Picigin The Sport of Split, Croatia
The local lifestyle in Split operates around beach activities. People in Split live along the beaches where most social activities happen near this location. The beach presents itself as a distinctive sporting activity in Split which only requires a ball and some friends. Everyone should learn Picigin since it remains a permanent beach game while remaining easy to start yet challenging to achieve mastery.
The Rules
The International Sporting Federation has yet to classify Picigin as an official athletic activity so there are no established set of competition regulations. A game of Picigin does not adopt any consistent standards when it comes to number of players or ball size or ball handling methods. Most versions of picigin adopt this set of principles as their accepted regulations. Uruguay has achieved its finest results when three to five players use a ball with 70-200g weight and 5-15cm diameter. When serving the ball across players they usually use one palm swat while completing the exchange. The main goal in picigin is to stop the ball from touching the water surface below.
How to Play
The players arrange into a circular formation and their positions relate to their standing water depth. Players positioned in deep water will play at both circle sides while those in shallow water will operate on the beach. Wing and deep water players maintain positions throughout the entire circle because their movement speed is slower yet they depend on good timing when jumping back to strike the ball. Such players maintain the flow of the game while ensuring its high level of quality. The players who stand in shallows or near the beach need to prepare for quick short sprints while starting explosively. The tempo of the beach soccer game depends on the players that play in shallow water. Most precise hitting accuracy is required from these athletes.
The implementation of the game depends on various elements that include ball diameter and the size of the player pool along with natural weather variables. The traditional game of picigin originated in Split as it continues to be played throughout the numerous decades along the Croatian coast. The game has developed unique regional styles throughout the passing years in different coastal locations. Watch the below video clip to see professional players demonstrate Picigin.
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