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FIELD HOCKEY
Field hockey, commonly known as hockey, is a team sport which is played between
two teams of eleven players with hockey sticks and a ball. At the turn of the 21st
century, the game is played globally, with particular popularity throughout Europe, Asia,
Oceania, and South America - With it being the national sport of India.
During play, goal keepers are the only players who are allowed to touch the ball with
any part of their body with this only applying within the shooting circle (also known as
the D, or shooting arc), while field players play the ball with the flat side of their stick.
The team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. 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.

History:-

There is a depiction of a hockey-like game from 200 BC in Ancient Greece when the
game may have been called "Κερητίζειν" because it was played with a horn and a ball-
like object. In East Asia, a similar game was entertained, using a carved wooden stick
and ball prior to 300 BC. In Inner Mongolia, China, the Daur people have been
playing Beikou a game with some similarities to field hockey for about 1,000 years. The
word 'hockey' itself was recorded in 1363 when Edward III of England issued the
proclamation: Moreover we ordain that you prohibit under penalty of imprisonment all
and sundry from such stone, wood and iron throwing; handball, football, or hockey;
coursing and cock-fighting, or other such idle games."
The modern game grew from English public schools in the early 19th century. The first
club was in 1849 at Blackheath in south-east London, but the modern rules grew out of
a version played by Middlesex cricket clubs for winter sport Teddington Hockey Club
formed the modern game by introducing the striking circle and changing the ball to a
sphere from a rubber cube. The Hockey Association was founded in 1886. The first
international took place in 1895 (Ireland 3, Wales 0) and the International Rules Board
was founded in 1900.
Field hockey was played at the Summer Olympics in 1908 and 1920. It was dropped in
1924, leading to the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de Hockey sur
Gazon (FIH) as an international governing body by seven continental European nations,
and hockey was reinstated in 1928. Men's hockey united under the FIH in 1970.

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Field of Hockey:-

Most hockey field dimensions were originally fixed using whole numbers of imperial
measures. Nevertheless, metric measurements are now the official dimensions as laid
down by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) in the "Rules of Hockey". The pitch
is a 91.40 m × 55 m (100 yd × 60 yd) rectangular field. At each end is a goal 2.14 m
(7 feet) high and 3.66 m (12 ft) wide measured from the inner sides of the posts and
crossbar, and an approximately semi-circular area 14.63 m (16 yd) from the goal known
as the shooting circle (or D or arc) bounded by a solid line, with a dotted line 5 m (5 yd
6 in—this marking was not established until after metric conversion) from that, as well
as lines across the field 22.90 m (25 yd) from each end-line (generally referred to as the
23-metre lines or the 25-yard lines) and in the center of the field. A spot 0.15m in
diameter, called the penalty spot or stroke mark, is placed with its centre 6.40 m (7 yd)
from the centre of each goal.
Ben hockey with most field hockey being played on synthetic surfaces. Since the 1970s,
sand-based pitches were favoured as they dramatically speed up the pace of the game.
However, in recent years there has been a massive increase in the number of "water-
based" artificial turfs. Water-based synthetic turfs enable the ball to be transferred more
quickly than on the original sand-based surfaces and it is this characteristic that has
made them the surface of choice for international and national league competitions.
Water-based surfaces are also less abrasive than the sand-based variety and hence
reduce the level of injury to players when they come into contact with the surface. The
FIH are now proposing that new surfaces being laid should be of a hybrid variety which
require less watering. This is due to the negative ecological effects of the high water
requirements of water-based synthetic fields.

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Rules and Play:-

The game is played between two teams of up to sixteen players, out of whom eleven
are permitted to be on the pitch at any one time. The remaining five players, the
substitutes, may be substituted in any combination, from one to five, an unlimited
number of times in the course of a game. 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 is 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, but you must wait 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.
The flat side is always on the "natural" side for a right-handed person swinging the stick
at the ball from right to left. 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.
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 current 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,
but the reverse edge hit does appear to be more predictable and controllable than its
counterpart.
Other rules include; no foot to ball contact, obstructing other players, high back swing,
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 is not permitted to gain control and continue
dribbling. The rules do not allow the person who kicked the ball to gain 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. 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 back swing 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 from opposing teams can battle for the ball, however if
another player interferes it is considered third party and the ball automatically goes to
the team who only had one player involved in the third party.

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Warning and suspensions:-

Hockey uses a three-tier penalty card system of warnings and suspensions:

• A green card is fairly similar to a football yellow card: the player does not have to
leave the pitch (although at international standard the player has to leave the field
for two minutes), but any further infractions will result in a yellow or red card.
• A yellow card is an official suspension similar to the penalty box in ice hockey.
The duration is decided by the umpire issuing the card and the player must go to a
pre-defined area of the pitch as chosen by the umpires at the beginning of the
match. Most umpires will opt for a minimum of five minutes' duration without
substitution; the maximum time is at the discretion of the umpire, depending on the
seriousness of the offence, for example the second yellow to the same player or the
first for danger might be given ten minutes. It is possible to yellow-card a player for
the entirety of a game. (In some modes, including indoor, shorter periods of
suspension are applied, dependent on local rules).
• A red card, just like in association football, is a permanent exclusion from the
rest of the game, without substitution, and it usually results in the player being
banned for a certain period of time or number of matches (this is governed by local
playing conditions, rather than the rules of field hockey). The player must also leave
the pitch and surrounding area.

