Polo Club Luxembourg

Ball
A polo ball is about 3 1/4 inches in diameter and weighs around 4 ounces. Though originally made of bamboo root, most balls today are made of plastic.

Backshot
A swing taken using a backward motion.

Bump
A player is permitted to ride into another player to spoil his shot. The angle of collision must be slight, causing no more than a jar. The faster the horse travels, the smaller the angle must be. A good bump can shake your dentures loose.

Chukker
Also called a period. There are 6 chukkers in a polo game, each lasting 7 minutes. A horn is to sound when 30 second remain in the chukker, and again at the end of the period when the Umpire is to blow his whistle.

Flagger/Goal Judge
A person who observes the goal area and signals whether the goal is good or not by waving a flag over the head if a goal is scored, or under the waist if no goal has been made.

Field
Officially 300 yards long by 160 yards wide if it is outlined by side boards. If there are no boards, the field can be up to 200 yards wide. The field requires approximately 9 acres. Goal posts are 24 feet apart, and should be collapsible upon severe impact. The field should be marked in the center, as well as at the 30, 40 and 60-yard lines.

Foreshot
A shot hit forward or laterally using a forward swing of the mallet.

Fouls
Any infringement of the Rules of Polo in which an umpire may stop the game and impose a penalty. Some things considered fouls might be: Crossing the line of the ball in such a way that one interferes with the Right of Way of another player; reaching over or under another players mount; stopping on the ball in a way that interferes with play; bumping at a speed or angle which could endanger players and horses, etc.

Goal
When a ball crosses completely over the line between the goal posts, it is considered a goal regardless of who (including ponies) knocks it through. It must also be completely within the inner vertical line of the goal post. To equalize wind and turf conditions, teams change sides after every scored goal.

Handicap
All registered players are rated on a scale of -2 to 10 (the higher the better). The word "goal" usually follows the number when stating a player's handicap, but it bears no relationship to the number of goals a player might score in a game. Each player's handicap is determined yearly by a governing board in his/her Circuit, following USPA guidelines. A team's handicap is the sum total of its player's ratings, and if one team's handicap is higher than their opponent, they must give the difference in their rating to the other team. A 6-goal team would give a 4-goal team two goals to start the game.

Hook
A player may spoil another's shot by putting his mallet in the way of the striking player. A crook hook occurs when the player reaches over his opponent's mount in an attempt to hook and this is considered a foul.

Knock-In
When the opposing team hits the ball across the opponent's backline, the defending team knocks the ball back into play from their backline.

Line of the ball
An imaginary straight line created by the ball when it is hit.

Mallet
Also known as a "stick", the shaft is usually made from a bamboo shoot, and the head from bamboo root or a hard wood such as maple. Mallets vary in length from 48 to 54 inches and they are quite flexible. The ball is struck with the side of the mallet head, not the end of the head as in crochet.

Nearside
The left-hand side of the horse.

Neck shot
When a player hits a ball under the horse's neck from either side.

Offside
The right-hand side of the horse.

Penalty
Penalties are identified by numbers from 1 thru 10 and are determined by the Umpires based on the severity of the foul. 1-An automatic goal. 2-A free hit from 30 yards to an undefended goal. 3-A free hit from 40 yards to an undefended goal. 4-A free hit from 60 yards to a defended goal. 5-A free hit from the point of infraction or from midfield. 6-Safety (see Safety)

Ponies
The best polo ponies are thought to be of Thoroughbred blood and whose qualities are heart, speed, wind, stamina and the ability to accelerate, stop and turn quickly, and whose temperament is amenable to the rigors of the game. There are no longer height limits for the horses, though most are between 15 and 15.3 hands. The ponies are generally between 5 and 15 years old. Bandages (polo wraps) and often boots are used on the horses legs and feet for support and protection. Many players think that the ponies account for up to 80 percent of the game.

Positions
Each of the four team members plays a distinctly different position. Since polo is such a fluid game, the players may momentarily change positions, but will try to quickly return to their initial assignment. No. 1 is the most forward offensive player. No. 2 is just as offensive but plays deeper and works harder. No. 3 is the pivot player between offense and defense and tries to turn all players to offense. No. 4 or Back, is the defensive player who principal role is to protect the goal.

Right of Way
Between 2 or more players in close proximity to the ball, there is an area ahead of each player in the direction he is riding which is his Right of Way.

Ride off
When two players make contact and attempt to push each other off the line to prevent the other from striking the ball. The horses are the ones intended to do the pushing, though a player may use his body but not his elbows.

Safety
Penalty No. 6. When a defending player hits the ball over his own backline, the other team is awarded a free hit from the 60-yard line at a point equal distance from the sideline as where the ball crossed the backline.

Sudden Death
In the event of a tie score at the end of the last chukker, there is a 5-10 minute intermission to allow players to change mount before beginning a "sudden death" chukker or chukkers in which the first team to score wins the match.

Tail shot
Hitting the ball behind and under the horse's rump.

Throw-in/ Bowl-in
A chukker begins, and many plays resume when the umpire bowls the ball between the two ready teams.

Timekeeper and Scorekeeper
Official games will have a timekeeper and a scorekeeper though they are often the same person. The timekeeper starts the clock when the Umpire bowls in the ball at the beginning of the chukker. Time does not stop unless the Umpire blows the whistle, nor does it stop when there is a goal or when the ball goes out of bounds. A stopped time clock will not resume again until the Umpire throws the ball back into play, a player hits it in from out of bounds or a player hits a penalty shot.

Time out
An umpire may call a time out by blowing his whistle, when a foul is committed, an accident occurs, or at his/her discretion. A player may only call a time out if he has broken tack or is injured. No time out is allowed for changing horses or replacing broken polo mallets, though a player may do either at any time.

Umpires/Referees
Two mounted officials, one for each side of the field are the Umpires. The Referee, often called the Third Man sits at the sidelines near center field. If two umpires are in disagreement on a foul or penalty, the third man or referee makes the final decision.