State of the art polo analysis available at the World Cup
Written by Rachel Wright

At the VIIth FIP Polo World Championships in Chantilly, France (9-19 September 2004), the Motion Analysis Research and Rehabilitation Centre (MARRC) based at University College Worcester, UK, staged its international debut in polo motion analysis.  The motion analysis service was offered to spectators who wanted their polo swing analysed, as well as players from the competing teams.

Example Report shown by motion analysis system.	Chilean Player, Alejandro Vial in the animation suit.

Players were fitted with animation suits.  These allow the quick application of markers on major anatomical landmarks e.g. point of shoulder, elbow axis.  The markers were detected by 15 Vicon (Vicon Motions Systems Ltd, Oxford, UK) cameras.  The cameras are calibrated so they know where they are in respect to each other.  This allows the exact location of each marker to be detected during any movement, so the body can be accurately recreated for analysis.

The players then mounted a Racewood horse simulator (Racewood Ltd, Tarporley, UK), and familiarised themselves with the actions of the simulator, and practised their polo swing.  The players performed 5 forehand shots for analysis, with the horse simulator at a gallop.

Feedback was provided to the players by means of a CD-ROM.   This recreated the player in three-dimensional skeletal form and allows the player to scrutinise their technique from pre-swing to the completion of the follow-through.  This three-dimensional view can be rotated to be viewed from any angle, viewed in slow motion, and the image can also be enlarged (e.g. if a specific joint was of interest).  Different shots could be compared to one another, side by side, so that consistency and subtle changes in technique between shots could be observed.  The mallet direction over the five shots was plotted, to show consistency.  The difference between an average player and a great player may be that the great player can produce the perfect shot consistently, whilst the average player may only produce it on occasion.  The final piece of information given to players was the speed of the mallet head at ball strike.  For some players this was in excess of 80 miles per hour (128 kilometres per hour).

Data collected and feedback provided at Chantilly demonstrates the basic capabilities of the MARRC lab.  Under normal laboratory conditions, players would have much more time devoted to them, and analysis can be tailored to a player’s/team’s requirements.

In addition to polo, the laboratory has also conducted analysis on the effect of the standard of rider on a horse during jumping.  Other equine projects include mapping the contours of a horse’s back for precise saddle fittings.  MARRC is also involved in many other sports, including golf, baseball, cricket and ultimate frisbee.

For more information visit the MARRC web site (www.marrc.co.uk) with the article, or e-mail John Hall (UK) info@marrc.co.uk ,

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