and the free throw being taken and between a goal being scored and the re-start. This causes the average quarter to last around 12 minutes 'real time'. A team may not have possession of the ball for longer than 30 seconds without shooting for the goal or an opponent being ejected - after this time, possession passes to the other team. However if a team shoots the ball within the alloted 30 seconds, and regains control of the ball, the shot clock is reset to 30 seconds. Dimensions of the water polo pool are not fixed and can vary between 20 x 10 and 30 x 20 meters, and are filled with water to a minimum depth of at least 1.8 meters (at least 6 feet). The goals are 3 meters wide and 90 centimetres high. The ball used is a water polo ball. The middle of the pool (analogous to the 50 yard line in football) is designated by a white line. In the past, the pool was divided by 7 and 4 meter lines (distance out from the goal line). This has been merged into one 5 meter line since the 2005-2006 season. Along the side of the pool, the center area between the 5 meter lines is marked by a green line. The "five meters" line is where the penalties are shot and it is designated by a yellow line. The "two meters" line is designated with a red line and no player of the attacking team can be inside this line without the ball. One player on each team is designated the goalkeeper, and their primary job is to guard the goals, deflecting or catching any shots at goal. The goalkeeper is the only player who can touch the ball with both hands at any time, and, in a shallow pool, the only player allowed to stand on the bottom. Players can move the ball by throwing it to a teammate or swimming while pushing the ball in front of them. Players are not permitted to push the ball underwater when being tackled, or push or hold an opposition player unless that player is holding the ball. Fouls are very common, and result in a free throw which one cannot shoot to the goal unless (in the rare case) they are beyond the "5 meters" line. Water polo players need remarkable stamina due to the considerable amount of holding and pushing that occurs during the game, both that which is unseen/ignored by the referees (usually underwater) and that which is allowed. Water polo is one of the most physically demanding of all sports. Water polo is a game requiring excellent eye-hand coordination. The ability to handle and pass the ball flawlessly is what separates the good teams from the great teams. There are two basic passes in waterpolo: the "dry" pass and the "wet" pass. When passing to a field position player, one would preferably throw a dry pass (meaning the ball doesn't touch the water) a couple of inches of above the head of the catching player and off-centered to the left or right side depending if the catcher is right or left handed. The dry pass allows for optimal speed when passing from player to player because the player would not have to pick the ball up out of the water to throw. A fluid motion between catching and throwing is the goal. When the ball leaves the thrower's hand, the ball should have a back spin to it. This makes it easier to catch. If the ball is thrown with a sidespin, it makes the ball harder to catch because it can slip out of one's hand. The wet pass is a deliberate pass into the water. This is usually done when making a pass into the hole-set. To make a successful wet-pass, you would want the ball to land just out of reach of the offensive player and defensive team. The hole-set can then lunge towards the ball and out of the water to make a shot or pass. This is a very effective offensive strategy if a team has a strong hole-set. Scoring in water polo can be quite unique compared to other sports. For example, a "skip" shot is fired intentionally at the water with considerable force so it will bounce back up. The ball usually hits the water within a metre of the net, where the the goalie cannot anticipate and block the shot. Another shot, called a "lob" is thrown with a large vertical arc. Often these shots are more difficult to stop than a faster shot, as they are usually thrown across a net at such an angle the goalie must not only shift position from one side of the net to the other quickly, but also at the same time propel out of the water more than for most other types of shots. Shots usually succeed when the goalie is out of position. At long range from the goal, shots at goal are easy for goalkeepers to stop, but closer ones are very difficult. Close-range shots tend to be harder to come by (since players close to the goalpost are usually under very great pressure), but in these situations usually a soft tap-in is enough to beat the goalkeeper. Close-range shots may come from the centre-forward in open play, utilizing either quick backhand-shots, swing-shots or other creative shooting positions. Pump faking is also a strategy when using any kind of shot. The player gets in the position to shoot but stops halfway through. This puts the defensive on edge and partially immobilizes the goalie by wasting his blocking lunge. As in ice hockey, players will be sent out for short periods of time for committing more heinous fouls. In water polo, a player caught committing a major foul, is sent to the corner for 20 seconds, until the next goal or after his team regains possession, whichever comes first. This type of foul is normally called an ejection or a kickout. If the foul is a unsportsmanlike act, however, the player is ejected for the remainder of the game with substitution. This type of foul is often called a 'roll' because the referee signals the foul by rolling his hands around one another. If a player commits a foul with intention to harm, the player is ejected from the game without substitution. The player's team plays one man down for the rest of the game. This type of foul is called a 'brutality' and is signaled by the referee by crossing the arms in the form of an X. During a 'man-up' situation resulting from an ejection foul, the attacking team can expect to score, by adopting a 4-2 or 3-3 formation, and moving the goalkeeper out of position. A player that has been ejected three times must sit out the whole match with substitution, much like the six personal fouls in Basketball.

