There's an older, but still valuable discussion of rules in the chicago bike polo myspace page's blog. For past tournaments, we've agreed on goal width and height and some play rules; foot handling, checking, mallet throwing, etc.

I don't really expect the "Jonny Point" to come up often or ever. The only situation it covers is when a flagrant foul is intentionally drawn in the goal to prevent a score.

NHL hockey will award a goal for stick throwing or tripping. A few other infractions result in a penalty shot. But most result in the player being taken out of the game for a while. Not an option for us.

The trick of using the soccer rule awarding a "penalty kick" is that our goal is as big as our goalies. We'd all have to decide on a distance back from the goal to take it, which infractions demand it, and whether or not there can be a goalie in place. Discussion?

"Shuffle" doesn't mean much to me with the inflated ball. It makes sense in little beruit rules, cos the equipment and handling is different.

Okay here are few things i would like ask questions about.

1. goal height. I really don't care but i think top wheel works well. the only thing that might be better is standardizing the goals so that we have cones that are the height of the goal. It can be really confusing when teams don't have a goalie and a tough call to make. I really like the triangular cones because they don't block shots on the goal and they allow for some ricochet shots. I am more interested in a consensus about this though. Just so all the teams know what we are looking for.

2. Foot Down: Huge problem, especially in the goal. I think we should have a tap out. Four places on the court so that it is easy to tap back in. This takes the player out of the play for a few seconds. It is a lot better then circling out and shit like that. Also it helps increase scoring which is becoming a bigger deal in our league because our goalies are getting so good. If a player goes down they have to tap out.

3. To piggie back this i think if a player stays in the play then that player is pulled from the game for 45 seconds. Power play to the other team. Would change things a bit and help create a better enforcement on this rule. Plus create an interesting dynamic. I would only institute the power play rule on tournament play where there is a ref.

4. Ball size - Smaller is better, but we need a better quality. I like the size 0 because the Adidas balls are really nice quality, i would play with another size but they have to move straight.

5. Kicking - You kick the ball it is part of the play, i think that it isn't giving much advantage to kick these days.

Okay that is all, lets get some other opinions.

I'm open to tap out points. It works well inside a cage during L-B style play. The trouble is establishing point(s) on our open fields. Center line?

I agree that refs are useful in the final stages of a tournament when passions are such that players are not concentrating on anything other than the play they're in. To call goals and fouls (as long as we all agree on what a foul is). Using a timed penalty box makes sense, but it doesn't seem like something that we could practice in our weekly games. I'd rather play than ref. Especially for casual, local games.

See one of the other threads for a goal standardization suggestion.

We have been playing the tap rule in LA and it makes the game way better. The key thing is that it really matters when you put a foot down; if you do, get the fuck out of the play.

What we have been doing is designating an imaginary one-square-foot box that is on the center line at either side of the court. In this version there are thus two tap points, at the center line, on the sides.

Two or four tap points is fine. What matters is that you specify them before the game.

yo, these are what they had in MKE, right?

http://www.bikepolo.com/equipment.html

i just ordered four size zeros, so we won't get these for a while in LA. but i think we will start when we need new ones. y'all going to start using them?

for the record: i like mini or micro soccer balls with shuffling.

yes, this is what they had. i like the size of these balls, but the trouble is that they don't have enough panels in their construction, so they have lots of corners that make them skip around all over the place, especially at high speed. they're fine for grass but not hardcourt--too much skipping.

i like the tapout rule too, with circling out people go down way more often than would if there more disincentive.

The mallets used with the roller hockey balls are perpendicular like shuffleboard sticks, and "shuffling" is therefore an apt term. But our (to varying degrees) angled mallets are more like hockey sticks, and so shots with our sticks/ball are like shots in hockey. And since the ball does tend to bounce around a bit, a "business end" only rule would preclude shooting when the ball is in the air, which would be lame.

At this weekend's grass game, we're going to try using a center line tap-out point for foot downs and see what happens in play. We already use multiple side-line tap-outs for our hardcourt game.

