COMOPOLO

I've been pondering the idea of polo moving towards the "Bench" style of play for competitive engagements. There's a lot of things that I like about that style and there are things about it that I think don't mesh super well with polo. The "Bench" style is for all intents and purposes Bike Hockey. Just the fact that we are on bikes and not skates makes hockey style play almost impossible. You can't effectively and smoothly make line changes with a fucking bike. That being said, I like the idea of a more traditional sports match up. Two teams, more than just three fucking people on a team, more than just a ten minute smash and bash session among dozens of other 10 minute smash and bash sessions.

So here's my thing...We do play Bike Polo. I know none of us like the insane amount of rules in grass polo, but the traditional polo format of chukkers would probably suit our sport well. Four 10 minute chukkers. Now blend this with a bench of players, keeping the on court at 3 v. 3 and allow substitutions when there are either stoppages of play or between chukkers, you could have a reasonably well flowing game.

Sorry, this is just me thinking out loud, and it seemed like the best place to do it since no one really reads anything here.

sounds like an idea id be willing to try out

So I'm new to this idea. A few thoughts:

1) Imagine I am on the "2nd" line of Team 1. Say that Team 2 is on their "1st" line. What is my motivation to switch with a player on my team so that the lineup is more balanced? Odds are, on line 2, I'm going to think I'm sufficiently good to handle the line 1er from the other team. And in hockey, people switch out in part for lineup, but it is more so the case that the change due to heavy fatigue. In bike polo, this isn't really the case.

2) Would you have to institute a "too many men" rule? Presumably this would entail some other rule changes, maybe an offsides as well.

I guess my main thought is that people are too self-interested naturally to want to change out like they do in hockey.

jeremy wrote:

And in hockey, people switch out in part for lineup, but it is more so the case that the change due to heavy fatigue. In bike polo, this isn't really the case.

I think you'll find this isn't true. We've been experimenting with bench style games, and when you know you've got 3 minutes out there, you can reallllly hustle. I'm hitting the bench exhausted most of the time.

That's a good point. I suppose it would up the intensity of the game play quite a bit.

My point was just that if we're talking about alternatives to the old school 3 vs. 3, we shouldn't get married to Menace's version just because that's what everyone knows as the alternative...you could literally make up anything and try it.

Line changes were not hard at BM. Maybe when footage comes out you will see, but on the fly substitutions for tired players is actually fun as fuck.

I had a blast at BM raging it on the court for 5 minutes, smacking the ball deep behind the other team's goal and then flying off at full speed while my bad ass teammate is jumping in to pick up my slack with fresh lungs and legs.

It is very exciting, and very fun to watch. Some teams did it better than others, and it paid off. It was an area of the game to focus and improve upon for all teams present. On the fly subs were perhaps the most stimulating and very best things about playing in BM; I don't think it's an aspect I'd like to see taken out of it.

Or, like in the case of Chris Williams' team, Rory just stayed on all the time! Haha.

Something to consider.

OK OK, fine, lines changes aren't hard...is anyone listening to my point? I'm asking why is everyone resigned to some artificially imposed inevitability that the game has to be played as 3 v. 3 or "Bench Style"? I mean, hell, if we're going hockey style, why not play 3 20 minute periods instead of halves? You get what I'm saying?

What if we play 10 teams on the court at one time, with 10 separate goals, and anyone can score on anyone. Once your team gets scored on 5 times, you and your goal are removed from the game and it's elimination style down the final two teams who then battle it out on a court that was previously stained with the blood of a sacrificed vegan.

Oh shut up. I started this topic to pose the question of why we insist on forsaking what are sport is named after...POLO. Of course the on court rules are much different, but why the way the game is segmented has to be different, no one has given me a justifiable answer. Polo is played in four chukkas, hockey is played in three periods...where did we get two halves?

To be fair, chukkas probably centered around fatiguing horses...and changing mounts in between those blocks of play. See, this is the answer you should give me Kruse! You're a dummy.

:)