It is a competitive team sport played in the water between two teams of 7 players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the two teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team’s goal. The team with the most goals at the end of the game wins the match.
Qualities do water polo players need to have Very strong swimmers, as comfortable moving around, in and underwater as on land. Good hand-eye coordination; in water polo because it’s a ball sport that involves lots of quick catching and throwing with one hand (you aren’t allowed to touch the ball with both hands).
Water Polo is the hardest sport in the world. It’s no wonder Bleacher Report ranked water polo as the number one toughest sport in the entire world caught. This literally looks impossible.
Water polo was initially a very dangerous sport that developed in the US in the 19th century. A set of rules was formulated in 1897 to curb its more violent aspects and the fighting that would break out between players.
Common injuries:
- Concussion.
- Facial injuries (teeth, eye, skin)
- Labrum tear (SLAP-lesion)
- Rotator cuff injury.
- Patellofemoral pain syndrome.
- Back pain.
The rules of water polo were originally developed in the mid-nineteenth century in Great Britain by William Wilson. The game originated as a form of rugby football played in rivers and lakes in England and Scotland with a ball constructed of Indian rubber, probably from the 1850s onwards.
Water polo is now popular in many countries around the world, notably Europe (particularly in Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Serbia, and Spain), Australia, Brazil, Canada, and the United States.