What to consider when buying your polo mallets

Wood Mallets Online After 25 years as a mallet maker, the diverse range of preferences for polo mallets continue to amaze me. Never the less, a perfectly tapered well balanced mallet is a huge advantage to the user.

Although few players prefer a whippy mallet and some extra stiff, it's generally believed that a mallet should be stiff at least in the top half to three quarters of the shaft, with a little bit of ‘ping’ at the tip. A good mallet should feel like an extension of the arm and not feel too heavy to flex from the wrist. With the predominant use of plastic balls today, I believe that few mallets or players require heads weighing more than 205 grams. The overall weight is just as important, composite mallets therefore, can easily use heavier head weights than cane mallets whilst maintaining similar overall weights. Recent discussions with several 10 goal players in UK revealed a distinct trend towards lighter mallets with overall weights of no more than 530 grams.

Many of the requirements for a polo mallet depend upon variables such as the strength and size of the player, size of the horses, hitting style, even different playing positions and ground conditions require different types of mallets. For this reason it’s important to consider the various options and have mallets custom made to your exact requirements.

Cane vs Composites

The worlds supplies of "good" quality canes available for polo mallet manufacture are rapidly dwindling. No longer is it possible for me to select the canes I want to select. Many mallet makers now use an inferior species of cane which don't have the density of manau cane and therefore they tend to break much more readily. The quality of cane polo mallets has noticeably deteriorated over the past few years.

Although I understand the reluctance to change over to composite shafts for those who have become accustomed to the inconsistencies of canes, I firmly believe that our latest composite mallets have huge benefits over any others. The new Fibercane mallet is unrivalled. It doesn't feel like a cane, it feels better and it's incredibly powerful. It's likely to last longer than any other mallet and despite rough treatment, it'll retain its shape. Perhaps the greatest attraction is the consistency which is not possible with canes. It has an increased sweetspot, minimal vibration and a revolutionary molded handle for comfort, grip and long life. Our sales have doubled in the past year and production has been running at 20 mallets a day now for several months. These will soon become the worlds most popular polo mallet!

Arena Polo

Arena and snow polo is all about quickness to the ball, control and accuracy. Mallets tend to be lighter and stiffer, with slightly larger handles. Custom made slightly stiffer Fibercane shafts are ideal. Also to strike a larger inflatable ball it helps to have a larger diameter lightweight arena head. See heads.

The most popular length is 52” followed by and 53” and then 51". Head weights range from 160 grams up to 205 grams and over. For beginners of medium build I recommend neither extreme, perhaps 185-195 grams balanced on a medium stiff shaft. If using different lengths, I recommend reducing the head weight by at least 5 grams for each extra inch in length to maintain a similar swing weight.

If the mallet is too light, shots will become forced rather than timed. Choose a head weight which is not too tiring to use but which can help create the classical pendulum swing. Remember, it’s in the timing, let the mallet do the work!

If the handle’s too small, it’s likely to spin in your hand. A larger handle gives greater control and less strain on the arm.

If I may help you decide on what is the right mallet for you please email me with a plenty of information. i.e. Your ability, strength level, type of polo played, etc.

We can deliver mallets made exactly to your specifications anywhere in the world within a week.

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