Brighton Home Rules Discussion

Also, I made the point about distinguishing serious/throw-in play ages ago! Am I the boy who whined "you can't do that" once too often?

I personally enjoy the rougher polo games, its all good fun. I have no issue with chicken winging or hooking. In my opinion if a player uses those tatics its fair game, we will probably soon develop methods of avoiding them anyway.

In terms of safety Brighton polo has been going for a while now and although theres been a couple of scrapes no-one has had any serious injuries, especially not from inappropriate or dangerous play. I think thats a credit to everyon, I certainly never feel unsafe or threatened on court.

Maybe I'm more relaxed about the rules, i'm not so driven to win as others players. I play for the enjoyment and don't care the score which i think is why i dont mind how people play. I dont think anyone is being intentionally agressive or unsporting.

so MTFU

I can handle performing a 'dick move' if it means not conceding a goal in a competitive match.

That's not a "dick move" (stupid mistake/foul/heckle), it's a "professional foul". The later (although difficult to identify) will get you removed from the game. (If it was reckless/dangerous, then you can expect a 2 minute penalty or ejection from the game for good.)

Professional fouls suck, but I reckon they're more prevalent in the game than we realise.

no-one has had any serious injuries

Maybe I'm more relaxed about the rules

These two phrases seem to be linked to me.

In what way Jono?

so MTFU

I concur

Well I guess I was thinking that there's no need to really stick to the rules or worry about safety until there are a few nasty accidents and people start feeling that the game has become dangerous/out of control. Everyone needs to be (somewhat) in agreement/on the same page.

As annoying as it is to have people chicken wing/hack/overly hook in throw-ins, it's perhaps not really something that needs addressing beyond "stop being a dick". The rules help to keep the game/players in check when things start getting really competitive (and potentially really dangerous).

On one hand you have an "annoying" chicken wing that you'd like to see stopped as it's not within the rules (fair enough), on the other hand you have "reckless/dangerous" chicken winging at speed that results in a big crash, injured players, truly "unfair" polo, a ruined tournament, etc.

Yep thats exactly what I mean Jono, just much more elequently put.

Maybe I'm just coming at this from the wrong/different point of view.
I like the 'professional foul' side of the game, in so much as doing as much as you can within the rules to affect an advantage within the game. My 'dick move' reference was to Dice's hooking someone when they go past, if it stops a break-away, the surely that is a good move? And the rules don't really give much provision for the specifics of 'professionalisms' i.e time wasting and like you say they are difficult to spot...

Anyways...

Rulez is made to be broken innit...

As for the idea that we've not had any serious injuries, I'd say that was untrue. I don't want to harp on about it but it's why I wear a face-cage now, I could have been blind in one eye. That wasn't down to a foul being comitted on me but rather I was doing something pretty stupid - reaching over a mount to make a block, whether that's a foul or not is still debatable. I did moan about high-sticking for a while after that but after playing in the tourney I now see that hitting the ball hard means the stick comes high.

Hooking someone as they pass you when the ball is already gone is a foul imo. Pulling someone back with the elbow/arm on their control side is a foul imo.

Rulez is made to make the game fair and competitive innit......

'Hooking someone as they pass you when the ball is already gone is a foul imo.'

I don't agree with this man, if you are saying that they have gone past and still have the ball. If you're saying they've passed the ball to a team mate then I'd say its 'poor form' especially in throw ins, but in neither case is it a 'foul'...

I like the 'professional foul' side of the game

I have no idea how you can defend "professional fouls" (deliberately playing outside of the ruleset), I'd love to hear the defense for this attitude within the example of someone swinging a mallet into your eye socket and making you go blind in one eye... boom, you now have an advantage on court over the opposition?

Or maybe it's just about arrogance and selective breaking of the rules"? For example, I can "choose" to cause a big crash at times, but wouldn't in general so it's ok? Yeah, nice standpoint, bit of a shame your victim can't choose whether to come out of that crash with cuts and bruises, or with no front teeth, or a broken bone, etc?

Or maybe it's about anti-establishment and feeling you're playing to someone else's ruleset/decisions? That's actually fair enough, but given that there's currently an "open" approach to the rules, amending them, discussing them, etc. It seems a little unreasonable to avoid getting involved and then kick up a fuss after the opportunity was given and after you may have signed up to a tournament where the ruleset was published well in advance, etc.

My 2p, over and out, it's truly awesome that Brighton's scene is back in action again.

I don't think what i'd class as a 'professional foul' foul is what you're talking about Jonno, im talking about professionalisms. I dunno I'm probably wrong, and should be doing dissertation work rather than being a polo n00b!

lol, Joe it's polo - not UltraDeath Polo Wars 2K! Schwarzenegger doesn't come down and kick our asses with his casual disregard for the rules and sanctity of human life. Well, not often anyways.

I think the viewpoint that you espoused was one I held a while back, the rebellious nature of polo (and my own vast sympathies with this sort of subculture) did have me feeling all Speedball 2. Now, I'm not gonna be unrealistic and say that we should all roll ourselves up in cotton wool before we play but certain things that happen on the court are unfair from a playing standpoint as well as safety.

I in no way relate this directly to polo but hooking is defined in Ice Hockey.

"The NHL covers hooking in Rule 55, which defines it as "the act of using the stick in a manner that enables a player or goalkeeper to restrain an opponent". The NHL groups hooking with other "Restraining fouls" such as holding, interference and tripping". "

I think it's interesting and useful to see how other similar sports rule on certain behaviour but always with regard for the differences between sports. I believe I got the "no reaching over the mount" rule from Horse Polo which is similar to the example given here:

"11.2.5 – Body–to–bike contact is not allowed (for example: holding part of another player's bike, leaning across a players cockpit, etc)."

I suppose I'm going way too far into it for most but I can be a bit of an obsessive character at times. I'll chill out...

What no more extra-time golden goal fire ball?

I've got the petrol to hand.

"I'll chill out..." TFFT!!

Sunday, MoFos.