Safety precautions for throw-ins.

Fuck I'm going to start wearing my steal boots for polo...

THROUGH the foot?
I clicked the link then quickly thought better of it.

THROUGH the foot?
I clicked the link then quickly thought better of it.

Unfortunately no pictures explaining how the fuck it happened.

Its clear that he was wearing wafer thin plimsoles though. Still I cannot imagine even a barefoot being impaled on a brake lever. Hand brakes are definetely not inherently dangerous, definetely not anymore than riding fixed or a coaster brake which tend to have a "free coasting" spot.

Twisted ankles and torn up knees could easily occur with someone foot not clipping out of their pedals in time when then fall. Feet and hands can easily get stuck in wheels causing injury, should discs be mandatory?

The actual ball can be pretty lethal considering air shots are fairly common. Even a helmet wont protect the face. Mallet ends or handlebars could easily gouge out somebodies eyes in a common crash.

Disc brakes are really fucking dangerous.

Unfortunately no pictures explaining how the fuck it happened.

You are correct, there are no pictures explaining "how the fuck it happened" I used words to describe what happened.

[INDENT]When dismounting his bike he stepped directly onto Matt’s brake lever. The brake lever pushed through his shoe, into his foot and stopped just before exiting the top of his foot. This wasn’t a sharp brake lever or out of the ordinary in any way. This was a stock full sized brake lever.
[/INDENT]

havent you see the pics of the lever stuck in the hand/wrist?

Nasty nasty nasty. I'm sticking with my sidis even if they are held together with tape.

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/26872/Lizard_Skins_Standard_Bar_End_Plugs

no excuse, pure lazyness.

i've had my feet caught up in spokes a few times, wearing skate shoes, which i suppose are mid-ground in the shoe-safety heirarchy. i reckon they're at least as dangerous as exposed chainrings and would be happier if covers were mandatory, but i know lots of people use their polo bike as their commuting/pub bike, so i don't really expect this to happen.

does anyone know of stiff-soled shoes (stops the shoe and hence your foot inside from bending) with moderate toe protection? i'm not quite ready to join will from cambridge by getting my site boots out of the loft...

all the touring/spd style shoes i can think of have lightweight uppers...

Do spokes take big chunks of flesh out of legs?

Unfortunately no pictures explaining how the fuck it happened.

Its clear that he was wearing wafer thin plimsoles though. Still I cannot imagine even a barefoot being impaled on a brake lever. Hand brakes are definetely not inherently dangerous, definetely not anymore than riding fixed or a coaster brake which tend to have a "free coasting" spot.

Twisted ankles and torn up knees could easily occur with someone foot not clipping out of their pedals in time when then fall. Feet and hands can easily get stuck in wheels causing injury, should discs be mandatory?

The actual ball can be pretty lethal considering air shots are fairly common. Even a helmet wont protect the face. Mallet ends or handlebars could easily gouge out somebodies eyes in a common crash.

Disc brakes are really fucking dangerous.

What's the point you're making? all I can see there is a litany of maybes and what-ifs.

Any activity has a degree of risk that you assess and take precautions for - you can deconstruct any sport and point out many potential hazards

the truth is that you're more likely to spanner yourself dicking around playing footie with your mates in the park than playing bike polo

there will always be the occasional 'freak' accident but that's life

Polo is cool and pretty self-regulating and you will get the odd bump and bruise but no more than any other sport so don't be put off by that^^^^^^

Disc brakes are really fucking dangerous.

why?

I hate to advocate the "Polo.Talk" rule, but DFP, really?

No Polo, No safety talk.

Disc brakes are really fucking dangerous.

What the fuck are you talking about? Moron.

Last time I got my foot caught in my spokes I broke four spokes... I would be surprised if the opposite happened... You could twist your ankle, but you can do that walking...

I don't want pickures, but has anyone actually ever been 'cored', yes or no answer will do?

I think the dangers of a mallet to the face from high sticking are significantly (and more dangerous) than the other things mentioned.

Seconded, DFP you don't play polo and you have no idea what you're talking about. Kindly fuck off.

spokes will break before feet, definately.

disc brakes are as dangerous as V-brakes, i.e. not dangerous at all.

I think otters hit the nail on the head - shit will always happen regardless of the precautions, we've just got to minimise the likelihood as best we can.

I think dfp was referring to the fact that it's a sharp exposed piece of metal. However i've seen lots of people with v or caliper and wonky wheels who can't slow down fast enough and smash into people!
Spokes could brake/pop toes, but mallets and balls could brake teeth and noses, it' just one of those things that could happen.

With the euros and the worlds coming up the rules are being discussed. These accidents usually happen in a tussle for the ball between 2/3 people. Maybe heavy/overzelous challenges should be penalised more often with a simple double tap?

these guys have lot of padding but it ain't gonna help
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGGILnQFpXY

My nappy knees are American football pads, and I think aram benifitted from my hip pads... If anyone wants to try playing with full kit I wouldn't mind bring it down! :)

some protection is mandatory (i think), like a helmet, plugged bars, etc.

The rest; knee pads, shinguards, elbowpads or whatever is optional, if you want to wear it do it if not you are responsible for injuries..if you want to play barefeeted it's also your own choice..

when we play pickup games here and someone falls on their head or something and he didn't want to wear a helmet is their fuckin* own fault, kind of harsh but hey...your old enough to make decisions

wheels are scary for toes (although the injuries aren't that bad, sprains and bruises mostly), but if you fell and slotted a hand/finger into a spinning one, you'd know about it. i guess that's dfp's point about disc brakes too.

having said that, i agree with what everyone's said so far about these being hypothetical and certainly no worse than your average jog or kick-around. we're creeping into 'freak accident' territory now.

i used to ride with an exposed chainring and think they're dangerous, but body parts are rarely near them and it's never going to be a safe area anyway, epsecially for fixed bikes which'll drag pretty much anything into them and chew them up (i lost a trouser leg and have seen people severely fuck their fingers up).

dfp does, occasionally, play polo, by the way.

I don't want pickures, but has anyone actually ever been 'cored', yes or no answer will do?

Here is some talk of the man who got cored in Portland.

http://leagueofbikepolo.com/forum/general/2008/07/04/broken-players#comment-747

No polo no talk but....
I did a first aid course on Sunday and as we looked at the slides and pictures of various injuries my mind wandered off to polo. Part of what you are discussing is how to prevent injuries, the other part is what to do if someone is injured and the foot impalement is a good example. What we were taught is that if you suffer a "not you" injury (and yes that is what getting what used to be called a 'foreign body' in you is now called) then you should never remove the thing that is sticking in you. One of the reasons for that is you have no way of telling if you have removed everything; in this case the break lever came out but part of the shoe was left in.
How many polo players know first aid? How many carry any kind of first aid kit? Who knows how to treat a concussion or stop someone going in to shock? Or even how to treat a nose bleed?
Maybe it seems like overkill or being too soft or taking away the fun. But after doing the course I realised how useless I would have been with almost any kind of injury before and that the wrong treatment - like with the foot injury - can lead to the injured person developing much more serious problems.
I have a nurses uniform and am just waiting the call.