Polo

Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport, and is one of the oldest known team sports in the world.

Outdoor or "field" polo is played on a 300-by-160-yard grass field, while indoor or "arena" polo is played on a smaller 300-by-150-foot dirt arena. Players score by using a wooden mallet to drive the ball between the opposing team's goal posts while riding at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour, requiring mastery in horse riding. The team scoring the most goals wins. A game of outdoor polo lasts about one and a half to two hours, has two teams of four players, and consists of four to eight seven-minute chukkas (or chukkers), between or during which players change mounts.

The progenitor of polo and its variants was an equestrian game named Chovgan, which was played from the 6th century BCE to the 1st century CE in Persia (Iran) and Central Asia. Its modern form developed in India, and was later adopted by the Western world.

Often called "The Sport of Kings", polo has become popular around the world as a spectator sport for equestrians and high society, often supported by sponsorship. Today there are well over 100 member countries in the Federation of International Polo, and it is played professionally in 16 countries. It was also an Olympic sport from 1900 to 1936.

Rules

The rules of polo are written to include the safety of both players and horses. Games are monitored by umpires. A whistle is blown when an infraction occurs, and penalties are awarded. Strategic plays in polo are based on the "line of the ball", an imaginary line that extends through the ball in the line of travel. This line traces the ball's path and extends past the ball along that trajectory. The line of the ball defines rules for players to approach the ball safely. The "line of the ball" changes each time the ball changes direction. The player who hits the ball generally has the right of way, and other players cannot cross the line of the ball in front of that player. As players approach the ball, they ride on either side of the line of the ball giving each access to the ball. A player can cross the line of the ball when it does not create a dangerous situation. Most infractions and penalties are related to players improperly crossing the line of the ball or the right of way. When a player has the line of the ball on their right, or "off-side," they have the right of way. A "ride-off" is when a player moves another player off the line of the ball by making shoulder-to-shoulder contact with the other players' horses. This is called "bumping". In order for a player to bump another played without committing an "uneven ride-off" foul, the two horses must be shoulder-to-shoulder and moving at the same speed.

Legal Contact: Ride-offs and Hooks

Two forms of physical contact are explicitly permitted under both HPA and USPA rules.

A ride-off consists of a player using shoulder-to-shoulder contact at roughly equal speed to push an opponent off the line of the ball. It is the defining form of contact in polo. A hook is the use of one's mallet to block or deflect an opponent's swing; it is only legal when executed on the same side as the opponent's swing or directly behind them, and never above the height of the opponent's shoulder. Sandwiching an opponent between two players, and any contact at a dangerous angle to horse or rider, is prohibited.

Penalties

Fouls are punished by a graduated system of free hits, numbered 1 to 7 by severity:

The defending player has a variety of opportunities for their team to gain possession of the ball. They can push the opponent off the line or steal the ball from the opponent. Another common defensive play is called "hooking." While a player is taking a swing at the ball, their opponent can block the swing by using their mallet to hook the mallet of the player swinging at the ball. A player may hook only if they are on the side where the swing is being made or directly behind an opponent. A player may not purposely touch another player, another player's tack, or a pony with their mallet. Unsafe hooking is a foul that will result in a penalty shot being awarded. For example, it is a foul for a player to reach over an opponent's mount in an attempt to hook.

The other basic defensive play is called the bump or ride-off. It's similar to a body check in ice hockey. In a ride-off, a player rides their pony alongside an opponent's mount to move an opponent away from the ball or to take them out of a play. It must be executed properly so that it does not endanger the horses or the players. The angle of contact must be safe and can not knock the horses off balance, or harm the horses in any way. Two players following the line of the ball and riding one another off have the right of way over a single man coming from any direction.

Like in hockey, ice hockey, or basketball, fouls are potentially dangerous plays that infringe on the rules of the game. To the novice spectator, fouls may be difficult to discern. There are degrees of dangerous and unfair play and penalty shots are awarded depending based on the severity of the foul and where the foul was committed on the polo field. White lines on the polo field indicate where the mid-field, sixty, forty, and thirty yard penalties are taken.

All tournaments and levels of play and players are organized within and between polo clubs, including membership, rules, safety, fields and arenas. The official set of rules and rules interpretations are reviewed and published annually by each country's polo association. Most of the smaller associations follow the rules of the Hurlingham Polo Association, the national governing body of the sport of polo in the United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UK became the world's first industrialised country and was the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries.United Kingdom, and the United States Polo Association.

Players

Outdoor polo is played by two teams of four mounted players. Teams can be all-male, all-female, or mixed. Each player on the team has a specific number and has a specific role on the team. Polo must be played right-handed to prevent head-on collisions.

Ball

The modern outdoor polo ball is made of a high-impact plastic. Historically they have been made of bamboo, leather covered cork, hard rubber, and for many years willow root. Originally the British used a white painted leather covered cricket ball. The regulation outdoor polo ball is 3 inches (7.6 cm) to 3+1⁄2 inches (8.9 cm) in diameter and weighs 3+1⁄2 ounces (99 g) to 4+1⁄2 ounces (130 g). Plastic balls were introduced in the 1970s. They are less prone to breakage and much cheaper.

