The Backstroke
The backstroke is a “sometime thing” in water polo. It is used mainly when a player, swimming rapidly wants to observe the action of the game. While swimming the crawl, he simply turns over and continues swimming backstroke without losing his forward speed.
Proponents of the “scientific” approach to water polo say that while this stroke may not be used very often, it should be practiced with emphasis on holding the head up. As an exercise, using the backstroke is said to develop all-around mobility in the water, and it utilizes groups of muscles which are used less in other swimming strokes although they are used in play during the game.
Treading Water
Treading water is the technique of keeping the body in a vertical position in the water and is a useful resting and starting position. With the body held vertically, the legs perform a motion which is a combination of the leg movements used in breaststroke and sidestroke. The legs in treading do not move together, but successively, which gives this exercise its name. By closing the legs together quickly, the player can rise high out of the water. While treading, the hands perform a fanlike motion close to the hips. In rising out of the water, the hands can help by exerting a downward pressure. While treading water, the player can practice holding and passing the ball, using one and both hands.
Dribbling
Dribbling-changing of position with the ball-is among the most important maneuvers in water polo. It is used in escaping from an opponent, in getting into scoring position, in moving the ball around in the field of play. The technique of moving the 27-inch-circumference ball around is based on the crawl stroke described earlier in this chapter. To hold possession of the ball, even when moving at top speed, the player’s body must be kept high in the water and his head and upper body well above the surface.
The objective in dribbling is to move the ball along about 4 to 8 inches in front of the head, on top of the wave created by the raised head and chest. With the proper water-polo crawl, the arms are bent inward at the elbow, speeding up the recovery portion of the stroke. Also, should the ball slide to the side, it may be controlled by the bent arms; the arms come alongside the ball at shorter intervals, and when necessary the ball may be grasped quickly.
Team Play
In many water-polo games, even in international and Olympic competition, the object of the game appears to be to get the player with the ball and hold him under water until loss of breath requires him to relinquish it, also to “dunk” an opponent frequently and for long enough periods, to impair his playing efficiency. Wrestling, holding, and other underwater forms of mayhem, are considered acceptable in many water-polo circles as long as they are not observable by the officials above the surface of the water.
In the early stages of water polo, the ball was thrown from one goal toward the other with no specific plan. Every player would swim toward the spot where the ball landed and strive for possession. Passing was done with rigidly outstretched arms, which made control difficult. In the modern “scientific” game, it was found that instead of long and random throws it was more effective to swim with the ball toward the opponent’s goal and ‘”shoot” for goals from shorter distances. Swimming with the ball, dribbling, and improved ball handling led to team techniques resembling those of basketball, with the ball often being passed to a swimming teammate and more “air” play of the ball.
Keywords: Sports, Water Sports, Skiing, Skin Diving, Scuba Diving, Kayak Surfing, Swimming
Tags: water sports
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