The days are getting longer again, the temperatures are rising and our 4-legged teammates are coming back from their winter vacation. Are you ready for the new season? Here we give you 6 tips on how you can get in shape in April until the chukkers begin. So let's start together!
Prepare your body: Polo is an intensive sport, which requires strict physical preparation a good performance is simply not possible with an untrained body. A training program adapted to polo includes warm-up, stretching routines, flexibility and muscular endurance exercises. The main focus is on basic physical training with a strong emphasis on strength and endurance. Functional bodyweight training is ideal, such as push-ups, triceps strength exercises, and abductor and core exercises. This strength training should be supplemented by endurance training such as jogging or cycling.
Repeat the rules: Download them from the HPA Polo Association website, read them, ask questions and discuss with your polo friends. The best way to find out if you really understand them – fill out the rules test on the SPA website.
Learn all about techniques and tactics There is a lot of tactics behind every successful polo move and in a real game there is often no time to think about it. You can only learn the tactics if you watch polo, not just play it. There are many games on YouTube from all over the world that can help you.
Learn all about horses The better we know the horses, the easier it is to become a good polo player. Learn the secrets of training and polo pony education, deal with horse language and the correct communication between rider & horse and observe polo players who are better than you how they ride and train their horses. Good riding skills are fundamental to improving your polo level.
Learn some Spanish Most professional players and grooms come from Argentina and often speak little English. Being able to speak Spanish can therefore offer you many advantages. Learn some Spanish before the season starts and sit down to drink mate with the pros and grooms next when you are back in the stables. 99% of their conversations are about the horses, polo and everything surrounding it.
Improve your hand-eye-coordination Stick-& ball is fundamental to improve your hand-eye-coordination. Before you play your first chukkers, you should plan a few stick & ball sessions to work on your timing. To improve your hand-eye coordination, it is also very important to increase your reaction time through reaction time exercises: A person can try to improve their reaction time by doing reaction time exercises such as a ball throw
Good preparation for the season is not only fundamental for the horses, but also for us players. Have a successful preparation for the 2024 polo season!
