Kickboard Water Polo Player

Swimming: Games - Kickboard Water Polo

Dick Moss, Editor, Physical Education Update.com

This water polo variation will add variety to your swimming classes or practices. It's a great alternative to swimming laps.

Setup
You can play kickboard polo in any size pool: shallow, deep, short or narrow. Use two floating markers at each end of the playing area for goals. Divide your students into two equal teams and give each student a kickboard. You'll need a soft, inflatable playground ball.

How to Play
The two teams line up along their own goal line. Throw the ball into the middle of the playing area to start the game. The players race for the ball while staying on their board. Goals are scored by shooting or swimming the ball into the net.

Players must hold their kickboard at all times and a goal is not counted if players lose contact with their board when shooting the ball. The team with the most goals at the end of the game wins.

Other Rules
No contact with other players is allowed and players who are knocked off their board are receive a free throw. Free throws are passes to teammates, not direct shots on goal.

Variations
Variations include inner-tube polo, flipperball polo (in which all players wear flippers) and water ring polo.

References:
1. Heather Kaulback, Contributor, Domestic Sport Coordinator, Water Polo Canada, September 1989. 2. The University of Minnesota Kickboard Water Polo Rules, July 25, 2006.

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