Polo rules and ettiquetes are important for anyone and everyone whose interests lean towards Polo. As a vintage sport, the game of polo rules on the idea of sportsmanship along the lines of discipline and technicalities of the sport. The Polo game rules are varied in nature and can be understood through the simply listed rules before that is the ultimate Polo rules for beginners guide. The basic rules of polo include:
Hitting points and angles
Horses have four hitting points. Nearside is referred to as the horse’s left. It is divided into two parts–nearside forehand and nearside back, which means left forward and left backward. This is the side where you mount and dismount.
The offside refers to the horse’s right. Offside forehand means right forward and offside back means right backward. Nearside shots are difficult to achieve because they need you to bend over and twist to get the shot. A horse has three hitting angles in addition to the hitting points: away from the horse, at the backside of the horse, and under the neck of the horse.
Position of hitting
The most important thing is how to strike the ball. The way to carry the mallet is to keep it vertically over your hand so that hitting in all four positions becomes easier. The swing and the pace at which you ride are inversely proportional.
The swing would be smaller the faster you move the horse. It’s crucial to remember to take your back off the seat when in half-seat. Shoulders should be parallel to the horse when turning. Squeeze the horse with your knees and reach for a specific point on the ball by staring down. After that, slowly strike the ball.
Throw-in
Throw-ins happen at any time during the game, after each goal or at the start of each chukka, starting where the previous chukka ended. Both teams line up at the centre circle of the ground, facing the umpire and facing the opponent’s target, respectively. To restart play, the umpire throws the ball in between two teams.
Hooking
This is a defence move. A player’s option to hook is when he/she is on the opposite side of the swing or directly behind an opponent. The opponent’s mallet can be blocked by a player swinging his or her own mallet at the ball.
Handicap
Each player is rated on a handicap scale that ranges from -2 (beginners) to +10 (experts). There are only a few players in the world who have a 10-goal handicap. Ninety per cent of the players have a handicapped ranking 0 to 2. The sum of the individual handicaps is the team handicap. The lower ranked team receives the difference in goals (“handicap goals”) between two teams.
The rules of polo explained in this article form the basic core of the game. These basic polo rules are your go-to guide to understanding and enjoying any polo match. Treat it as your ” Polo for Dummies” manual and catch up on any of your favourite polo match!
