What about mallet on mallet to stop an opposing players shot, or to gain possession of the ball by interfering with their shuffle?
Mallet Hacking
Several players love to hack at mallets. I'm not talking about playing an opponents while they have the ball. I'm talking full on Tomahawk Chop to break a mallet. One of our players will even say before a match "I going to break your mallet" and I sigh and switch to my heavier 'practice' mallet.Should this be banned? Thoughts?
i'm fine with that. as i said, if you're in range of the ball, then swing away. if you're not, then i think mallet-on-mallet should be reduced to hooking only.
for example, when trying to catch up with the player who has the ball. sometimes it just means putting my mallet head between their mallet and the ball as they wind up to swing. but that's different than hacking. Here, let me demonstrate. Can i have a volunteer? How about you, menace? Thanks.
theres no need for mallet on mallet around the goal. against east vangard, they had a goally in and if i thought he should be cleared, i just rode up next to him, parked and asked him to ride on, if he didnt, i sided up to him real gentle like and told him, im goina move you out and then i hooked my shoulder under his and very gently peddled out. not violent at all, a fair warning and then the utiliztion of his wheels. but a grab, hooke and pull that removes the mallet from the oponents hand, is really fun, but i wouldnt cry if we removed it from the game. mallet destruction is just bad for my illigal imagrints (scandanavian)that i have build my mallets
best post ever, kevin
Yeah, that is incredibly helpful.
Mallet hacking off ball (except the goalie) is for....well, hacks.
The only time I can see mallet hacking being useful is when someone is dragging the ball.
Purposely trying to break another players mallet just leads to the bad stuff people don't want to see in this sport.
Hooking the mallet to prevent someone from playing the ball is far different. It's a defensive move and doesnt' damage the mallet.
Hacking is in the same league as T-boning.
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Moooooo!
So, to sum up: We like Hookers, 
but not Hackers.
mallet whacking away from the ball, with an overhand tomohawk chop, or even side-handed is so fucking lame i can't even believe it...it is a total puss move. it is equivalent to punching someone in the back of the head when they're not expecting it. knocking a goalie off balance, or someone who is relying on their mallet to stay up is fair game as i see it, but one doesn't need to break their mallet to do so. hooking a mallet is such a more efficent way of fucking up someone's handling/shuffling (are you reading this martin?). although a good solid mallet whack when trying to get the ball with the mallet under the bars works for me.
that is the only downside of the ball joint move is that encourages aggressive mallet whacking, but the bj is kind of a lame move in itself, so if you do it expect to have your mallet broken : )
But you love bjs, ace
wow, adam can sure hold a grudge. next time he should try to hold the mallet...
martin, you're a fucking dink. the mallet would have stayed in my hand had you not crushed my thumb with your overhand chop. i brought it up because it illustrated my point very well, and i'm always trying to make you a better, and more respected player.
and you know it drunkie! bjs aren't lame, i recind that comment.
adam, you are so full of shit that i am coming over to your house to throw frisbees at you, just like i said i would an hour ago...
a dink? man, let it go. i've aPOLOgised to you already for hurting yer thumb. for the record, it wasn't an overhand chop, it was lateral. overhand isn't my style (i'll leave that to rorybear - ouch!)
a chop is a chop martin, lateral or otherwise. i don't think that you should be too surprised if someone wants to talk about the injuries that you've doled out. if you want to play like that then i think you need to be prepared to hear about it. that's the most gruesome polo injury i've yet seen and i think adam deserves more than "just let it go man..."
someone is curiously missing from this conversation......Paging Mr Dalrymple......
I had a play with JohnnyMidwest a couple weeks that went like this...I would be curious about what people thought about it:
Johnny was hanging around the front of the goal (about 10 feet), waiting for a pass, leaning on his mallet...the ball was off to the right (about 20-25 feet away), certainly close enough for a pass to set Johnny up for a goal.
So...as I was riding around I noticed Johnny alone in front leaning on his stick and calling for a pass. In an attempt to disrupt his position and thinking that a pass may have come off (the ball was to my back)...I lightly hacked at his stick to try and get him to put his foot down before getting the ball. However, it turns out the ball was never passed to him and I was told it was an illegal hack.
