Water Sport Blog » Water Polo

Water Polo

Linda Greens — Mon, 09 May 2011 08:40:20 +0000

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.

Understanding High School Water Polo

admin — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 08:10:32 +0000

Water Polo is a physically demanding water sport that non-players have a very difficult time understanding. Now imagine running as fast as you can for an hour but only being able to breathe half as many times as you would have liked. Now imagine all of the above but at the same time there is a person running next to you and kicking you in the gut every few minutes. Now you might begin to understand what it is like to play a game of water polo.

The basic game consists of the players sprinting up and down the length of the pool for an hour while trying to throw the polo ball into the goal. Furthermore players are not allowed to use the bottom of the pool to their advantage and hence most players simply choose to tread water the entire game instead of risking a penalty.

Because half of the game is taking place underwater the high level of contact in the sport can get out of hand quickly. It is not uncommon to be guarding another player who is kicking you underwater during the entire duration of the game. Also there are many common tactics that most coaches encourage that involving pushing off your opponents or twisting their arm in such a manner as to gain an edge in sprinting away from them.

After taking several blows to the stomach or groin even the most even tempered player will begin to look for opportunities to elbow their opponent in the face. This is one of the easiest hits to get away with as it looks very similar to a basic arm stroke if done correctly.

There is one position that gets particularly physical and that is the Hole-Set and the opposing Hole-Set defender. The Hole-Set is positioned right in front of the goal, similar to a center position in basketball. With their close proximity to the goal the opposing team guards this player closely. Not only are they close to the goal, but they are the key playmaker.

Lastly, the game gets vicious when shots are taken on the goalie. Goalies must have exceptional treading water skills because they must be able to remain out of the water from waist up for a period of several seconds. If they are unable to tread waist high out of the water for several seconds they will sink back down into the pool and at that time the shooter will have a wide open opportunity to score. The goalies often do not have enough time to get their hands out of the water if a unsuspected shot is taken, and as a result it is not uncommon for goalies to get hit in the face.

Windsurfing Equipment Overview

admin — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:39:16 +0000

One of the most entertaining and technically versatile water sports is windsurfing. It combines aspects of wakeboarding, surfing, and sailing into a single sport. A set of windsurfing equipment includes some items common to most water sports, such as a wetsuit. If you are planning to perform any tricks, no matter what the means of transportation you should wear a helmet to protect yourself and windsurfing is no exception. You will also need a board. Windsurfing boards differ from other surfing boards in many ways. Firstly they sport a universal joint in the middle of the board to which your sail attaches. The U joint allows swiveling and angling of the sail in any direction, which gives a windsurfer the freedom of movement necessary to perform many of the tricks they do.

After the board, you will need a sail. Windsurfing sails are generally triangular, with the hypotenuse being the vertical edge of the sail. The sail is held taut with the help of wishbone booms leading from the mast to the trailing edge of the sail. These allow the sail to be piloted from either side by the wind surfer. With a sail and a board covered, there is one major component left in windsurfing, the harness.

A windsurfing harness attaches the rider to the rig. Harnesses allow for longer excursions by taking the weight and tension of the sail off the rider’s arms and placing it on their torso. Less stress on the arms leads to lowered fatigue and more precise maneuvering. There are harness designs to go around the rider’s lower back and waist for back support, around their chest for upper back support and padding, or around their thighs and buttocks for seat like support. The harness is attached to the rig via harness lines that can be adjusted to suit the preferred neutral position of a rider.

Even with all the right windsurfing equipment, you’re probably not ready to set sail without lessons. Maneuvering a sailing device can take some practice, and knowing what to do when isn’t as intuitive as professionals make it look. A windsurfing lesson is a good idea for anyone looking to pick up the sport.