Positions

There are six field player positions and a goalkeeper on each team. Unlike most common team sports, there is no positional play; players often will play several positions throughout the game as situations demand. ; Offense:The offensive positions include: 1 center forward (a.k.a. hole set or 2-meter offense), 2 wings, 2 drivers (also called "flats"), and 1 "point" man, who defends the opposing team's center forward (a.k.a. hole D or 2-meter defense). The wings, drivers and point are often called the "perimeter players". The most basic positional set up is known as a 3-3, due to the fact that there are two lines both containing 3 players. Another set up is known as a 'umbrella', or 'mushroom', because the perimeter players form the shape of an umbrella or mushroom around the goal with the center forward as the "handle" or "stalk". The center forward, known by players as hole set or 2-meter is the center player in the middle of the umbrella who is closest to the opposing teams goal. This player sets up in front of the opposing team's goalie and usually scores the most individually or contributes most often to initiating plays. The five perimeter players often swim the most and interchange their positions several times during a single offensive play. They contribute to the actual execution of plays, and cumulatively score the most points for the team. The point player's position provides better opportunities to pass to teammates and communication among the offense, like the point guard in basketball. ;Defense: Defensive positions are often the same, but just switched from offense to defense. Defense can be played man-to-man or zone. ;Goalie: The goalkeeper is the only player given several privileges above that of the other players, but only if he is within the five meter area in front of his goal.
These privileges are:

- The ability to touch the ball with two hands.

- The ability to strike the ball with a clenched fist.

- The ability to touch the bottom of the pool. (pool depth permitting)
The goalkeeper also has one limitation that other players do not have: he cannot cross the half-distance line.

Offense strategy

;Starting play : At the start of each period, teams line up on their own goal line. At the referee's whistle, both teams swim to midpoint of the field, where the referee drops the ball. The first team to recover the ball becomes the attacker until a goal is scored or the defenders recover the ball. After a goal is scored, the teams line up anywhere within their halves of play, but usually along the midpoint of the pool. Play resumes when the team not scoring the goal puts the ball in play by passing it to a teammate. ;Advancing the ball : When the offense takes possession of the ball, the strategy is to advance the ball down the field of play and to score a goal. Players can move the ball by throwing it to a teammate or swimming while pushing the ball in front of them ("dribbling"). If offensive players uses their arms to push away a defending player to free up space for a pass or shot, the referee will rule a turnover and the defense will take possession of the ball. If an attacker advances inside the 2-meter line without the ball or before the ball is inside the 2-meter area, he is ruled off-side and the ball is turned over to the defense. This is often overlooked if the attacker is well to the side of the pool. ;Setting the ball : The key to the offense is to accurately pass (or "set") the ball into the center forward or hole set, positioned directly in front of the goal ("the hole"). The hole set attempts to take possession of the ball, to shoot at the goal, or to draw a foul from his defender. A

Defense strategy | minor foul is called if his defender (called the "hole D") attempts to impede movement or knock the ball away from the hole set before he has possession. The referee indicates the foul with one short whistle blow and points one hand to the spot of the foul and the other hand in the direction of the attacking team, who retain possession. The hole set then has three seconds to make a free pass to one of the other players. The defensive team cannot pressure the hole set directly after the foul and the hole set cannot shoot a goal once the foul has been awarded. If the hole set attempts a goal without the free throw, the goal is not counted and the defense takes possession of the ball. As soon as the hole set has a free pass, the other attacking players attempt to swim or "drive" away from their defenders towards the goal. The players at the flat position will attempt to set a screen for the driver. When the driver is free from a defender, the player calls for the pass from the hole set and attempts a shot at the goal.

;Man up : If a defender interferes with a free throw, holds or sinks an attacker without the ball, the defensive player is kicked out of the game for twenty seconds (exclusion or

Defense strategy | major foul). The attacking team positions 4 players on the 2 meter line, and 2 players on 5 meter line, passing the ball around until an open player attempts a shot. The 5 defending players try to pressure the attackers, block shots and prevent a goal being scored for the 20 seconds while they are a player down. The defensive player is allowed to return immediately if the offense scores or if the defense recovers the ball before the twenty seconds expires.

