About Water Polo

Water Polo, along with Soccer, is one of only two team sports that have been played in all of the Olympic Games of the modern era. It is a fast paced sport that challenges the athlete in many ways, as it requires superb cardiovascular conditioning, excellent ball handling/hand-eye coordination and an ability to react quickly to changing conditions in the pool.

A water polo team consists of six field players and a goalie. The object of the game is to outscore the opposing side by shooting a roughly volleyball sized ball into a 10' x 3' goal. Field players are only allowed to touch the ball with one hand. A 35 second shot clock keeps the pace fast. A game consists of four 5-7 minute quarters (game length determined by tournament host), separated by short 1-2 minute breaks. A game usually lasts 40-50 minutes. Substitution is allowed, and needed, as the game is played in an all deep pool.

The game appears confusing at first, as play is often interrupted by fouls that lead to free passes for wronged players. Minor fouls, such as hitting the arm or body of an offensive player who has the ball, result in an immediate free pass. Major fouls (brutality or excessive force, pulling a player back etc.) lead to an ejection of the offender with a resulting "6 on 5" power play for the wronged team. For an excellent summary of the rules, go to jmuwaterpolo.com/rules or hickokocksports.com/rules.

Water Polo in the United States is governed by the USA Water Polo Association. USA Water Polo was formed in 1891 and is responsible for selecting National and Olympic Teams. It also serves as the umbrella organization for over 300 clubs with over 15,000 athletes. USA Water Polo divides the country into 11 Zones. GLWP is in the Midwest Zone, which consists of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, and Kentucky.

USA Water Polo age group competition is broken down into four groups: 18u (Youth), 16u (Cadet), 14u (Development) and 12u (Beginners). An athlete is assigned to an age group based upon their age on December 31 (e.g. a player who turns 18 on January 1 plays 18u as does a player who turns 18 on December 30 of the same year).

USA Water Polo selects national teams in the Youth and Cadet groups. These teams practice 2-3 times per year and usually make 1 trip to Europe. Each Zone also selects a team in each age group. Zone teams usually practice 2-3 times per year, and compete against each other and top club teams at the National Age Group Championships ("NAGS" also serves as part of the try out process for the National Teams).

USA Water Polo also organizes the "Junior Olympics", where club teams from around the country compete for National titles in the various age groups. Clubs qualify for "JO's" through zone competition, with each zone sending anywhere from 2-8 teams. JO's are held during the last week in July through the first week of August. Approximately 250 teams play in the 8 day tournament.

In addition to USA Water Polo competitions, water polo is competitive at both the high school and collegiate level. The NCAA sanctions both men's and women's tournaments. Over 50 colleges and universities offer water polo as a varsity sport. The Collegiate Water Polo Association also serves as the umbrella organization for "Club" water polo at over 120 colleges and universities.

Water polo teams are sponsored by approximately 20 high schools in Michigan. Men's high school polo is played in the fall. Women's high school polo is played in the spring. In Washtenaw county, Pioneer, Huron, Saline and Dexter all field men's and women's teams. Chelsea fields a women's team.

Successful water polo players come from many different sports backgrounds. While water polo requires good swimming skills, prowess in competitive swimming is not a prerequisite to success (the world's best teams, Hungary, Serbia, Italy, and Croatia are not swimming powerhouses). A competent "summer club" swimmer has the needed swimming skills to take up the game. Additional swimming and aquatic skills can be developed through water polo practice alone, although at the high school level in Michigan, most players choose to participate in swimming to help build the endurance needed to play water polo. Water polo practices involve many different activities, as players, need to master shooting/passing, ball handling, "egg beater" kicking, defensive skills and offensive tactics, including set plays and a "power play" offense. As this all takes place in a deep water pool, cardiovascular conditioning goes on the whole practice.

Water polo is a game that is open to athletes of all sizes. While certain positions favor a more sizable athlete (2 meter defense/offense), good field players rely on quickness, toughness and an ability to recognize situations and react to the quickly changing situation in the pool. Athletes of modest size, having these characteristics, have had great success in the game. You do not need to be big to be good.

GLWP encourages all athletes who would like to challenge themselves to try this demanding sport. If you have "summer club" level swimming skills feel free to join us. With our quality coaching and your hard work, you would be surprised at how quickly you can develop into a player who is competitive at the high school level in Michigan.