water polo

Water polo is the oldest Olympic team sport, and since 2000 there has also been an Olympic competition for women. In Germany, water polo was first played in 1894 in the swimming club Borussia Berlin.

In water polo, players from 2 teams try to throw the ball into the opposing goal by skilful play and free swimming. The aim of the game is to score more goals than the opposing team, the winner is the team with the most recognized goals. A water polo team consists of a maximum of 13 players, 7 of whom play at a time. These are 6 field players and a goalkeeper. The teams are distinguished by white and blue caps, the goalkeepers wear red caps.

A special swimming style is not required for water polo. However, it is not permitted to stand on the pool floor while the ball is being played. In the combative course of the game, the crawl style is mainly practiced. In order to keep track of the game, the head is usually kept above the water. After 3 to 4 crawls, the swimmer usually swims backstroke. The most effective way for any water polo player to stay afloat is to tread water. The goalkeeper practices treading water for almost the entire duration of the game, as he constantly has to stay afloat in his usual place. Normally, two referees control the game.

In the meantime, game tactics in water polo have developed so far that certain "player positions" can be defined, which, with the exception of the goalkeeper, are not exclusively tied to one player. The defenders and midfielders in particular have to switch to different positions depending on the course of the game.

Modern water polo has a number of different game tactics, many based on the "overnumber game". In order to be able to distinguish between the individual positions better, they are assigned seat numbers. Serious violations of the rules in the six-yard box will result in a penalty throw from the six-yard line.