How North American Hardcourt Bike Polo Tournaments Are Structured
📘 This guide is based on Section 3 of the North American Hardcourt Bike Polo (NAH) Ruleset, the official standard used for tournaments across the continent.
When you show up to a bike polo tournament, it might seem like all the magic just happens. Games start on time, teams rotate smoothly, and somehow, the best teams rise to the top. But the truth is, every tournament follows a carefully planned structure that makes all of that possible — and the NAH Ruleset lays it out in detail.
Whether you’re playing your first tournament or thinking about organizing one, here’s a full breakdown of how NAH tournaments are designed to run.
🧭 The Big Picture: How a Tournament Flows
Every official NAH tournament has two major stages:
1. Initial Phase
This is where all teams play a series of scheduled games that determine their ranking. The format used here will either be:
Swiss Rounds (better for 17+ teams)
Round Robin (ideal for 16 or fewer teams)
2. Elimination Phase
After rankings are set, teams advance to a knockout bracket, using one of the following:
Double Elimination (most common)
Single Elimination (quick and intense)
Set Series Format (best-of-3 or best-of-5 games)
🔍 Why it matters: These formats keep things fair, especially when multiple courts and dozens of teams are involved.
Initial Phase
🌀 What Are Swiss Rounds?
Swiss Rounds are a bit like speed dating for teams. Everyone plays a set number of games, but you’re matched with others who have similar records after each round.
HOW IT WORKS:
Win your first game? You’ll likely face another winning team.
Lose two in a row? You’ll get paired with someone else in the same boat.
The idea is to create evenly matched games and sort teams by performance.
DETAILS:
🧮 Number of rounds: Based on how many teams are in each group (usually 4–6 rounds)
🎲 Group size: 1 to 3 groups depending on team count and number of courts
🪓 Split groups if needed: More than 8 teams per court? Break into smaller seeded groups.
🏅 Late-phase reshuffling: On multi-day events, day two can reorganize teams into top, middle, and bottom brackets.
⚖️ Ranking is based on: Win/loss record — no points system, and ties are allowed.
BEST FOR:
Large tournaments with 17+ teams
Clubs with multiple courts
Events where variety and fair matchups matter
🔁 What Is Round Robin?
Round Robin is like a neighborhood block party where everyone gets a turn. Every team in your group plays every other team, no matter what. It’s simple, structured, and great for smaller events.
HOW IT WORKS:
You're in a group of 6? That means 5 games — one against each team.
In some cases, you’ll even play each team twice.
DETAILS:
♻️ Double Round Robin: Used when group sizes are small (e.g. 8 teams on 1 court or 11 on 2 courts)
🧮 Scoring system:
Win = 2 points
Tie = 1 point
📊 Ranking determined by:
Total points
Head-to-head records
Goal difference
Goals scored
🤝 Ties are allowed: No overtime here either
BEST FOR:
Smaller tournaments with 16 or fewer teams
One-court or two-court events
When you want everyone to get equal play time
Elimination Phase
✌️ What is Double Elimination?
Double Elim is like having a second life. You can lose a game and still fight your way to the final — but lose twice, and you're done. This format gives underdogs a shot at redemption and keeps things spicy deep into the bracket.
HOW IT WORKS:
Everyone starts in the Winner’s Bracket.
Lose once? You drop to the Loser’s Bracket.
Lose again? That’s it — tournament over.
Winners from each bracket eventually face off in the final.
DETAILS:
🏟️ Later rounds (semis, finals): Played on one main court, with scheduled breaks
🧮 Bracket layout: Depends on number of teams — but it’s designed so no team plays back-to-back
⏱️ Game length:
Most games: 12 minutes
Semis, finals, and bracket finals: 15 minutes
BEST FOR:
Tournaments with time and space for multiple courts
Players who like redemption arcs
Events that want a dramatic final day
❌ What is Single Elimination?
