Field hockey

The field hockey is a collective Sport of ball putting at the catches two trainings of eleven players equipped with a stick.

History

The field hockey is the oldest known play of ball with stick which one could find among the first civilizations. No proof nor no information source exists about the real origin of this play. The oldest representation of this sport is on a tomb fresco in the valley of the Nile and going back to 4000 years before J.C. At the same time, one also finds an almost identical play in China, in the Middle East like in Latin America.

In France, the Middle Ages with the Revolution, the Stick (or drunk with the stick), the hocquet , the email or the gouret are very popular. It is also advisable to quote here the Scottish Shinty, the Hurling Irish as well as the Bandy Welsh. The modern history of hockey goes up in England with the foundation of the first club: Blackheath (1851). In 1875, another London club: “Teddington”, modernizes and standardizes finally this play by new rules; the ball having become spherical, it cannot be any more taken in hands and the stick cannot be high any more with the top of the shoulders. In 1883, the number of players per team is fixed at eleven. The most important innovation is the creation of the “zone of shooting to the goal” adopted by the English Association of Hockey lately created.

During following years, the British army developed modern hockey in the British colonies (India, Pakistan, and others). In 1908, and for the first time, hockey is presented in preview to OJ of London. England finishes first in front of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Germany.

The rest of the world does not remain however inactive and a championship of France sees the day as of 1899.

The International federation (FIH) is born in 1924.

In 1980, female hockey is presented in preview to OJ of Moscow.

According to an article of France 5
" The origin of this sport goes certainly back to Antiquity, well before the organization of the ancient plays of the town of Olympie. According to the historians, hockey was already practiced by Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, for example, or the Arabs and the Ethiopian ones.

Araucans of Argentina practiced a play called " cheuca" , which enabled them to become large warriors. And the Indians of America practiced a harder form: the goals were with several kilometers one of the other, the teams generally made up of hundreds, even of thousands of players, the part started at daybreak and finished with laying down sun.

The modern rules of this sport come us, once in a while does no harm, of England… But, the name is of French origin, literal translation of " crook of berger". The international federation was created in 1924, in Paris. France currently occupies the sixth European rank and fifteenth on the level mondial."

(this text comes from http://www.france5.fr/maternelles/loisirs/W00269/19/111311.cfm and was published in 2004)

Principles of the play

General information

See also: Rules of the field hockey

  • hockey puts at the catches two teams of eleven players each one on ground a 91 meters length on 55 meters broad.
  • a standard match of hockey consists of two 35 minutes half-times and a 10 minutes pause.
  • the ball can touch only the flat side of the stick and any part of the body.
  • the player can touch the ball with no part of the body, except the guard.
  • the goal is accepted only if the ball is sent zone of goal (half-circle of 16m of ray having for center the center of the goal).
  • the gaining team is that which marked the most goals at the end of the two half-times. If the two teams marked the same number of goal, then the match is declared " match nul".

Equipment

The stick

The stick is right in its high part, equipped with a grip, similar to that of a racket of tennis, the low part, that in contact with the ball is, most of the time curved and has a convex face (the outside) and a plane face (the interior face). The stick is used to guide the ball. It is traditionally made wood but more and more often of composite matters like glass fiber or the kevlar. The stick must be able to enter a round of a diameter of interior of 5,10 cm. The curve on the stick has also restrictions. The maximum curve is of 25mm since September 1st, 2006.

The ball

A ball of hockey weighs between 156 gram and 163 gram. The outside of the ball is most of the time smooth but of very small craters are accepted. These last are often used on a water ground because they roll more quickly.

Equipment of the goalkeeper

The goalkeeper carries a shirt of color different from that of the ten other players of the team like that of the opposing team. He uses accessories of protection: helmet, drill plate, shell, gaiters, coudières and gloves. The behavior of the goalkeeper must obey the rules and the standards of the FIH in order not to increase in an artificial way its stoutness

The guard can play the ball with each part of his body. He can also make use of his stick. He can play the ball only in his zone of guard. Apart from this one it can only play with its stick.

Equipment of the other players

Similar to that of the players of foot: shirt, shorts, socks, shin guards, more possibly protective gloves and gum-shield. Shoes equipped with cramps according to the nature of the ground.

Large Players

The field hockey was dominated a long time by the same teams: in particular the India, which dominated this discipline during three decades, gaining all six Olympic gold medal and 30 consecutive parts between 1928 and 1956. But one should not forget the Germany, the Australia, the Pakistan the Netherlands and incidentally the England. For a few years, other teams have made their appearance and assert their place in the international elite: the South Korea, the Argentinian and especially the Spain (which gained the prestigious Champions Trophy in 2004).

The French-speaking countries are not remains about it either. In particular the Belgium which finishes 4th of three of the four last editions of the cut of Europe and 3rd of the Champions Challenge in 2004. As for the France, its best result undoubtedly remains its qualification for the Champions Trophy in 1992, qu ' it finished in the last place with a total of 7 defeats in 7 matches.

Principal players of yesterday and today

The team of France is currently involved by Bertrand Reynaud.

Competitions

International competitions

world Competitions

continental Competitions

Competitions of clubs

  • EuroHockey Club Champions Cup

  • EuroHockey Club Champions Trophy
  • EuroHockey Club Champions Challenge
  • EuroHockey Club Champions Challenge II

National competitions

Principal European Championship

External bonds

  • International federation
  • Belgian European Federation
  • Royal Association of Hockey
  • French federation
  • All the actu of hockey

Simple: Field hockey

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