Indoor soccer is also a derivative, playable year round in smaller venues. What could set 4x4 apart is the ability to play in just about any pool given the field dimensions without worrying about shallow/deep water.
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Beach polo, which is what 4x4 evolved from, is an absolute blast. In California, we do not have concrete pier tanks like they do in countries on the Adriatic, and like in Breckās linked video. In the beach polo events Iāve been to, the organizers put up the 10u inflatable courses with regular sized goals in a bay. Spectators swim out to the course, float on pool noodles, inflatable rafts, giant pool toys, or whatever to watch the game while holding on to the edge of the course.
Spectators get splashed, they are inches from the competitors so they hear everything, the action is really fast, and the whole thing is a riot. Personally, I would love to see an event where the participation is reversed. Ross and his coaching staff take on Ormsby and his coaching staff while the Newport kids and the Mission kids cheer them on. We could watch Wolf and the CIU staff take on Tommy with the SD Dons staff with a mass of kids treading water at the courseās edge. I would be so there for that.
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If what you suggest isnāt an event at Woollett or even the JOs hotel pool, right after the Expo finishes next year, I dont want to be a part of this sport anymoreā¦
Brilliant!
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While it looked like a lot of fun to play, and I could definitely see it as an introduction to the game at the lower age group levels and a fun way to keep recreational players engaged, I found it nearly unwatchable. The four sets format rather than total score in the game is gimmicky. I think itās a better tool for keeping early and late phase athletes engaged in the game than for developing a bigger base of water polo fans. It will attract fans in place like California, Serbia, and Hungary, but I donāt see it growing the game outside existing water polo hot beds.
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Hey, I know itās the Internet but itās just a little joke. I didnāt realize some people were so sensitive on this topic. Some of us are just a little different with our humor and itās just an opinion that I see it is clownish and a gimmick. Frankly, I canāt see it any other way and I know there are lots that agree with that and itās not a big deal.
I think the key is to respect that some people just have a different viewpoint on these gimmick and how it presents itself and if some of us find it, lame or clownish or silly, the same way I find arena football league silly or the proposed 3Ć3 hockey leagueā¦.
I donāt want to see the good old boys rewarded for their recent behavior. So letās find some new coaches to promote. I am glad that it keeps some people away from the actual teams so if thatās the goal, they did a great job.
Itās something, but itās not Water Polo. If you disagree, thatās OK by me. Even though I think it will fail and we wonāt be talking about this in five years or lessā¦. I just would rather see effort promoting evolving the actual game of Water Polo. I know Iām not alone in that. We have to be OK allowing dissent from an obviously flawed concept.
4x4 is an unwatchable gimmick for many people. Plain and simple. No fluff.
Evolve the game refers to the actual sport, not this, since you find irony. It would be like saying evolve the game of golf and you defending putt putt and a windmill calling that ironic. Or perhaps more cheeky would be to say the Clowns mouth in a mini golf course.
But if people want to go play putt putt miniature beach Water Polo and call it a sport, have at it. But itās not water polo. Maybe they can have a miniature castle too for all the pedestals
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Probably the most iconic location in the former Yugoslavia is hosting the event. And they are showing up and calling it water polo. What else do you need to call it water polo? Denis Varga giving it his stamp of approval? Or the IOC to introduce it as an official sport? Seems like if the country of Croatia supports it as water polo then maybe itās water polo.
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The short lived XFL played at the iconic Los Angeles Memorial Colosseum and the Arena Football League played in the famous Joe Louis Arena.
Neither are considered real versions of their sport and maybe itās semantics, but things can look sort of like a thing without actually being the thing.
Yes, it has elements of the game. The same way that putt putt sort of looks like golf if you squint.
4x4 water beach polo is a gimmicky exhibition that strips away the strategic depth, elite skill, and physical endurance defining the legitimate Olympic sport. By slashing the format to just three field players in a tiny 15-meter pool, beach polo completely erases the fundamental ācenter forwardā battle and tactical zone positioning that form the backbone of classic water polo offense and defense. With the shot clock cut to a frantic 20 seconds, the game devolves into a chaotic, endless sprint of transition shooting and āwhite water thrashing.ā This arcade style XFL arena style shenanigans in this environment removes the nuance of deliberate play-setting, while gimmicks like 2-point goals (good lord) is pure button mashing nonsense.