I don't see it as wrong only because he was hanging around in a scoring postion...and had a pass come through, it would have been a legal hack. I feel if he was no where near the play, then a case could be made. Or had I made a ridculous attempt to break his mallet type hack...then again, I would agree. But in a game with no goalie, I think there should be some acceptances for defensive play.
What does everyone think?
if someone is leaning on their mallet in a position in order to receive a pass to potentially score, they are begging for their mallet to be tapped. it's not whacking their mallet out of play, it's just good legit mallet on mallet. there isn't a lot of difference between this and lifting someone's mallet when they get near the goal, even if they don't have the ball.
I think smacking someones mallet when they are leaning on it is awesome and funny. I agree that you should not do it hard enough to damage a mallet.
Wade
Greenlake Crew
Seattle
Perfectly legit move where we play.
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Moooooo!
I agree. Legal.
If you're leaning on your mallet in front of the goal (whether offense or defense), you should expect someone to try to swipe* your mallet. If you didn't expect it, you got caught sleeping.
*not hack with excessive force.
The way I remember it, the ball was nowhere near me, nor being played to me, and I wasn't leaning on my mallet - I stayed up after RAMMAN hacked me. Nonetheless, this is an important rule to clarify. It's a no-brainer that hacking with a giant wind up to break mallets is (duh) stupid. Mallet to mallet contact should be restricted to use on people playing the ball or in a position to shoot/receive. This eliminates the pointless swordfighting you sometimes see off the ball.
I actually dont get why people are against mallet hacking ANYWHERE on the court at ANYTIME...now, granted...tomahawking or TRYING to break a mallet is bad because it can hurt someone and its a pain to have to constantly make new mallets...HOWEVER, why is it a big deal to hack at a guys mallet away from the ball..especially if they are leaning on it...if anything, it has an effect of trying to get a guy off his game...every sport has some allowances to do that. Plus it keeps people on their toes...IS there a specific reason why it is frowned upon?
Ryan gets so angry when I knock his mallet out of his hands.
Im ok with mallet hacking in general. One of my pet peeves though is when one player hacks at another player while their mallet is on the bars. This is always dangerous and really infuriates me when it happens.
3...2...1...GO!
Mallets Of Mayhem
And we don't want to infuriate mrfixedgear...because an infuriated mrfixedgear makes me smile
the more rules the better. when do we institute the no veering rule?
the more rules the better. when do we institute the no veering rule?
Can I still careen? 'cuz careening is why I play.
it was a good move ramman, if you are on your mallet you should expect someone to tap it out from under you. Sure, if you ride across the court just to knock out their mallet while they are playing defense that is kind of a dick move, but it isn't illegal. It is never illegal unless it is a hack - with a real wind up and the intention of knocking it out of their hands or breaking it, or if, as alexis is saying, you are hitting at their mallet when it is on their bars. this serves no purpose other than to get people angry.
new rule, mallet on body, body on bike and bike on mallet allowed everything else is bullshit
Ok, so I hear what most of you are saying, but I submit a different point of view. Too many rules. There should be as few rules as possible. We make our mallets strong enough now (metal ski poles or better yet golf clubs) that they do not break by whacking them. I whack a mallet to knock it out of someone's hands to get them out of play for a minute or to knock them off balance. This is not organized hockey or anything even romotely like it so it is irrelevant to compare. This is underground, raw fun. If you don't want your mallet knocked out of your hands then don't hold on to it like you were holding your frail great grandmother's hand. After I notice that someone is on to me and my whacking is futile then I usually give up that tactic on that person.
Shut up and ride your bike.
Both of those break all the time... I would say at least once a week that happens here in NYC.
i think in pickup, you can fool around with a newbie and teach them to hold on tight, but if you bring that shit to a competitive match, your not going to like the response. this is so fucking raw and underground. oh and jesus christ, golf clubs suck, ski poles are barely good enough. this shit breaks. im gonna shut up and ride my bike now. thanks for the advice
Yeah... not hacking hard enough.
I only play polo cause it's raw and underground. The minute it gets legit, im out
3...2...1...GO!
