Polo terms
A-Z
APPEALING Claims by players for a foul generally expressed by the raising of sticks above their heads. Over-demonstrative appealing is considered bad form.
BACK The number 4 in a polo team is invariably referred to as the Back rather than by his number. BALL White and made of plastic or wood. It weighs 4.5 ounces and is 3.5 inches in diameter. The ball is coloured when polo is played on snow.
BELL OR HOOTER This is
situated on the side of the field and is rung by the timekeeper to inform umpires when seven minutes of play in a chukka have elapsed. BOLUDO A Spanish word shouted at another player, generally by high handicapped South American players at their lesser brethren when the latter make a mistake. Not a term of endearment! Loosely translated it means “dolt”. Choto, another Spanish word of rude rebuke, but somewhat milder than boludo, may be heard as frequently. These words are widely copied by English players trying to emulate the verbal, if not the polo skills of South Americans. BUMP A player is permitted to ride off another to spoil his shot or to remove him away from the play. The angle of contact must be no more than 45°. The faster the pony travels, the smaller the angle must be. A good bump can shake discs and dentures loose!
CHUKKA There are six chukkas (periods) in high handicap
matches in the UK, each lasting seven minutes, plus 30 seconds of overtime. If, during those extra 30 seconds, the ball hits the sideboards or goes out of bounds, or if the umpire blows his whistle for a foul, the chukka is over. There is no extra time at the end of the final chukka unless the score is tied. Players return with a fresh pony each chukka. Chukka comes from the Indian word for a circle or round.
DIVOTS Turf kicked up by ponies’ hooves.
ENDS The back lines of a polo pitch. Teams change ends, i.e. switch the halves they defend, each time a goal is scored in order to equalise wind and turf conditions. EQUIPMENT Hard helmets and kneepads are compulsory for players. Faceguards, whips and spurs are optional.
FIELD A full size polo field is 300 yards by 160 yards or the area of three football pitches. The goal posts, which collapse on severe impact, are set eight yards apart.
GOAL Any time the ball fully crosses, at any height, the line between the goal regardless of who knocks it through, including the pony.
HANDICAP All players are rated on a scale of -2 – 10 (the higher the better). Although the word goal is often used after the rating, it bears no relation to the number of goals a player scores in a match but to his overall playing ability. A player’s
172 | GUARDS POLO CLUB OFFICIAL YEARBOOK 2010
Everything you need to know to join in the polo jargon
horsemanship, range of strokes, speed of play, team and game sense are the factors considered in determining the handicap. The team handicap is the sum of the players’ handicaps. In handicap matches of six chukkas the team with the lower handicap is awarded the differing in goals at the start of the game. For example a 26-goal team would give two goals start to a 24-goal team. For matches other than six chukkas the side with the lower handicap begins with a number of goals start according to the following formula: the difference in the teams’ handicaps multiplied by the number of chukkas to be played and divided by six. Fractions count as half a goal so a 26-goal team would give a 24-goal team 1.5 goal start in a four-chukka match.
High-goal teams with total handicaps from 17 to 24 goals. The highest level of official tournament polo played in the UK is 22 goals.
HIRED ASSASSIN A professional
player. HOOK Provided the player is on the same side of the opponent's pony as the ball he may spoil his opponent’s shot by putting his stick in the way of the striking player’s. HPA The Hurlingham Polo Association. This is the governing body of the game in the UK and Ireland. Its governing officials are called stewards. They should not be confused with the Club stewards who are much more important and who guide and advise members while at Smith’s Lawn.
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