What are the everyday fouls in water polo, and what do they cost?
B · Beginner · Fouls and cards · 6 of 7An ordinary foul costs a free throw to the other team and nothing more. Nobody leaves the water and nothing is recorded against the player. The common ones are touching the ball with two hands, taking it under water when tackled, pushing off an opponent and running out of possession time.
How it works
The rules list these as ordinary fouls:
- Two hands: playing or touching the ball "with two hands at the same time". The goalkeeper inside the 6 metre area is exempt.
- Ball under: taking or holding "the entire ball under the water when tackled", or deliberately hiding it.
- Clenched fist: striking the ball with a clenched fist. The goalkeeper inside the 6 metre area is exempt.
- Using the floor: taking an active part while standing on the floor, walking or jumping from the floor. The goalkeeper inside the 6 metre area is exempt.
- Using the pool: holding or pushing off from the goal posts, the sides or the ends.
- Pushing off a player: pushing, or pushing off from, an opponent who is not holding the ball.
- Going under: going under the water to gain a positional advantage.
- The goal area: being inside the opponent's goal area when not behind the line of the ball.
- Time: keeping the ball beyond the possession time, or deliberately giving up possession.
- Simulation: pretending to be fouled.
- Starts and throws: going early at the start of a period, helping a team-mate or taking a throw in the wrong way.
The punishment for each is "a free throw to the opposing team".
The glossary has the ordinary foul, the free throw and simulation.
Tricky cases
Does an ordinary foul count towards a player's three personal fouls?
No. Only exclusion fouls and penalty fouls are recorded as personal fouls.
A defender pushes the ball under while the attacker is holding it. Who has fouled?
The attacker. The rule punishes the player who takes or holds the ball under the water "when tackled", so the foul goes against the player holding the ball.
Can a field player catch the ball with two hands if no one is near?
No. The two-hand rule applies to every field player everywhere, and to the goalkeeper outside the 6 metre area.
Is every dive under the surface a foul?
No. The foul is going under "to gain positional advantage". Going under and hindering an opponent's position is the heavier exclusion foul of impeding.
Why the rule exists
One hand is the sport's basic limit. A ball held in two hands, or held under the surface, cannot be reached by a defender, so both are barred. The light penalty lets the referees whistle often without emptying the pool.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| World Aquatics rules | As above, punished with a free throw | WP 8.1 to 8.15 |
| Inside the 6 metre area, by a defender | Two hands on a pass or shot, a clenched fist or the ball under water become penalty fouls | WP 10.5 to 10.7 |
| Repeated simulation | A yellow card to the team, then a red card for the player | WP 16.3.5 |
From the rule book
World Aquatics, Competition Regulations, Part Six: Water Polo Rules (in force as from 1 January 2025), Articles 8.1 to 8.15, 10.5 to 10.7 and 16.1. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: World Aquatics Competition Regulations (PDF).