Any thoughts yet on when/from where/goalie for penalty shots?

i think the grass game is bigger so you would need more tap out spaces.

also i think penalty shots are just a matter of shooting the ball from the space that the penalty took place. Goalie is allowed, maybe 5 feet space.

jonny

first off there is a ton of skill involved with some shuffle goals. I think the hard ball is supper limiting to the game play. there are plenty of areas that play hard court and us a inflatable ball.

if we want to mention little or no skill lets talk about teams particularly from new york that use bashers as a primary tactic.

time limits dont allow for a team to make a comeback. there is something to be said about being down 2 - 0 and having the time nessicary to score three goals. just allow for more fields.

Kevin has mentioned the difference between mallet and ball styles out here and why the shuffle rule doesn't apply to our game.

Let's save the shit talking until we've actually played with New York their way, hmmm? From what I've been told by all those Chicagoans who've been there, the East Coast game has it's subtleties, just like any other version of polo.

The play in L-B style is closer to the center of the bike, and the mallet head is shorter and perpendicular to the shaft so it doesn't dig into the pavement when you're hitting off its ends. The shuffle rule makes good sense there. I didn't use to think so, but they do pass and block and play as a team. Try it and you'll see. Or just go to Toronto with a bad attidue and get your ass handed to you.

I think we're all agreed about more courts or one game to 4 (or whatever) instead of timed games for preliminaries if we're going to keep a one-day tourney format.

I have been to new york twice and played as well as portland and played there game. The passing and shooting are way down to what they are in our game. There is some fun it but i really do think the midwest game on the hardcourt is probably the best incarnation of it.

jonny

i should be such a braggart. i am breaking out the 34+ lifting weights.

what does it mean to have you ass handed to you, i dont know lucky ive never lost maybe you could tell me.

by 34+, ben is referring to his favourite length of the type of mallet we used here in madison in 2004, our first year.

Everything in this photo screams 1983 (the shoes, the bike frame, the kevin bacon hairstyle), but i assure you it's from 2004.

our forearms were PUMPED from using these things. ben is considering taking one to NYC for thanksgiving, to show the lil beiruters what a "business end" really looks like.

My first thought:

Having to tap out will change your entire position on the field. In the time it takes you to do it the entire play could change (a breakaway or long shot or pass or whatever). If were gonna have the rule let's have it be consistent.

And as you note - positioning matters. I think if you havent tapped in yet you can't use your mallet. Anything else is legit. That way there are no issues about getting in peoples way while trying to get to the tap-in spot.

Deal with getting on your bike by requiring one full forward pedal (once around). That should be enough to get people out of goal or the current play. At which point they can decide if it is better to be wounded (no mallet) but help block etc or if they need to make a run to the tap in spot.

- max

I think that the player should have to head straight to the tap pole. This gets the goalie out of the goal which is the main reason for the rule.

Also i think a player should have to pull out of the goal in order to stay in the game, it could affect things, such as a breakaway goal. things change quickly,

jonny

I figure that's enough to get you out of goal.
When heading "straight" for the tap-in may you block people? If not then how is that enforced?

One thing I like with the currnt style is that it doesn't require a lot of referee interaction. If we have complex rules it could be a real pain. That is why I like the 'riding wounded' approach above. Its simple - to get the use of your mallet back you have to tap in. But there is minimal attempt to formalize the very hard task of having a player on a bike crossing the court but also trying to avoid being in the play.

- max

for a tap out rule. We actually have 8 natural tap out places on our court. It is nice to have more. They create a greater amount of space and isn't such a pain but still opens up the court.

jonny

Chicago has played with 1,2, and 4 tap-out points, depending on the court. The only condition on them is that they are away from the goal. Having more means you are less likely to cross the play when going to tap out, so this "playing wounded" becomes less of an issue.

But about that: The grass rule states that "if you put your foot down, you cannot be the next player to touch the ball" It doesn't say with what, so I'll broadly interpret it as meaning at all, with anything, until you've done the agreed upon thing to put you back in the game. One full turn of the cranks is the European league rule, by the way.

Yes, you should tap out, even if you aren't near the current play. It's just a good habit to be in. Simplify.

Also, Ben and I played in Dayton, OH last weekend in a roller hockey rink. They had permanent metal goals on the court, and it was fine. No one ran into them on a breakaway. The locals said it only happened once ever. The trick was in keeping anyone in goal from propping themselves up on the structure. "Hand on the goal!"

Is that what the game was about in dayton.

jonny