Field Hockey is an eleven aside game played on a pitch 100 yards by 60 yards with a ball which has a 23cm circumference. Each player has a stick with a rounded head to play the ball with and the objective is to score goals by putting the ball in the opposing team’s goal.
Field hockey is most popular in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australasia. India has been a powerhouse in the sport for the longest, and it has a massive following. However, Belgium, which is currently the highest-ranked team globally, and other European areas could rival them for the widest support base.
5 Important Skills for Field Hockey Beginners
- First Touch. It is important that you have a great first touch and move the ball in the direction of where space is available. …
- Leading. Leading is a great skill to have when trying to get into a good position on the field. …
- Passing. …
- Hit. …
- Flat Stick Tackle.
 The objective of hockey is to score more goals than the opposite team before the stipulated time runs out. All players use a hockey stick to play and hit ball.
The only player that is allowed to kick the ball with their feet or touch it with their hands is the goalkeeper.
Key hockey pitch dimensions:
- Hockey pitch size. The traditional hockey pitch is 100 yards (91.4m) long and 60 yards (55m) wide.
- The goal. The hockey goal is 7ft tall (2.14m) by 12ft wide (3.66m).
- Penalty spot. As in football, this is the point from which a penalty strike is taken in a game of hockey. This is 7 yards (6.4m) from the goalmouth.
- Striking circle. The striking circle is a ‘D’-shaped area measuring 16 yards out from the goal post. An attacking player must be within this area to score. It is also known as the ‘shooting circle’, ‘goal circle’ or ‘D’.
- Back line. The back line is simply a line marking the lengthwise end of the hockey pitch. It is 60 yards long.
- Half-way line. This is simply the line that divides the hockey field into two different halves.
- The 25-yard line. This is a line found in each attacking portion of the pitch and is 25 yards (22m) from the goal. Intentional infringements within this area can result in the award of a penalty corner.
