The Next Stage: You Can Hit the Ball. Now What?
Why competence when hitting the ball, is just the starting point for real polo. You’ve worked hard over winter, really hard. You can make contact more often than you miss and you're no longer 'nearly falling off' when you wallop a backhand!
So, what is the next stage after you can hit the ball?
You are competent. For most amateur players, this is the danger zone. Because competence feels like arrival. But in polo, hitting the ball consistently is simply the price of admission. It's not power. It's presence. If you're still thinking about how to hit the ball, you're not playing polo yet. You're hitting a ball on a horse. So what is the next stage after you can hit the ball? The next stage is freeing up enough mental bandwidth to look where you are going before you hit it.
Stage 1: The Mechanic - Where you were: You focused on your swing plane, your seat, and your timing. Your eyes were glued to the ball. You celebrated solid contact.
Stage 2: The Competent - Where you are now: You can hit forehand and backhand at a canter. You rarely miss the ball entirely. You feel "safe."
Stage 3: The Player - Where you need to go: You look at the defender first, then the ball. You know where you are sending it before you swing.
Here is the single biggest differentiator between a competent hitter and a dangerous player: The pre-scan. The Drill That Unlocks Everything. Stop practicing just hitting. Start practicing hitting with intention.
Next time you stick and ball, do this:
Before you hit the ball, physically turn your head (either way) and look at an empty patch of grass 30 yards away.
Now look up at the ball and hit it back to that empty patch of grass.
That's it. Not to the boards. Not through the goal. To an empty patch of grass where your teammate will be. If you can do that consistently, you have graduated from "competent" to dangerous.
Why This Matters For Match Play
In a game, you will never have a clean shot. There will be a 3-goal pro on your hip and a pony breathing down your neck. If you are still using 100% of your brain to make contact, you will dump the ball—smacking it straight to the opposition or out of play just to relieve pressure. But if you have automated your swing (competence), you can use 40% of your brain on the contact and 60% on the traffic.
You will see the open man.
You will see the hook coming.
You will hit the ball through the defender's mallet, not into it.
Your New Mantra "Don't hit it hard. Hit it there."
Power comes from relaxation. Direction comes from intention. Get the cones/markers out and practice hitting the ball to a specific target, not just "down the line."
Kit Check For This Stage
Competence also changes your equipment needs. If you are still playing with a heavy, dead-feeling mallet because it was "good for learning," upgrade now. You need a mallet that gives you feedback. A slightly whippier shaft will tell you instantly if your timing is off. A better-balanced head will let you feel the weight of the ball at the bottom of the swing.
The Bottom Line
Stop measuring success by whether you hit the ball. Start measuring success by whether the ball ended up where you looked. Competence is the foundation. Intent is the building. Go build something.
Keep Poloing on!
The Polo Guy
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