TALK
FEELS LIKE TEAM SPIRIT England Polo captain Luke Tomlinson advises young players on the skills needed to become a world-class player
Talent Pool (from left) Ollie Cudmore, Lanto Sheridan, Luke Tomlinson, Richard Le Poer, Jack Richardson and George Meyrick
Although there is an age gap between the current England Squad and the up-and-coming young England squad, there is a wealth of talent of under-25-year-olds who are 4 goals and over. Those who deserve particular mention are Richard Le Poer, George Meyrick, and Max Charlton (off 5 goals) and Charlie Hanbury, Lanto Sheridan, Ollie Cudmore and Jack Richardson (off 4 goals). The ability to develop this talent into its full potential is up to each individual and the opportunities that English polo can give them. Indeed, in the UK there are four factors in polo that make it hard for talented young players to achieve their potential: availability of good horses (or access to them), finding good personal coaches from a young age, the broad skill set, and the limited number of months each year that polo is played. I would advise players with potential to have a good think about whether polo is for them – ie if you like hard work, love horses, are bitten by
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Do not aim for a handicap of 10, but higher… aim to be as good as you can
the polo bug and are happy to have a career with a limited shelf life, where injuries are frequent, jobs are seasonal and issues with patrons often arise. If your answer is ‘yes’ to all of the above then the first thing you must take on board is that there is no limit to how good you can get and that handicaps are put after your name as a result of how you have played. Do not aim for 10, but higher… aim to be as good as you can and remember that you don’t stop improving in this sport until you start slowing down mentally and
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physically, a process which can occur as late as your mid-forties. There is absolutely no roof on human achievement! Secondly, you have to acknowledge that polo requires a wide range of skills, and they can be divided and then subdivided into a multitude of different skills. I will discuss the broad headings of the following skills: ] Riding ability ] Stick work and ball control ] Team skills ] Strength and fitness ] Mental power ] Tactics ] Organisation ] PR and communication ] Being well mounted These are the basic overall headings to work on, but the actual work is on the finer points of each one. For example, within riding ability is the skill
