Water polo rules
The rules of the game for water polo in Germany are published in the "Competition Regulations, Specialist Part Water Polo" of the DSV in the version dated January 1, 2006, which are based on the rules of the FINA .
regulate
Teams
- to be read in § 321 of the competition regulations of the DSV - technical part water polo.
player
Each team consists of up to 13 players. A player must wear the goalkeeper's cap. In some tournaments, teams can consist of 15 players.
During normal game time there are seven players in the water at a time. There are six field players and one goalkeeper.
The rest of the players can be substituted on as often as they want in different situations. The goalkeeper can also be replaced. These players must sit quietly on the bench behind their own goal line during the game.
Trainer
The coach is the only person on a team who is allowed to leave the bench while the game is in progress. This means that the coach of the attacking team can coach up to their own five-meter line without criticizing or hindering the referees. If his team loses the ball, it must return to the bench immediately. If this does not happen, he must be warned. If the trainer still behaves improperly, he must be expelled from the competition area, i.e. the pelvic area, and is no longer allowed to give his team any instructions.
Caps
- to read in § 320 of the competition regulations of the DSV - technical part water polo.
The home team must play in light-colored caps (mostly white), the away team in darker caps (mostly blue). The goalkeepers always wear red caps. The caps must have a rigid ear protection in the same color as the fabric color of the cap. A substitute goalkeeper must wear a red cap with the number 13 on it. A player may not change their cap number during the game unless the referee allows the player to do so. The referee must notify the referee of this, however, so that they can record in the protocol who changed to which cap number and when.
Course of the game
When swimming towards the beginning of each quarter of the game, the referee throws the ball at the center line about 1 m from the edge into the water after the whistle , if there is no device to hold the ball in the center of the center line. At the kick-off, the outfield players swim from the goal line into the field, with the fastest swimmers sprinting to the center line to gain possession of the ball. In higher leagues and at international matches, the ball is held in the middle of the center line by a ball basket from underwater and pulled underwater shortly before the sprinters arrive.
As a result, the team in possession of the ball tries to get a throw on goal by tactical change of position and mutual ball pass in a suitable position to the goal. The opposing team tries to prevent this and to get possession of the ball itself according to the applicable rules.
Goal win
- to read in § 331 of the competition regulations of the DSV - technical part water polo.
A goal is to be decided when the ball with its full diameter crosses the goal line under the crossbar and between the goal posts.
Rules that affect the course of the game
- The ball may be touched with any part of the body. Field players may only touch the ball with one hand or arm. Only the goalkeeper is allowed to touch the ball with both hands within his five-meter space.
- Interfering with an opposing player who is not in possession of the ball is punished as a foul with a free throw. This also applies if the opposing player was in possession of the ball shortly before.
- A goal can only be scored if the ball has previously been played (deliberately touched) by two players. Exceptions are the penalty throw and a free throw that is taken beyond the five-meter line in front of the goal without delay.
- For serious rule violations in the five-meter area, a penalty is given for the opposing team.
- Field players can be changed at will. If the change occurs either after a goal, the break whistle or during a time-out, the player to be substituted must simply leave the water and the substitute jumps into the water. In the current game, the players to be substituted must swim to their re-entry area on their own goal line and be replaced there by another player.
- After a successful goal throw, both teams form themselves again in their own halves of the pitch. The game continues after the referee has restarted the whistle. The ball is played from any point within one's own half of the field by a field player of the team against which the goal was scored.
matchfield
- to read in § 316 of the competition regulations of the DSV - technical part water polo.
Men's
The length is at least 20 meters and a maximum of 30 meters. The width is at least 10 meters and a maximum of 20 meters.
Women
The length is at least 20 meters and a maximum of 25 meters. The width is at least 10 meters and a maximum of 20 meters.
General
The water depth must be at least 1.80 meters at every point on the playing field. Players must not actively use the pelvic floor while playing the ball . That means they are not allowed to jump off there or run with the ball. This is punished with a free throw against the corresponding team .