Mallets Of Mayhem
I can definitely see the reasoning behind the anti-mallet hacking thing in more official matches, tourneys, etc. It seems from the comments that the level to which I/we are hacking mallets might be child's play compared to the level that some of you have been witness to. I mean, sure, we occasionally knock one out of a hand, and sure, occasionally one breaks, but not as often as in NYC, it would seem, and we don't send them flying into other people's faces or anything. The only thing I meant by raw and underground was just that I enjoy those days of pick-up polo with friends, few rules, beers, and just all-around fun debauchery---not like we go piercing our backs with our mallets and hang by them for fun. I definitely didn't mean to offend anyone and apologize if that is what I did. Oh, and if golf clubs and ski poles suck, please enlighten me as to what makes as good mallet.
Shut up and ride your bike.
yea i kinda reactionary to posts, and i apologize for that too. ski poles are the best but there definitly breakable. as far as the fun pick up games, that shit will never die, as long as people are playing bike polo, its the home and root of this sport, like pickup soccer on gravel... its raw. but i think even in the pick ups mallet hacking is soetimes distracting. if its working for your crew and its a fun part of your game then by all means. but when playing with other cities you just got to feel that shit out. lots of people dont have ready access to poles or time to build lots of mallets. ok im going to shut uo and ride my bike
ethan, ramman and johnny are the three biggest boneheads in NYC dont think that anything they say is accurate.
D-U-M-B. waaaaay worse than those los hackastan fools.
Doug D
Brooklyn, New York
http://www.hardcourtbikepolo.com/
harsh man...harsh haha
Doug, just for that comment, my team is going to rank higher than yours at the NACCC polo tourney.
Man, why's everyone so afraid of getting hurt and having their shit broken? Is this the little girls bike polo league or something? Harden the fuck up.
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Does not apply at Los Marcos Madness
There - a place. As in "over there".
Their - possessive. As in "this is their stuff".
They're - a contraction. As in "They are over there with their stuff".
I hope you ain't home schooling those kids.
Chicago Bike Polo 2003-2008
St Louis Bike Polo 2008-now
people pickin on hunter when he's tryin to be serious? word...
ben, i'm in chicago ready for decency.
jonny, got that piping?
martin
TOP CENTER 4-EVA
theres an understanding and it lucks like u gotz it. and no they goez to proper schools
So it's not like a Chinese Olympic School over there? Minimal schooling in the morning and rigorous polo training all day?
Chicago Bike Polo 2003-2008
St Louis Bike Polo 2008-now
Hacking pissed me off (I'm talking to you Seattle) until I learned to deal with it - a little bit of technique can make it an ineffective play.
The hack is only effective if it meets a solid surface that doesn't want to give. If you keep your grip tight but your wrist loose (and by not sitting around leaning on your mallet which you shouldn't be doing anyway) mallet hacks just make your mallet swing around in the direction they are hit. Still annoying, but your shaft isn't in much danger of breakage. It is also fairly easy to predict when someone is going to hack at your mallet - unless they are a lefty in which case all bets are off.
Sasha
Richmond has always hacked mallets though it was more so to disarm the opponent than to break their mallet. I usually don't go after mallets unless I'm side by side chasing a ball and typically one medium non-shaft threatening hack is all it takes. They drop their mallet. I take the ball.
Years ago we were much more aggressive. We were throwing mallets quite a bit. So we would have to hack mallets out of the air to defend personal control of the ball. We were hacking mallets that people weren't holding. We would scoop a mallet handle up, flip it into the air and hack it over a fence. When the opponent goes to get their mallet we drag their bike and throw it over another fence. Now mind you goals are being scored left and right.
I can't remember all the tournaments I went to last year where I told Nick or Baines to keep an eye out for me cuz I was going to break my mallet. It wasn't because I was hacking other players. It's cuz I shoot through my wheels more often than not and will kink the mallet shaft on my pedal or down tube. That being said it wouldn't take much for someone else, say Brad, to break my mallets clean in half during a game. Oh well, get a new mallet and get back into the game.