;Five meter penalty : If a defender commits a foul within the five meter area that prevents a likely goal, the attacking team is awarded a penalty "throw" or shot. An attacking player lines up on the five meter line in front of the opposing goal. No other player may be in front of him or within 2 meters of his position. The defending goalkeeper must be between the goal posts. The referee signals with a whistle and by lowering his arm, and the player taking the penalty shot must immediately throw it with an uninterrupted motion toward the goal. Penalty shots are often successful, but the goalkeeper who blocks a "five meter" can expect a chorus of cheers from the stands. ;Scoring : A shot is successful if the ball completely passes the vertical plane defined by the goal posts. If a shot bounces off a goal post back into the field of play, the ball is rebounded by the players and the shot clock is reset. If the shot goes outside the goal and on to the deck (outside the field of play) then the ball is automatically recovered by the defense. If the ball, however, was last touched by a defender before landing on the deck, it is recovered by the attacking team at the corner and the shot clock is reset, like a corner kick in soccer. The defense sometimes "counterattacks" when the goalie blocks a shot, gains control of the ball, and makes a long pass to a teammate at the opposite end of the pool. If a player stays on his offensive end of the pool when the rest of his team is defending, he is said to be "cherry picking."

Defense strategy

On defense, the players work to regain possession of the ball and prevent a goal. The defense attempts to knock or steal the ball from the offense or commit a foul in order to stop an offensive player from taking a goal shot. The defender attempts to stay between the attacker and the goal, a position known as "inside water". Fouls
If an offensive player, such as the hole set (center forward), has possession of the ball in front of the goal, the defensive player tries to steal the ball or keep the center from shooting or passing. If the defender cannot, he may intentionally commit a foul. The hole set then has a free throw but must pass the ball off to another offensive player, rather than making a shot at the goal. Defensive perimeter players may also intentionally cause a minor foul and then move toward the goal, away from their attacker, who must take a free throw. This technique, called 'sloughing', allows the defense an opportunity to double-team the hole set and possibly steal the inbound pass. The referee may refrain from declaring a foul caused by a defensive player, if in his judgment this would give the advantage to the defending team. This is known as the 'Advantage Rule'. Minor fouls occur when a player impedes or otherwise prevents the free movement of an opponent who is not holding the ball, including swimming on the opponent’s shoulders, back or legs. The most common is when a player reachs over the shoulder of an opponent and to knock the ball away. A defensive player cannot legally reach over the opponent until the opponent has taken possession of the ball. The referee indicates the foul with one short whistle blow and points one hand to the spot of the foul and the other hand in the direction of the attacking team, who retain possession. The attacker has three seconds to make a free pass to another offensive player. If the foul has been committed outside the 5-meter line, the offensive player may also attempt a direct shot on goal, but the shot must be a clean one. If the offensive player fakes a shot and then shoots the ball, it is considered a turnover. Major fouls are committed when the defensive player pulls the offensive player away from the ball before the offensive player has had a chance to take possession of the ball or illegally take away 'advantage' from the offensive player. This includes dunking ('sinking' in FINA rules), pulling back, or otherwise preventing the offensive player from preserving his 'advantage'. A referee signals a major foul by two short whistle bursts and indicates that the player must leave the field of play and move to the penalty area for twenty seconds. The player must move to the penalty area without impacting the natural game play. If the player does not leave the field of play, the player will be kicked out for the remaining time of the game with substitution. The remaining five defenders, to cover the six attackers on a "player-down" situation, usually set up in a zone defense in front of their goal. A penalty shot is awarded when a major foul is committed inside the 5-meter line and the offensive player had an opportunity to score, or a goal was prevented by the foul. This usually means that the offensive player is in front of and facing the goal. The penalty is shot from 5 meters. Any defenders flanking the executing offender must be no closer than 2 meters away. The goalkeeper must be on the goal line.

