Beginners Bikepolo

Clubs Bike Polo Vienna
#1

this is about finding a (regular?) date for beginnerspolo @maribel … Äna suggested a few dates in april but i think we should wait until we have our new wördern dates for the upcoming quartal. Laurin should contact us soon regarding the season plan.

2 Likes
#2

:+1: sounds like a good plan

#3

Hey looks like newbies are coming again.
We have a velolucuma frame (incl. wheels but without fork) from Luki that we could build up…would be great, especially for taller newbies.
Before Bike Polo Vienna invests money in parts, maybe everyone consideres whether they have bike parts that are suitable for polo that they no longer need and would give away.
Write what you would donate :gift_heart:

3 Likes
#4

I have an old Avid BB7, kind of squeaky (dont ask why), you can have it!

#5

I almost certainly would have a bar & stem combo!
Depending on specs, but it’s probably something normal like 1.125" threadless?

I’m also in the process of switching to mechanical disk brake. Happy to donate my old hydraulic if anyone wants to be responsible for the once per year bleeding and such.

#6

I just changed the seatpost and saddle at the velolucuma I have, so I could bring them both. Also I have a lot of handlebars, but mostly 25.4. So maybe not so preferred?

#7

Thanks to everyone
Most urgent would be a fork
26"er, 1 1/8" and as straight as possible
If someone could find something like that it would be wonderful

#8

Alias just posted a curriculum for beginner days on facebook:

In DC we’ve hosted a lot of “Welcome to Bike Polo” or Open House beginner’s nights and I’ve used the same Bike Polo 101 curriculum for a long time. I figure I’d share it here for some discussion as I am starting to think about Bike Polo 202 and Bike Polo 303 curricula.

BP101 (3hrs)

Be sure to have club bikes with flat pedals and lots of mallets. Tell participants to wear closed-toed shoes and to bring a bike helmet.

  1. Introduction - (10min) Welcome all attendees. Introduce yourself and other club members who will be helping. Name tags with pronouns are helpful.

  2. Equipment - (10min) Explain the basic components of a mallet. Key points:

  • Explain shuffles

  • Explain slashing

  • Explain high sticking

  1. Bikes - (10min) Explain what makes a bike a polo bike.

Key points:

  • Low gear ratio for quick acceleration

  • Powerful brake for sudden stopping

  • Illegal features (bullhorns, drop bars, bottle cages, exposed cogs, etc)

  1. Passing Drill - (10min) Form a circle with all participants. Everyone should have a mallet. Have participants pass the ball however they wish. This drill is done without bikes. As the group gets more used to the ball, add additional balls to speed up their reactions and force them to develop situational awareness.

  2. Tripod Drills - (20min) Have participants get bikes or share bikes as they fit and are available. Club volunteers should help with individual participant teaching. Explain what “dabbing” is.

Key skills:

  • Tripoding balance

  • Tripod to riding (starting)

  • Riding to tripod (stopping)

  1. Wall Drill - (10min) Have participants put their front tire on the wall such that is it perpendicular to it. Teach participants that they can simply turn out of this instead of trying to roll backwards.

  2. Dribbling Practice - (10min) Put balls on the court and instruct the participants to try and move the ball with control. Club volunteers should help with individual participant teaching.

Key skills:

  • Keeping eyes up

  • Dribbling with taps (percussion)

  • Dribbling with touch (rhythm)

  • Encourage dribbling in front of bike instead of beside the bike

  1. Small Scrimmages - (remainder of time) shuffle and throw 3v3 matches for participants. If you don’t have enough participants, club members can play on flats, but are not allowed to shoot or be in goal. Play 6min or first-to-three matches for maximum variation.

Key Points:

  • Explain the joust

  • Remind participants about shuffles and dabbing

  • Let participants know what they are doing well

  1. Demonstration - (Optional) Have club members play a full-speed match to show what a game can look like with practice.

  2. Closing - (5min) Be sure to collect contact information and provide participants with the proper means to contact the club to know when and where you play. Explain your club’s access to loaner bikes and other equipment. Encourage them to return!

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#9

Wow sorry, I’m not on poloverse so often.

I do have a spare fork fitting all the listed criteria…but it’s v-brake only – imo that’s fine, but i’m sure that’s an outlier opinion :slight_smile: