Archive for August, 2006

In American collegiate circles and among some water-sports clubs, the Softball form of water polo has become popular-although many foreign critics of this particular game describe it as underwater mayhem. In the Softball variety the goals are smaller, a much smaller ball is used, and the ball is flexible enough to be grasped by the fingers. All types of rough play are permitted, with choking, butting, tackling and holding opponents under the water all being acceptable tactics.

In the United States water polo has never become a widely popular participant sport. One limiting factor is that it is a game in which only expert swimmers take an interest, and it is a tiring activity, even for good swimmers who are not in top physical condition. It is most popular among those who have passed the peak of their competitive swimming careers, yet who wish to participate in an active water sport. Probably for this reason, and because play in the game is intricate and difficult, most championship teams include men who are from 35 to 40 years old.

Another factor that has limited the spread of water polo is that in most places playing facilities are inadequate. The standard outdoor water-polo court is about 20 yards by 30 yards, and indoors the rules call for an area of 20 feet and 19 yards. Many pools are not large enough to provide the proper playing area, and to have 14 swimmers competing for the ball in limited space is not conducive to good play. In addition, many pools large enough for the sport have a shallow end, which spoils the game.

Water Polo Competition

While a number of schools and colleges engage in water-polo matches, the Olympic competition and the national championships recognized by the American Athletic Union have been dominated by the athletic clubs. The New York Athletic Club and the Illinois Athletic Club have been among the top teams since the early 1900’s. In the past few years, the sport has been spreading on the West Coast. With general acceptance of the “hard ball” and closer supervision of games by officials, the sport is expected to grow in popularity among players and spectators.

The official rules of water-polo competition may be found in the Official Swimming Handbook of the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States available from the A.A.U., 233 Broadway, New York 7, New York, for $1.50.

Keywords: Sports, Water Sports, Skiing, Skin Diving, Scuba Diving, Kayak Surfing, Swimming

During the decade of the 1890’s, the game of water polo spread widely. Irish teams joined the British and Scottish teams. In America the rules were changed to make the game more practical in smaller, covered pools. In the American game the goal was scored by touching a mark painted on the wall, not by throwing for a goal. Water polo also spread to Germany, Austria and Hungary, where international competition was held. It also became popular in Australia, and soon spread to Russia.

During the 1950’s, changes in the rules made the game faster and more colorful by eliminating the many stops and actionless periods caused by the old rules. In 1950, the International Water Polo Board, the recognized rule-drafting organization, adopted what are basically today’s rules for the game.

Modern Rules

The modern game of water polo, which adopted many of the innovations introduced in the United States’ form of the game, is played in a pool-or pool area-not more than 20 feet in width, and not less than 19 yards long. At either end of the playing area, goals 3 feet high and 10 feet wide, backed with netting, are set at water level. The teams are made up of seven members on each side, one of whom is the goalkeeper. Team members are identified by the colors of their bathing caps and by numerals on the caps identifying the players and their positions on the team; goalkeeper, leftback, rightback, halfback, left forward, center forward and right forward.

In the formal game, called “hard-ball” water polo, an inflated ball 27 inches in circumference is used. The ball is tossed into the center of the playing area, and contestants fight for possession of it. The ball may be advanced toward the goal by batting it with the body, “dribbling,” or by balancing it in one hand. The object of the game is to score goals by hitting the ball through the net defended by the opposing side, using the head, feet or hands. At least 2 players must touch a ball before a goal may be scored.

The game is divided into 4 5-minute periods. Fouls such as carrying the ball under water or with two hands, tackling, bumping, etc. are called by a referee from outside the pool, and the penalty is an award of free throws to the opposing team.

Keywords: Sports, Water Sports, Skiing, Skin Diving, Scuba Diving, Kayak Surfing, Swimming

THE present game of water polo and the various similar water games which preceded it came about as a result of the building of indoor swimming pools. Among the first of these were the “swimming baths” opened in 1820 in Paris which were restricted to use by women. Soon swimming pools were found in many places on the Continent and were growing more popular in England and Scotland. Efforts to relieve the monotony of swimming competition events led to the development of a water game which absorbed many of the elements of soccer and hockey.