Equipment

The rules for equipment vary in details between the hosting authorities, but are always for the safety of the players and mounts. Mandatory equipment includes a protective helmet with chinstrap worn at all times by all players and mounted grooms. They have a rigid exterior and interior protective padding and must be to a locally accepted safety standard, PAS015 (UK), NOCSAE (US). A face guard is commonly integral with the helmet.

Polo boots and knee guards are mandatory in the UK during official play, and boots are recommended for all play everywhere. The UK also recommends goggles, elbow pads and gum shields. A shirt or jersey is required that distinguishes the player's team, and is not black and white stripes like an umpire shirt. White polo pants or trousers are worn during official play. Polo gloves are commonly worn to protect from working the reins and mallet. No equipment that could harm horses (such as certain spurs or whips) is permitted.

Mallet

The polo mallet consists of a cane shaft with a rubber-wrapped grip, a webbed thong, called a sling, for wrapping around the thumb, and a wooden cigar-shaped head. The shaft is made of manau-cane (not bamboo, which is hollow) although a small number of mallets today are made from composite materials. Composite materials are usually not preferred by top players because the shaft of composite mallets cannot absorb vibrations as well as traditional cane mallets. The mallet head is generally made from a hardwood called tipa, approximately 91⁄4" inches long. The mallet head weighs from 160 g (5.6 oz) to 240 g (8.5 oz), depending on player preference and the type of wood used, and the shaft can vary in weight and flexibility depending on the player's preference. The weight of the mallet head is of important consideration for the more seasoned players. Female players often use lighter mallets than male players. For some polo players, the length of the mallet depends on the size of the horse: the taller the horse, the longer the mallet. However, some players prefer to use a single length of mallet regardless of the height of the horse. Either way, playing horses of differing heights requires some adjustment by the rider. Variable lengths of the mallet typically range from 127 cm (50 in) to 134 cm (53 in). The term mallet is used exclusively in US English; British English prefers the term polo stick. The ball is struck with the broad sides of the mallet head rather than its round and flat tips.

The Field

The playing field is 300 by 160 yards (274 by 146 m), the area of approximately six soccer fields or nine American football fields 10 acres (4.0 hectares), while arena polo is 315 by 151 feet (96 by 46 m). This is the largest playing field of any modern sport. The playing field is carefully maintained with closely mowed turf providing a safe, fast playing surface. Goals are posts which are set eight yards apart, centred at each end of the field. The surface of a polo field requires careful and constant grounds maintenance to keep the surface in good playing condition. During half-time of a match, spectators are invited to go onto the field to participate in a polo tradition called "divot stomping", which was developed not only to help replace the mounds of earth (divots) that are torn up by the horses' hooves, but also to afford spectators the opportunity to walk about and socialise.

Outdoor Polo Game Structure

Outdoor or field polo lasts about one and a half to two hours and consists of four to eight seven-minute chukkas (or chukkers), between or during which players change mounts. At the end of each seven-minute chukka, play continues for an additional 30 seconds or until a stoppage in play, whichever comes first. There is a four-minute interval between chukkas and a ten-minute halftime. Play is continuous and is only stopped for rule infractions (fouls), broken tack (equipment) or injury to horse or player. The object is to score goals by hitting the ball between the goal posts, no matter how high in the air. If the ball goes wide of the goal, the defending team is allowed a free "knock-in" from the place where the ball crossed the goal line, thus getting ball back into play.

Indoor or Arena Polo

Arena polo is an indoor or semi-outdoor variant with similar rules to the outdoor polo version. It is played with three riders per team, and is less strenuous for the player. It is played in a enclosed arena.

Arena polo playing field is smaller than outdoor polo, is enclosed and usually made of compacted sand or fine aggregate. The enclosed area is much like those used for other equestrian sports 300 by 150 feet (91 by 46 m); the minimum size is 150 by 75 feet (46 by 23 m). Arena polo has more manoeuvering due to space limitations, and uses an air-inflated ball slightly larger than the hard solid ball used in field polo.

The indoor arena polo ball is often leather-covered and air-inflated. It is larger compared to the smaller and harder ball used in outdoor polo. The ball must be not less than 12.5 inches (32 cm) or more than 15 inches (38 cm) in circumference. The weight must be between 170 grams (6.0 oz) and 182 grams (6.4 oz). In a bounce test from 9 feet (2.7 m) on concrete at 70 °F (21 °C), the rebound should be a minimum of 54 inches (140 cm) and a maximum of 64 inches (160 cm) at the inflation rate specified by the manufacturer. Some larger, custom-sized indoor balls are also available, such as 40 centimetres (16 in) diameter versions for specific conditions. This provides for a hard and lively ball.

Standard mallets are used, though slightly larger-head arena mallets are an option.

 

SPORTS

 

RESOURCES
This article uses material from the Wikipedia articles "Polo" which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.