A water polo ball is a
ball
A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...
used in
water polo and
canoe polo
Canoe polo, also known as kayak polo, is one of the competitive disciplines of kayaking. The sport is also known simply as "polo" by its players and supporters.
Each team has five players on the pitch (and up to three substitutes), who compete ...
, usually characterized by a bright yellow color and ease of grip ability, so as to allow it to be held with one hand despite its large size.
Standard water polo ball characteristics
Water Polo Balls come in standard sizes:
* Size 5: Men's water polo ball. Circumference of the ball shall be not less than 0.68 metres and not more than 0.71 metres. Ball weight is 400-450
grams (14-16 ounces) and inflated to 90-97
kPa (kilopascals)
gauge pressure (13-14
psi
Psi, PSI or Ψ may refer to:
Alphabetic letters
* Psi (Greek) (Ψ, ψ), the 23rd letter of the Greek alphabet
* Psi (Cyrillic) (Ѱ, ѱ), letter of the early Cyrillic alphabet, adopted from Greek
Arts and entertainment
* "Psi" as an abbreviation ...
)
* Size 4: Compact (age 14 & under boys) and Women's water polo ball. Circumference of the ball shall be not less than 0.65 metres and not more than 0.67 metres. Ball weight is 400-450
grams (14-16 ounces) and inflated to 83-90 kPa (12-13 psi) for women.
* Size 3: Intermediate (age 14 & under girls and 12 & under boys) water polo ball.
* Size 2: Junior (age 12 & under girls and 10 & under co-ed) water polo ball.
* Size 1: Splashball (age 8 and under boys and girls) water polo ball.
Development of the water polo ball
The modern game originated in the late 19th century as a form of
rugby football, played in rivers in
England and
Scotland, with a small 3 to 4 inch ball constructed of rubber imported from colonial plantations in India. This "water rugby" came to be called "water polo" based on the English pronunciation of the
Balti word for
ball
A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...
, ''pulu''. The original ball soon gave way to a
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
(soccer ball), which allowed for passing and swimming above water with the ball. However, the leather football absorbed water and became extremely heavy, slippery and out-of-control when wet. In 1936,
James R. ("Jimmy") Smith, California water polo coach and author of several books on water polo mechanics, developed a ball made with an inflatable bladder and a rubber fabric cover, which improved performance. The new ball was red, but by 1948 yellow was adopted for better visibility by players. It became the official
FINA and Olympic ball in 1956.
Recent changes to water polo balls
In the first half of 2005,
FINA allowed a change to the standard water polo ball used in official games. This change permitted a coloured middle stripe (blue, green, red, black, or yellow) with the normal yellow stripes flanking the coloured.
In May 2006, the
NCAA and
National Federation of State High School Associations Rules Committees announced a rule change allowing the colored balls to be used in all NCAA and NFHS sanctioned games. The current rule states that the water polo ball must be “yellow with black lines,” but new wording will allow for colored panels.
Mikasa Sports
is a Japanese sports equipment and athletic goods company with its international corporate headquarters located in Nishi-ku, Hiroshima, Chūgoku. Specializing in equipment for ball games, the balls manufactured by Mikasa for sports footbal ...
, manufacturer of the new colored ball, claims that the new ball benefits teams by making it easier for them to keep track of their balls, differentiating the women’s balls from the men’s and teaching proper rotation on the ball.
Unique designs and color combinations have been used to commemorate special competitions.
[USA Waterpolo News (2008-07-03)]
OFFICIAL GAME BALL FOR S & R SPORT JUNIOR OLYMPICS ANNOUNCED
(Accessed 2008-07-07)
See also
*
Water polo cap
A water polo cap is a piece of headgear used in water polo and a number of underwater sports. The caps are used to identify both the player and their team, and to protect their ears from injury possibly caused by a water polo ball hitting the hea ...
Notes
Further reading
*
External links
FINA Water Polo RulesUSA Water Polo Rules
{{Water polo
Ball
A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...
Ball
A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...
Water polo
Ball
A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...
Inflatable manufactured goods