Mallet Length...

Alright,

So, i have had look around for info before I posted this so don't bite my head off, but is there a way to work out your ideal approx mallet pole length?

I'm 5.9 or 5.8...

trial and error really. Its not just your height. It will have to do with how long your arms are. How tall you are on your bike. Whether your hand eye co-ordination is exceptional, average. What are your strengths? Your weaknesses? Are you flexible? Do you lean out far to defend? Different strokes for different folks different bats for different cats.

Different hammers for different whammers!

B is correct, but somewhere around 100cm is the place to start, reckon.

different tools for different fools...

Different poles for different proles...

I'll get my coat.

I made a blog post about mallets today, with a look at mallet length. As skoota says, it's more or less trial and error to find one comfortable, but with a few other considerations to make with respect to how you want to play.

http://glasgowbikepolo.co.uk/2013/02/11/what-do-you-hit-the-ball-with/?preview=true&preview_id=628&preview_nonce=ad9683c0cd

Think I touched on all the important points?

Between 90 and 100 cm seems to be the normal range, with most players being towards the top end of that. But it's not just height, I play with 97, plenty of people shorter than me play with longer ones.

1. B - 91cm
   
2. JohnH - 97cm
   
   
   

et-fucking-cetera ...

Thanks for the rhymes everyone, they will surely come in handy :) As for pole length, i'll have a read of that post 'moon, nice one, but yeh, guess i'l probably just go with the length i have on my existing mallet then.. maybe a little longer.

Thanks kids!

I made a blog post about mallets today, with a look at mallet length. As skoota says, it's more or less trial and error to find one comfortable, but with a few other considerations to make with respect to how you want to play.

http://glasgowbikepolo.co.uk/2013/02/11/what-do-you-hit-the-ball-with/?preview=true&preview_id=628&preview_nonce=ad9683c0cd

Think I touched on all the important points?

That's pretty comprehensive, although you might want to mention that large holes in the side of the mallet have been used to aid controlling the ball, but I think holes above a certain size(57mm?) are now outlawed, I think?

I think you've under played the advantages of shorter mallets...

Mine are 98cm though.

Some of us up here swear by longer mallets, some shorter. I play with a longer one myself, but tend to hold it quite far down the shaft. [Wahey!]
Didn't want to be too pro or con either way.

Thanks for the feedback khonight. Added the cut outs bit. I remember this rule coming into the NA ruleset a while back as well, but just looking at the 2012 rules I can't find it.

Are large dia cutouts allowed again?

I don't think that ruleset ever got approved, it is in the worlds rules for last year, which I guess are the de-facto rules right now.

So cheater mallets are fine?

#wasusingacheaterlastnight

Depends which ruleset you are using. If it's the worlds/LO/lhbpa, then no.

If it's NAH, then yes.

So european cheater mallets are banned in Europe but not US?

#likerainonyourweddingday

I've use some fairly massive (and now probably illegal; certainly laughable) cutouts, and found the international 3pmh design was the best for 'cheating' with. Yet nobody seemed to moan about them when they were popular...

Recently goes from 92cm to 97cm shaft lenght.
Mainly for that:
-high saddle position
-lighter material than when we began polo
-Better arm and wirst muscles than when i began polo.

The advantages of long mallets are really huges. Paulo from CMD just give us a lesson of harrasament last summer, and get the power to increase your agression aera is really great.
Also you grab a lot of ball more.
And cross play over the ball become a real pleasure.

After that, you loose some speed control, your get more pain in arm and wirst. but i think it's worth it.

I tried really long mallet after one year of polo, but our heads were so heavy that it was ridiculous. Also i get used to play on a really low saddle position, and this was hard to manage with a long shaft. Last year i tried just before _Nantes tournaments to get more lenght, but it was a bad idea to switch right before a tournaments, and i missed all my one timer, so i decided to keep this short lenght for the whole summer season. Right now, as that's kind of a break, i gradually make each of my shaft 2 or 3 cm longer.

Right now i found that 97 cm shaft lenght, for a 1m72 guy, who seat on a 98 saddle height is good.

You've hit the nail on the head right there. All good info.

Just checked and I've gone from 98.5 to 102 since getting my 14. I actually thought it was longer so I'll take it up a notch or two next time. From watching the North Americans play in Geneva, I reckon longer mallets have a hugely beneficial impact on the game. Get on it peeps.

Just thinking aloud here, but I reckon if you do all your shooting in a straight line facing goal on breakaways (a la Polosynthese) then a short mallet works well, because otherwise you strike the ground before the ball.

Conversely, if you shoot with your bike parallel to goal (mallet swing is perpendicular) then a longer mallet gives you more of a reach around, and the length becomes an advantage.

If your mallet strikes the ground, just move the bike further away from the ball or stand up on the pedals which is much cooler.

Just thinking aloud here, but I reckon if you do all your shooting in a straight line facing goal on breakaways (a la Polosynthese) then a short mallet works well, because otherwise you strike the ground before the ball.

Conversely, if you shoot with your bike parallel to goal (mallet swing is perpendicular) then a longer mallet gives you more of a reach around, and the length becomes an advantage.

I've been playing with a longer mallet allowing those stretched parallel shots and shuffling, but I move further down the grip (like having a shoter mallet... sort of) for straight shots, which I try to concentrate on; straight shots with the curve of the swing parallel to the bike and perpendicular to the ground (not arched out the way) feel a lot more accurate.

Moving the striking end of the mallet closer to the shaft (offset head) is another way of working around the mallet hitting the ground before the ball issue. It's nice for flicking the ball too.