362 POLO 



the pace he is going at is taken into consideration, and even if 

 this were not the case, his antagonists would scarcely allow him 

 to do so for even a short distance without riding him off the 

 ball, or crooking his stick before he could do much good. 



One great maxim to be adhered to is to hit hard. Of course 

 in making a circle and taking the ball round, i.e. away from the 

 front of the goal, short shots must occasionally be made ; but 

 once embarked on a run and on the direct road for the adversaries' 

 goal, the hitting should be as hard and as straight as possible. 



Beginners must not think that they will be able to hit hard 

 and accurately without a great deal of practice, and they should 

 practise every stroke at every sort of pace for at least an hour or 

 two a day. To achieve success in any game constant practice 

 is necessary, nor need a man be disheartened if he fails for a 

 time. This is the secret of success, and unless a man can 

 make up his mind to perfect himself by constantly practising 

 alone he will never develop into a first-rate player. 



To resume. It is advisable to hit as much as possible on 

 the natural side of the pony, viz. on the * off side, ' and only 

 to play on the ' near side ' to straighten the direction of the ball 

 or to avoid an adversary who is bent on riding you off. Hitting 

 the ball on the near side is one of the hardest strokes in the game, 

 and, however well it is done, should not be attempted except in 

 cases of absolute necessity, as such strokes almost invariably 

 lack not only the force, but the precision and direction of the 

 natural stroke. 



The next essential point to be attended to by those who 

 wish success to smile on their efforts, and one hardly less 

 important than hard hitting, is to gallop. To paraphrase the 

 saying of Napoleon's great general, ' De raudace, de Vaudace et 

 toujours de Pandace] we might rightly say, ' Le galop, le galop et 

 toujours le galop* Gallop till the last moment. By doing so 

 you not only bewilder your opponents, but you exhaust them. 

 Many players will only canter beside an adversary, and look at 

 him whilst he is hitting the ball, making no real effort to pre- 

 vent him even when they might easily do so and the stroke is 



