Stories say the Englishmen used to play the sport in pools, lakes and rivers throughout the countryside. The sport was something of a brutal version of water rugby. It spread through villages at town fairs in England and Scotland as it was an added attraction to the swimming events of these times. The sport took an abundance of strength and swimming prowess to compete in during these times. Water Polo initially kept score by having the first player to cross over to the other teams side and place the ball at the end of there pool. Yet, what made that difficult was the goalie was standing on shore and would come running after the ball carrier then a fight would ensue.
At this time in water polo history they did not play in clean chlorinated pools. They played wherever they could which included lakes and rivers throughout Europe. Often times they competed in dark murky water filled with trees and debris that made the game rather difficult and it wasn’t until the late 1800′s that they determined they should move the game indoors.

The games shifted from lakefront fistfights to a much more eloquent display of athleticism. The adoption of a goal and the evolution of swimming shifted the focus to a much more pleasant game. Speed and teamwork became much more important than rage. The ball changed as well going from a much smaller ball to something very similar in shape to a soccer ball that was waterproof.
The US began to adopt water polo around 1888 and it was very much the old brutal rugby format. Despite its rough exterior the sport continued to grow throughout the US and was actually one of the first team sports to be incorporated in the first Olympics.
Shortly after the 1904 Olympics, FINA the international body for water sports adopted the Scottish rules for international competitions. However, the US continued to insist upon playing in these brutal conditions where athletes were continuously hurt. It wasn’t until 1914 that the AAU imposed upon all US water polo competitions the much safer international standards thus significantly changing water polo history.

Water polo has continued to see positive growth throughout the US, Europe and Australia. The sport is highlighted every four years at the summer Olympics and is generally dominated by European countries. The sport can be found at the amateur level through high schools and colleges across the US and is always played in some form throughout backyards during summer…So goes the history of water polo.

If you are a beginner or you have never been wakeboarding before, a large wakeboard would be an perfect size to start off with. This is because larger boards have a greater surface area that is exposed with the water, providing greater buoyancy and more stability to the rider. The size of the board has to be right for the rider because if it is too small, the board will not be able to support their weight and making them more likely to sink and if it is too large, it will be too difficult to manoeuvre. However, if you are a more advanced rider, a smaller board provides more control, allowing you to pull off tricks much easier.

A board with square ends are ideal for beginners as this shape makes the board glide slowly through the water as it makes contact with the straight edge of the front of the board. A slower board means that the rider has more time to react to the water and have more control over their actions. A board with more rounded edges are more suited to riders with a bit more experience in the sport as this offers greater ability to pull off surface tricks but offers less stability and are harder to land from a jump.

When it comes to making jumps off wakes, the width of the board at the centre should be considered. Boards with narrow down centre make it more difficult to get height from a jump as less of the board hits the wake and therefore less propulsion into the air. They are also harder to land from jumps as they have a smaller surface area. Despite being harder to control on the surface of the water, boards with a wider centre are better for getting good air as more of the board hits the wake and they are easier to land.

The rocker (the bend in the board) can influence control and speed of the board and there are generally two types of rockers; the continuous rocker and the three-stage rocker. The continuous rocker is one where the board has a smooth bend from top to bottom. The advantage of having a continuous rocker is that the rider can obtain greater speeds as there is less friction between the board and water. A board with a three-stage rocker is similar to a skateboard when it has 2 noticeable bends in it but not as drastically. These types of boards are ideal for beginners as they ride slower due to the water hitting the bend in the board but they also enable the rider to get good height when jumping off a wake.