{{twitter_follow[worksopladies]}}
Having played hockey for years, it’s easy to forget what it’s like to be a beginner. I was never more conscious of this than recently, when a new club member asked me some of the most basic questions. It would be very easy just to throw the rule book at someone, or indeed immerse them in the deep end expecting them to swim, but it occurred to me that we don’t always cater for the very basics all the time.
Of course, we show new people how to play the game, hit the ball, those kind of basics but what about the rules? What about the positions, how many players on the pitch? How long is a game? There’s lots of these type of questions that the more experienced player takes for granted and that you end up learning as you go along. The questions below are all genuine questions from recent beginners at our club.
Bearing all this in mind I thought it would be useful to put together a beginner’s guide, so here goes…
Who makes the rules?
The FIH (Fédération Internationale de Hockey or the International Hockey Federation, as we know it in English) is the world governing body for hockey, in the same way FIFA are for football and they are the ones who make the rules. The FIH have a rules panel and will occasionally tweak the rules in order to make the game better to play and to watch.
When new rules are introduced, they will often first be applied to the international game before filtering down to the domestic game that the majority of us play. They will normally do this by applying the rules on a set date for internationals and then a later date for domestic.
How long does a game last?
Even as a stranger to hockey, you may have watched Team GB win hockey gold in Rio and if you were paying attention you’ll have noticed that the game was split up into 4 x 15 minute quarters. Since September 2014 all major international tournaments have used this format.
However, before then, the game was played with 2 x 35 minute halves, but this time the FIH did not roll out the changes to the domestic game. The only exception to this is the Euro Hockey League (similar to the Champion’s League in football, where the top teams in the European domestic leagues aim to be European Champions) and the Hockey India League which is the premier league for hockey in India (where hockey is the national sport).
Currently there are no plans to change this, so in answer to the question, for most of us, the game is 70 minutes long split into two 35 minute halves.
How many people are on a team?
There are eleven players on each team permitted to be on the field of play at any one time (one goalkeeper and ten outfield players). So, 11-a-side. However, you are also allowed substitutes. These players are part of the squad and the maximum squad allowed is sixteen; eleven on the field and five substitutes. This is the same in both international and domestic competitions.
The use of substitutes is not like football, where a player takes another player’s place for the rest of the game. Hockey uses something called rolling substitutions. This means that you can replace a player with a substitute but they can themselves be used as a substitute. This is used often in international because of the speed of the game and often each team will make in excess of 50 substitutions during the course of the game. At grassroots level this will be significantly less.
Where does everyone play?
The format of hockey is much like football. You have a goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders and strikers. One thing I’ve discovered, after playing the game for a while, is that goalkeepers are a special breed, fearless and usually a bit crazy too!
Tactically the game is once again like football, so much so that a few years ago the Dutch National Football Team spent time with the Dutch Women’s Hockey Team to try to learn the secret of their success, as the Dutch women have been at the top of the game for the last two decades.
What equipment do you need?
Well, of course you probably know that you need a stick, but it’s not as simple as just buying any old stick. They come in all shapes and sizes and it can be a bit of a minefield for the beginner. If you are a beginner and are trying to figure out what one to get, we’ve produced a handy guide to help you understand what will suit you best.
As well as a stick you have to wear shin pads. Not only are they essential, they are compulsory. Hockey shin pads not only offer protection for the majority of your lower leg but they also extend down at the sides to cover your ankles; and believe me that’s a blessing because you don’t want to get a hockey ball on the ankle.
You also may have noticed players wearing mouth guards. These are recommended but not compulsory, unless you’re under 18. However, if you were unlucky enough to get hit in the mouth by a stick or ball they could save you some serious time and money at the dentist.
As far as equipment goes, that’s it. Nothing else; well, at least during the majority of the game. There is other equipment allowed during the game, but only in the event of a penalty corner (what’s a penalty corner, I hear you say – I’ll explain that a bit later) During a penalty corner the defenders are allowed to wear protective face masks, as the ball can fly high towards the goal. Once again these are only compulsory for under 18s but highly recommended.
