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Tips
from USPA Instructor’s Forum for Umpires
Correct body position in the
saddle is essential to good shot execution. As a USPA professional umpire, it
allows for ample opportunity to observe a wide variety of players as they
attempt to hit a polo ball. Sometimes, the polo ball does not go where the
players want it to go. From 10-goal players down to the B-rated players, it
appears that when a shot is sliced or hooked, it may be more a problem with
their hip placement than other contributing factors in executing a proper and
effective stroke. It is amazing how many ways there are to swing at the ball,
and most strokes can be modified somewhat to improve both power and
consistency. Just about the first thing anyone learns to do in this sport,
after learning how to ride, is how to swing at a polo ball. Most novice players
cannot wait to hit that ball, sometimes without the proper riding and
horsemanship skills. Hitting a ball while mounted on a moving horse is no easy
feat for mastering this sport, especially when there are so many factors that
have to line up correctly to allow a player to make solid contact with the
ball. One of the first lessons anyone gets is how to take hold of and swing a
mallet. A proper grip is necessary and a strong grip essential. Most players
are taught to balance securely on the horse, weight in both stirrups and to get
those shoulders parallel with the line of the horse. Players are shown how to
lock the elbow and keep the arm extended back as we approach the ball. Novice
players are educated about the subjects of timing and anticipation; that is, to
time our downward stoke in order to connect with the lower third of the elusive
white ball and to follow through with the stroke after making contact with the
ball. Most players are shown the basics of a proper stroke and are then left on
their own to practice what they remember from what they’ve been taught.
There is a lot to remember, too, and all too often little things are forgotten
and players engineer their own style of connecting mallet with ball. Most get
by their whole polo careers with a “pretty good swing” while others
never really enjoy the sport to its fullest because they have trouble hitting
the ball, especially hitting the ball at any kind of faster pace than a walk. The
best remedy to improve consistency and power in the stroke is to find a
professional instructor who will periodically spend time refining your stroke
until it is as perfect as possible. Videotape your lessons so that you can
review what the instructor says and compare his instruction with what you are
doing with that mallet and your body. Remember, not everyone can hit a ball
like the 10-goal players; however, practicing perfection can only enhance your
chances to hit the ball. Practicing bad habits will only reinforce those habits
until you decide to quit the game. One of the most important things that many
instructors will emphasize is the placement of the hips before, during and
after the act of hitting a ball. A proper stroke has been compared to the
proper swing of a golf club. Coil and uncoil—bring your hip back to where
it started. As the shoulders go back and are parallel with the horse for a
swing, the hips move to the offside and back. As the stroke progresses down,
the hips should return to their original, front-facing position. All too often,
players leave the hips back and that makes for a late swing. A late swing means
that the ball placement is behind the point of the shoulder of the horse and
more toward the mid-section. Hitting late makes for all kinds of problems,
particularly a lack of power and a diminished ability to make the ball go where
you want it to go. Hitting late usually makes the ball slice to the right and
also decreases your consistency rate, and that is no fun at all. Hitting the
ball too early usually makes the ball hook to the left. If the hips are left
back and not brought forward with the swing, it is more than likely that the
arm and the mallet will be forced to travel under the neck of the mount. It has
been my observation that improper hip placement dramatically affects the more
experienced players rather than novice players because the more experience the
hitter is playing at increased speed. Also, experienced players wanting to
advance to the next level have a strong desire for more power and consistency.
The novice player is usually, hopefully, traveling at slower speeds and is
trying to integrate so many stroke and horsemanship factors that proper hip
placement may not be the most important emphasis at an early learning stage. Eventually,
hip placement is something crucial to learn and to practice for all aspiring
participants. The best way to check proper hip placement is at the end of the
stroke. The player is up in the saddle, with the player’s head over the
point of contact with the ball. The player’s shoulder should pass the
player’s chin and the right hip should be forward in front of the left
hip and the player’s hand placed by the horse’s head. If the hip
does not come forward, forget about a smooth, easy, powerful follow-through on
your stroke—it just will not happen, and the ball will probably travel to
an unintended spot on the polo field immediately behind you as you gallop away
from another attempt at the ball. During the many games that I have umpired, I
get to watch a lot of penalty shots from a vantage point behind the hitter. It
is amazing how many different ways the mallet makes contact with the ball, even
comparing high-goal players’ swings. One thing is certain though, if a
low-goal player or high-goal player does not swing properly, and that means use
his hips and horse and arm correctly, then the penalty shot will not go through
the goalposts. The good news for all players, that if everything lines up
properly, including the hips being brought forward, then just about any player
can convert a Penalty 2, 3 or, to the amazement of players, fans and umpires
alike, drill home a Penalty 4. Maybe even a mid-field shot? Let’s not get
carried away!
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