Canoe Polo: The best sport you've never heard of

Canoe Polo (Or Kayak Polo): What it is, and why you should take a look

Polo; a game associated with horses while also being a staple of upper-class entertainment for both watching and playing. For many, the notion of polo as a sport is the idea of playing on horseback (or Elephant back in some weird cases) with exceedingly long mallets, on the rich green fields while tea and scones are quaffed in the background. 

However, for a select few across the country, polo refers to kayak polo, or canoe polo as its know internationally. A fast-paced contact game that, from an outsiders perspective, embodies chaos, while for those involved it consists of a well structured and exciting sport that is a joy to be a part of. 

Playing Canoe polo is an intense sport that requires quick thinking, strength and agility all at once. A unique playing field where the nimble and agile are just as warranted as the brawny players in a sport that carries so many benefits yet is largely unheard of. 

Kit and Equipment 

The kit that the players wear is extremely robust due to the contact element of the game. The key part of canoe polo would be the boat. More modern boats are mostly made of carbon-kevlar, this material is lightweight but extremely durable and can take a hit when required. 

The boats have a low volume build and rounded bows and sterns, this way the two ends of the boat aren’t likely to cause injury when rammed into. All paddlers are required to wear helmets and buoyancy aids as a form of protection. 

The final, essential bit of kit is called a spraydeck; this allows the paddler to be secured into their boat and will prevent any water from getting into the paddler’s cockpit.  

Canoe Polo - Rules Of Play

The sport is completely unlike anything seen before in the way that the game is played. A team is formed of five active players with a maximum amount of three substitutes waiting behind the goal.

The substitutes are allowed to switch whenever and as often as they see fit, however, the player coming off has to be fully off the pitch before a new player is allowed on. The match is played with each team aiming to shoot the ball, which is a similar size to a football, into the opponent’s goal using either their hands or paddles to take the shot.

An interesting element within the game is that the goals are suspended above the water, roughly 2.2 meters up. The way that the goalkeeper saves a shot is to raise their paddles in order to block the goal, adding the challenge to the defence. 

Start Of The Game

The game starts with all five team members starting against the back of the pitch on both sides. The referee will then throw the ball into the middle of the pitch where the two players will break out into a full sprint only to meet in the middle and get the ball.

Should one player get to the ball first they will then pass it back to someone on their team where the play can continue. If both players get to the ball at a similar time a collision of the two fast-moving boats will then result in the more skilful paddler getting the ball and providing their team have the upper hand. 

The two paddlers both determined to get to the ball first is phenomenal to watch and exciting to be part of.

Pushing Players Over

After the game has started the teams must work together to get in a position that they are able to score in the opponent’s goal, in doing so they must face the reality of getting pushed over. Taking a fall in football or basketball may seem dangerous and in some cases, it may be, but the majority of the time it’s minor enough to merely walk it off. 

Being pushed in canoe polo, which is a legal move, consists of having your kayak turned upside down forcing the opposing player under the water. It is for this reason that players are heavily required to learn how to roll, the use of rolling is key in whitewater kayaking and an important survival skill when sea kayaking.

It’s an imperative skill that involves the paddler being under the water and remaining in their kayak to then use their paddles or just their hands to bring themselves upright from under the water. The game will not stop while this happens, the players need to be quick and efficient with their rolling abilities. 

Why Should You Get Involved

Despite the two halves of the game only being 10 minutes long the fierce matches are incredibly comparable to a High-Intensity Interval Workout. The rough and tumble of the games as well as the close-quarter action is a draw and an incentive to work harder during training for those involved. 

It’s a phenomenal sport that flies largely under the radar, the rules are simple to understand and the gameplay is always exciting to watch and extremely beneficial from a fitness standpoint to get involved with.

A truly interesting sport to follow despite not being featured in the Olympics; while being able to garner a large following within university teams across the country with notable teams from Nottingham, University of London and Southampton to name a few.

A well-loved sport that always carries an air of rivalry at any tournament is played.

Check out more about Canoe Polo here… The Sporting Blog, bringing you things you didn’t know you needed to know since 2017.

Editors Note: Having watched some video whilst laying this article out, Canoe Polo looks nuts and I can’t wait to watch a game live. It’s Brutal!