Playing Tips with Rege Ludwig: The Throw & The Chop

Playing tips with Rege Ludwig The THROW and The CHOP

Looking at swing mechanics

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

To begin this article, I reference seven goal polo player, Dr. John D. Richards as he states in his book, Observation upon the nature of the Gallop, and the Timing of the Stroke, and Form in Striking, “The arc over which this maximum arm affect is spent in striking the ball is a very small arc, and it is for this reason that the player should experience in a well-executed stroke the sensation of throwing the ball instead of striking it.”

To take the throw thought further, the swing mechanics of hitting an offside fore shot, a nearside back shot, and an offside neck shot are similar to the mechanics of throwing a ball over hand, with the palm side of your hand facing in the direction the ball is to leave from your hand, which would be analogous to the ball leaving the head of the mallet.

The difference being that when swinging the polo mallet, you would not be throwing forward; you would be throwing down, with the palm side of your hand, at the point of contact of the mallet head with the ball, should be facing in the direction the ball is to travel from the mallet head.

When hitting an offside back shot, a nearside fore shot, or a nearside neck, different mechanics are taking place. Those mechanics could be compared to chopping wood with an axe, with the back side of your hand facing the ball at point of contact, and then following the ball in the direction that it is to leave from the mallet head.

Depending on the shot you want to hit, the mechanics of swinging the mallet to hit the ball can be compared to either a throw over hand, or a wood chopping motion.

Throwing Motion

When positioning your shoulder, your arm, your wrist and your hand to swing the polo mallet to hit an offside fore shot, a nearside back shot, or an offside neck shot, you will have created the same angles at the beginning of the swing process that are created at the beginning of throwing forward, overhand.

However, for polo you would not be throwing forward; you would be throwing down. That is true because, when executing an offside fore shot, your upper body should have leaned right, your torso should have rotated clockwise causing your right shoulder to rotate back, and your upper body bending down toward the ball.

From that offside fore shot hitting position, you are positioned to throw the mallet down at the polo ball for the purpose of hitting it with the mallet head. The same is true when hitting a nearside back shot, or an offside neck shot; with the difference being upper body positioning.

To further clarify the throwing theory, you will not be throwing the ball. By way of the mallet handle in your hand, you will be throwing the mallet head down at the ball. The mallet head will then hit the ball in the direction the palm side of your hand is facing at point of contact with the ball.

An experience you should experiment with is that of imitating throwing over hand, and notice the positioning of your shoulder, your arm, your wrist and your hand at the very beginning of the throwing process. Then notice each as it is progressing through the throwing process to feel how your shoulder, arm, elbow, wrist, and hand are being used throughout the throwing process.

Look to recognize similar mechanical maneuvers when swinging the mallet to hit an offside fore shot, a nearside back shot, or an offside neck shot.

Relative to the offside fore shot, the first step is to lean your upper body right as though pointing your right shoulder to the ground. Then, rotate your torso clockwise causing your right shoulder to rotate back. As your right shoulder is rotating back, pull it back slightly further. As you are rotating your torso, begin bending your upper body down toward the ground to the point that, if there were a mallet in your hand, you could touch the ground with the mallet head).

Having leaned right, rotated clockwise, and being bent down, place your right shoulder, arm, wrist and hand in an overhand throwing position. Now, imagine throwing the mallet head down to where the polo ball when hitting an offside fore shot. That same down throwing motion is what you should feel when executing a nearside back shot, or an offside neck shot.

Chopping Motion

When hitting an offside back shot, a nearside fore shot, or a nearside neck shot, imagine you are chopping wood with an axe. The mechanics for hitting an offside back shot are quite similar to chopping wood with an axe. For the nearside fore shot and neck shot, the arm motion is still a chopping movement; however, the body positioning is different. When using a chopping motion swing to hit an offside back, a nearside fore, or a nearside neck shot; an objective should be to keep your upper arm in comfortably close to your torso, as is done when chopping wood.

When hitting any of those three shots, the back side of your hand should be facing the ball at the point of contact of the mallet head with the ball, and then follow the ball in the direction the ball is to leave from the mallet head.

I cannot suggest strongly enough practicing the throw and the chop motions until the feel of how each is correctly executed has been thoroughly identified. Then look to feel those same mechanical maneuvers being executed when hitting the offside fore, the nearside back or the offside neck with a (throw), or the offside back, the nearside fore, and the nearside neck with a (chop).

The Chopping Motion

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