Polo Performance Analysis
When I use the term Polo Performance Analysis, I am asking the player to consider all aspects of their
game, from the “Throw In”, to the “Final Bell”. This means not only do we look at the swing, and how the mallet meets the ball, but also we look at how he arrives at the ball, where he sends the ball, and how he gets from point to point. Will he be able to get to the ball without fouling? Will he be able to protect the ball from other players? Will he be able to receive the ball from his teammates? The Performance Analysis Software allows us to draw a white line for the “Line of the Ball” and we can draw a blue line for the “Blue Player”, a yellow line for the “Yellow Player” and then we could make a red circle where the lines come together to illustrate a foul. Then we could draw a green line to illustrate how a player could have made a play without causing a foul. This will help new players to understand the rules and this can also help the older players understand that things are not always, as they appear at first glance.
Performance analysis is best done by using digital video on the field, with real polo ponies during a stick and ball session or from real game situations. Studying a players riding, and positioning on the field is every bit as important as Swing Analysis, because if a player cannot get to the ball he, certainly, will never hit the ball!
