INSTRUCTORS FORUM
Game prep Plan for various game situations, and be ready to adapt by Corky Linfoot
There are certain aspects prior to the time a team arrives at the field that will sooner or later determine whether the team is a winning team or a losing team. Planning for basic known situations will establish a stronger team bond. A captain is a guaranteed requirement. This individual should have an established pattern of performance that demonstrates capability to communicate not only what is previously planned but aspects that change and occur on the field. There are three basic plays that must be discussed and understood prior to the first throw-in: knock-ins, throw-ins and free shots. On knock-ins, when on the defensive side, are you playing man on man? Are you playing zone? Are you trying to limit the opponents to the outside of the field, hold the ball or release the ball long to no one? As in all situations involving knock-ins defensively, On offensive, are you going to make short knock-ins covered by one of your teammates or will you hit long, gain ground and limit opportunities to the opponent?
12 POLO P L A Y E R S E D I T I O N
what happens if the opponents change what they are doing? What are you, as a team, going to do to adapt? On knock-ins on the offensive side, what is your strategy? Are you going to make short knock-ins and then have it covered by one of your teammates? Are you going to try to hit long, gain ground and limit opportunities to the opponent? Who is knocking in? How is the team going to be positioned? One of the things that must be determined is how the opponents are playing in relationship to man or zone. If the opponent is playing a zone, try to put more people in the zone than they can cover. If they are playing a man, your team should try to switch positioning and see if they can adapt. It only takes a momentary hesitation to create space and time. That is all we are looking for on knock-ins. On throw-ins, who is lining up where? And how? And why? Are you lining up with a standard 1, 2, 3,
