Canoe Polo    Page 2

There are a few simple rules,
You may not hold the ball, or have it within reach, for more than 5 seconds.
You may not put the ball on your cockpit.
You may not push off from, or hold on to, the side or anyone else's canoe.
You must keep your paddles at least an arm's reach away from anyone's head or body.
There are no offside rules.
The game starts with both teams on their goal lines. When the whistle blows and the ball is thrown into the middle of the pool then both teams sprint for possession. The ball can be passed to a team mate by throwing or flicking it with the paddle.
Throws can be intercepted with the paddle and players can bump canoes in a kayak tackle if they are within 3m of the ball. There were some interesting tactics as the teams got more familiar with the game.

 

This novice game relies on good passing as it is such hard work to recover inaccurate throws.		 The less experienced teams opted to play their first games without paddles. This gives the players more chance to get a feel for the boat and their balance improves.

Paddling around the pool using only hands makes for a slow game and the goal is rather difficult to defend.

After a couple of games, having had a little more practice, most teams opted to have a go with paddles. All these teams demonstrated considerable skill giving away a minimal number of paddle fouls. With more experience and less wobbles these matches were faster and the added dimension of more intercepted passes and better defending meant less predictable, much more exciting final matches.

 

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