Polo Tip #23: Under-The-Neck Shots

Ok, you want me to hit the ball in front of my horse’s galloping front legs? I thought you said we weren’t supposed to hit the horse’s legs? Make up your mind, which is it?

Hitting a successful neck shot, or rather hitting the ball as opposed to the legs of your horse requires three things:

1. Preparation & Timing
2. Starting your swing up front from the side of your horse’s head
3. A little more commitment up onto your horse’s neck
4. Sinking deeper into your heels as you move further up the horse’s neck.

You want to be making contact with the ball well forward of the horse’s chest, about underneath or just to the side of the horse’s head. That means you need to prepare early and begin your swing well before you arrive at the ball.

The most common problem players have is they begin their swing like they are taking an off-side forehander, starting the mallet from either behind them or from their hip. You have to force yourself to put your arm to the front of your saddle, just alongside the horse’s head and neck and slightly to the side to whichever side you will be swinging.

You need to get a little help from your horse’s neck with a little shorter rein and lean a little more forward.

However, you need to sink a little deeper in your leg so that you do not lose your balance. This is a swing that you should swing a little easier on until you get more confident for the safety of both you and your horse.

Finally, you need to be careful with your follow-through. You do not want to hit another player or their horse accidentally. This shot is a good one to develop at a walk and trot initially, and then move to your faster speeds.

Polo Tip #22: Playing as a Team

Some define team play as combining individual energy to strengthen the team. Some see it as a chance to get together with friends and build comraderie. Maybe the game offers both. I was gifted with the experience of Intercollegiate Polo and then again the High Goal Professional Arena Leagues in Los Angeles. In both cases, I was able to experience staying with the same team for four years.

It is pretty exciting to work with the same teammates over a period of time to develop team strength. By team strength I mean the extra handicap goals of the team that are in excess of the sum of the individual handicaps. The paper might have shown our three handicaps totaling 23 goals in LA, but we were easily playing as a 26-goal team.

Why? We played together, supported each other, but most importantly, we were very clear on each other’s strengths and weaknesses and had learned to adapt our individual styles to benefit the characteristics of the team. … Continue Reading

Polo Tip #21: Proper Field Terminology – No? I thought you said Go!

How often have we heard that wonderful line after a whistle? One teammate exclaiming to another, “No”?????, I thought you said, “Go”. And vice-versa. These two rhyming words have been the root of countless whistles and missed opportunities.

A polo field is the perfect setting for us polo players to practice our somewhat dysfunctional, yet colorful vocabularies. The terms on the field are supposed to offer direction and clarification. Unfortunately, at times, the direction may be accompanied by some inappropriate references to family heritage. In fact, sometimes the message is absent of any productive content whatsoever.

In the USA, often times it is an advantage for an umpire to not have any comprehension of a foreign language. What you can ‘t understand will never hurt you. But at times, a translation would provide immediate ejection from the remainder of the game. Have you ever noticed that swearing in Spanish or French seems to be absent of the hard edges of the same words pronounced in English? I guess that may be one of the reasons they are called the romance languages. Even swearing in those languages seems to carry a less offensive musical tone. … Continue Reading

Polo Tip #20: Field Awareness

“Field Awareness”, next to horsemanship, is probably the most important factor when it comes to your own safety as well as the ability to make better play decisions. “Field Awareness” is knowing the positioning of all the players and umpires on the field of play, along with the current line of the ball and associated right of-way to the line. The line of the ball and the associated right of way probably always have three dimensions: The current line of the ball, the previous line of the ball, and the next line of the ball. This may seem somewhat complicated and it probably is. However, remembering where the play came from, where it is now, and where it may be going is what experienced players are considering as they move around the field. The player positions and the line of the ball are always in a state of change, and it is to your advantage to be aware of the developing play when plotting your new course. … Continue Reading

Polo Tip #19: The Break Away

The Break Away – Well, every once in a while, we all miss our man. Missing a man often times results in the development of a breakaway. Now how do we handle this opportunity that each team will be given a limited number of times in every match.

A great deal of the time, a breakaway results in missed opportunity as opposed to another tally on the scoreboard.

The best thing to keep in mind is trying to hit controlled shots to your own advantage. If opponents are chasing from the left, hit up at slight angles to the right and vice-versa. … Continue Reading

Polo Tip #18: Open And Away Shots

Open and away do not mean the same thing, do they?

Further evidence to the madness of our wonderful sport, these two terms do mean exactly the same when referencing cutting the ball at angles away from the horse’s body for backhanders. When hitting away or open on forehanders, the more correct term is cutting the ball on either side. “Open” is actually referencing the position of the mallethead whereas “Away” is that the shot will travel away from the horse.

