Top Ten Necessities to Play Water Polo

1.  Pool (at least 7 feet deep and some what large)
2. Water polo caps
3. Water polo ball
4. Water polo suits
5. Shot clock
6. Referees
7. Goals (preferably floating cages, but wall cages are fine too)
8. People (14 for an official game)
9. Nail clippers
10. Chlorine

1. A pool is necessary because they are what water polo is played in. If we did not play WATER polo in a pool, then it would be called some thing else, like grass polo, or rugby-handball-hockey. The pool has to be deep because it is illegal to stand on the pool bottom. Also, a big pool is needed because it is not fun to play water polo in a kiddie pool. You need space to move around and guard people, and if the pool is deep if gives tall people less of an advantage. Did you know that the captain of the water polo team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics is short? Well, she was, and she was pretty good, too. If the pool your playing in is big and deep, then it is a good pool to use, and your game will be fun! J
2. Water polo caps are very important as they protect your eardrums. They have plastic right where your ear is so you don’t loose your hearing. My friend was injured not wearing a water polo cap. Basically, he was swimming with no cap (it fell off and he ignored it), and he was racing towards the ball with another person on his heels. Then, both David and his defender went for the ball, and David got an elbow to his hear. Later that night, David noticed that his ear was hurting, and so he looked in the mirror. He saw that his ear was bleeding. David went into the Emergency Room of the hospital, and that is the wonderful story of how David lost 20% of his eardrum. It had disintegrated, and David couldn’t swim or change elevation for six weeks! That meant no going to Tahoe for New Years. So even though caps are the most gorgeous thing, they can protect your hearing.
3. Water polo balls are necessary to play. Without water polo balls, the game would just be swimming back and forth, which is pointless and no fun. The water polo balls come in different sizes and colors. The largest size is a Mens ball. It is made for males (obviously) who are over the age of 16. That is typically the age where man can palm those balls. (Palming is being able to grip the ball from the top with one hand.) The next size down is a Womens ball. They are typically smaller and used by both women (DUH!) and kids in the 14 & under age group. The next smaller size is a 12 & under ball. It is used for very young kids who like water polo ball but they can not grip a Mens or a Womens ball. The smallest water polo ball is a goalie training ball. They are a little bigger than tennis balls and they are thrown at the goalies to get their reaction time faster. The colors are important, too. Not only can you get then the colors you want, or ones with pictures that you choose, they tell you what you’re working with. The standard ball is plain yellow with black lining. A really good team might have pink balls. Beware of black balls with yellow lining – they are training balls, which are heavier then normal water polo balls.
4. Water polo suits are critical to play the game. Water polo is a very physical game. There is a lot of pulling, pushing, scratching, biting, tearing, and wrestling. Men typically wear Speedos, and women wear suits with zippers. Men wear two Speedos typically, because one might end up ripping. We women wear suits with zippers so we do not flash the world as much. The key to buying a good women’s water polo suit is to make sure that it is tight. Otherwise the suit will drag and make you slower, and you might flash everyone. I have seen tie-dye suits, suits with unicorns, and personalized suits.
5. Shot clocks are to keep any one team from keeping the ball too long. Each team has thirty seconds to make a shot, and if the thirty seconds expires, the ball is turned over to the other team. If there is a penalty, like a kick out, then the shot clock gets a new thirty seconds. Every foul, the shot clock stops. So it may not seem like a lot to have the ball for thirty seconds, but sometimes it can last up to a few minutes.
6. Referees help keep the game clean. They might not make great calls, but it is always a lot of fun to hide the penalties and fouls from the refs. Make sure your refs are not biased, and make good calls.
7. Goals are important because that is where the goal is scored. A wall cage gets stuck in the wall and is typically shallower than a floating cage. A floating cage is deeper, and they get bungeed to the wall.
8. Bring all of your friends to play! People are always needed to play. A full game has seven on each team, but I have played with eight, four, three and five on each team. It is tiring, but fun.
9. Nail clippers are to keep from clawing other people and getting in trouble with the refs. Usually before each game, the refs do a “nail check” to make sure everyone’s nails are not sharp. If you have sharp or long nails, you are asked to cut them, so it is important to carry nail clippers.
10. Chlorine tends our wounds. And it keeps the pool clean. I know people who pee in pools, so it is very important to have chlorine in your pool. It also makes us deadly, with the amount we end up drinking from being drowned. Even though you smell so strong of chlorine after you swim in it, both you and the pool stay clean.

    

    this is NOT the right pool

    

    this is a typical water polo cap

    

    water polo balls

    
    

    

    water polo suits

    

    zip-up suit

    

    this is a shot clock

    
    

    

    Referees wear all white for water polo

    

    Floating cages are the best

    

    You need players to have a game!

    
    

    

    keep your claws short

    

    We all are intoxicated on chlorine

    
    

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