Whining about it won't make your mallet solid again. Yes, there is a risk of injury. I've got the shattered knuckles to know. But, mallet to mallet shouldn't be regulated by anyone aside from the person making the hack. If you hit someone with your mallet anywhere but their mallet and you cause injury; remove yourself from the game. Stop the game play and check on the other player. Tap out. Play better. There are plenty of options but adding more rules might not be the best way.
Don't bring cake to a donut fight.
So true. I love you guys. Like half the time you go for a 50/50 ball or try to hack or hook an RVA mallet, you get this really quick, sharp, pre-emptive WHACK on the front of your own. So fast. Clearly a well-practiced RVA skill. Feels like getting your hand smacked with a ruler.
Also: if you record the whacking sound and slow it down, it says, "Your northern aggression just don't work 'round here, sonny."
This move (playing the mallet, behind the play, not the ball) Is like so many other frustrated bush league moves. The process of natural selection will eliminate it as we develop.
eg.
BJ'ing is controversial... but now we've all realised the amazing benefits of caps.
BJ'ing is also hella easy to disengage. When dribbling the ball, an opponent has to get mallet to ball or your mallet head in order to mess you up... When you're BJ'ing, an opponent only has to touch any part of your mallet shaft (a much larger target area) plus, the range of movement you have with a BJ is much less than you have with a dribble.
Throwing mallets.
(Need I say more? you throw your mallet, you don't have your mallet anymore...) Unless you're a circus performer (we have a few), if you have no mallet, your team is one player down.
Leaning on your mallet to balance.
You're far less stable than when you are moving, you have no momentum to get where you need to be as quickly as if you were already rolling.
If you're stationary, you're unstable.
Swordfighting.
Many times I've had a team mate distracted by a swordfight consequently they've missed a perfect pass/feed/shot/whatever on goal.
If you're swordfighting, you're team is one player down.
Another issue I have is hacking with golf club mallets... They're heavier, harder and screw up people's aluminium mallets. We're in a ski-pole-scarce environment here... Some days in 2008 not enough people with enough mallets turned up... These kind of ocurrances kill the momentum of bike polo when people can't get their fix.)
Actually, to be honest, I will go for a little bit of a hack if someone is jousting me in the face.
Last week someone broke a much newer player's (brand new) mallet by hacking. To his credit, he gave him a ski pole.
Sasha, I agree, you can learn to deal with hacking, and those things you do make you a better player anyway. stay alert, look around, keep moving, keep your mallet down and keep a hold of it.
but hacking is still bush league :)
i wouldn't mind people tomahawking mallets so much if everybody's aim was perfect but i've been hit in the hand and ankle way to many times not get a little pissed off when i see somebody wind up on me.
Chicago Bike Polo 2003-2008
St Louis Bike Polo 2008-now
smart. 5/8" can be kinda weighty tho, no?
Squirt some great stuff in there. It'll help a little, and it won't hardly weigh anything.
Chicago Bike Polo 2003-2008
St Louis Bike Polo 2008-now
Squirt it in there a little at a time. Let it expand and dry. Squirt in a little more. Keep it off the furniture.
I stand to profit from the Polo Mallet arms race, so I'm all for it. You can call me Destro.
Chicago Bike Polo 2003-2008
St Louis Bike Polo 2008-now
just playing devils advocate, but I think shit like this only encourages the polo mallet arms race.
I'd rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal lobotomy.
Oh how I love a good mallet hook. We hook mallets all the time here in COMO. It's the easiest way to get someone on a breakaway off the ball..hook their mallet and lift, Presto! Also, If you hook my mallet, expect to get yours yanked out of your hands (also a satisfying feeling), 'cause I have an iron grip.
OGT-COMOPOLO
holla. mallet hooking is fun as hell, and effective too. i personally think mallet hacking off ball is weak. just my opinion
I have not seen this brought up anywhere, so sorry if its a repeat question. I know that 'like contact' is the usual rule, but I dont personally see any issue with bike to mallet play (not the other way around though). Like when a player is in goal, and your next to him, using your front tire to move his mallet out from under him to make him foot down. I think its a legit move and better than hacking, because it leaves you in a nice position to give the guy/girl a little shoulder check if he/she can track stand, but the other player thought it was a violation of the 'like contact' rule.... thoughts?
