Polo Lessons

edit SideBar

Polo Lessons

On this page... (hide)

  1. 1. Summer 2010
    1. 1.1 2010-04-27
    2. 1.2 2010-05-04
    3. 1.3 2010-05-11
    4. 1.4 2010-05-13
    5. 1.5 2010-05-18
    6. 1.6 2010-05-25
    7. 1.7 2010-06-01
    8. 1.8 2010-06-02
    9. 1.9 2010-06-15
    10. 1.10 2010-06-22
    11. 1.11 2010-06-29
    12. 1.12 2010-07-06
    13. 1.13 2010-07-13
    14. 1.14 2010-07-20
    15. 1.15 2010-07-27
    16. 1.16 2010-07-28
    17. 1.17 2010-08-03
    18. 1.18 2010-08-10
    19. 1.19 2010-08-17
    20. 1.20 2010-08-24
    21. 1.21 2010-08-31 (TODO)
    22. 1.22 2010-09-07 (TODO)
  2. 2. Winter 2010/2011
    1. 2.1 2010-11-02
    2. 2.2 2010-11-09
    3. 2.3 2010-11-23
    4. 2.4 2010-12-14
  3. 3. Summer 2011
    1. 3.1 2011-06-10

1.  Summer 2010

Coach: Charlie

1.1  2010-04-27

  • Forward over the pommel
    • Makes turning faster and easier
  • Balance point reduces need to grip with legs
  • Half swing - straight arm and wrist
  • Head down over the ball
  • Left shoulder forward - encourages head over the ball
  • Don't hit, let the swing do the work
  • Mallet centred at rest - ready for on or off side shots
  • Look where you're turning
  • Pony "Ella"

1.2  2010-05-04

Exercises

  • Offside shots
  • Length of field and score
  • Circling back around

Obstacles

  • Posture!

Notes

  • Pony "Ella"
  • Slackened the reins
  • Haven't ingrained lesson 1
  • Lower back muscles gave out.
  • Structure collapsed when swinging.
  • Failed to complete a length of the field and score
  • Turning with the opposite leg
    • Keep inside leg off when off balance!
  • Nail in the saddle kept biting my ass!

1.3  2010-05-11

Exercises

  • 20m circle warmup
  • Stick and ball
  • Knees on, posting canter

Problems

  • Communicating superiority to pony
  • Knees on!
  • Running over the ball (leads to hitting from behind)

Notes

  • Pony "Ella"
  • Better posture this time
  • Riding is poor. "Kicking" on to canter instead of asking.
  • Reins too tight (inhibiting canter?)
  • Lower back works hard when trying to prevent falling forward from an unbalanced seat
  • Sore right hand, weakened grip

1.4  2010-05-13

Exercises

  • Circle warmup
  • Stick and ball
  • Open backhand

Problems

  • Problem pushing the pony on (generally poor riding)
  • Riding was a mess. Lost stirrups a lot
  • Got frustrated

Notes

  • Pony "Ella"
  • Trying new boots was a stupid idea
  • Keep left hand close on the neck
  • Shortened stirrups - seemed to help
  • Must remain centred on open backhand

1.5  2010-05-18

Exercises

  • Circling
  • Pulling up (in a straight line!)
  • Stick and ball

Problems

  • Not relaxing enough
  • Going too fast
  • Commands not clear enough

Notes

  • New pony "Flossy"
  • Much better riding
  • Goal!
  • Must remain centred when turning
  • Better call-and-response
    • but still tense and hard on the mouth
  • SLOWLY! Must keep slow relaxed canter

1.6  2010-05-25

Exercises

  • Warmup
  • Stick and ball
  • Circling round (not really)

Problems

  • Riding was a mess. Lost stirrups a lot
  • Got frustrated

Notes

  • Pony "Ella"
  • Bailed out
    • Bruised left hip
  • Cracked on outside right knee

1.7  2010-06-01

Half-hour riding technique (with Louise)

Exercises

  • Hind-leg 90deg turns
  • 180deg turns in canter
  • Right lead turns
  • Flying change

Problems

  • Don't collapse on canter transition!
  • Stay forward and balanced (don't lean too far into the turn)

1.8  2010-06-02

Exercises

  • Cut shot
  • Neck shot
  • Shot direction

Problems

  • Still collapsing for canter
  • Throwing stirrups on near-side leg
  • Too hard on the mouth. More call and response
  • Still riding with the hands instead of the legs

Notes

  • Generally good lesson

1.9  2010-06-15

Exercises

  • Swing shape and rhythm
  • Full swing
  • Canter-lead awareness
  • Two forehands, backhand, turn up on same canter lead

Problems

  • Rhythm - Snatching at the ball
  • Lateral control
  • Beginning to inhibit backhand shot
  • "Riding" too much

Notes

  • New pony "Faustina"
    • No constant rein pressure, pulse the rein.
  • Warmup with half-swing
  • Use full swing only 10% of the time
  • Stay light, knees on. Don't ride as much.

