Introduction to Canoe Polo on Vimeo.
Canoe Polo is one of the eight disciplines of canoeing persued in theUK, known simply as “polo” by its officionados. Polo combines paddlingand ball handling skills with an exciting contact team game, wheretactics and positional play are as important as the speed and fitness ofthe individual athletes.
The game requires excellent teamwork and promotes both generalcanoeing skills as well as a range of other techniques unique to thesport. Two teams each with five players on the pitch at any one time(and up to three substitutes) compete to score goals in their opponent’snet which is suspended 2 metres above the water. The ball can be thrownby hand, or flicked with the paddle. Pitches can be set up in swimmingpools or any stretch of flat water.
Boats are specifically designed for Polo and are shorter (3m) thantypical kayaks which gives them fantastic manoeuvrability. Paddles arevery light weight and designed with both pulling power and ball controlin mind. Body protection, helmets and faceguards are all compulsory.
There are internationally agreed rules for the game, World andEuropean Championships are held every two years. Great Britain is one ofthe world’s foremost nations, with the British men the current WorldChampions.
Within the UK there is a National League structure, with categoriesfor Open, Women’s and Youth competitions, with many regional events heldthroughout the year.
During the summer months a number of canoe clubs host very largeoutdoor tournaments which attract teams from all over the country andsome international teams, and many British clubs compete at similartournaments around Europe and sometimes the rest of the world.
If you are looking for a club that plays canoe polo, start here.