August 2021 Polo Players' Edition- Timing Isn't Everything

By Lt. Col. Faiz Siddiqui

‘Don’t use force, just let it drop’ is probably the first instruction a new polo player receives when picking up the polo mallet for the first time. For this new polo player, however, trying not to ‘kill’ the ball remains a distant dream for many years.

An interesting aspect of this entire ordeal is that while beginners are busy forcing the force out of the swing, they consider themselves victims of temptation. The only thing that stands between them and a slow and smooth swing is the desire to hit the ball hard and long. This belief is reinforced by several more experienced players when they say to just let the mallet drop. As if there is nothing more needed to accomplish this other than a plain intention.

As a result, the novice continues to see it as a mental roadblock without looking into the physical and technical aspect of it. However, once you try and analyze the process in a bit of detail, you realize that is not the case. There is an important aspect of swing that plays a vital role in allowing a player to swing the mallet slow and smooth. Timing is overrated A full polo swing has three main parts: the preswing, brace position and downswing. Brace position is when a player is in the half seat with a straight arm fully-stretched [back and behind the shoulder] with the body parallel to the line of the ball.

A lot of emphasis is put on the timing of a shot, which is not incorrect but is basically just a matter of execution provided that the prerequisite of the swing (i.e., brace position) is achieved in time and retained for the desired duration.

The brace position is adopted right before the downward swing begins. From this position, for a slow and smooth swing, it takes the head of the polo mallet approximately one-and-a-half seconds to complete the journey until it strikes the ball. Hence, a polo player needs to remain out of the saddle in the half seat for almost three seconds during the execution of the shot. Beginners, however, often lack this ability and just swing their weight forward to attain the brace position.

It is no wonder that even before the mallet has crossed the shoulder level, they realize they are falling back into their saddle. This is when they end up forcing (and also short circuiting) their swing in order to somehow connect before it is too late. Thus, we see the main problem with the element of force in a swing is not just the desire to hit hard and long as most beginners perceive but rather the inability to acquire [and maintain] the half seat for the required duration.

Once players reach a level of fitness where they can remain in the half seat and brace position at will, the problem of keeping the swing slow and timing it will cease to be an issue. Their ability to remain in optimum position for a long period gives them more than enough time to hit it right every single time.

And guess what? In case of a moving ball, for them it is almost like hitting it at a standstill. All they need to do is match the speed of ball with their horse’s speed and acquire the brace position. The ball remains right under them for [what seems like an] eternity, and they can choose the time to connect on their own free will. They also have the added advantage of being able to make an attempt at it many times over in case they miss for any reason!

Faiz Siddiqui is a Hurlingham Polo Association certified polo instructor and author of Keep Calm & Ride On: A beginner’s guide to elementary horse riding. He lives in Bhopal, India, and can be reached via his website: faizsiddiqui.com