CHEATER!! jk pal, that's a good question. I'm curious too. If a goalie is leaning on his mallet can you use your front wheel to push his mallet out from under him? I'll get you back at pick up tonight!
While I don't think that what you're doing is in violation of the spirit of the game, it does muddy the waters. I would be inclined to call it a violation just to keep things simple.
mallet hooking is passive-aggressive mallet hacking
Scott makes some really good poles that are ovalized. I've only been using two mallets consistently this year and they've both been oval shaped. They hold up really well to hacking and hard cross wheel shots. They are thirty bucks for a pair, but if that is all you need for a season, it is worth it.
BOOM!
Okay, so I checked my sources and prices are back up to 75 bucks a pair, but wait until skiing season is over and they will be cheaper.
BOOM!
I just got an ovalized shaft. Did you line up the bladed side with the shooting face or the shuffle face of the mallet?
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Marco!
I am the Duck.
off topic, but I also have two oval shafts and they are the strongest I have ever found. Line them up with the head so they swing through on their narrow side... I'm sure there is some low percentage increase in power output due to aerodynamics and lack of flex in that direction as well. geek out.
oh, and if you hack my fancy aero mallet shaft I will come back and slice yours in half (since it is stronger, and has a nice hacking edge built in)
i haven't found the ovalised shafts to be any better than the others. you get more strength in one direction and less in the other.
ovalised are, however, generally 7075 Al, which makes them strong as fuck.
more kenball played by more people in more places more often
I make an oval grip on my handle, like a grass polo mallet or a ping-pong paddle. I line up the oval perpendicular to the head. That provides a long flater surface area against my hand as I shoot. I can also pinch the flat part between thumb and forefinger to for good positional control.
Find what is essentially a dowel rod cut in half lengthwise in the molding section of a hardware store. Gouge out the flat part so that the ski pole fits. Tape holds it in place. Et voila, the Joel handle.
We played with grass bike polo mallets bought somewhere out of the states with ovalised handles 12 years ago. I've been using a chopstick or half dowel described above for the grass mallets I used make and the hardcourt mallets I currently make. It's pretty difficult to lay claim to an original design when everyone is inventing, just saying....
if someone is useing the mallot to rest on, i will usually "push" it out kind of like a shuffle if will help me or my teammate out. theres no serious mallet damage, but i usually wont hesitate to push one out from underneath someone. is this so wrong?
everything you have heard about me is true
What's so wrong is you stealing Joe Burge's photo and passing it off as your own. What? Are you uglier than him or something? Jesus...
BOP: Eating Little Split Pea's shit for years.
Hacking off play is for hacks full stop. (not that i've never done it) Do it only to your closest friends. (only they will forgive you)
A ride by push at a goalie when you team is attacking is tactical. fair play.
However, all the best players I've seen PLAY THE BALL! Is it too much to ask?
+ Don't dis golf clubs people, they're strong, light and have a bit of spring in them. They withstand all sorts of ridiculous skill-less hacking and they're shiney. Plus as a free-wheeler I use my club to move backwards when cornered. nice.
I agree that the hack is a dick move (hooking is definitely a finesse move) as it breaks shafts causes injuries. As peoples awareness/skill grows they start to lift their mallets in anticipation of your hack/hook which means you get a smack in the ankle :(
But really, you really don't even need to touch a players mallet to put them out of play, a favourite move of mine is to ride up beside them and go to hook/hack the mallet but as they lift it away from the ground to prevent the hook/hack you back off, (only pretend to hack/hook their mallet) they are now at your mercy as they must make a choice.
Put the mallet back on the ground and suffer the hook/repeat the mallet dance or stay with their mallet in the air as long as you threaten them, thereby removing themselves from play with no mallet contact even needed.
However, when it comes to fighting for the ball a quick smack on the head of mallet or even down low on the shaft is fair enough, as is lightly tapping a mallet shuffling the ball so as to cause them to lose it.
+Its always piss funny to smack someones' mallet out of their hands if their not paying attention though(not too hard as to break the shaft)
If your mum gave you 2 dollars to buy three ice creams, how many ice creams could you buy before you get shot in the back with a harpoon?
