Exploring Sports: Octopush

This week I attended an Octopush – also known as underwater hockey – training session. Never heard of Octopush before? I certainly hadn’t. Here are the basics:

• Two teams compete over the puck at the bottom of a swimming pool and the aim is to push or flick the puck into the opponent’s goal

• Players must wear a mask, snorkel and fins and use a ‘pusher’ to push the puck

• Players dive down to the bottom of the pool to push the puck but keep returning to the surface for air

• It’s meant to be a non-contact sport but this isn’t always possible when everyone is diving around

• The sport was founded in 1954 and originally had eight players on each team, hence the name (now there are 10 players)

• York’s Octopush Club is four years old and competes in an Octopush league and Student Nationals

Despite many of the players being at home for reading week (it’s alight for some!), the Octopush session had just less than 20 people there. The first 15 minutes consisted of a warm up and training routines. These ranged from swimming widths to practising pushing the puck in groups. The most entertaining practise was a breath stamina exercise, where all the players went under the water and mentally recited the song “heads, shoulders, knees and toes…”, accompanied by the actions, to see how long they could hold their breath for under water!

For the last 30 minutes of the session, a game was played. Vicki, who has been playing Octopush for just over a year, explained to me about the teams: usually there are 10 players on each team – six in the water and four subs who can switch in at any point – but reduced numbers at this session meant there were only six on a team.

Adam, a third year student who has been playing Octopush for about six years, said that Octopush includes “a good mix of energy and technique”. He added that positioning and flicking the puck around opponents are key factors and he finds tackling the hardest part.

New members Jessica and Megan, who joined to try something new at University, told me they were enjoying learning how to play Octopush and that it was “difficult but fun”. New members are taught how to swim with fins and control their breathing underwater before playing games. Megan added that her first game was “quite scary but exciting!”

For more information or to get involved, visit Octopush's website. New members are welcome throughout the year and no prior experience is necessary.

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