Polo on Paper: The Hangup

This play is a bit riskier, in that it's a three-up offense with little chance to fall back, but if executed correctly, it could be pretty deadly.



I call it the hangup, in that the goal is to block off the two defenders and create a one-on-one situation with the goalie. It could be especially potent on a left-handed goalie, as you'll be coming on their weak side, but you can easily reverse it for a righty. Players 2 and 3 are supposed to make a lane for the shooter by tying up the defenders. Of course, the other team's positioning has a lot to do with this, so the exact movements of the play would have to change, but the basic idea stays the same: Get in front of the defenders and don't let them get away.

It's important that if one of the two blockers should dab, it'd probably be a good idea to head towards the goal after the tap. There's definitely a lot that could go wrong with this play (missed block, foot down, bad shot deflection for a turnover) but if the blockers are really good, the shooter might even get a couple of chances to shoot by picking up a deflection.