1.10  2010-06-22

Exercises

  • Stick and Ball
  • Posture

Problems

  • Staying in canter
  • Lacking energy
  • Not interpreting the correct canter lead
  • Too much lower back
  • Collapsing

Notes

  • At the end of a run, make a decision to pull up and do so.
  • After missing the ball, circle back ON THE CORRECT LEAD
  • Almost a complete waste of a lesson
  • Exhausted very quickly
  • One good backhand
  • Riding more with the legs, less with the hands now

1.11  2010-06-29

Exercises

  • Stick and Ball
  • Cut shots
  • Posture

Problems

  • Inside leg on when turning makes Pony jump outside

Notes

  • Pony "Ella"
  • Posture must be either SITTING, RISING CANTER or HALF-SEAT. Be clear which.
  • Be firm with leg. Don't kick too far back.

1.12  2010-07-06

Exercises

  • Cantering a circles around cones
  • Cantering around a course
  • Stick and Ball

Problems

  • Not keeping a flowing canter
  • Poor lateral control
  • Sitting trot causing lower back pain

Notes

  • Looser seat seems to work better

1.13  2010-07-13

Exercises

  • Full shot
  • Full cut-shot

Problems

  • Snatching at a few bit
  • Initially out of control, longer stirrups helped

Notes

  • New pony with cold back
  • Damp pitch, no tight turns!
  • Very good lesson

1.14  2010-07-20

Exercises

  • Stick and Ball
  • Full cut shot
  • Flying changes
  • Nearside backhand
  • Open backhand
  • Tail shot

Notes

  • Pony "Faustina"
  • Good lesson

Problems

  • Riding makes ponies "stick" a bit

1.15  2010-07-27

Exercises

  • Fast stick and ball runs
  • Preparing

Notes

  • Pony "Faustina"?
  • Short lesson

Problems

  • Sloppy shots
  • Weak near side

1.16  2010-07-28

  • Simulated chukka lesson with Louise
  • Pony "Luchina"? (cold back)

Exercises

  • Riding off
  • Communication
  • Backing up

Rules and Strategy

  • Ride off on opponent's near-side, hook when on their off-side
  • No turning the ball across the ROW endangering following players. (Backhand rule)

Problems

  • Some sloppy shots
  • No awareness of canter lead

1.17  2010-08-03

  • Energetic lesson
  • Pony "Flossy"?

Exercises

  • Various shots, backhands
  • Defence, hooking, riding off

Notes

  • Have to actually get there before you can ride off or hook
  • Tap using the whole arm

1.18  2010-08-10

  • short riding lesson
  • Pony "Fat Black"?
  • Turning
  • Riding into corners
  • Two-point
  • Flying changes

1.19  2010-08-17

Exercises

  • Tapping by "punching"
  • Stick and balling a route (pulling up, turning on to the new line)

1.20  2010-08-24

  • Pony "Seany" - quite frisky

Exercises

  • Straight runs to avoid fouling (turning on to the new line)

Problems

  • Stirrups initially too short
  • Cut shots very poor

1.21  2010-08-31 (TODO)

1.22  2010-09-07 (TODO)

(Short?)

2.  Winter 2010/2011

Coach: Josh

2.1  2010-11-02

  • Pony "Max"
  • With Debbie and Jocelyn

Exercises

  • Stick and Ball
  • Backhands

Problems

  • Stirrups too short, then too long, then too short
  • Not twisting in the saddle - knees coming off
  • Near-side collapsing, not twisting enough
  • Turning to the near-side is uncontrolled

Notes

  • Generally good
  • Tired quickly
  • Stretch lower back - need to isolate twisting while gripping with knees

2.2  2010-11-09

  • Pony "Max"

2.3  2010-11-23

  • New pony "Lucy"?

Exercises

  • Stopping
  • Short play
    • Near-side push (to the left)
    • Off-side reverse neck (to the right)

Problems

  • Rein aids too coarse
  • Reins slipping in my hands
  • Insufficient wrist strength in Short Play

Notes

  • Near-side need to get head further over the ball
  • Check which lead for near-side
    • Josh suggests Left Lead
    • Goodspeed suggests Right Lead, esp for backand to avoid fouling

2.4  2010-12-14

  • "Lucy" ?

Exercises

  • Getting "outside the horse"

Notes

  • Acute lower leg angle on striking side! (Ankle back)
  • Turn the body further!
  • Push through for the bigger shot

3.  Summer 2011

Coach: Twm

3.1  2011-06-10

  • Twm
  • Pony "Maximo"
  • With Jamie and Sophie

Key points

  • Don't unbalance the horse
  • Hit at the same point every time

Seat

  • Independent half-seat
    • Circles, flying changes, stopping in half-seat
    • No depending on the reins!
    • Feet parallel to the horse

Turning

  • Weight to the outside of the turn!
    • Allows an easier change of lead
    • Reduces moment of inertia
  • "Open the Door"
    • "Leading" rein, not rein of opposition
    • Push through with the outside leg acting behind the girth

Swing

  • Place the pony, don't compromise the swing
  • Minimize the mechanics of hitting
  • Essentially the same half-seat position for all four basic shots
  • Get some weight in the opposite leg "holding two £50 notes under your feet"
    • Try without stirrups!
  • Start over the point of impact (1 o'clock), mallet up
  • Roll the lower arm back, let the mallet swing through (5 o'clock to 1 o'clock)

Problems

  • Always over-committing, can't get weight into near-side hee

Notes

  • In Stick & Ball, if the shot was wrong, balance the pony before picking the ball up again
Recent Changes (All) | Edit SideBar Page last modified on 13 June 2011, at 06:24 PM UTC Edit Page | Page History
Powered by PmWiki