Polo Rules

Disagree. Good technique and physical conditioning are easily a match in terms of power and accuracy for the vast majority of wild swings in polo.

I don't really understand this sentence, could you explain? But reading it made me think this: I was not referring to wild swings, rather, calculated shots from more than half-court that require the speed to beat a keepers reactions.

Im pretty bad in the wearing protection field, but face cages stop most high stick issues? I think being chinned without a cage, is partly your own fault, when playing a sport like this, especially in tournaments, you should probably take some responsibility for your own teeth.
As for those who swing their mallets around like Thor, they should be heckled to breaking point by spectators, if the community gave people more shit for it, refs could make decisions with a little more confidence.

Oof

To some degree it's a slightly indefinable quality, but I think we're largely of the same view on this.
A lot of "wild swings" are just that. They rely upon a large moment of motion to generate direction and power. I would argue that it is perfectly possible to equal the accuracy and power of such connections with the ball through a combination of more accurate movement of the player and mallet, allied to greater acceleration of movement generated by the player, not merely by swinging the mallet at the greatest extent of its reach.
Your point about long-range, "calculated" shots stands. I believe that the problem with high-malleting is more likely to arise when skill, calculation and awareness is reduced.

In order to reduce the impact of high-malleting, I think polo needs a ruleset that allows for context. As Emyr points out above, the mere absence of contact between a mallet and a player should not be the defining quality of high-malleting.
By way of a parallel situation, consider football - players are allowed to leap and kick the ball around chest/shoulder/head height if they are in space, but if they do it in close proximity to another player, they are likely to be penalised for dangerous play.

Rather than asking refs to try to differentiate between "wild" and "calculated", let's ask them to consider any given incident in terms of context. This is not a question of referreeing based on intent.

Im pretty bad in the wearing protection field, but face cages stop most high stick issues? I think being chinned without a cage, is partly your own fault, when playing a sport like this, especially in tournaments, you should probably take some responsibility for your own teeth.
As for those who swing their mallets around like Thor, they should be heckled to breaking point by spectators, if the community gave people more shit for it, refs could make decisions with a little more confidence.

Yeah peer pressure has worked so far to stop people playing like dicks hasn't it? :-/

If you think swinging mallets around like Thor should be stopped and face cages are implicitly mandatory, why not enshrine both in rules?

(Just to be clear,I defo don't agree with the face cage bit, even though I wouldn't wear a helmet for polo without a face-cage, but I don't understand your logic for not enshrining something you believe in law?)

IMO, it's almost always a bad idea to start changing the rules in the week before the tournament.

True, it's far too much notice. You really need to do it on the day for maximum effect.

I don't think it should be a rule but people should think about they're own faces in a sport that does occasionally get a little loose. I dunno about peer pressure but at the moment no one ever discourages high sticking around the court when it all gets abit exciting. In the euros I got a ball stuck in the open end of my mallet (it was split), as I tried to take it out and Hand it over, some douche basically uppercutted my mallet into my face to get the ball, no one batted an eyelid and they scored?
There will always be people playing like dicks in sport, but if u give most people enough grief about something they'll stop.

as I tried to take it out and Hand it over, some douche basically uppercutted my mallet into my face to get the ball, no one batted an eyelid and they scored?

Whoever did that is one of the top 10 biggest dicks in Europolo, and whoever was reffing should have called a slashing penalty at the very least.

I don't really understand this sentence, could you explain? But reading it made me think this: I was not referring to wild swings, rather, calculated shots from more than half-court that require the speed to beat a keepers reactions.

Sounds like Landslide needs to give you a "one-inch-punch"-shot tutorial.

That's pretty much the analogy I'm after.
Shame I've not got the technique and skills to do the actual tutorial.

IMO, it's almost always a bad idea to start changing the rules in the week before the tournament.

So no double goalie/crease rule?

So no double goalie/crease rule?

IMO, that worked quite well, because it was so controversial, and we also painted the courts, everyone knew about it. Where you get problems is when people aren't aware which rules have been changed.

In any case, as far as I know, Ryan isn't changing anything from the NAH ruleset posted to the ref's thread.

What's the deal with goalie slashing these days? Couldn't see it in the rules, and if double goalies are aloud, do the same rules apply for both goalies?

Pretty sure any slashing's still against the rules. No specific rules for hooking goalies.
I'm just happy to be reminded of Max's pre-emptive slashing at the Eurobench...

What's the deal with goalie slashing these days? Couldn't see it in the rules, and if double goalies are aloud, do the same rules apply for both goalies?

No slashing. Hooking of mallets is still permitted, if done subtly enough.

§7.1 – Slashing
§7.1.1 – A slashing penalty will be assessed on player who swings at an opposing player’s mallet shaft or body in a violent manner.

A goalie is just another player, you can hook any player's mallet at any time.

No slashing whatsoever (although it's rarely called).

Edit: Bill beat me to it.

Pretty sure any slashing's still against the rules. No specific rules for hooking goalies.
I'm just happy to be reminded of Max's pre-emptive slashing at the Eurobench...

He just wanted me to buy a new one!

In my experience, most face-hits are when the defensive player is reaching down to get the ball and the attacker is riding away from goal and goes for a blind watson. I don't think that's of any use to a rules discussion, but it goes to say that even if you outlaw high sticking and people obey the rule 100% you'll still get face-hits.

He just wanted me to buy a new one!

ha. fucker. as if i want to build you more mallets!

Max got a five minute bench penalty for that. He paid his dues.

Max got a five minute bench penalty for that. He paid his dues.

I need to get connected!

Agree with Jon about high stick, just call Mallet to body and warning on players who almost hit another one should be enough these days. Maybe that the shaft count was a step backward also, people will try to score more often on air ball.
An high stick rule who don't take care of context or style of the move is stupid. A player who try to catch a lob pass by reaching his mallet as a T over is head will probably never gonna hurt someone seriously. A player trying to swing an air ball at chest high right under his shoulders can really hurt somebody .

The Nah rules will change, everyone agreed the current rules, enforced to the letter are too strict. I agree with them that the backswing/follow through should not be penalised, doing so would affect the game to much, and people have the personal choice to wear a cage (almost no top players did).

But stopping ball contact above the shoulders, when another player is close, is fairly easy to ban, without affecting the game too much.

The "no teabagging" rule.

John, what about a swim who hit someone? Would the defensive player be consider as the one who shouldn't be there?