Equipment:-

Field Hockey stick

Each player carries a "stick" that normally measures between 80–95 cm (31–38") long;
shorter or longer sticks are available. Sticks were traditionally made of wood, but are
now often made also with fibre glass, kevlar and/or carbon fibre composites. Metal is
forbidden from use in field hockey sticks, due to the risk of injury from sharp edges if the
stick were to break. The stick has a rounded handle, has a J-shaped hook at the
bottom, and is flattened on the left side (when looking down the handle with the hook
facing upwards). A stick that is designed to be used left-handed is not permissible in
play.
There was traditionally a slight curve (called the bow, or rake) from the top to bottom of
the face side of the stick and another on the 'heel' edge to the top of the handle (usually
made according to the angle at which the handle part was inserted into the splice of the
head part of the stick), which assisted in the positioning of the stick head in relation to
the ball and made striking the ball easier and more accurate.
The hook at the bottom of the stick was only recently the tight curve (Indian style) that
we have nowadays. The older 'English' sticks had a longer bend, making it very hard to
use the stick on the reverse. For this reason players now use the tight curved sticks.
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The handle makes up the about the top third of the stick. It is wrapped in a grip similar
to that used on tennis racket. The grip may be made of a variety of materials,
including chamois leather, which many players think improves grip in the wet.
It was recently discovered that increasing the depth of the face bow made it easier to
get high speeds from the drag flick and made the stroke easier to execute. At first, after
this feature was introduced, the Hockey Rules Board placed a limit of 50 mm on the
maximum depth of bow over the length of the stick but experience quickly demonstrated
this to be excessive. New rules now limit this curve to under 25 mm so as to limit the
power with which the ball can be flicked.

Field hockey ball

Standard field hockey balls are hard spherical balls, made of plastic (sometimes over a
cork core), and are usually white, although they can be any colour as long as they
contrast with the playing surface. The balls have a circumference of 224–235 mm (8.8–
9.3 in) and weigh 156–163 g (5.5–5.7 oz). The ball is often covered with indentations to
reduce aquaplaning that can cause an inconsistent ball speed on wet surfaces.

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General player equipment
Many players wear mouth guards to protect teeth and gums from impacts from the ball
or stick. Some local rules require their use. Many players also wear shin guards, and
again these may be required equipment in some areas. Many players wear astro
gloves: a padded glove which is designed to protect hands from abrasion from contact
with the ground , and some even protect against impact from a ball or a stick. A few
competitions require goggles to protect the eyes. Defenders may sometimes use short
corner masks; these are designed to reduce the impact of a drag flick from short
corners, though they do not provide guaranteed protection.

Goalkeeping equipment
The 2007 rulebook has seen major changes regarding goalkeepers. A fully equipped
goalkeeper must wear a helmet, leg guards and kickers. Usually the field hockey
goalkeepers must wear extensive additional protective equipment including chest
guards, padded shorts, heavily padded hand protectors, groin protectors, neck guards,
arm guards, and like all players, they must carry a stick. However, such a player may
not cross the 23 m line, the sole exception to this being if the goalkeeper is to take a
penalty stroke at the other end of the field, when the clock is stopped. The goalkeeper
can also remove their helmet for this action. However, if the goalkeeper elects to wear
only a helmet (and a different colored shirt), they may cross the 23 m line if they have
removed their helmet (and placed it safely off the field of play). If play returns to the
circle without them having opportunity to replace the helmet, this player still has
"goalkeeping privileges", that is, they are not limited to using their stick to play the ball
whilst it is in the circle, and the helmet must be worn whilst defending penalty corners
and penalty strokes but the best thing to do would be to wear it at all times. It is now
also even possible for teams to have a full eleven outfield players and no goalkeeper at
all. No player may wear a helmet or other goalkeeping equipment, neither will any
player be able to play the ball with any other part of the body than with their stick. This
may be used to offer a tactical advantage, or to allow for play to commence if no
goalkeeper or kit is available.

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 iNTER

The biggest two field hockey tournaments are the Olympic Games tournament, and
the Hockey World Cup, which is also held every 4 years. Apart from this, there is
the Champions Trophy held each year for the six top-ranked teams. Field hockey has
also been played at the Commonwealth Games since 1998. Amongst the men, Pakistan
lead in the world cup having lifted it 4 times And India has won 8 Olympic golds.
Amongst the women, Australia has 3 Olympic golds while Netherlands has clinched the
World Cup 6 times. The Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament and Sultan Ibrahim
Ismail Hockey Tournament is for the junior team but both tournament held annually in
Malaysia, is becoming a prominent field hockey tournament where teams from around
the world participate to win the cup.
India and Pakistan dominated men's hockey until the early 1980s, winning four of the
first five world cups, but have become less prominent with
the Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand, Australia and Spain gaining importance since
the late 1980s, due to introduction of artificial turf instead of the grass fields around the
80s decade.
The Netherlands was the predominant women's team before field hockey was added to
Olympic events. In the early 1990s, Australia emerged as the strongest women's
country although retirement of a number of players weakened the team. Other important
women's teams are Argentina, China, Korea, Germany and South Africa.