Hockey is one of the most popular and oldest ball and stick game played around the world. It is a fast paced exciting team sport played by two teams each consisting of 11 players on the field. The origin of the game dates back to the middle ages in England, Scotland and the Netherlands.
The highest governing body of the game is International Hockey federation having headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.
To score more goals than the opponent. The players have to use the flat face of the stick to hit the ball and to shoot it past the goalkeeper into the opponent’s cage
Hockey has more than 4000 years of history associated with it. For instance, a 4000-year-old carving was found in Egypt, which depicted two men playing hockey. A similar game in Ireland, called Hurling, has been played since 1272 BC.
The people of ancient Greece also played a similar game called 'kerētízein', with a horn or horn-like stick. Also, the Daur people of Inner Mongolia still play 'beikou', another similar game, since 1000 years.
Equipment History
In the beginning, hockey players didn't use much equipment like helmets and pads to protect their bodies, unlike this era's hockey players who always wear a substantial amount of body protection.
Players started using safety equipment way after other similar sports like cricket. Just in case, here is a list of different types of equipment with their first appearance date -
- Shin guard: 1880
- Leg pads: 1896
- Back and Shoulder Pad: 1900s
- Shin pad and Leg pad (together): 1920
- Kneecaps: early 1900
- Facial protection for a goalie: 1930
In June 1958, NHL made a new protocol that made it compulsory for all the sports manufacturers to have all the pieces of equipment checked and approved by NHL. Similarly, field masks for the goalie were made mandatory in 1973.
Afterwards in the 1970s, the game of field hockey became more quick and scintillating upon the introduction of artificial turfs, replacing the natural grass turf, which usually slowed down the game and made it difficult to play.
Nowadays, modern-day hockey players wear lightweight but highly durable pieces of equipment and gears that offer them maximum protection and best comfort.
Hockey 5s
A variant of hockey which contains five players on each side, including the goalkeeper. The field (area of play) is approximately half the size of a regular hockey pitch. It doesn't have any penalty corners, and shots can be taken from anywhere inside the field. The duration of a match is 36 minutes, with three twelve-minute periods having two minutes of intervals between them. This type of process and rule set enables the game to be faster, and hence, enjoyable. This format has been used earlier in the 2014 youth Olympics games and the 2015 Pacific games.
The game consists of two teams. Each team of 11 players is allowed on the field, including a goalkeeper. Substitutions are allowed at any time of the play except during penalty corners.
Stick
The hockey stick, usually 80-95 cm long, was originally made by carving it out of wood. However, nowadays it's made from kevlar or other synthetic materials.
J-shaped Hook
The J-shaped hook at the end of the hockey stick was initially longer (English style), but was later replaced by a shorter hook (Indian style) since the long hook made it extremely difficult for players to use the stick on the reverse.
Handle
The handle takes up the top third portion of the stick and is generally wrapped with a chamois leather grip.
Balls
Hockey balls are usually made from plastic, and are of contrasting colours to the field. The balls have a diameter of 2.81–2.94 inches and a mass of 156–163 grams.
The measurements & dimensions of the field are laid down by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). The game is played on a 100yd x 60yd rectangular field. The field is divided into four sections of 25 yards each. At each end of the field is a goal which is 7 ft. high and 12 ft. wide.
Traditionally the game was played on the grass surface, but with time and evolution in the game it is now mandatory for the entire International and most of the national competitions to play on synthetic pitches which is known as ‘turf’
The different ways to score a goal in a field hockey are as follows:-
- Field Goal
- Penalty Corner
- Penalty Stroke
