What does it mean when my child is "excluded" or kicked out for 20 seconds?

Question

Accepted Answer

An exclusion is water polo's version of a penalty box. Under USA Water Polo Rule WP 22, the other team gets a free throw and the player must swim, without leaving the water, to the re-entry area at the corner nearest their own goal line.

The player (or a substitute) can come back in after the earliest of:

20 seconds of actual play, signaled by the table
a goal being scored
their team regaining possession of the ball (signaled by a referee)
their team being awarded a free throw or goal throw, once the player has reached the re-entry area

Common exclusion fouls include holding, sinking or pulling back an opponent who doesn't have the ball, intentionally splashing an opponent in the face, blocking a pass or shot with two hands outside 6 meters, and interfering with a free throw.

Things to know:

A player who climbs out of the pool instead of swimming to the re-entry area is excluded for the rest of the game.
Each exclusion counts as a personal foul; three means the player is out for the game.
The 10U/12U rule that lets players re-enter as soon as they reach the re-entry area does not apply to 14U.