It's not just tennis that's played on hardcourts or grass — they're also the domain of bike polo.

Players from across Australia are in Hobart this weekend to take part in the fourth Ho-Town Hoedown.

"We've got the hometown advantage," Hobart's Biplab Debnath said.

"We've got the best court in all of Australia."

The court is a regular outdoor basketball court with wooden boards permanently attached around the sides, similar to an ice rink.

Mr Debnath said the teams to watch were those from Melbourne and Sydney, though the locals would be playing hard.

"Last year there was a team from Melbourne who won and they've got a pretty good chance of winning this year," he said.

"We've only been playing for three years and the big teams have been playing for like six or more years."

An early version of bicycle polo was first played in Ireland in the 1890s.

Most players wear protective gear to prevent injuries from rogue balls and crashes. ( ABC Radio Hobart: Carol Rääbus )

The hardcourt version on display at the Hoedown is a more recent creation, with the first tournaments held in the United States around 2004.

"It looks messy from the outside," Hobart player Dennis Ford said.

"It is like a cross between horse polo, water polo and street hockey."

Games are either played three-a-side for 15 minutes or a squad of five players rotate for a match of 40 minutes.

Similar to horse polo, players use a mallet to hit a ball into the net of the opposing side.

"A big part of the challenge is riding with one hand while staying balanced," Mr Ford said.

"You don't have to ride fast, but you do have to ride with one hand.

"Because the game's pretty new ... we're still working out a lot of the tactics."

Bike polo is played by men and women as physical size does not give a player an advantage.

Players try not to get in each other's way or tackle each other, however some contact is unavoidable.

Falling is common as players have to move quickly with one hand on the bike and one holding a mallet. ( ABC Radio Hobart: Carol Rääbus )

"It's dangerous for bikes, they tend to get broken, spokes tend to go missing," Mr Ford said.

"People learn to fall pretty quick or they quit playing."

Despite regular international tournaments and detailed entries on Wikipedia, bike polo is still fairly unknown and many players are reluctant to call it a sport.

University of Tasmania's Hobart Bike Polo club welcomes anyone who wants to have a go.

"We really want to make it a modern, integrated game for everyone," Mr Ford said.

The Ho-Town Hoedown will be played over two days at the University of Tasmania basketball courts from 8:00am on January 20.