Playing Tips with Rege Ludwig: Stability of

Playing tips with Rege Ludwig Stability of Hitting Platform

The foundation for hitting the polo ball accurately

Renowned polo coach, Rege Ludwig gives his expert advice on how to get more out of your game

Instability of the hitting platform is a common negative factor associated with not hitting the polo ball accurately. To highlight that point, I recall an article I read many years ago that referenced a hitting analysis conducted by the Canadian Polo Association. If I remember correctly, the study included eight players ranging in handicap from 1 to 8 goals, with two participants having an 8 goal handicap.

An interesting discovery of that study was, of the 200 balls hit by those eight players, approximately 90% demonstrated an identifiable degree of instability within the players hitting platform.

Within this article I address two factors directly related to instability of the hitting platform. The first is feet, or the foundation upon which your hitting platform is constructed.

One of the more important factors to be aware of is, turning your toes up facilitates having your heels down. Your heels down causes the muscles, tendons and ligaments on the back of your legs to stretch down; creating what I refer to as the, Bungee Affect.

The significance of the Bungee Affect is, it increases the gripping strength of your upper legs, which allows for a more secure hitting platform to be created. From that more secure hitting platform, greater stability can be realized.

Another result of heels down is that your hips are pulled down, causing your center of balance to have been lowered. At the same time, your upper body is beginning to move back and over your hips, which increases control of upper body balance. That, in turn, helps in the creation of increased stability of your hitting platform.

Unfortunately, in polo toes down/heels up is the more commonly seen way of positioning the feet. The negative affect of toes down and heels up is that your hips are rolling forward, which causes your upper body to begin falling forward. Your upper body falling forward renders upper body balance and stability difficult to control.

Additionally, as related to your feet, the majority of the weight in the stirrups should be on the medial, or inner, side of your feet (big ball). To accomplish that, turn your heels slightly out and away from your horse’s sides and push them ever so slightly further out and away. At the same time, turn your little toes up toward the sky to where the soles of your boots are beginning to face out and away from your horse’s sides.

Doing all three causes your feet to be wider apart than your knees, creating what I refer to as the Pyramid Affect, i.e., a wide foundation.

Heels Out/Knees In Pyramid Affect

The Pyramid Affect, in turn, pushes your upper legs more strongly onto your horse’s shoulders, facilitating an even stronger connection of you to your horse. With that strong connection of you to your horse, you have created a most crucial aspect of establishing a stable hitting platform.

To stress strong upper leg contact, I use the analogy of Bolt Thru Knees. The imaginary bolt is to keep your knees from softening their gripping effort into your horse’s shoulders when rotating in preparation of hitting the ball.

That is important because, strong upper leg contact enhances upper body balance control, which lends itself to a stable hitting platform. Conversely, a softer upper leg grip by way of your knee turning out and away from your horse’s shoulder during the swing preparation process allows for a proportionate degree of instability to set in.

Another analogy I use relative to gripping with your upper legs is, Nut Cracker Affect. I use that analogy to point out that the strongest point with which you can grip with your upper legs is at the top of your legs where they meet at the hips.

Joss Ridley, Jayne Darling-Parks & Claire Allen

Peter O’Rorke, Matt Evetts & Tony Haynes

Nut Cracker Affect

which your heels are down 4. Your upper arm will have moved and turned out and away one inch as compared to the mallet head from your horse sides, the having moved close to six inches. greater will be your upper As observed in the Canadian Polo leg gripping strength. Association hitting analysis, instability of your Susie Godwin & Barrie Upton Additionally, the more your hitting platform can produce a similar effect upper legs turn in toward on the swing of the mallet that is going to hit your horse’s shoulders, the of the ball. A delicious lunch more secure your seat will I fully appreciate that this could be seen be; enhancing the stability of as stretching the understanding of the hitting your hitting platform. process a bit far. However, I assure you, To identify an effect of CPPC Christmas Party; Cowley Manor, Cheltenham; the stability of your hitting platform, and the Friday 13 December instability on your hitting power of your swing are each affected by platform, experiment as how your feet are positioned in the stirrups follows: Ciren Does Christmas (Bungee and Pyramid Affects); and, by 1. While standing on how strongly your upper legs maintain their the ground with a mallet in With Christmas on the horizon, Cirencester Park Polo Club gripping effort into your horse’s shoulders Christine Williams & Duncan Branch your hand, extend your arm, (Bolt Thru Knees and Nut Cracker Affect).members and friends gathered to celebrate the festive season approximately 33 inches, and at the iconic Cowley Manor near Cheltenham. Alongside a If you consider the games of golf, the mallet, approximately 52 delicious lunch, served to perfection by the lovely Cowley baseball and tennis, those players do not inches, straight out to where staff, there was laughter and festive cheer aplenty, as guests raise their heels up to be on their toes when your arm and the mallet are preparing to hit the ball. Neither do they exchanged Christmas tidings of great joy! With all eyes turned To maximize the gripping strength with extended straight forward (an 85-inch shaft). to the 2020 season, gossip flew around the room – who will turn their supporting knee out; because that part of your legs, you must have strong 2. Next, hold your left index finger up the next big Ciren star be? Which pros will play for which both situations lend themselves to creating core muscles (lower abdominal, lower to where it is approximately one inch to the instability within the hitting platform. teams next year? Who will take the most falls? Suffice to say, back, Gluteus Maximus [butt muscles], and left of your right upper arm. a wonderful lunch was had by all; the perfect way to begin a For that same reason, polo players adductor muscles located on the inner side 3. Next, move your mallet arm in thrilling festive season. should not turn their toes down, or soften of your upper legs). toward your left index finger until it touches their supporting knee grip into their The essence of creating a stable hitting that finger. Photography by John Hankin horse’s shoulder when preparing to hit platform is: the greater the degree to Yanna Mudie, Ginny Williams & Natalie Meredith any of the twelve shots used in polo. Maureen Moseley, Georgie Seddon-Brown & Isabel Branch