Field hockey, or simply hockey, is a team sport of the hockey family. The game can be played on a grass field or a turf field and an indoor board surface. Each team plays with eleven players, including the goalie. Players use sticks made out of wood or fiberglass to hit a round, hard, rubber-like ball. The length of the stick depends on the player's individual height. There are no left-hand sticks in field hockey, and only one side of the stick is allowed to be used. The uniform consists of shin guards, cleats, skirts or shorts, and a jersey. Hockey is the national sport of Pakistan and is sometimes assumed to be India's national sport as well, although officially, India does not have a national sport.[3] The term "field hockey" is used primarily in Canada, the United States, Europe, and other regions of the world where ice hockey is more popular.
During play, goalkeepers are the only players who are allowed to touch the ball with any part of their body (the player's hand is considered 'part of the stick'), with this only applying within the shooting circle (also known as the D, or shooting arc, or just the circle), while field players play the ball with the flat side of their stick. If the score is tied at the end of the game, either a draw is declared, or the game goes into extra time and/or a penalty shootout, depending on the competition's format. The team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins.
RULES AND PLAY:
The game is played between two teams, of whom eleven are permitted to be on the pitch at any one time. There is an unlimited amount of times a team can sub in and out. The remaining players may be substituted in any combination. Substitutions are permitted at any point in the game, apart from between the award and end of a penalty corner; two exceptions to this rule are for injury or suspension of the defending goalkeeper, which is not allowed when playing with a field keep or a player can exit the field. Still, it would help if you waited until after the inserter touches the ball to put somebody back in.
Players are permitted to play the ball with the flat of the 'face side' and with the edges of the head and handle of the field hockey stick with the exception that, for reasons of safety, the ball may not be struck 'hard' with a forehand edge stroke, because of the difficulty of controlling the height and direction of the ball from that stroke.
Left-handed sticks are rare but available; however, they are pointless as the rules forbid their use in a game. To make a strike at the ball with a left to right swing, the player must present the flat of the 'face' of the stick to the ball by 'reversing' the stick head, i.e., by turning the handle through approximately 180°(while a reverse edge hit would turn the stick head through approximately 90° from the position of an upright forehand stoke with the 'face' of the stick head).
The flat side is always on the "natural" side for a right-handed person swinging the stick at the ball from right to left.
Edge hitting of the ball underwent a two-year "experimental period," twice the usual length of an "experimental trial," and is still a matter of some controversy within the sport. Ric Charlesworth, the former Australian coach, has been a strong critic of the unrestricted use of the reverse edge hit. The 'hard' forehand edge hit was banned after similar concerns were expressed about the ability of players to direct the ball accurately. Still, the reverse edge hit does appear to be more predictable and controllable than its counterpart.
Other rules include; no foot-to-ball contact, no use of hands, no obstructing other players, no high backswing, and no third party. If a player is dribbling the ball and either loses control and kicks the ball or another player interferes, that player cannot gain control and continue dribbling. The rules do not allow the person who kicked the ball to gain an advantage from the kick, so the ball will automatically be passed on to the opposing team. Conversely,
if no advantage is gained from kicking the ball, play should continue. Players may not obstruct another's chance of hitting the ball in any way. No shoving/using your body/stick to prevent advancement in the other team. The penalty for this is the opposing team receives the ball, and if the problem continues, the player can be carded. While a player is taking a free hit or starting a corner, the backswing of their hit cannot be too high, for this is considered dangerous. Finally, there may not be three players touching the ball at one time. Two players teams can battle for the ball; however, it is considered a third party if another player interferes. The ball automatically goes to the team that only had one player involved in the third party.
You must be logged in to post a comment.