Like the tail shots, this technique calls for opening the head of the mallet as you stroke through the ball. So on a nearside backhander open, you swing down at the ball with the heel of your mallet leading at a slight angle. This will cause the ball to rebound off away from your mallethead at that angle. As with the tail shots, you can also spin your mallet head clockwise on the nearside backhander open as you are making contact. This will put additional spin on the ball gaining you even more angle away from the horse. … Continue Reading

Polo Tip #17: Player Number Three

Player Number Three, Greatest Attributes: Playmaker. Field Leader.

In the highest levels of polo, you have four ten goal players who are each able to dedicate their talents to the positions that they are playing on the field. For the rest of us, there is usually a considerable mix of talents within a team. The result is that the more experienced players on the team usually fall in the Number Two and Three slots. The Number Four and Number One Positions are traditionally reserved for the developing amateurs. In almost any level of play, the Number Three position is often the most experienced player on the team, and sometimes of greater ability. This player has the gift of being able to see the field and adjust to the never-ending changes of the play situations and player positionings. This player, while on the run through a melee, or diving in to get possession of the ball, is simultaneously viewing the “field” and formuating a strategy for the next offensive attack, or even making adjustments in the current offensive attack. They know their teammates, their opponents, the horses, and the abilities. They combine all of that information with the current layout and positioning of the field and formulate a strategy, often times, literally, while they are on the run. This player is also usually highly skilled at taking penalty shots, specifically number fours and number fives. The greatest skill behind a penalty shot is to be able to loft the ball accurately. Two of the greatest Penalty hitters in the game of polo were Bennie Guitierrez and Roy Barry. Both of those players could consistently add six or seven goals, each game, on penalty shots alone. The top quarterback in polo have the ability to hit the long high ball accurately, making them very effective with the number four penalties and allowing them great placement for their number five penalties. They may also hit the open goal penalties, but some times you will see a different player on the team take the open goal penalties. A number three who has a high percentage of conversion on penalty shots will most often also have a high percentage of wins.

Rege Ludwig Explains His “Rider’s Checklist”

Scott Weir interviews Rege Ludwig, the internationally known polo instructor and coach, about his “rider’s checklist.” Rege explains the importance of balance in polo and gives some tips on how to improve your balance — and consequently your polo game — while riding.

Polo Tip #16: Hooking Mallets

Hooking is the second best alternative in the list of defensive plays. If we place our self in position properly as soon as the play turns, we should be able to get advantage on our opponent with a ride-off and have the ball on our free side to hit. However, many players will try to race to the ball as we all have at least one of the fastest horses in polo. If we all have at least one of the fastest, often times more than one, that means there are a lot of “fastest horses in polo”.

No wonder we are often hooked by others when we don’t take the man first.

Hooking is usually the next best option when you have missed your man, as you have the best chance to stop the hit on the ball. Riding a man off on the far side from the side that they are hitting is not always very effective. Hooking is. When you go to hook a mallet, you need to be prepared to hook several times on the same play if you are up against a skilled player. We use the term hooking, but you are not really hooking the mallet, you are actually hitting their cane to deflect it from being able to get to the ball. If you do get hooked and stuck together, try to untangle the mallets quickly. If you are riding away from each other and your mallets are hooked, remember that dropping your mallet hurts a lot less than falling off!! … Continue Reading

Polo Tip #15: Emergency Dismount From A Moving Horse

Simply put, eject without a parachute. Bail. Get off quickly. This is the second thing that should be taught to everyone on horseback, right after learning how to get on one. I have saved a situation many a time with a simple dismount. You need to be comfortable with the quickest way off a horse and how to land in a manner to minimize the potential for injury.

1. Shorten your reins.
2. Kick your feet out of both stirrups (being dragged is not a good thing).
3. Discard any whip or mallet.
4. Pick which side is better to get off. Practice both sides.
5. Press against the horse’s neck with one or both hands.
6. Kick your leg over the horse in a vaulting motion. It is important to clear the rump of your horse.
7. Land off to the side of the horse, with your legs bent to absorb shock. You should be facing the side of the horse as you land onto your feet.
8. If you are at speed, be prepared to roll when you hit the ground. If you ever watch snowboarders when they fall, they usually roll right back onto their board. It is sudden stops that will increase the impact. Strangely enough, when we are going fast, we are usually thrown into a roll naturally. Then we go down slowly, we put out a hand, or lock our knees and the result is a more serious injury.
9. Try to hold onto your horse if you land on your feet
10. If you are on the ground, be aware of additional traffic and clear out of the way if possible.

Use safety girths (overgirths), keep your tack in good repair, and always use large stirrup irons and thick stirrup leathers (buffalo leathers are very popular). Practice your emergency dismounts at a standstill initially and then maybe at a moving walk or trot with professional supervision. The better you are at it, the more familiar it will be when the time calls for reacting as opposed to thinking.