Archive for Rules

Crusher | November 30, 2012
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The New NAH Tourney Structure: Thoughts and Insights

With the Proposed 2013-14 structure from the NAH for the bike polo season comes a new development in our sport. Let’s not mince words here: I think this is a big step in the direction towards a more recognizable legitimacy. The new structure (for those of you who refuse to use the other polo channels to find this information out) basically comes down to these points:

  • Closed Regions for Regional Qualifiers
  • Weighted allotment of slots (three guaranteed for National championship, other slots determined by the year previous NAHBPC performance of region)
  • Shorter window for qualifiers
  • Players can only play in 1 regional qualifier
  • Regional tourneys to be held mid-April to mid-June, NAHBPC and Worlds in early Autumn or Sept/Oct.

You can read the specifics here on the NAH site, I won’t waste your time repeating them, other than this endorsement:

I think the recommended changes are great, and you should too, polokin.

I am excited by the decision making of the NAH in this, and I can tell by looking over the document that lots of consideration was paid to what would work best for the polo community as a whole – making sure to include regions and people based on merit as well as on fairness.

This is something that can really go south on a sport, and addressing that concern early is a solid way to avoid some big trouble down the line. I recognize of course that this isn’t set in stone (it’s only the proposed structure for the next 2 years after all), but it’s a good starting point for getting where we need to go as a growing, vibrant community.

I did, however, have a few questions about specifics in the document, so I got in touch with Ben Schultz (Regional Board Member, Midwest) and Eric Ransom (Regional Board Member, Eastside) to get some specifics: Read more

Category: Rules | Tags: , , ,
Crusher | November 20, 2012
2 comments

Why Do We Argue So Much In Bike Polo?

There is something unique about a bike polo rules argument. Generally speaking, it involves two people that will not, under any circumstance, see the point of view of the other person. On court this means increasingly loud voices (or increasingly passive aggressive one-shot statements made when coming off of or going on to the court) and on the LoBP (ALL HAIL) boards it means people reiterating their point over and over until someone eventually puts up a picture of a pony phallus and people move on to the next board to argue.

It’s not like this happens in other sports, I think it’s fair  to say. Point in fact I think this is something that makes polo completely unique. Ok, yes, the goofiness of the sport also goes a long way in separating us from the more traditional US and international sports, but the arguing is what I’m talking about today so just cram it in your five hole, naysayers.

Polo is young – it’s still being formed up. Even when I started oh-so-not-long-ago the sport was very different than it is today. When I first started playing nobody capped their mallets (at least around our area), people weren’t wearing helmets and we used to tie a dead chicken around the neck of whoever showed up last to a pickup day.

Man, those were the days.

So bike polo is a changing, bending, breaking sport. It has rules, yes, but those are still open to interpretation by tourney hosts and the general consensus of the players and spectators at any given moment. I mean, when the prevailing rule is don’t be a dick you’re leaving quite a bit up to interpretation, aren’t you?

But that’s good – it’s important that the sport isn’t cut and dry. Well, maybe important isn’t the right word: exciting. It’s exciting that we’re the people who are forming up the sport at this point in time. I try to remember, in any argument about fair play and rules,   the big picture.

Fifty years from now, let’s say, people aren’t going to be arguing about scoop shots. They aren’t going to argue about equipment or what counts as a goal or if the goalie should have a protected zone. Bike polo will become (if nobody came to their senses and stopped playing this crazy sport) sterilized. It will become something that school kids play during recess – some stupid version of it that doesn’t involve checking and has uses foam covered mallets or something. Bike polo will become regulated, so much so that we – the people who played the Wild West version we have today – would be sick thinking of how everyone is doing it wrong.

So, I guess the summation of this is to enjoy the arguments. Enjoy the triviality of whether a shot originating from the shaft counts as a goal. Just breathe in that fresh sport smell because it won’t last much longer.

Realize we’re the people the guys and girls who play this sport half a century from now will think of as completely crazy.

Category: Rules |
Crusher | August 13, 2012
14 comments

Would a Permanent Goalie Work in Bike Polo?

No – I don’t mean the guy who just hangs out back there and waits for the play to come to him, a la this fellow here:

 

I mean having a fourth player on the team – the goalie – enabling there to be three players in constant play on the court with one fellow dedicated to defense.

Ok – before you completely destroy this little hypothetical of mine, let me give you the parameters I see this working with:

1. The “goalie” must stay behind the half (their goal half of the court).

2. The “goalie” can pop out to make a play, as long as one player of the same team goes back to act as the “goalie” – much the same as position swapping in lacrosse and, I imagine, other fun sports.

3. The “goalie” is otherwise subject to all other rules that are currently in the rulebook o’ bike polo.

Reasons I think it’s a good idea: Read more

Category: Rules, Stories | Tags: , , ,
Crusher | July 31, 2012
10 comments

Blood in Bike Polo: The Role of Violence

Bike polo, in its very nature, is a relatively dangerous sport. When I first started playing (and my club was young, and I was scared to lean on my bike, and I didn’t keep my head up nor did anyone else, really) I crashed a lot.

Our club as a whole was pretty rock-um-sock-um when it came to playing. We’d run each other into the fence, we’d T-bone on purpose at times. It was great fun, really.

But as we developed as a club we stopped being so violent (I like to think we were getting more skilled and didn’t need to crash into each other to stop plays, for instance), and that was pretty good, too. There was a general feeling that really good players didn’t need to be violent (and I subscribe to that belief myself), so if you want to become a good player, you need to depend on finesse more than brute strength.

But let’s take a moment to talk about the other side of the coin, here. The scarred up, bruised and tooth spitting side of the coin.

The general rules of bike polo (if you don’t subscribe to reading all of the NAH rulebook) is body to body, bike to bike, and mallet to mallet contact. 2 of these three can lead to some brutal situations, as evidenced by Mr. Do’s lovely video which I will now gratuitously post because it’s that damned good: Read more

Category: Rules, Tips | Tags: , , ,
Crusher | April 4, 2012
4 comments

NAH 2012 Rules: Highlights

North American Hardcourt (NAH) has come out with a draft (PDF here if you’d like to read) of the newest, baby-fresh rules for 2012. These rules aren’t set in stone (you can help give opinions/views to the committee through League of Bike Polo (ALL HAIL) here)

Overall and as expected, the rules of Polo are becoming more regimented and more granular. There are a few rules I’d like to discuss here just to get your opinions on:

2.4.2.3 The mallet head is a maximum of 180mm (7”) in length.

2.4.2.4 The inner diameter of any hole on the mallet head may not exceed 57mm (2.25”).

These two are new rules, and I think they are solid. I can ‘t  think of anyone having a mallet that is longer than 7 inches, but I could see getting pissed if someone playing goal had a 2 foot mallet head.

The other rule (about inner diameter) definitely helps clarify the cheater mallet question, does it not?

3.1.7 Jousting players hold their mallet on the side of their bike which a majority of players in the game have their mallet hand.

As a lefty, I can say this completely takes me out of jousting. If I’m holding my mallet on the side the “majority” of players have their mallet hand, then I’m kind of useless. I think it’s a fair rule, as lefties jousting right handers is a bad idea, but it hurts deep down.  Read more

Category: Rules |