Polo Rules
The polo rules can be described
as follows. It is a sport played on horses; two
teams formed by four players each, which try to take
a small ball into the other team’s goal with a
wooden stick from on top of a horse. The object of
the game is obviously to make more goals than the
other team.
The polo rules relating to a match are that
it can be played either outdoors or indoors, but the
rules vary depending on where it is played. When
played outdoors the teams are formed by four
players, while playing indoors only has three
players.
The match is divided into periods of time called
“Chukkas”, each made out of seven minutes and thirty
seconds. A normal outdoor match is formed by six
“Chukkas”, while when the matches played indoors are
only formed by four “Chukkas”. When playing an
International game, there can be up to eight
“Chukkas”. When the “Chukkas” end, and if the match
is still tied, then there will be extra “Chukkas”
played in sudden death style, this is that, the team
who scores first wins.
The polo rules relating to players are that
they must have a rating or handicap, based on their
abilities and value to the team. The largest the
handicap that a player has, the better that player
is considered to be. Matches are usually played
based on the handicap of each team member. The best
handicap is ten, which is what the best players in
the world have; only fifty five players in history,
have obtained a handicap of ten. A good player has a
handicap of five, there for a good team has a
handicap of twenty or more. In the history of polo
there have been only two matches between two teams
with a handicap of forty, which means that all of
the players in both of the teams had a handicap of
ten.
The polo rules relating to the polo field are
that it must be between some specific measures,
established by the Hurlingham Polo Association. When
played outside the field must measure between 274.3
in length by 182 in width. When played indoors, the
proper field size should be 91.5 meters in length by
45.1 meters in width.
Polo is a very complex game, learning to play it
takes years of practicing and achieving a handicap
of ten seems almost impossible.
