Hockey

Presenting you the

National game of India:

HISTORY OF HOCKEYField hockey, referred to in most countries simply as hockey, can be played by both male and female. In East Asia, a similar game was entertained, using a carved wooden stick and ball prior to 300 BC. In Mongolia, China, the Daur people have been playing Beiko a game with some similarities to field hockey for about 1,000 years. The word 'hockey' itself was recorded in 1363 when Edward III of England issued a proclamation. The present governing body of hockey is the International Hockey Federation(FIH).

EquipmentsStick : Each player carries a "stick" that normally measures between 80–95 cm long. Sticks were traditionally made of wood, but are now often made also with fiberglass or carbon fiber.

Ball : Standard field hockey balls are hard spherical balls, made of plastic, and are usually white, although they can be any colour as long as they contrast with the playing surface. The balls have a circumference of 224–235 mm and weigh 156–163 g

Goalkeeping equipment : . A fully equipped goalkeeper must wear a helmet, leg guards and kickers, chest guards, padded shorts, padded hand protectors, neck guards, arm guards. etc and like all players, they must carry a stick.

Field of playThe dimensions as laid down by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) in the "Rules of Hockey“ are the official dimensions. The pitch is a 91.4 m × 55 m rectangular field. At each end is a goal 2.14 m high and 3.66 m wide, as well as lines across the field 22.90 m from each end-line and in the center of the field. A spot 0.15 m in diameter, called the penalty spot or stroke mark, is placed with its centre 6.40 m from the centre of each goal. The shooting circle is 15 from the base line.

General PlayThe match is officiated by two field umpires. Traditionally each umpire generally controls half of the field, divided roughly diagonally. These umpires are often assisted by a technical bench including a timekeeper and record keeper.

Prior to the start of the game, a coin is tossed and the winning captain can choose a starting end or start with the ball. The game time is divided into two equal halves of 35 minutes each, with 5–10 minutes for half-time, although at local and regional level, games may be reduced to 25- to 30-minute halves to ease turf availability constraints. At the start of each half, as well as after goals are scored, play is started with a pass from the centre of the field.. Each team starts with the ball in one half, and the team that conceded the goal has possession for the restart.

RULES AND PLAYThe game is played between two teams of whom eleven are permitted to be on

the pitch at any one time. The remaining players, the substitutes, may be

substituted in any combination. There is an unlimited amount of times a team can

sub in and out. Substitutions are permitted at any point in the game,

apart from between the award and end of a penalty corner.

Other rules include :

No foot to ball contact. A goalie may not cross the 23 m line. Obstructing other players. High back swing. No third party : Two players from opposing

teams can battle for the ball, however if another player interferes it is considered third party and the ball automatically goes to the team who only had one player involved in the third party.

Warnings and suspensionsHockey uses a three-tier penalty card system of warnings and suspensions :A yellow card is an official suspension similar to the penalty box in ice hockey. The duration is decided by the umpire issuing the card and the player must go to a pre-defined area of the pitch as chosen by the umpires at the beginning of the match. Most umpires will opt for a minimum of five minutes' duration without substitution; the maximum time is at the discretion of the umpire, depending on the seriousness of the offence.

A green card is fairly similar to an association-football yellow card: the player does not have to leave the pitch, but any further infractions will result in a yellow or red card.A red card, just like in association football, is a permanent exclusion from the rest of the game, without substitution, and it usually results in the player being banned for a certain period of time or number of matches.

International CompetitionsThe biggest two field hockey tournaments are the Olympic Games tournament, and the Hockey World Cup, which is also held every 4 years. Apart from this, there is the Champions Trophy held each year for the six top-ranked teams. Field hockey has also been played at the Commonwealth Games since 1998.

The Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament and Sultan Ibrahim Ismail Hockey Tournament is for the junior team but both tournament held annually in Malaysia, is becoming a prominent field hockey tournament where teams from around the world participate to win the cup.

This is a list of the major International field hockey tournaments, in chronological order. Tournaments included are:

Olympic Games - held every four years.World Hockey Cup - held every four years, in between the Olympics.Champions Trophy - currently held every year, for the top 8 ranked nations.Hockey Champions Challenge - held every year for teams ranked 9th-16th in the world.Hockey Champions Challenge II - held every year for teams ranked 17th-24th in the world.

Although invitational or not open to all countries, the following are also considered international tournaments:

Commonwealth Games – held every four years between members of the Commonwealth of NationsSultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament - held annually in Malaysia, an invitational tournament.Sultan Ibrahim Ismail Hockey Tournament -held annually for athletes aged under-21 in Malaysia, an invitational tournament.

Hockey IndiaHockey India is the governing body of field hockey in India. It was formed after Indian Hockey Federation was dismissed in 2008 by IOA. Hockey India launched its own logo in a grand ceremony on July 24, 2009, in India. It resembles Ashok Chakra of Indian flag. It is made up of field hockey sticks.

India national field hockey team

The India national field hockey team is the national men's team representing field hockey in India, controlled by Hockey India, the governing body for field hockey in India. It is the first non-European team to be a part of the International Hockey Federation.Some of the achievements of them are given here :

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total

1 Olympics 8 1 2 112 World Cup 1 1 1 33 Asian Games 2 9 2 134 Asia Cup 2 5 1 8

5 Champions Trophy 0 0 1 1

6 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 5 1 5 11

7 Commonwealth Games 0 1 0 1

8 Hockey Champions Challenge 1 1 2 4

9 Afro-Asian Games 1 0 0 1

10 Asian Hockey Champions Trophy 1 1 0 2

Notable former players of India

Dhyan Chand Dhanraj Pillay Richard Allen Joseph Galibardy Peter Fernandes Leslie Claudius Roop Singh Baboo Nimal Hiranna M. Nimal Gurbax Singh Grewal Balbir Singh Grewal B. P. Govinda Ajit Pal Singh S. Sathish

Ajit SinghSurjit SinghUdham SinghJagbir SinghJugraj SinghBalbir SinghSabu VarkeyPrithipal SinghPargat SinghDilip TirkeyVasudevan BaskaranBalwant SinghMukesh KumarB K Subramani

Presented by : Lokamruth K.R