World sports existed a lot of water sports but in terms of oddity, Underwater hockey kept the number 1 position.
It also holds the No.1 position because of the bottom of the lake, the competition must not only swim well, dive well, but also need to hold the breath.
The water hockey then responded enthusiastically by the harmonious combination of swimming and diving skills, while the form of ice hockey and basketball hybridization. Both men and women can participate in this subject, just need to have good stamina before the challenge of holding a breath for a certain time under water. They were equipped with fins, masks, snorkels, a rubber protective glove, a headscarf and a small stick about 30 cm long to control the puck (similar to ice hockey balls) weighing from 1.3 – 1.5 kg is covered with plastic to create friction at the bottom of the pool.
Regular water hockey matches take place in a swimming pool with a length of 25 m, a width of 12 m, reaching a depth of 2 – 4 m and 2 heads with 2 metal trays with a length of 3 m. Spectators of this strange sport will watch from the surface of the lake or enjoy it directly on the screen recorded by the camera or close-up view of the mirror-shaped swimming pools.
Every water hockey game brings excitement and attracts viewers’ attention by playing unique. The two teams wade into the water, each team has 10 people (6 matches, 4 reserves) and is recognized by the paint color of the club. After the referee’s order, 12 fishermen swim and dive by 2 teams, face down, they tumble to the bottom of the water together, curl the holder and pass the ball to the direction of the tray (considered as a subject in ice hockey). or football) of the opponent before making scoring shots (the ball is completely in the tray).
Underwater hockey tactics is copied from basketball with defensive formation – attack on 3-3 diagrams (3 defenders, 3 attackers), or can turn into 3-2- 1, 2-3-1, 1-2-3 or 2-2-2 … Each match has 2 rounds and the time of the innings is usually 10 – 20 minutes depending on the rules of each tournament.
The interesting thing about this game is the strategy … hold your breath. Because of the underwater movements, the players usually hold their breath for about 15 – 30 seconds before having to climb to the surface to solve the innate needs of humans and dive back to the bottom.
More funny, every point scored not only brings joy to the winning team but also the losing team has little joy. Because after the act of celebration, all team members won simultaneously rushing to the surface to breathe and of course the losing team was also breathing. In stressful matches, the water tank is like attaching a jacuzzi to the bottom, creating waves on the water, but the strange thing is that this tournament rarely causes injuries to players.
The bizarre and complex skills that make underwater hockey pervade continents so that leading organizations have to wrestle members and organize world championships. Currently, this sport has two international representative organizations: Underwater Hockey Commission (CMAS) and World Aquachallenge Association (WAA) but no organization will yield to each other so there are 2 separate world championships since 2006 held alternately.