English
FIELD HOCKEY - HOW CAN YOU PLAY IT? RULES AND EQUIPMENT NEEDED
2023-05-09
Field hockey is a recognized sport played even at the Olympic Games. It is also a very interesting team sport suitable for adults, teenagers, and children. Its rules are partly reminiscent of ice hockey and partly soccer. How should you practice this sport? What kind of field field hockey equipment do you need? Here are our explanations!
WHERE DID FIELD HOCKEY COME FROM?
According to some information, the origins of field field hockey date back as far as ancient Greece (6th century BC). Its modern variety, however, has its origins in 19th-century England. The first hockey club was formed in London in 1849, but the first federation was not formed until almost 40 years later. In 1895, the first tournament was played between the Irish and Welsh teams, and 5 years later the official rules of field hockey were recorded, which remain largely unchanged to this day.
Field hockey first appeared at the summer Olympics as early as in 1908, but it became a permanent part of their program from 1928. For many years, the discipline was dominated by the Indian and Pakistani national teams. After the change of the surface to synthetic (which was made in 1970), the dominance of these countries ended, but to this day they are countries where this sport is very popular. Field hockey is also played in many countries in Western Europe, southern Asia, southern Africa, as well as New Zealand, Argentina, Canada, and the United States.
FIELD HOCKEY - FIELD AND TEAMS
Field hockey games are played on a field with the dimensions of 91.4 by 55 meters (100 yards by 60 yards), which is divided into four quarters - each 22.9 by 55 meters. At the two shorter sides of the field there are goals with standard dimensions of 3.66 by 2.14 meters. The goals consist of two vertical posts connected at the top by a horizontal crossbar, with a net to catch the balls. Importantly, all parts of the goal must be painted white. In front of the goal posts, there is a shooting area with the shape of a semicircle. Its radius, measured from the center of the goal, is 14.63 m. Penalty strokes, on the other hand, are taken from a distance of 6.40 meters.
There are 11 players in each team on the field at the same time - in this respect, field hockey resembles soccer. Some of the rules of the game are also similar. The main difference is that players use not their own legs to maneuver the ball, but instead use special fiberglass or carbon fiber sticks 80 to 95 cm long. The ball is also much smaller than a soccer ball - its diameter is 7 to 7.5 cm - and is also made of plastic and has an openwork form. The main objective, of course, is to put the ball in the goal. The game lasts 60 minutes and is divided into 4 quarters of 15 minutes each.
FIELD HOCKEY - MOST IMPORTANT RULESY
The aim of playing field hockey is, of course, to score as many goals as possible. The team that has scored more points at the end of all four quarters wins. However, a goal can only be scored if the hit is done according to the rules. For a goal to be scored, the attacker must touch the ball twice during the game. After each goal, the game is started from the center by the opposing team.
The field players are usually divided into defenders, midfielders, and attackers, but in practice they often swap positions. It is even possible to give goalkeeping privileges to a field player. Sometimes the goalkeeper is also dropped altogether, putting 11 field players on the field. Moreover, it is permissible to make any number of changes on the field.
It is also worth knowing that the goalkeeper can:
• use protective equipment: protectors for all parts of the body, leg guards, and keepers, as well as a helmet;
• stay exclusively in their own half, with the exception of a corner penalty stroke;
• bounce the ball with any part of the body, including arms and legs, in his or her own half circle; and
• play the ball with the stick when it is outside the semicircle.
In field hockey, there are individual penalties awarded by the referee by showing a card of a certain color. They are:
• green card (exclusion from the game for 2 minutes);
• yellow card (exclusion from the game for 5 minutes); and
• red card (exclusion from the game for the rest of the match).
A penalty stroke, free hit, or corner hit may also be awarded for playing not according to the rules.
FIELD HOCKEY EQUIPMENT - WHAT DO YOU NEED?
You do not need much to play field hockey. For the players, the most important thing is the sticks. Other than that, ordinary sportswear and shoes with good traction will suffice. Field hockey fields in professional competitions have an synthetic surface, but nothing prevents recreational play on a natural surface. The key pieces of field hockey equipment, however, are goals. They differ from those used in other sports. Professional field hockey goals have the dimensions of 3.66 by 2.14 meters. Their structures are most often made of steel or aluminum. It is also very important to use a net for field hockey goals with a sufficiently fine mesh - because its task is to stop balls that often accelerate to high speeds. For the same reason, it is advisable to use ball nets around the field.
You can find all the necessary field equipment and accessories for playing field hockey in our offer. We encourage you to check it out!
We use cookies on our website. By clicking "I accept all", you consent to the use of all types of cookies, including statistical and advertising cookies. By clicking "I refuse", you consent to the use of only cookies necessary for the proper functioning of the website. More information about cookies can be found in the Privacy Policy.
I refuse
I accept all