by Sarah Michelson

Created on: June 06, 2009

Water polo. If you've ever seen a game, you likely know its pretty brutal. Elbows are flying, people are underwater, and goals are being scored. But what constitutes a foul?

There are several different types of foul in waterpolo, the most severe of which leads to an ejection. You get ejected if you go over someone's back, either while swimming, guarding them, or trying to get the ball, if you fail to back off after a foul, if you are heard cussing by the referee, if you push someone underwater while pushing off of them, or if you hit them above the water. The ejection is signaled by two whistles, and the ejected player must swim over to the ejection box for their team for twenty seconds, or until the other team scores. If a player is ejected three times, they are out of the game.

There are a variety of plays designed to deal with an ejection, for both the offensive and defensive team. Generally, as the ejected player is on defense, the offense has a clear advantage, as one of their players is left unguarded. The defense usually attempts to compensate for this, either by having two defenders cover three people or by leaving one fairly useless player unguarded. They also may all 'sluff' or back off their players, in order to cover more people at once, bringing more versatility to their play. The offense, on the other hand, tries to maximize their advantage as much as possible.

A more minor foul is signaled by just one whistle. These include pushing off the wall, false starting, holding the ball underwater or with two hands, or pushing off of a defensive player. This results in either a turnover or a free shot. In a free shot, the defender of the player who was fouled backs off as the player has the chance to pass. They are not allowed to shoot off a foul, which is signaled by a single blow of the whistle, and a variety of hand gestures, based on the nature of the foul.

Additional turnovers can be caused by exceeding the shotclock, being offsides, or throwing the ball out of bounds.

The final type of foul in waterpolo is the brutality. These are rarely called, but occur when a player strikes or kicks another player maliciously, leading them to be ejected from the game. In some cases, the team must play with one fewer player, in others, that player simply cannot play. Though people are often hit or kicked underwater, the brutality is rarely called, partially because its difficult for the referee to see.

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