Origins

In its first form, the game of “water soccer” was played at different pools under what would be considered “local” rules. In 1870, a committee of British swimming experts met to formalize rules for water soccer. After several years of confusion about the game, the Bournemouth Rowing Club staged what was probably the first formal water-polo match in 1876. With 7 members to a team, the game was played within a marked-off area under control of a referee and 2 goal judges. A goal was scored by placing the ball on a raft at the end of the playing area. However, contemporary reports indicate that this game was never completed, as the rubber ball which was used burst and brought all action to a halt.

The first set of recognized rules for the game of water polo were prepared by a Scotsman named Wilson in Glasgow in the late 187O’s. By 1880, series of matches were being played among British and Scottish teams, although Wilson’s rules received varying interpretations at different pools. Finally in 1885, the English Swimming Association officially recognized water polo as a separate branch of aquatic sport and ordered the universal acceptance of the rules which it adopted. The 1885 rules consisted of 11 points:

1. Duration of game-20 minutes.
2. Captains to agree or toss for choice of goals.
3. At start of play, referee throws ball into center of course. All players then enter water immediately except the 2 goalkeepers. Goalkeepers may remain out of water and defend goal as they think best.
4. Ball may be passed from one player to another, and carried either on or below the surface of the water to goal.
5. No player may interfere with goalkeeper either in or out of the water, or hold opponents in any way, unless goalkeeper or opponent is in possession of ball. In case of violation of this rule, a free throw is given to opposing team from place where foul occurred.
6. A goal is obtained by ball being taken up by hand and placed fairly on floating stage or boat provided for that purpose.
7. If ball goes “offside” during play, the referee must immediately return it to play; if it goes out over or on floating stage or boat, it must immediately be taken up and thrown into play by goalkeeper on the stage or boat.
8. Umpires, or one of them, shall blow whistle immediately after a goal has been scored, and play shall stop at that moment.
9. Teams shall change goals at half time.
10. Any competitor who withdraws from a match or fails to participate in a match for which he has been engaged, forfeits all prizes he may have already won at this meeting, as well as any he may afterwards become entitled to in connection with the same match.
11. Power is given to umpires, or in case of their disagreement to referee, to decide all circumstances not provided for by these rules.

Keywords: Sports, Water Sports, Skiing, Skin Diving, Scuba Diving, Kayak Surfing, Swimming

Individuals differ widely in their tolerance of pressure on head, ears and sinuses. Anyone who may be sensitive to pressure should first try shallow dives to establish his tolerance level; and those with high sensitivity to pressure should not dive. Some people may be able to correct this condition by learning compensation breath control without actually blowing out. The use of earplugs, noseclips, etc. as “crutches” should be discouraged.

The possibility of accident may seem rather remote to the beginning diver. However, it is most important that proper diving habits be established from the start in takeoff, balance, control in the air, entry and hitting bottom. As the diver continues, he dives with more height and cleaner entries and hits both surface and bottom with greater force, making proper techniques a must for his personal safety.

Execution of Dives

In competition, dives are judged on the following principles, which are taken from the regulations of the Amateur Athletic Union:

The approach to the starting position is not taken into consideration; the starting position must be free and unaffected. The starting position in standing dives is assumed when the diver stands on the front end of the board, straight, head erect, feet together, arms up and stretched straight forward level with and the width of the shoulders apart, the fingers together. The forward approach must be smooth, straight and forceful, and must comprise not less than three steps before the hurdle. The “hurdle” is the jump to the end of the board following the last step of the run when both feet must contact the end of the board simultaneously.

The take-off should be forceful, reasonably confident, and should proceed without undue delay. In running dives, the take-off from the springboard must be from both feet simultaneously immediately following the hurdle. A diver is entitled to his own method of arm swing on back take-offs, but must not lift his feet from the board before the take-off. When executing a backward dive, a diver must not bounce on the board or rock the board excessively before the take-off.

During the passage through the air, the body can be carried “straight,” with a “pike,” or with “tuck.”

In the first case, the body must not be bent either at the knees or at the hips, the arms must be straight, the feet together and toes pointed.

With the pike, the body is bent at the hips, but the legs must be kept straight at the knees, toes pointed. The pike should be as compact as possible.

In the tuck, the whole body is bunched up with knees together, toes pointed. The tuck should be as compact as possible.