On the two short sides of the playing field there is a goal each 3 meters wide and 0.90 meters high. If the pool is at the point where the goal is not lower than 1.50 meters, the crossbar must be 2.40 meters above the pool floor. The goal line under the crossbar of the goal is 0.30 meters in front of the goal line.
The playing field is divided into 2 halves in the longitudinal profile. Both have an equal subdivision from the goal line. There is the two-meter space that is between the goal line and the two-meter line. This area is marked in red on the edge of the pool. And there is the five-meter space that is between the two-meter line and the five-meter line. This area is marked in yellow. These lines are marked by the corresponding color of a flag on the edge of the pool. The area between the five-meter line and the center line is marked in green.
A re-entry room near the substitution bench must be set up on each narrow side. This is marked in red.
The water temperature must be over 18 ° C for official games. The light intensity must always be over 600 lux .
Playtime
- to be read in § 329 of the competition regulations of the DSV - technical part water polo.
Playing time
A game consists of 4 × 8 minutes of effective playing time.
If there is a tie in a play-off game after normal playing time, it goes into overtime. This is 2 × 3 minutes effectively. If there is still no winner, then it comes to five-meter shooting, similar to eleven-meter shooting in football.
Breaks
The break between the first and second and the break between the third and fourth quarter are 2 minutes. The half-time break is 5 minutes.
The break between the two extensions is 2 minutes.
Off time
- to be read in § 329a of the competition regulations of the DSV - technical part water polo.
The off times are also called time-out .
Each team has the option of four time outs during the game (one time out per quarter). They each last a minute. In the event of an extension, each team is given a time-out.
If a regular time-out has been taken, then all players must immediately go to their halves. After 45 seconds a whistle sounds from the referee, after which the attacking players can swim into the opposing half of the game and take their positions. After a further 15 seconds, after a whistle from the referee, the ball is put back into play by a player from the attacking team from or behind the center line.
If the coach of the team in possession of the ball takes one off time too much, i.e. a third off time in normal play, there is a free throw at the center line for the opposing team. If the coach of the team not in possession of the ball takes an off time, the opposing team will be awarded a penalty.
Attack time
The team in possession of the ball may carry the ball for 30 seconds and during this time try to throw it at the opponent's goal in order to score.
This period ends immediately with a throw at the opponent's goal, with the change of possession during the game or with a free throw for the defending team, e.g. B. after the shot into the side or goal of the defending team or a foul of any kind by the attacker.
The attacking team can also be given a full 30 seconds of attack time again if they regain possession of the ball after a shot on goal or if they are awarded a corner throw, a free throw after being expelled from a defender or a penalty throw.
The winner of a referee's ball also always receives a new 30 seconds, regardless of which team was previously in possession of the ball.
After a time-out, the attack time continues from where it stood before the time-out was granted.
Jury
- to be read in § 323 to § 324 of the competition regulations of the DSV - technical part water polo.
- Depending on the league, the game is led by one or two referees who decide on rule violations and goals . There must be a minimum number of judges for each game .
- Every official game must have a jury, which includes a clerk, a timekeeper for the actual playing time and another timekeeper for the attack time and the exclusion times.
- The keeper of the minutes, also known as the secretary, records the course of the game in detail on a form with specified abbreviations based on the referee's decisions. Only the granting of free throws after a simple foul, a goal clearance, a corner or the start and end of the attack time is not registered.
- The timekeepers signal the elapsed times to the referee with whistles or horns. The expiry of an exclusion time is indicated to the player by a flag signal which has the same color as the cap color of the excluded player.
- In higher-class leagues there is still a goal judge who has his place exactly on the goal line. He uses signals from his arms to indicate to the referees whether a goal, corner kick or goal clearance is to be decided.
ball
- to be read in § 318 of the competition regulations of the DSV - technical part water polo.
The ball has a weight of 400-450 grams and a circumference of 68-71 cm. The balls for men are larger than those for children and women. It consists of a rubber bladder on the inside and a plastic cover on the outside. The color of the ball must be clearly different from the color of the caps.
