Most ball games have exciting dynamics. However, it is unlikely anywhere else that players move without problems in three dimensions at once, except underwater rugby. This highly organized pool hustle is slowly taking over the world.
A bit of history
Underwater rugby was invented in Germany in 1961 by scuba divers who were bored in the winter. At that time, athletes did not have warm suits for ice diving, and pride did not allow them to switch to diving in the pool. In this regard, they came up with an underwater entertainment: playing with a ball at the bottom of the pool. The point of the game was to throw the ball into the opponent's basket, installed at the bottom of the pool.
The idea of the game came to the head of Ludwig Van Bersud, a member of a German underwater club. For the game, he modified the ball by pumping salt water into it. As a result, he acquired negative buoyancy and began to sink slowly. The degree of its buoyancy could be controlled by changing the salt concentration in the ball. This is how the first underwater ball was invented.
Modern underwater rugby equipment is made of rubber, filled with salt water and weighs about three kilograms. It is half the size of a basketball, flies no further than three meters after being thrown, and has no right to be on the surface of the water during the game.
Underwater rugby was recognized as a full-fledged sport in 1978. Meanwhile, this game is still a non-Olympic sport.
Underwater rugby equipment
Each player must be equipped with fins, snorkels and underwater goggles. It is forbidden to rip off the pipes and points from opponents during the game - players are fined for this.
How to play underwater rugby
Underwater rugby is a team sport. It is played by two teams of 12 people each, and only six people can be in the water, the rest are considered spare. They, as a rule, are constantly located near the sides of the pool.
The underwater playground is 10-12 meters wide and 15-18 meters long. The depth of the pool can vary from 3.5 to 5 meters. The duration of the game is two halves, each of which lasts 15 minutes.
The main goal of the players is to score the ball into the opponent's basket, which is located at the bottom of the pool. It is pressed to the bottom with a heavy weight. The basket opening is 40 centimeters in diameter. Players are allowed to fight, but only with those who are holding the ball.
For a successful performance, underwater rugby players need to possess several skills at once - the speed and maneuverability of movement in the water column, the strength to fight for the ball and the ability not to breathe for a long time. During the game, athletes move back and forth, left and right, and up and down. Players have the right to periodically come up to the surface to take a breath of oxygen.
The spectacle that unfolds underwater between the players resembles a scene of fish feeding in an aquarium. In the basket, 12 players literally intertwine in a "living" ball and at the same time snatch the ball from each other.
In underwater rugby, players of different genders can play in the same team. However, there is a fairly clear gradation in the game. Some must push the enemy by force and make breakthroughs along the bottom of the pool, while others must block the opponent and fight near the surface of the water. This is a very tedious sport, which is why there are always substitutes assigned to the players.
