Understanding the Game

As far as games go, it should be pretty simple. There’s a ball. There are two goals. Seven players (six in the field, one goalie). Put the ball in the goal and you score. Could not be much simpler.

But then there are the rules…

We’re here to help. Use this guide as a starting point for understanding the rules of water polo. Here are the big ones to know when first starting out:

The Basics

• Each team puts six field players and one goalie into the pool at a time

• You can only use one hand on the ball – unless you’re the goalie

• You cannot use the bottom to your advantage (this only matters in a shallow-deep pool – most pools we play in will be all-deep)

• Games are 4 quarters, with teams switching sides at halftime

• There is a 30-second shot clock; unlike in basketball, anything the referees or scoring table judge to be an attempted shot counts as an attempted shot – it does not have to reach the goal. The shot clock resets after an attempted shot or when there is a turn-over or an exclusion foul.

There are (almost) no fouls while the offense is holding onto the ball

It’s probably the weirdest and most confusing part of water polo. The referee will assume that if a player is still holding the ball, they are in control and trying to finish whatever action they have started. Only when they let go of the ball do fouls occur (there are exceptions for blows to the head).* This gives the offense the advantage – if you are making a move while holding the ball and a defender tries to stop you, you get to decide when (and if) the referee is going to call a foul simply by letting go of the ball.

Three main types of fouls

Ordinary fouls are the basic level. Just as a soccer team gets a free kick after a foul, water polo players get a free throw after an ordinary foul is committed. The most common ordinary foul is the one mentioned above, where a player is making a water polo move, has their movement stopped, and they let go of the ball. This will result in a free throw (see below). There are a handful of other actions that are called “ordinary fouls” in the rule book – they are explained below in “other turnovers.”

Exclusion Fouls are more serious. It usually gets called when a defender holds, sinks or pulls back a player who is no longer holding the ball. It can also be assessed for interfering with a free throw or for kicking or striking a player. Exclusion fouls result in the player having to swim to the corner of the pool closest to their bench and wait in the corner for 20 seconds (similar to the penalty box in hockey). The other team then has a 6-on-5 advantage.

Penalty Fouls are not fun. When a player commits any kind of foul in the area in front of the goal that – in the opinion of the referee – would prevent a probably goal, the attacking player is awarded with a penalty shot. The most common situation is when a player turns or gets inside the defense and the defender fouls them from behind. 

Players only get three exclusion or penalty fouls per game. After the third one, they are excluded for the remainder of the game.

There are a handful of fouls worse than penalty fouls. Hopefully you will not witness them:

• Game Exclusion with Substitution: reserved for violent fouls or disrespect. The player must swim to the corner and is excluded from the rest of the game

• Brutality Fouls: when a player demonstrates an intent to injure another player, the offending player is removed from the game and (at least) the next game. Their team cannot substitute that player for four minutes of game time (vs. the 20 seconds exclusion of a regular exclusion foul). Additionally, when the foul occurs, the offended team is given a penalty throw.

• Misconduct Cards: You may see a yellow or red card. Referees use the yellow card as a warning that the behavior is inappropriate. The red card is awarded when the behavior is bad enough that the referee must order that person to leave the bench.

Whistles – Lots of Whistles

Referees communicate with their whistles, so understanding them is a little like learning a language. Generally speaking:

One Whistle: an ordinary foul. This results in a free throw. The clock is supposed to stop every time you hear a whistle and it does not start again until a player puts the ball in play. This one whistle is also used when there is a turnover – though some referees will blow two whistles (which is supposed to be reserved for an offensive foul).

Two Whistles: this is an offensive/turnover foul. The offense must leave the ball where it is and the defense gets a free throw. If you hear two whistles back-to-back, the ball is going to go the other direction.

Two Really Really Short Whistles: sometimes you’ll hear two quick whistles as a means of getting players’ attention.

A Whole Bunch of Whistles: a bunch of whistles (usually three short ones) indicate a kick out/exclusion. You’ll also know this because the referee will point to the player who committed the foul, point them to the corner they are supposed to go to (it’s always the corner next to their bench), and then they will hold up the cap number of the player they were signaling so there is no confusion.