The ball is usually passed to other players by throwing it or by a player dribbling it across the playing surface. When goalies are made, "touchdowns" are often attempted, with the ball touching the water surface halfway and bouncing back up again. It is difficult for the goalkeeper to predict the course. A lot of force is required to hit the ball, but a ball that is less inflated makes it easier to hit the ball. The balls in a game are so pumped that it is difficult to hit the ball.
Corner throw
- to be read in § 334 of the competition regulations of the DSV - technical part water polo.
A corner throw is awarded if the ball
- a) is blocked by the defending goalkeeper in his goal after a shot on goal or
- b) was willfully played into his own goal by a player from the defending team.
The corner throw takes place on the 2-yd-line of the defending team, on the outside line of the side on which the previous goal throw was directed out of the goal. The corner throw in water polo is handled diametrically opposite to handball: In the case of goal throws which are passed on by the goalkeeper into the goal, a corner throw is decided, in the case of goal throws which are passed on by the defensive player into the goal, there is a goalkeeper throw. A corner throw is also given if the field player or goalkeeper consciously throws it into his own goal. The corner throw may not be interrupted by the referee, in contrast to the free throw, which is turned into a free throw for the other team if it is not taken.
Goal clearance
- to read in § 333 of the competition regulations of the DSV - technical part water polo.
A goal clearance will be decided if
- a) the ball was kicked into the opposing goal after a shot by the attacking team,
- b) the ball has been blocked by a player on the defending team, other than the goalkeeper, in his own goal-out
- c) a goal clearance becomes a shot on goal, but this goal clearance was not taken immediately after the ball was picked up.
Fouls
Fouls are rule violations that result in a penalty for the perpetrator and thus a privilege for the opponent. According to the water polo rules, the following cases are distinguished:
- Simple fouls - punished with a free throw for the opponent:
- to be read in § 337 of the competition regulations of the DSV - technical part water polo.
It is decided on a simple mistake, though
- 1. a player
- a) presses the ball under water when distressed by an opponent (even if the opponent presses the player's hand with the ball under water, it is a foul by the player who has the ball),
- b) pushes away the opponent who does not hold the ball or hampers the game (also disturbs the ball-carrying opponent during the game - dribbling the ball - is not understood as possession),
- 2. the attack time has expired;
- 3. a free throw, a corner throw, a goal clearance or a penalty throw is delayed too long;
- 4. a penalty was carried out incorrectly or
- 5. A "third" time-out is taken during the game by the coach of the team in possession of the ball (see chapter " Time out ").
- Serious fouls - punished with a short-term suspension (time penalty): This time penalty is 20 seconds
- to be read in § 338 of the competition regulations of the DSV - technical part water polo.
A suspension will be decided if a player
- a) arrests or withdraws a swimming opponent;
- b) hinders the execution of a free throw, corner throw or goal clearance of the opposing team or
- c) Raises both arms outside of his own five-meter space (the referee must assume that the player is trying to block the ball).
- Very serious fouls - punished with a permanent suspension with replacement :
- to be read in § 338 of the competition regulations of the DSV - technical part water polo.
A suspension with a substitute will be decided if a player
- a) interferes with the execution of a penalty throw;
- b) insults the jury or shows disobedience to them (according to this, the player is not entitled to participate in the next game!) or
- Brutality - punished with a permanent suspension with replacement after 4 minutes of playing time and a penalty throw for the opponent: The player is not eligible to participate in the next two games!
- to be read in § 338 of the competition regulations of the DSV - technical part water polo.
A suspension with replacement after 4 minutes will be decided if a player
- a) hits or kicks an opponent or referee or otherwise commits any kind of brutality;
- b) tried this.
- In the act, playing time or possession of the ball are irrelevant. According to this rule, a brutal player will also be punished during the breaks in the game.
literature
- The set of rules: DSV competition regulations - Water polo section , 2017 edition ( current version )