Category: Rules
Type: Rule
BALL UNDER RULE CLARIFICATION
The interpretation of the ball under rule has been interpreted and changed time and time again. When I began my career, a player could never take the ball under. I believed this until the day I saw a player swim the entire pool with the ball pinched between his knees, come up, and score.
At that point, I understood the rule to be intepreted that a player could have the ball under water until being defended against. Once a defender establishes a defensive position against the offender and the ball was under water, the offensive player would be in violation of the ball under rule, and the ball would be turned over. I soon learned that this also was incorrect.
A third misinterpretation of the rule stems back to a phrase commonly associated with the rule: "Hand on hand on ball." To learn how the phrase originated, flip to the "Ball Under Rule" section in an older version of the FINA water polo rulebook. There, you will see a picture next to the rule that seems to date to the age of dinosaurs. This picture shows an offensive player being defended, with his hand on top of the ball. The hand of the defender is on top of the offensive player's hand, and the ball is under water. Thus, the original version of the rule was written: Hand on hand on ball.
The current FINA water polo rulebook now defines the rule of "Ball Under," as when a player takes the ball under water when tackled. This then leads us to question what the definition of "tackled" means? According the New Rules Interpretations and Clarifications by US Water Polo dated February 24, 2000, tackled is defined as the following:
"As a rule of thumb, tackled means there is contact to the shoulder, arm, forearm, wrist, or hand on the side of the hand holding the ball." To continue with this interpretation, "When the entire ball is fully submerged under these conditions, then the ball under should be called.”
Applying this knowledge to live play, we can learn how to avoid the referee's signal for ball under. While controlling the ball, a very popular way to hold the ball is to have your hand on top of the ball, trapping it between the water. A good defender will look for this and jump at the opportunity to grab your arm, wrist, or hand and push the ball underwater. To avoid the possibility of having ball under being called on you, you can hold the ball by grabbing if from the bottom and ensuring that the ball remains primarily above water.
Submitted by: Coach Dave
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