The position of the arms is at the choice of the diver, except in the case of the plain header forward (front dive), where the arms must be stretched out sideways in line with the shoulders during the flight through the air.

In dives with twists, the twisting must not be done directly from the board. In all pike dives with twists, the twist must not be started until there has been a marked pike position.

In somersaults with tuck (other than flying somersaults) the turn must commence as soon as the diver leaves the board, but in flying somersault dives there must be a well-defined header for approximately half a somersault, with the somersault made as rapidly as possible.

In the reverse dive half twist and somersault, and reverse dive half twist and one and a half somersault, the twisting may begin immediately after leaving the board, but the somersaults may not begin until the twist in the layout position has been completed. This rule also applies to the back one an a half somersault one and a half twist.

Entry into the water must in all cases be vertical or nearly so, with the body straight, toes pointed. All headfirst entries must be performed with the arms stretched. In all feetfirst entries the arms should be close to the body, with no bending at the elbows.

Keywords: Sports, Water Sports, Skiing, Skin Diving, Scuba Diving, Kayak Surfing, Swimming

Every summer, newspapers report diving accidents and fatalities occurring during dives. However, experts in aquatic sports feel that practically all diving accidents can be avoided if the sport is approached with a modicum of common sense. Analysis of diving indicates that there are 3 points at which a diver faces the possibility of injury: 1) striking the board as he passes it; 2) impact on the surface of the water; 3) contact with the bottom of the pool or diving area.

If the diver keeps visually aware of the board tip, he can minimize the possibility of striking it with his body. Even in the hurdle, the tip can be observed with peripheral vision. Many beginners seem to make the mistake of looking straight ahead, which makes it difficult for them to be accurate in landing or balancing. Beginners should take their first board jumps under the supervision of a qualified instructor. A smooth, controlled walk on the board, with the weight carried quickly from heel to ball of foot should provide a proper take-off. Heavy pounding on the heels and lack of transfer of weight forward, jerkiness, distortion of body position, and speed variation in steps, are all practices which may result in the driver’s striking the board. They may cause a too vertical rise or an actual cutback which brings the diver’s body too close to the tip of the board.

Injuries from impact with the surface of the water are often the results of a diver’s overestimating his ability. Divers should be restrained from using boards higher than the one-meter board until they are proficient at the low board. A shallow or flat entry from a low board may cause minor contusions, some physical discomfort and possibly loss of breath. From a higher board, injuries may be more severe-for example, broken blood vessels, black eyes and bloody noses, and possible vertebral injury. Back, neck and shoulder injuries may result from the type of water entry in which one part of the body is stopped by the impact with the surface and the other continues in the direction of rotation. This may be caused by leaning too far forward on take-off, or lack of body tension in flight, and also by a strong effort to correct a dive which is going over by an overpull in the opposite direction.

Underwater recovery is important as a safety factor. The diver must hold his position, since relaxing tension too soon, rising to the surface before the momentum of the dive is spent, or landing on the bottom, may cause injuries similar to the strains imposed by an entry impact. An observer should watch the beginning diver’s underwater position. Should his arms separate widely under water or drop beneath the body, the head is vulnerable to striking the bottom. The landing impact must be controlled by the arms and shoulders beneath the total body weight, or by the feet and legs in case of feetfirst entry.

In natural water diving, perhaps the most frequent cause of accident is unfamiliarity with the water depth or the

Proper standing take-offs and water entries

1. Starting position for all standing forward dives
2. Starting position for oil back dives
3. Body and limb position for straight up and down entry all reverse dives with body straight, or double reverse with tuck or pike, requiring this entry.
4. Proper position of head, arms and legs, on all back dives requiring feetfirst entry.
5. Proper position of head, arms and legs, on all forward dives calling for a feetfirst entry.
6. Proper position of head, arms and legs, for all back dives calling for a head first entry.
7. The straight up and down entry, correct when making inward dive or inward 1 somersault.
8. Proper position of arms, head and legs on forward dives calling for a headfirst entry.

existence of rocks and other dangerous debris at the bottom. A commonsense approach would rule out diving in unfamiliar water before the bottom has been carefully explored.

Keywords: Sports, Water Sports, Skiing, Skin Diving, Scuba Diving, Kayak Surfing, Swimming