120 SIDELINES FEBRUARY 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
P
O
L
O
Overhaul Your
Team Strategy
In every professionally played team sport, there
are team practices and meetings. Polo should be
treated no differently. Before you hit the field for
your first game, make sure your team has planned for
the following: Horse power (yours and theirs), team
line-ups, player positioning and strategies for each
team that you are going to be playing against. As
Big Joe Muldoon always told me, “Never go to battle
without your plan of attack.” Big Joe was the king of
preparation. He always talked to his team about which
horses they were planning on bringing to the field and
which horses their opposition were bringing to the
field, including which chukker they were intending
to play them in. It pays to know if the best horse
of your opponent is out with an injury or even more
importantly, if your teammate is riding a new horse,
a green horse or any other situation that might limit
their normal performance on the field. Knowing these
things before you go onto the field will save you from
losing a chukker to your opponents because you and
your teammate both came out under-mounted.
Practice with Purpose
Practice together, not only in a scrimmage but
better yet in a stick-n-ball session with a purpose. Did
your team lose from missing their penalty shots? Ask
any club manager how many games are lost on that
detail alone. Many teams come off the field blaming
the umpires for their loss. Get a copy of the score
sheet and discover the real reason behind the defeat.
Gather a bucket of balls and have the entire team
practice penalty shots. You may be surprised that
someone besides the highest rated pro may be the
best choice to take the shots for your next game.
If you have been late for calling for your teammate’s
backshots, then simulate a few scenarios where you
call for various shots. Know what language is clear to
everyone on the field. Does “open” mean the same to you
as “away”? Make sure you understand each other off the
field before you are engaged in the heat of the battle. When
tempers are flaring is no time to be debating if someone said
“NO” or “GO”!
Video Your Games
Watch videos together as a team. This is the perfect time
to talk about strategy and positioning. You can use the
video of your last game to point out weaknesses or flaws
in your plays and those of your opponents. Watch games
of other teams in your league play against one another;
you may even pick up some of their strategies that can be
added to your team’s plan. Discuss how you are going to
line up against each team that you will be playing. You can
always go over these plans again field-side to fine-tune any
last minute changes; but come to the field already informed.
Last minute jitters, work and personal issues, broken down
trucks and trailers all get in the way of concentration. Take
that added stress out of the equation. Come to the field
prepared.
Team meetings and practices need not be overlooked.
Just take the initiative and organize one. Teams who have
played together year after year are especially susceptible to
thinking they already know one another’s horses and each
other’s strengths and shortcomings. Now is a good time to
overhaul your approach to team play.
Kris’ Corner
Kris Bowman is the National Club Development Director for the
United States Polo Association. She has achieved national
acclaim for teaching and developing adult and Jr. Polo programs
across the country over the past 20 years.