The driving force behind is a desperate attempt by World Aquatics to appease strict Olympic athlete caps, mimicking the success of Rugby 7s and 3x3 Basketball to avoid being cut from future games.
This compromise dilutes the prestige of the sport and fractures an already niche global audience by diverting scarce funding, infrastructure, and athletic talent away from the traditional discipline. Rather than saving water polo, introducing a watered-down, chaotic variant threatens to cannibalize its core fanbase and replace a deeply tactical aquatic chess match with a frantic, unmemorable sideshow.
So yes, I can articulate why itās not a good thing and overall unhealthy for the sport. You can read that and ignore all those points and simply disagree and Iām OK with that.
Remind me in five years and we will see if it survives.
It is perfectly normal and acceptable to just have a different opinion. That is the whole point of a forum.
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We need to bring back American Water Polo.
āFrom approximately 1920 to 1946 the United States departed from the international rules for water polo by adopting a loosely inflated ball that could be gripped in one hand and carried toward the goal. Opposing players usually attempted to seize the ballcarriers, wrestle them under water, and render them helpless from loss of breath.ā
āIn 1888, Water polo was introduced into the United States by English swimming instructor John Robinson. The game featured the old rugby style of play which was much like gridiron football in the waterā¦ The game of the day featured set plays like the āflying salmon,ā where the player with the ball leapt through the air from the backs of his teammates to score a goal. Violence was the gameās main attraction.ā
White Goalie scoring a goal (on ~1:25 Q1) on Blue team from inside the White cage is just wrong. When the field is short enough for goalies to play pingpongā¦ This is a poorly designed set up.
To be fair, it looked like the goalie was out of position and still swimming back to the cage.
I actually could see this format sticking around, but not replacing the current game. I think they need to make the quarters a little longer, 20 minutes of game time is really short.
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Team USA Opens Play At First-Ever World Aquatics Water Polo 4x4 Open Championships - USA Water Polo
Team USA Men And Women Winners At World Aquatics Water Polo 4x4 Open Championships - USA Water Polo
I agree. The goalie having the ability to shoot (for 2 points!) is very much a feature not a bug.
Here are the official games so far. First game is the USA vs Russia menās match. Interesting roster for USA.
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I remember when NCAA had a 2 point shotāI think from outside the 7? It didnāt last long for good reasons. Canāt remember if FINA did the same. Offensively the game somewhat resembles the Showtime Lakers, but itās all Magic passes to a breaking Cooper or Worthy, and no Kareem post-ups or sky hooks as a secondary offense if the quick shot isnāt there and definitely no Kareem blocking shots at the rim. Fun to watch for a quarter; not going to hold my attention for a tournament. And turning timed quarters into āsetsā that can be won or lost is just weird. Other games with that formatātennis, volleyball, etc.āhave the winner be the first to score a certain number of pointsāand none of them have a goal. With some rule tweaks and stretching the court to 20 meters it might work better. The very short shot clock is going to eliminate much more than a pass or two before a shot. I do like the concept of shorter exclusions by swimming to the touch cornerābut from what I saw in that tiny court the time really only allowed for single pass, maybe 2, for a āquickā on every exclusion.
USA vs Croatia Quarterfinal going to a shootout. If you missed the game, highly recommend watching it on YouTube. It made me love this version of the game. USA with some great plays and making the most of the Irving absence!
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Agreed! Wanted a US victory, but I think the game was a great showcase of how exciting the game and rules for WP4 can be. Game starts around 5:55:00.
It was fun to watch and we had some tough losses to Croatia and Russia in the shootouts during group stage in this super exciting format and tonight again against Croatia ! USA was represented well!
Those nightime games and that festive environment is really cool. Went to that harbor in Dubrovnik last summer and you could just feel the history and tradition
The environment and history and tradition are really cool. Too bad they are not playing waterpolo. 
Itās like watching slow pitch softball in Fenway, or flag football at Lambeau Field.