Polo Rules

Vidal's from the bush league school of the United States of America, of which there was once (still is?) a rift/debate/impressionpof-existing on bikepolo.ca. You noobz wouldn't know anything about that, though.

Noobz.

Mrak seems grumpy today.

Didn't get enough dairy last night.

Euph?

Bleurgh.

the same jokes are curdling in different threads.

oof!

Whey to go!

ouef!

ftfy

If you've got input on how the rules should change for 2014, go to this thread (and the linked threads).

http://leagueofbikepolo.com/forum/rules/2013/07/08/ruleset-modifications-and-additions-for-2014

Not sure about the process or etiquette, but I just requested a thread about creases.

Watched CMD/Edisons Euros finals and by god is that waste of talent. Some of the world's best players hacking, blocking, t-boning, crunching and toppling in the 5 square metres around each others' goals...

Mo's glorious mid-range shots and occasional tricky wheel-deflector just about make them watchable, but otherwise they're horrible.

If any polo nerd thinks that this style of play is going to encourage participation or open the sport up to a wider audience, then that person is mad.

Well said.

Many people see the crease as a failed experiment (too hard to ref, requires extra court markings and doesn't stop blocking plays).

It might be better to search for a solution that doesn't involve a crease (if there is one)? It's still a valid discussion (in my opinion).

I want to watch more polo as played by Dodi.

100% commitment. Great ball control, arcing around to find the right pass or shot.

Someone told me he used to be an ice-hockey player, which explains a lot.

Will there be a crease at the LO again? I'm all for it.

Many people see the crease as a failed experiment (too hard to ref, requires extra court markings and doesn't stop blocking plays).

90% of polo rules are 'too hard to ref'. If that's what it's about we should just fall back on 'don't be a dick'. All sports have rules that are hard to enforce by even professional refs, but which are generally abided by. Furthermore, if there is an actual rule then maybe offending teams/players will listen to the reverberating heckles of non-partisan hecklers rather than stand by their totally legal style.

A bit of spray paint is fine for court marking IMO, although I suppose it causes problems with landowners.

Blocking plays I'm not so bothered about in isolation so I'll let someone else argue about those*.

Will there be a crease at the LO again? I'm all for it.

If Neil's up for it, it must be right.

*I know these aren't your arguments by the way...

If only he keeps his game clean...

I want to watch more polo as played by Dodi.

100% commitment. Great ball control, arcing around to find the right pass or shot.

Someone told me he used to be an ice-hockey player, which explains a lot.

Dodi and Eddie were my personal MVP's. Dodi played total commitment, heart on sleeve. He plays hard and gets in your face but no dirtier than a lot of players that never get mentioned. And he took everything the crowd, the ref and other players threw at him, with a smile and shrug. He got a couple of 30sec pens and just sucked them up without argument. He has matured brilliantly, i thought he was awesome.

I don't think a crease would solve the problem so much as just move it outside of the crease. There are a couple of plays where the defending team don't have time to get into goal and it just results in the same kind of play a bit further away from goal, which is what would happen at this level with creases. In my opinion.

You want to stop goal keeping, either make the goal wider (as suggested by aufbruch ages ago) or higher. Simpler in terms of rules and I think it would be more effective too.

Oh and I think dodi is crazy, but games with him in we're my favourite to watch.

I thought the consensus at the tournaments where the crease was used was that they did work, albeit that the size and shape might need tweaking.

It's not goal*keeping *that's the problem, it's repeatedly stacking 2/3 defensive players immediately around the goal. A crease would be difficult to introduce (is there such a thing as temporary spray paint, and if so would we be allowed to use it at tournaments and throw-ins?) but probably more achievable than persuading every scene in the world to make new goals.

I reckon that if a crease was introduced at tournaments, people would abandon the stacked-goalie technique even at throw-ins where there is no crease because what's the point practising/relying on a technique you can't use in tournaments?

Yep, temporary spray paint is a thing (water soluble), it's why our creases disappeared at the LO last year when it rained.

+1, Dan. Watching that final makes it clear that our ruleset is not finished yet.

The Spring Break/True Danger vid that's just gone up is much better to watch for the reasons mentioned above.

A crease rule is a good idea, but I think there are a few different crease rules available. I think the rule at LO last year worked well (defending players have to keep moving in the crease), but could leave the goalie/last defender exposed to 2 on 1 attacks unless the same rule applies to the attacking team.

I think this video sums up the difference between US and EU opinions on contact, or at least the debates that were happening after the 2011 worlds.

Front Flip en Hockey

Listen to the commentator during the replay: "he had his head down!"