HANDICAP EVALUATION GUIDELINES

HANDICAP ‘S’ or STARTER.
A person who has little or no experience in polo. It may range from a person who has had no previous riding to someone who is an expert rider but has yet to gain an understanding of the game.

A ‘starter’ is not eligible to play outside the club of which he is a member. If his club considers that he is safe, he may play in domestic matches at his club only off a handicap of –2.

HANDCAP ‘–2’.
A –2 handicap is in the gift of the club that the player has joined. The club must certify in writing to the HPA that their member has been raised to –2. Guidelines for a –2 handicap are as follows:
• Rules. Will need help to prevent him fouling but a sufficient understanding of the Line of the Ball and the Right of Way so that he is not endangering himself or other players on the field.
• Horsemanship. The ability to stop and turn, hook another player and maintain control when ridden off by an experienced player.
• Hitting. The ability to hit adequate offside shots most of the time, and to achieve some success with nearside shots.
• Set Plays. May require some assistance but reasonable knowledge of the standard positioning for set plays; ‘throw-ins’, ‘hit-ins’, and ‘penalties’.
• Tactics. Likely to need assistance but has an understanding of the roles and positioning of the different team members, and the importance of counting heads, taking a man, and turning up; what he meant to be trying to do as part of the team.
A –2 goal player may play in any tournaments up to 6 goals for which he is eligible.

HANDICAP ‘–1’.
A player can only be raised to –1 or above by the HPA Handicap Committee. Guidelines are as follows:
• Rules.
o Should not foul but likely to need help against being sucked into fouls by more experienced players.
o Should normally have passed the CP Umpire Rules Test.
• Horsemanship. The ability to ride at speed and ride off safely.
• Hitting. The ability to hit offside shots of a reasonable length and accuracy, and adequate nearside shots most of the time. Need not be a consistently good striker of the ball.
• Set Plays. Should not require assistance on the standard positioning for set plays; ‘throw-ins’, ‘hit-ins’, and ‘penalties’.
• Tactics. Still likely to need assistance but his understanding should enable him to act independently and create a limited number of plays for teammates.
A –1 goal player may play in any tournaments up to 12 goals for which he is eligible.

HANDICAP ‘ 0’.
For a 0 goal player, guidelines are as follows:
• Rules.
o Should have a good understanding of the rules and should rarely foul.
o Should have passed the CP Umpire Rules Test.
• Horsemanship. The ability to ride at full speed, stop and turn, ride off safely and maintain control when ridden off and bumped at speed by the most experienced players.
• Hitting. The ability to hit offside and nearside shots of a reasonable length and accuracy, including tailed backhanders and under the neck. Should be a consistent and reliable striker of the ball on the offside and able to hit the ball more than twice at a fast gallop down the field under pressure. May still be limited on a nearside. Able to turn and/or dribble the ball.
• Set Plays. Should be completely familiar with positioning for set plays; ‘throw-ins’, ‘hit-ins’, and ‘penalties’, and also be able to help other less experienced players.
• Tactics. Should be able to anticipate the play so that he is not just chasing the ball, and make the right decision on taking the man or the ball. Able to turn the play from defense to offense without fouling.
A 0 goal player may play in any tournaments, including High Goal, for which he is eligible.