Single Elim is the fast and furious version. You lose once, and that’s it. No do-overs. It’s high-stakes and high-drama from the very first game.
HOW IT WORS:
Straight knockout bracket.
Lose a game? You're out.
Winners advance until one team is left standing.
DETAILS:
🏟️ Court use: Quarterfinals and up are usually played on featured courts, with breaks
⏱️ Game length:
Early rounds: 12 minutes
Quarterfinals and beyond: 15 minutes
🧮 Tiebreaker: Tied games go to overtime — golden goal or timed periods
BEST FOR:
Shorter tournaments
One-day events
When there’s no room (or time) for second chances
📦 What is Set Series?
This format is all about consistency. Instead of one-and-done, teams face off in a series of games — and the team that wins the majority advances. You can’t rely on luck here — you have to earn it.
HOW IT WORKS:
Sets are either best-of-3 or best-of-5 games.
First to win the majority takes the set.
Once a set is decided, no need to finish the rest.
DETAILS:
🧮 Series length:
Semis and finals: Best-of-5
Early rounds: Best-of-3
🕒 Game length: 12 minutes each
🛑 Between games: 3-minute breaks
⏱️ Timing stays consistent — game duration doesn’t increase later in the bracket
BEST FOR:
High-level tournaments
Finals where skill should outshine luck
Events with extra time built-in
Game Timing
Traditional Format (3v3)
Swiss/Round Robin: 12 minutes per game.
Elimination:
Finals and semifinals: 15 minutes.
Others: 12 minutes.
Set Series: All games are 12 minutes.
Quad/Squad/Bench Format (4+ players)
Games are 20-30 minutes for Quad and 30–60 minutes for Squad and Bench
Note: Quad style (four players per team) has been used at NAH tournaments since the last rule update. Rules for Quad are generally the same as for Squad unless otherwise noted.
Clock can run continuously except during last 2 minutes or certain elimination games.
Organizers decide between running time or stop time.
May include halftime or be split into periods.
⏱️ Overtime Rules
Overtime is where the drama peaks. If a game ends in a tie during the elimination phase, it doesn’t stay that way.
HOW IT WORKS:
All overtime begins with a fresh joust
Two possible formats:
Golden Goal: First team to score wins — clean and intense
Timed Periods: 10-minute rounds until one team pulls ahead
This ensures a decisive winner without dragging things on too long.
🧍♂️ Referees & Officials
Smooth tournaments don’t run themselves — they rely on a crew of refs, officials, and goal judges who keep the games clean and fair.
Swiss / Round Robin Stages:
1 Referee, 1 Scorekeeper/Official, and 2 Goal Judges per court
Max shift: 3 hours (so people don’t burn out)
Elimination Rounds:
2 Referees (for better coverage), 1 Scorekeeper/Official, and 2 Goal Judges minimum per court
Plan for rotations — especially if you’re running multiple courts
Regional Qualifier Playoffs
When a region qualifies more than four teams, extra playoff games may be used to decide who moves on:
Playoffs are slotted into open time in the schedule.
Specific spots like 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th places may be decided through mini matches.
🧾 In Summary
NAH tournaments follow a tried-and-true structure designed for fairness, fun, and competitive play. Whether you’re hosting, playing, or reffing — knowing how things work behind the scenes makes for a better experience on and off the court.
🙋♀️ Get Involved
If you’ve ever wanted to help organize, ref, or even just understand the flow better — reach out to your local club. The more people who understand the structure, the smoother everything runs.
Want to help your club run a tournament? Share this post and start a conversation.
📚 Want to Learn More?
This post is based on the official NAH Ruleset (2022 edition). For the full rulebook—including diagrams, additional referee responsibilities, and updates—visit:
👉 https://www.nahardcourt.com/rules/
Be sure to check for the latest version before officiating or organizing a match.
Next up: stay tuned for Section 3, where we’ll break down tournaments and game format.
