Hockey is a game for the outdoors. A field, a playground or sometimes even a backyard is quite enough. It is played with a long stick which is curved at one end and a ball. Think of the stick like a long rod with a comma at the end. The curved end of the stick is specially crafted to be flat at one side which is used to hit the ball on the ground. The other side is curved.

The player has to hold the long end of the stick and hit the ball with it and run. You are not allowed to touch the ball with your hands. Only the stick! The players are divided into 2 teams of 11 players each. There are 2 goals with a goalkeeper guarding them. The players have to hit the ball with their sticks and negotiate it through the opponents into the goal.

But it is not as easy as it sounds. The ball is rather small, the stick does not have enough surface area to manage the ball without sufficient skill. So your child will have to practice a bit to get the hang of hockey.

WHAT DO YOU NEED ?
You need to concentrate on 3 areas before playing hockey. Equipment, Players and Location.

Equipment :

Hockey Stick : It's what makes the game really, so the perfect stick for your child is crucial. What you need to concentrate on is gauging which stick will match the height of your child. Of course the more skilled your child gets, the longer the stick he can carry. Take a look at this chart.

Goalies generally prefer shorter and lighter stick since they play with one hand only.

Players :
You ideally need 22 people and a couple of extras. Divide the teams into 11 each. 10 will be on the court while one player from each side will act as goalie and defend the goal! It's that simple.

Location :
Hockey is generally played on a grass lawn, but over the years necessity has been the mother of invention. Nowadays you can play hockey almost anywhere there's space.


LET'S PLAY !

A match generally lasts for 70 minutes. There are 2 halves of 35 minutes between which there's a half time break. The art of this game lies in how well you can dribble the ball with your stick. The more adroit you are, the further you can get your ball across. The players play different positions. Attackers, defenders, midfielders and of course the goalie. Just a few things to keep in mind before your child hits the field:

Field Goal : This goal is shot from within the shooting circle of the goal.

Penalty Corner : If the team defending the goal makes a rule error then the attacking team is awarded an opportunity to shoot from the corner of that goal. This gives the attackers the advantage to arrange their players and strategize a goal.

Penalty Stroke : If for any rule error reason the referee so decides, the attackers can select one player to attempt a one on one with the goalie. This means that the attackers have a free shot into the goal with nobody in between. The chances are 50:50!