Ball handling skills

There are two basic passes in waterpolo: the "dry" pass and the "wet" pass. When passing to a field position player, a dry pass (meaning the ball doesn't touch the water) is thrown a few inches above the head of the catching player and to the left or right side depending on the receiver's dominant hand. The dry pass allows for optimal speed when passing from player to player, who do not have to pick the ball up out of the water to throw. A fluid motion between catching and throwing is the goal. An expert thrower's hand creates back spin, making the ball difficult to catch. The wet pass is a deliberate pass into the water. This is usually done when making a pass into the hole set. To make a successful wet pass, the ball lands just out of reach of the offensive player and defensive team. The hole set can then lunge towards the ball and out of the water to make a shot or pass. This is a very effective offensive strategy if a team has a strong hole set. There a three basic shooting techniques. The first is a straight forward power shot'. The player propels his body out of the water and uses his momentum to shoot the ball into the net. Though very powerful, this shot requires the precise targeting. If the shot is off the mark, the ball will either be blocked by the goalie or rebound off the goal post. Another shooting technique is the 'skip shot'. Instead of shooting directly into the net, the player throws the ball at an angle directly into the water. If done properly and with enough force, the ball will skip off the water and into the goal. The skip shot usually takes the goalie by surprise. If not done correctly, the ball will just stay in the water, resulting in an embarrassing steal. The 'lob shot is high arching shot intended to pass over the goalie's hands and under the crossbar. It is most effective taken from an angle on either side of the goal post; this provides a large area behind the goalie into which the lob can drop on its downward arc. Pump faking is effective when using any kind of shot. The player gets in the position to shoot and but stops halfway through. This puts the defensive on edge and partially immobilizes the goalie by wasting his blocking lunge. This can be repeated until the player decides to release the ball. A good pump fake takes a great amount of hand strength to palm the ball while it is moving at the same speed as the actual shot.

History

Although modern water polo was invented in the late nineteenth century in Great Britain by William Wilson, an early African rite of passage into manhood similar to it was played in rivers (often at the end the river was stained red with blood). Evidence suggests similar water-ball games also developed independently in flooded rice paddies in western China sometime after 500 A.D by the Xcho Dynasty. Played in many countries around the world, notably Hungary and the former Yugoslavia, the game involves teams of seven players (plus up to six substitutes), with a ball similar in size to a soccer ball but constructed out of waterproof nylon. The goal of the game is to throw the ball into the team's goal net at the end of the pool, and prevent the opposition from doing so at the other end of the pool. Men's water polo was the among the first Olympic team sports, introduced at the Water Polo at the 1900 Summer Olympics|1900 games. Women's water polo became an Olympic sport at the 2000 Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics after political protests from the Australian women's team. Such protests were rewarded when Australia won the gold medal match against the United States with a "buzzer-beater" last-minute goal, taken from the half-way line. Deszo Gyarmati of Hungary won water polo medals at five successive Olympic Games (gold 1952, 1956, 1964; silver 1948; bronze 1960), a record that has never been matched. The annual Varsity Match between Oxford and University of Cambridge Universities is the longest running water polo fixture in the world, having run since 1891. The most famous water polo match in history is probably the 1956 Summer Olympics semi-final match between Hungary and the Soviet Union. As the athletes left for the games, the 1956 Hungarian revolution happened, and a 200,000 strong Soviet army crushed a small uprising of Hungarian insurgents. Many of the Hungarian athletes vowed never to return home, and felt their only means of fighting back was by victory in the pool. The confrontation was the most bloody and violent water polo game in history, in which the pool reputedly turned red from the blood spilt. The Hungarians defeated the Soviets 4-0 before the game was called off in the final minute to prevent angry Hungarians in the crowd reacting to Valentin Prokopov punching Ervin Zador's eye open. The Hungarians continued to win the championship by defeating Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia 2-1 in the final. Half of the Hungarian Olympic delegation defected after the games. Water polo world championships are held every year together with the world swimming championship, under the auspices of the "FINA Water Polo World League". Today water polo is gaining popularity in the United States. Though the majority of domestic club teams are based in California, Florida, Illinois, and in Texas, it has become more widespread among New England and Missouri preparatory high schools and Ivy League universities. There were also club teams from Washington, Oregon, Utah, and Michigan competing at the 2005 USWP Junior Olympics. The biggest waterpolo competition in the world is played in the Netherlands. Prince William of England was the captain of his collegiate water polo team at St Andrew's University, Scotland. Recently In the 2005 Men's NCAA Finals, the USC Trojans defeated the Stanford Cardinal 3-2.

Water polo world leading teams for 2006

(After the 2005 Men's Water Polo World Championship in Montreal, Canada) 1.Serbia and Montenegro (current World and European Champions) 2.Hungary 3.Greece 4.Croatia

External links

- FINA World Water Polo Association

- FINA World League of Water Polo

- FINA Water Polo Rules

- Water Polo Federation of Serbia and Montenegro

- Hungarian Water Polo Federation

- Hellenic Undersecretariat of State for Sports / Water Polo

- Croatian Water Polo Federation

- Water Polo Canada

- USA Water Polo

- New Zealand Water Polo

- Water Polo World

- Water Polo