BTW golf clubs suck, too heavy and springy(i used to use them myself)
If your mum gave you 2 dollars to buy three ice creams, how many ice creams could you buy before you get shot in the back with a harpoon?
x2 ^ :P
If your mum gave you 2 dollars to buy three ice creams, how many ice creams could you buy before you get shot in the back with a harpoon?
I agree you shouldn't be a dick, but if someone is balancing on their mallet a hack is totally fair game, on the ball or not. It is part of the game, deal with it. Don't try and break something or hurt someone, but don't expect to be balancing and not be swung at.
i think
mallet hacking off ball=bush league
mallet hacking on ball=dumb. go for the ball. and why break mallets?
mallet hooking as a defensive play=sweet
i think hacking off ball is something that adds very little to the game and really discourages rookies.
it does make you more aware of everyone though and discourages tripoding, so i guess it has its place...just depends who youre playing with
i also think ive seen more mallets broken by their frustrated owners in fits of concrete hacking than by others hacking then...ha.
I am all for mallet hacking. Like-contact is allowed; mallet-mallet.
It's a good way to get a goalie out. It would make them untouchable otherwise and it makes for a very dull game to have someone permanently at the goal.
One thing though, it should be up to the ref's discretion to call for a foul. So no hammer of Thor.
It would make them untouchable otherwise
What about bike to bike or body to body? I say just leave them there because three on two is more of an advantage then a permagoalie.
Some people love to do that Hammer of Thor shit which kind of sucks cuz I got a hurt hand. In our club I just ask those folks nicely to lighten up and explain my recently broken hand and they seem okay with it.
Mostly I just think it's part of their enjoyment so I say to each their own. In a tournament or something it's hard to talk to the other guys but in your club it's really no big deal cuz you're all friends.
IMO
a hook, lift, or pin should be legal of someone's mallet.
if any of you are familiar with hockey, you will know what I am talking about.
let me explain myself:
-Hooking some ones mallet with your mallet, to pull it away from the ball should be legal.
-Hooking a mallet out from someone while they're resting on it so they foot down should be legal.
-Lifting some ones mallet from underneath to interfere with a shot, or to take a ball away should be legal.
-Pinning a mallet down so the shooter or person with possession cant swing their mallet should be legal.
SWATTING A MALLET WITH A HACKING MOTION, OR DOWNWARD SWING SHOULD NOT BE LEGAL.
In hockey, if someone slashes someone else's stick and their stick breaks then it is an automatic penalty.
I think somewhat of the same rule should be implemented here, obviously we don't call penalties or anything, but the play should become dead and the ball should return to the team victim of the infraction.
and if this "foul" occurs on a scoring chance, they should be granted the goal.
just my idea's
Mallet swatting as of now is legal, but it is cheap and unsportsmanlike in my opinion, it should not be tolerated..
NHL RULE BOOK:
(Slashing)
61.1 Slashing - Slashing is the act of a player or goalkeeper swinging his stick at an opponent, whether contact is made or not. Non-aggressive stick contact to the pant or front of the shin pads, should not be penalized as slashing. ANY FORCEFUL OR POWERFUL CHOP with the stick on an opponent’s body, the opponent’s stick, or on or near the opponent’s hands that, in the judgment of the Referee, is not an attempt to play the puck, shall be penalized as slashing.
bike polo is not hockey.
keep it simple. like contact.
mallet whacking:
cheesy? maybe.
legal? yes.
if you're worried about your mallet breaking, keep a spare on the sidelines. you're just as likely to break your own mallet if you're the whacker, so there are consequences.
never said it was hockey, but the stick rules should apply..
mallet hacking is not only bone headed, its also dangerous.
a downward swing with that force can break a hand, not just a mallet, it also can hit someone in the face..
wear helmets and gloves sure.. all that is fine, but not all gloves are padded enough for that, and some people aren't comfortable with bulky hockey & lacrosse gloves..
Stick on stick, yes.. as a defensive strategy.. to play the ball, or get the ball off their stick..
Stick on stick to knock a mallet out of some ones hand or to break it? no, wheres the strategy and fair play in that? it's just people being unbelievable tools.
