Wednesday 14 March 2012

Welcome to the world of polo - the greatest game on earth!


The Polera introduce the history and the rules to "The sport of Kings" 
- a perfect introduction to the polo beginner.

Lets start at the very beginning - the origins of polo…

Polo is one of the oldest team sports in the world with evidence showing it originated in China and Persia more than 2,000 years ago. With the first recorded game taking place between in 600BC between the Turkomans and the Persians.

It is believed that polo began as a war game for training cavalry units and was seen as  a miniature battle (and some would argue it is still the same today, not just a battle for the ball, but a battle of honour for the team and a fight to win the best tournaments in the world).

The game quickly spread from Persia to other parts of Asia including Japan and then to the Indian subcontinent where it gained the nickname "The sport of Kings". In the late nineteenth century, it was discovered by the British tea planters on the Burmese border with India, who then founded the world's first polo club at Silchar, west of Manipur, and other clubs quickly followed.

The first real rules of the game were constructed in India in the 1870s by John Watson of the 13th Hussars. Over the years, various amendments have been made to the game worldwide. Player handicaps were introduced in the nineteenth century alongside the permissible height of polo ponies (that restriction of polo ponies being no taller than 14.2 hands in height has now been abolished).

Polo is now played in other 80 countries around the world and was included as an Olympic Sport between 1900 and 1939. It has recently been recognised again by the International Olympic committee so should hopefully be returning to the Olympics again soon.

Understanding the rules…

Teams:
Each team consists of four players. Number 3 is the captain, who commands the team and pivots between attack and defence. Number 4 (also known as the "back") is responsible for defence and being the goal defender, while Numbers 1 and 2 are the attackers.

Handicap:
The handicap is awarded to each player depending on the aptitude and ball skills, which ranges from -2 to +10 (in Argentina the handicap is from 0 to +10). Although the entry level of -2 denotes a beginner, around 90% of all polo players have handicaps in the range of 0 to +2.

The national polo associations review and assign the player's handicaps annually, according to their success in playing at tournaments and the skills they demonstrate. A team's handicap is calculated by putting together the handicaps of each player. Tournaments are arranged in different classes of play (from low-, medium- or high-goal), and the team handicaps must correspond to the type of tournament.

Chukka:
A polo match consists of four, five or six time units as chukkas. In Europe, a match usually consists of four chukkas, each lasting 7 and a half minutes in length, with the last chukka being 7 minutes. A polo pony may only played in no more than 2 chukkas and not in consecutive chukkas. Half-time consists of a 5-10 minute break, in which the public are invited onto the pitch to "tread in the divots" (the turf kicked up by the ponies' hooves).

Direction of play:
Whenever a goal is scored, the direction of play switches and teams switch ends. This avoids match conditions (such as wind direction) putting one team at a disadvantage.

Rules of play:
The fundamental rule of polo is known as "Right of Way" (ROW). During play there is an imaginary line of the ball which is the direction in which the ball is travelling at any one moment. When a player has established the right of way along that line, it may not be crossed by an opposing player if there is the slightest risk of collision.

Any player who crosses the player on the line of the ball close enough to be dangerous or cause him to slow up, will commit a foul and the opposing team will be awarded a penalty (different types of penalties are awarded depending on the type of foul committed).

The player with ROW can lose this by being "ridden off" or "hooked". "Hooking" means using the stick to prevent the other player from retrieving or striking the ball. The player does this by blocking the opponent's stick during a swing or while the other player is dribbling the ball. Players must not attempt to hook an opponent in front of the pony's legs.

"Riding off" means trying to force an opponent off course using a kind of body check, so that the player can no longer hit the ball. This is allowed only if the riding off takes place parallel and not at an angle to the player who has ROW.

Tapping techniques:
The ball is tapped on the right side of the pony (it is illegal to play polo left-handed), which is known as the "offside". Tapping takes place in a forward or backward direction. For a "nearside" play, which takes place of the pony's left side, the player has to twist in the saddle and, holding the stick in his right hand bring it to the other side of the pony. "Under the neck" shot refers to a strokes performed in front of the pony. The hardest shots are the "round-the-tail" strokes, performed to the rear of the horse.

The Polo Pony:
The present day polo pony (height 14.5 - 16 hands, or 155-160cm) far exceeds the height of the traditional known "pony". The pedigree traces its heritage back to the crossing of the original Himalayan mountain ponies, with English or American thoroughbreds, Arabians or others, especially South American stud horses. Today, the Argentinian polo breed dominates. These are horses which master in sudden bursts of speed, which are brave and pugnacious and their agility and alertness are unrivalled.

Umpires:
There are two mounted umpires on the pitch and a third man in the stands who acts as arbitrator if the umpires disagree. The goal judges (positioned behind each goal) wave the flag when a goal is scored. The timekeeper and scorer keep track of the timings of the match and sound the bell at the end of each chukka.

Penalties:
Different types of penalty are awarded depending on the type of foul committed.

30-40 yard - free hit at the undefended goal. The attackers have to be at level with the ball when hit. Defenders have to be behind the back line.

60 yard - none to the defending team can be nearer than 30 yards.

Free hit - hit from the spot where the foul occurred, with none of the defending team to be nearer than 30 yards.

If the ball has gone over the back line, but not through the goal, then the defending team hit it back into play at the point where it crossed the line. The attacking team must be 30 yards away.

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