Breakdown of Water Polo scoring

I think it’s important for people to understand the natural flow of the game. Water polo is divided into 4 quarters with each quarter’s length ranging from 5-8 minutes depending on the level of play. Over the course of a water polo game, there is an average of 8-10 goals for each team. Most of these goals come in the form of 6x5 man-advantage opportunities; 4-6 goals depending on how good the team can convert these opportunities. The main other ways of scoring are counter goals 0-2 depending on how much the team focusing on counter attacks, about 2 goals from even strength goals (while both teams have 6 players), and 0-1 goals from penalty shots. Based on this breakdown, you can tell that the majority of the scoring happens when one team has a vast advantage; either a 6x5 or penalty shot. Some of the best teams in the world convert their 6x5 at around 60%; meaning for every 6x5 they receive, they have a 60% of scoring a goal. Better teams convert their 6x5 more than worse teams. This doesn’t mean they draw more exclusions, they just utilize the opportunities that occur in the game. If you want to improve your W-L standings, focus on the 6x5 converting. Getting your conversion above 50% can make a drastic change in the outcomes of your games.