One Long Whistle: someone scored, or someone just got a penalty.

Putting the Ball into Play

Whenever there is an ordinary foul, there is a free throw. The offensive player is allowed a “reasonable” amount of time to get the ball and put it into play. They do this by making a pass (the one exception is with the 6 meter line – see below). The defense must give them a “reasonable” amount of space to make this pass – usually defined as a full arm’s length. Players can put the ball into play by passing to a teammate or by passing to themselves. This is sometimes known as “popping” the ball, as the easiest way to pass the ball to yourself is to pop it up in your hand. You can also throw the ball a little ahead of you and swim to it. In either case, the referee needs to clearly be able to see that the ball has left your hand. If you hold onto it for too long, it becomes a turnover.

Cones and Lines

The pool is usually marked by a set of cones on either side of the pool. There should be cones at:

• Goal line: this is even with the mouth of the goal; the ball goes over this line and it is out of bounds

• 2 meter line: usually marked with red cones, the 2m line defines part of an area where offensive players cannot go unless they have the ball or the ball has already crossed that line. It’s also the line where you put the ball back into play if it goes over the goal line.

• 5 meter line: has one purpose – the spot for a penalty shot.

• 6 meter line: usually marked in green. If a referee calls a foul when the player is outside of the 6m line, the offense can shoot at the goal instead of passing it to another player. The shot has to be direct and immediate – no hesitation or pumping, or the referee will call a turnover. However, if a player puts the ball into play by passing to themselves (“popping it”), they can then fake or shoot (or pass).

Other Infractions that Cause a Whistle (and the hand signs that go with them)

Ball Under: if a ball gets pushed under water, this is a turnover. You’ll hear the whistle and see the referee press his hand down to mimic the “pushing” motion and then point in the direction of the offense. Special note: if the goalie commits a ball-under, that results in a penalty, not a turnover.

Delaying Too Long on a Freethrow: this will also result in a whistle and a turnover. If there is no one for the player to pass to, they need to pass to themselves. Referees will hold their hand up like they’re holding a pizza tray and pop their hand up to indicate what the player should have done.

Two Hands: unless you’re the goalie, this is a no-no. The referee will whistle the turnover, and then gesture like they have the ball between their two hands.

Shot Clock Violation: if the shot clock runs down to zero, the referee will whistle the turnover, and then make a lasso-ing motion with their hand raised above their head. This might be to indicate the clock has wound down, or it might be to make you laugh a little after the turnover.

Offensive Fouls: if a player on offense commits a foul by impeding the defense, the referee will call a turnover. This happens most often when a player on offense pushes off the defense, either with the ball in their hands or while trying to get open. After the whistle, you will see the referee gesture like they are pushing off in the direction opposite of where the offense is now going.

Goalie Block Out of Bounds: In most sports, if a player blocks a ball and it goes over the goal line, that results in the ball being given to the offense to restart (example: corner kick in soccer). At some point, the water polo gods decided that should only apply if a goalie blocks your shot. If a field player blocks a shot and it goes out of bounds, the defense is given the ball.

Some Last Thoughts

Yes – the pool is all deep.

No – the horses don’t drown. That’s the other kind of polo. We use sea horses.

Boys and girls use essentially the same equipment in high school, except that the girls use a slightly smaller ball. Boys play with a size 5, girls with a size 4. Otherwise, the pool length, goal size, rules, shot clock… all of it is the same.

Those plastic cups on their heads are to protect their ears (you do not want to get hit with a ball in the ear if you can avoid it). They have holes in them for the same reason that you cannot wear goggles while playing water polo. If a ball hits that structure, it will force the air out the sides, creating a tremendous amount of pressure on your eyeball or ear.

Goalies wear red caps and usually wear #1, #1a or #13.

Depending on the rules of the given tournament or league, a game that is tied at the end of regulation may end in a tie, go into overtime, or go into a shoot-out. Shoot outs involve five players from each team taking penalty shots.

The average water polo player swims about 1,600 meters in a game (nearly one mile).