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The course brought together specialist coaches from around the world to focus on both the key areas of the game including riding and ball striking, and new elements; player fitness, diet and psychology. Following highly successful courses run in Argentina, Russia and the UK, this was the first staged on mainland Europe.

Sponsored by private bank Julius Baer, there was an international feel to it; players of all ages from Germany, Switzerland and the UK were put through the mill by coaches from Argentina, Ireland, the UK and resident coaches from Switzerland.

Sixteen students of varying ability took part in the course, including 13 year old Angus Johnston from the UK, as well as a number of talented young Swiss players such as 13 year old Tommy Graff.

Polo Park Zurich is a hotbed for young players; with 60 members and over 150 privately owned horses, the club is rapidly growing a well-deserved reputation for being at the forefront of youth development of the game in Switzerland; it is also due to host the FIP European Championships in 2012.

IPA describes its coaching as having “an institute of sport approach” to teaching polo. Every element of a player’s game is analysed and worked on, with continued support on offer after the course. The programme also features the latest advancements in IPA training including video analysis, fitness and nutrition as well as mental conditioning.

“I was really impressed with the appetite to learn from the Swiss students. They want to progress and there is quite a rich seam of young talent that is being nurtured really well by the club,” said IPA’s coach Eduardo Amaya – known by some Argentine Open players as “El Profe” or “The Teacher” - who has been instrumental in IPA’s growth since 2009.

Julius Baer’s support of the course was not limited to Swiss players; fifteen year old Lukas Sdrenka, Germany’s up and coming talent, took part in the course alongside the Swiss and UK players. Sdrenka attends the course as part of IPA’s scholarship program which for this course is also sponsored by Julius Baer.

Andrea Schneider from Julius Baer commented, “Julius Baer’s polo sponsorship is highly focused on talent development and the bank was delighted to support the first International Polo Academy to be staged in Switzerland. This academy allows for young players to improve their skills in collaboration with qualified coaches, and it has been inspirational to see the students improve during the week. We hope that it is the first of many to be held both here in Zurich and around the world.”

IPA is now offering a range of specialist services like mental conditioning, video analysis and fitness and nutrition, but its showcase courses give players access to coaches and specialists in all areas of the game in the space of five days. IPA also partners with Dartfish (www.dartfish.com), world leaders in video analysis for sport. Dartfish work with around 80 percent of national governing bodies for Olympic sport and the partnership between IPA and Dartfish will introduce high level video analysis into the polo industry.

IPA Fitness Director David Smith paints a picture of IPA’s approach to training: “We don’t work on a generic fitness program, we look at how a player moves, what will make them more efficient, how to protect against injury, how their mind works during training and competition and design programs that make them more successful in polo. The movements of polo are complex, they require certain key muscles to be strong and flexible, without adding bulk, and it’s an advantage for a player to have great stamina, and carry minimal extra weight.”