Backhand Playing Tips with Rege Ludwig: Timing Of An Offside Fore Shot

Playing tips with Rege Ludwig Timing Of An Offside Fore Shot

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

About twenty years ago, I had the good fortune of a student suggesting that I read the book Five Lessons: Fundamentals of Modern Golf, written by world Hall of Fame golf player, Ben Hogan. In that book Mr. Hogan has the uncanny knack of helping the reader understand that details, such as how your fingers are gripping the handle produce a major effect on how the golf club face contacts the ball; that the positioning of your feet affects the direction of the hit; and that the plane of the swing relates directly to power released into the ball.

Shortly thereafter, a client and good friend, Charles Erby gave me a book written by seven goal player, Dr. John D. Richards in 1939, Observations Upon The Nature Of The Gallop, Timing Of A Polo Stroke And Form In Striking. Dr. Richards possessed an understanding of the polo ball hitting process that was far beyond any level of understanding that I had been exposed to prior to reading his book.

Dr. Richards had figured out that the ideal timing for hitting an offside fore shot was: 1. When the horse was on the right lead 2. When the right front foot had landed directly opposite the ball 3. When the right front foot was the only foot on the ground 4. When the right front foot was in the process of breaking over in an effort to reach forward.

With the other three feet off of the ground, each has added its effect to the release of power into the horse’s stride, and the hit of the ball.

With the right front foot being the only foot on the ground, and breaking over just as the mallet head is contacting the ball, the fourth leg is in the process of adding its affect to the release of power into your horse’s stride and the hit of the ball.

At that point, your horse will be maximizing the last bit of power it can release into its stride and into the hit of the ball; thereby identifying that as the ideal point within your horse’s stride that you should be making contact with the ball.

Dr. Richards suggests that when stick and balling, you should have put a clean white bandage on your horse’s right front leg only so as to emphasize the contrast of that leg with the green grass. Now, practice contacting the ball just after the right front foot has touched the ground, and the right front leg is in a position of vertical support.

That is when the right front pastern bone, which connects the horse’s ankle to its foot is lifting within the process of foot breaking over. At that point, your horse is in the process of maximizing its release of power into its stride, and into the hit of the ball.

From having stick and balled and practiced as Dr. Richards suggested, I can

Illustration courtesy of Rege Ludwig

G Pendulum swing. promise that hitting the ball at the correct spot within the arch of the swing and at the correct moment within your horse’s stride is a much easier task to say than it is to accomplish. However, I feel safe in letting you know that if you persevere to where you get it right, even just once, you will witness as I did; the positive affect is truly noticeable.

Accomplishing hitting the ball at the correct moment is a matter of developing a sense of controlling your horse’s stride so as to place your horse’s right front foot directly opposite the ball, and then feeling the timing as to when to initiate the downswing.

Being able to do that when hitting penalties is especially critical; because, contacting the ball just after your horse’s right front foot has contacted the ground is when your horse’s right front pastern bone is in the process of lifting its body, ever so slightly, and is still propelling your horse forward. At that point, with your horse’s body being lifted, that lifting is adding a degree of lift to the ball, while the propulsion forward aspect of the stride is adding distance to the hit of the ball.

Both affects go directly into the hit of the ball when the ball is contacted at the correct moment within the course of your horse’s stride, and the correct moment within the course of your swing of the mallet.

What is remaining is your getting the timing of the swing correct to where your mallet head makes contact with the ball at the moment your horse’s right front pastern bone is lifting and propelling your horse forward so as to be adding its last bit of effect to that stride and your hit of the ball.

My intention with this article is not to confound you with intricate detail, but to make you aware, as Ben Hogan and Dr. Richards have made me aware; there are aspects of the hitting process that can be worked on to where, with sufficient effort, even the best can still improve. Hitting penalties with more consistent effectiveness should be a worth effort for the professional to pursue, while hitting all shots with greater effectiveness should be the desire of all players.

Hitting the polo ball with greater power is not so much about generating greater power, as it is in creating correct timing to where the power used to hit the ball is being used in a way that produces maximum effectiveness of the hitting effort.