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Hockey is one of the games that goes back to pre-historic
times, as man has always delighted in a ball-and -stick game.
It is said that the Greeks and the Romans played this game
but nothing is known about the nature of game that they played.
The earliest mention of the present day game goes back to
1527, when the Galway Statutes included hokie, the horlinge
of littl balle with sticks or staves, in a list of prohibited
games.
Modern hockey, as created in England, resembles games once
popular in the British Isles and no doubt hockey's immediate
forefathers were the Scottish shinty, the English and Welsh
bandy and the Irish hurling.
The first hockey club was formed in Blackheath in 1861.
The sticks were made of oak and the end position was steamed
and then pressed to give it a hooked shape. The ball was a
solid cube of rubber with rounded corners.
The first international match was played in 1895 between
England and Ireland. In 1908, hockey was included in the Olympic
Games. What is the most interesting part about this game is
that, once considered so rough and rowdy, it was adopted by
women for the first time in England, in 1887 itself.
Teams and Duration.
A game is played between two teams having not more than eleven
players each. At no time can there be on the field, more than
one goalkeeper. Each team is permitted to substitute any number
of players during the game. But no substitute is permitted for
a suspended player during his suspension.
The duration of the game is two periods of thirty-five minutes
each, unless otherwise agreed to, before the match. At half
time, the teams change ends; the interval cannot exceed five
minutes.
The goalkeeper has to wear a helmet. Substitute goalkeepers
are often called kicking backs. The game starts when the umpire
blows the whistle for the opening pass-back.
Captain.
Each team has a Captain who wears a distinctive arm band and
who, if he wins the toss, has the right to-
a) choose which end his team will attack in the first half,
or
b) the right to have the ball to start the game.
The toss winning team having made its choice, the opposite team
automatically gets the other side.
After half time, the team, which had not started the game, has
the possession of the ball and the right to start the game.
Generally, there are two umpires to control the game and to
administer the rules. Each umpire is responsible for decisions
in his own half of the field.
Field.
The field is rectangular, 100 yards long and 60 yards wide.
It is clearly marked, with lines in accordance with the plan
of the field. The longest boundary lines are called the sidelines
and the shorter boundary lines are called the goal lines. All
the lines are three inches wide, throughout.
Flag posts, at least 4 feet high, are placed at each corner
of the field, and at the 25 yards lines.
The umpires should check that the goal posts are firmly
fixed and that the face of the goal post is painted white.
There should be no tears or holes in the goal net.
Ball.
A ball of any material or color can be used, but the size and
weight are specified. It should not be more than 53/4 ounces
and the circumference should not be more than 91/4 inches.
The Stick.
The stick has a flat face on its left hand only. The face of
the stick is the whole of the flat side and that part of the
handle for the whole of the length, which is above the flat
side. The weight of the stick cannot exceed 28 ounces.
Start or Re-start the game.
To start the game, re-start it after half time and after each
goal scored, a " pass back" is played at the center of the field.
The pass-back, which may be hit or pushed, must not be directed
over the centerline.
To start the game, a player of each team stands squarely
in the middle of the field, each with his back to his goalpost.
The ball is placed on the ground, between the two players.
Each player taps with his stick, first the ground between
the ball and his own back-line, and then, with the flat face
of his stick, his opponent's stick. This is done over the
ball, thrice, after which one of the two players hits the
ball with his stick to put it into play.
Once started, the game is carried on, as members of the
same team pass the ball to one another, skillfully dodging
the sticks of their opponents, and head towards the adversary's
goalpost. Once there, they hit the ball with all their might,
to send it through the goal. A goal is scored when the whole
ball, having been hit or deflected by the stick of an attacker,
passes completely over the goal line between the goal posts
and under the cross bar.
The team scoring the greater number of goals is the winner.
| Written By |
| Dr. Vineeta Prasad |
| Lecturer,JD Women's College, |
| Patna, India. |
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