Water Polo Positions - Part 1

Once you have mastered the basics of the game, you need to have a good understanding of the concepts and different positions used.

These can be divided into two sections, mainly, Defensive and Offensive plays. For now we shall concentrate on Defensive tactics as these too are split into sub-sections namely:-

1. Zone Defense
2. Press
3. Man Down
4. 5 on 6 Defense

Zone Defense

When playing a zone, every player has a specific area of your end of the pitch to cover. If any opposing player ventures into your circle of responsibility, then "that" is the player you should be marking.

Zone marking can be a very effective method of defense if done correctly and if every player understands their area of responsibility. In simple terms, every defending player should remain in their "area" and never swim out or follow an opposing player. Teams usually use the zone defense, either when they have a good goalie and try to force the opposing team to shoot, the opposing team could have a dangerous centre forward or else to gain an advantage through a counter attack deploying fast swimmers.