The only player allowed to wear protection during a game is the goalkeeper. They’re lucky enough to be able to wear padding all over as well as a helmet, but that’s only to be expected, as they spend the whole game with balls flying towards them at great speed.
Terminology
When you’re new to the game you may struggle with some of the terminology used. I’ll cover a few here to get you started but I would recommend watching some matches on YouTube, particularly the FIH channel. You’ll be surprised how much you pick up.
Pushback: This is what you do at the beginning of play, same as kick off in football. So, when you hear that, it just means that’s what time the game starts. And terminology from that would be, “Whose pushback is it”, “it’s your pushback” etc.
Penalty corner: Sometimes referred to as a short corner, this is an advantage to the attacking team where the defending team are allowed just four defenders and the goalkeeper on the goal line all other team members must go beyond the half way line.
The attacking team must be outside the D and the ball is played in by the attacking team from the penalty corner mark. The ball must travel across and then outside the D before a shot can be taken. Only when the ball is played in from the penalty corner mark can the defending team come off the line.
The umpire will signal a penalty corner by extending both arms straight in front of them pointing towards the goal.
Sixteen: This is a free hit for the defending team after the ball is played over the back line by an attacker. It’s called a sixteen because it is taken along the line level with the top of the D (16 yards) and is placed in line with where the ball went over the back line.
The umpire signal for this is both arms straight out to the sides in a crucifix shape.
It’s a good idea to take notice of the signals the umpire makes as it helps to know why the whistle was blown.
Free hit: like a free kick in football. These are awarded for an infringement against the team that made the infringement. All players not taking the free hit must be at least 5 yards from the ball or the umpire can award another hit and may even give a personal penalty to a player (show them a card). If the free hit is awarded inside the attacking 25 yard line then the ball must travel 5 yards before entering the D.
The umpire signals this by extending one arm in the direction that the attacking team are playing.
Long corner: A long corner is given when a defender touches the ball over the back line. The ball is placed on the 25 yard (23 metre) line, in line with where the ball went over the back line. As with a free hit, the ball cannot go into the D until it has travelled 5 yards.
The umpire signals this by raising one arm to the side of the pitch and then towards the place on the 25 where the ball should be placed
For any long corner, short corner or free hit a player can self-pass (i.e. taking the hit and running with the ball themselves, rather than passing it immediately)
Penalties
Once again, I won’t go into everything but here’s a few things that you will find useful to know earlier on.
Stick tackle: if your opponent has the ball and whilst attempting to tackle them you hit their stick, you will be penalised by giving away a free hit, if the stick tackle is deemed to put the player in possession at a disadvantage. E.g. if it causes them to lose control or be unable to play the ball. If you do this persistently then the umpire may give you a personal penalty.
Foot: If the ball hits your foot, or any part of the leg up to the knee you will give away a free hit. If there is no one anywhere near you and it hits your foot without giving you an advantage (like if it would have gone out of play) the umpire does not have to penalise you.
Suspensions: An umpire can suspend a player from the field for 2, 5, 10 minutes or for the remainder of the match. The umpire uses different coloured cards to signal the type of suspension. Green card is a two minute suspension, yellow card is either 5 or 10 minutes depending on the seriousness of the offence (the umpire will state whether it’s a 5 or 10 minute suspension) and a red card means the player must not play for the remainder of the game.
Red cards are only issued for violent play and to be honest, I’ve never seen one given. We’re all a nice bunch of people, that’s why! Once a card is issued, the player must go off the field to a designated neutral area (often between the 2 dugouts) and the suspension time will only start once the player is there.
If any fouls are made inside the D, a penalty corner will be awarded. If it is made inside the 25, then the umpire can award a penalty corner, if it’s deemed to be deliberate or persistent, otherwise a free hit will be awarded.
So, that’s all for now. I hope that’s a good starting point for you. Just remember that these are the basics and not meant to be extensive. Hockey has many rules and nuances to those rules, which you will learn as you go along. The best bit of advice I could give you is watch and listen to the umpire and if you’re not sure about something ask one of your more experienced team mates. If you do that, it won’t be long until you get it.