The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-01-17
WOULD IMPROVE
WATER POLO.
Experts Want More Open Play
In Strenuous Game.
CHANGES IN THE RULES
Goals Now Can Be Scored by Throw
ing as Well as Touchme-interestino
Experiments to Make Sport Less Ex-
acting Upon Participants.


Experiments to Make Sport Less Ex-
acting Upon Participants.
Introducing new rules into water
polo which allow the scoring of goals
by throwing us we'll as by touching
has not proved easy. c. NJ Richards.
captain of the Yale swimmers. was
saddled with the formulating of these
rules by the Intercollegiate Swimming
association and Immediately asked the
assistance of prominent teams in ex-
perimenting and then suggesting
means
Several teams have given the mat
ter close attention, and it is rather in
teresting to note the variety of reports
ON results. One captain SAYS that his
squad found il absolutely impossible
to score from outside the fifteen foot
line by throwing, while others claim
that two points is too much for q
thrown goal because one is generally
secured the minute the goal 4 nder
moves from directly under the board.
OF course this difference of opinion
was to be anticipated. The viewpoint
depends entirely on the playing of
the back field. If the goal tender
guards his post faithfully he should
not find it difficult to stop a badly
inflated rubber ball thrown from a
distance of more than fifteen feet, but
let him go swimming around, follow
in hn ri iS off 10,
the present rules. and the opportuni-
ties for scoring are frequent and excel
lent
1t has been shown that if the goal
tender can be lured from his post the
halfback who has been swimming I'D
in anticipation of it. can be passed the
ball and before the goal tender can get
back the goal is thrown and generally
made. 1t takes some accuracy to hit
1t, but good player is not likely to
miss target four feet by two. the size
to which the board has been increased.
brings one practically to the center of
most water polo pools.
Without attempting TO predict what
the new rules will do for the game one
can estimate at Il glance the influence
they are bound TO have upon it. which
is to open up the play and ohiige the
abandonment of continued massing in
favor of faster swimming and more
passing.
There is no doubt that only in ex-
IRENE cases will the goal tender dare
to move from his place. and this will
take at least one man from the scrim-
mage. As the forwards will always be
looking for an easy score by throwing.
there will he less tendency to form a
shoulder to shoulder attack. and espe-
cially after the repulse of charge by
hard tackles there will probably be far
ing than by touching.
The abandoning of persistent mass
ing will do n lot toward making the
game clean and free from objectiona-
BILE tactics and toward preventing ac-
cidents and hurts. 1t is i'll the vicious
tackles long held that tempers are lost
and retaliation sought. and it is when
man is exhausted by terrible un-
derwater struggle that a subsequent
tackle results in an accident. mainly
because the player has not the neces-
sary strength to resist.
Convince man that when he is tired
he can do just as well by keeping out
of tackle and either trying to throw
goal or passing to Il teammate that
is well situated for it and an ideal
game embodying the best points of
both socker and American water polo
will be the result. Results of the col
legiate experiment will be watched
anxiously by all. If satisfactory the
rules will probably be adopted by the
Amateur Athletic union.
The changes in the rules are as fol-
lows: Goals can be scored by throwing
as well as touching. Goals to count
must be thrown from outside the fif-
teen foot line and give team points
(the old style goal by touching counts
points,. The goal board has been
increased from twelve inches by three
feet to eighteen inches by four feet.
1T Is expected tHdt tueSe changes Will
open up the play.
The old rules were not very strict
when it came to Furnishing men for
rough work New changes, many re-
visionists claim. will do much to elm
mate this faulty part of the game.
What the revisiOnists are really aft
er is to make the game more open.
The mass plays and close formations
have done much to hurt its popularity.
it is claimed. and by making it of an
open nature it is thought that the
game will become higher in favor than
1t heretofore has been. AS the game
stands now water poloists claim it has
many Objectionable points and that
there is much room for Improvement
The English game of water polo is
considered by many to be a far bet
ter and more interesting game than
that played here By amalgamating
the two styles much improvement In
&bo r,o y,o will bo ahf1ipod