LIKE CONTACT is too vague
by that rule, I could kick you off your bike.
Punch you in the face
Elbow you
all those are body to body correct? but no one would call them legal.. why should it be any different applying similar stick rules?
if you want to talk about dangerous mallet play, the majority of people i play with from younger clubs have a bad high stick problem. i myself have been hit right between my eyes by a mallet and had to visit the e.r. to get my head back together. every time i see someone wail on a ball with their mallet flailing about, i cringe and pee myself a little. that is way more dangerous than mallet whacking, even though people get up in arms about whacking and don't say a word about high sticking.
you don't need to cock your mallet above your waist before taking a shot and you definitely don't need to let your mallet follow through after a shot so that it could potentially hit someone in the face/head. hitting the ball as hard as you can does not improve accuracy, it probably does the opposite in most cases.
drew, all of what i just said is not pointed toward you, i just wanted to make that point while we're on the mallets are dangerous topic.
i'm not advocating mallet whacking all the time by everyone, but i do think there is a time and a place for everything. if i am breaking away and pushing the ball up and someone comes parallel along side of me trying to steal it, i'm going to hit their mallet towards the ground and away from my ball. i've used that move many times, the person has dropped their mallet because they were over extending their reach, and i get to make the play without worrying about them. is it dirty/cheesy? maybe. is it dangerous? no more than getting too close to me when i'm racing up the court.
look, if we want to pussify this game, we could revert back to grass polo rules (no offense, grass players. some of your rules are silly). if you don't like whacking, don't whack. just know that there are those who will whack and until a rule is made, there's nothing you can do except don't get too close to those people. :)
There are/were different sorts of grass. Midwest style had less rules than hardcourt.
1. Don't be a dick
2. Don't T-bone
3. Like to Like contact.
That's about it.
Similar rules in Calgary for grass, we used to call them Rocky Mountain rules because we didn't know anyone else was playing our rules, only the official grass rules, which were a little to strict for my liking. I still like don't be a dick becuase most people realise when they cross the "don't be a dick" line, even if they don't want to admit it.
"don't be a dick" is very subjective. your club's dick could be our city's normal player. i guess playing conservatively at first to feel the crowd out would be good etiquette.
i agree with the high sticking, I am not saying one is worse than the other.
i say if you see someone doing something dangerous with their mallet, they should be told about it, so they can work on changing it.
if nothing is said, then nothing is changed..
I think we may have 2 different understandings of mallet hacking..
what you described is a defensive play, so knock some ones mallet away from the ball, which i believe is okay, but a full on forced whack as hard as you can to TRY and knock the mallet out of their hands or break it, is cheap/dirty and shouldnt be allowed, but if you knock it out of the way and they drop it.. its their fault for not having a good grip.. if there were refs at tournaments or what have you, it would be up to their discretion
does anyone ever think like contact is TOO vague? to break someones mallet is unnecessary. i don't know anyone who has been ok with that after it occurred. no need to damage anyones shit, our equipment is bad enough.
If you think breaking mallets is unnecessary, then why does every player I encounter from Pcola insist on hacking my mallet, as hard as they can, when its resting on the handlebars?
why dont you shoot me or our club an email then man. i dont know what you are talking about. thats shitty playing and im sure everyone will agree with you.
And them without any access to decent ski poles.
i think if the ball is sitting there and you swing in the general direction of the ball, where mallets are present, then mallet-on-mallet should be OK.
But I hate mallet hacking, especially when it's away from the ball, when it's totally ridiculous. I've had mallets broken by this in the past and it really pissed me off. And i think it should purged from our sport.
One place that it's often used is to knock off balance a player who's resting on the mallet while tending to goal. i can see how some people would not like the idea of regulating against that tactic, however i think it needs to be either toned down or eliminated. One means of toning it down would be to allow mallet hooking, but not mallet hacking. Hooking requires way more skill because it depends on bike stability.
This is definitely another area where comparisons with hockey are useful. A hack in polo would be considered a slash in hockey, and you'd get two minutes in the box, whereas hooking the mallet would be comparable to lifting the stick, a finesse move.