Hockey

Chapter 1: a short history

Since the Roman time people play ball-games with the help of a stick and a ball.
The sport, as we know it now, came from England.
In the beginning there were no rules, so there were many fights and problems.
150 years ago (in 1850) the rules were settled.
The Dutchman Pim Mulier saw last age a match in England and organised the first hockey-match in Holland. Former, the hockey-clubs are only for men. Later were women welcome too. And more than 60 years is hockey a sport for children too!!!

Chapter 2: material

The most important thing about hockey is your stick. There are many brands like; Dita and Grays. Former, the stick has two flat sides. Since 1927 has the stick one flat and one convex side. You can take your stick in a special bag prepared for sticks only.
A hockey-ball is much harder than a tennis-ball, when you give a kick too the ball with your feet it hurts.
Hockey shoes are very important, the underside of the shoe has some little spikes. By football, the spikes are bigger.
Keepers have extra protection like legguards, a body protector, a keeper trouser and a helmet.
Legguards are to protect your shins. It’s a very good protector.
The body protector is for the belly and it’s for keepers only.
A keeper trouser is like a napkin. A napkin protects the upper part of the leg.
A helmet covered with bars protects the keeper’s face. They have very thick gloves for keeping the balls. Keeper’s stops the ball with the left glove and the right glove with a hole inside is special made for holding the stick.
You can think that this is too heavy and walking is difficult, but it isn’t. Most of the keeper protection is made of “foam” this is strong and lightly.
The HDM uniform for boys is different than that for girls. That's by every hockey-club.

Chapter 3: The rules of the game

The children don’t learn hockey only they are also learning to be heave like a sportsman.
In a game are two arbiters. Every arbiter has one part of the field.
A couple of rules:
Keep your stick under your shoulders.
Don’t touch the ball (keepers only). It’s “shoot” when that happens.
Don’t touch an other player with your stick.
When a player plays wrong,the other team gets a free ball.

Chapter 4: clubs

In Holland are 130.000 hockey players. There play as much girls as boy’s hockey.
There are in The Hague around 6 hockey clubs. You get weekly a hockey magazine from your club. You can read in this magazine how everyone has played and you get information about the match of the next weekend.
From the D-juniors you play against other hockey clubs. This is called a competition. You play two times against the same club. One time on your own field (this is called home) and one time on the field of the opponent (this is called out). It’s counted how many points are against you and how many points are for you. The one who has the most points for him and the least against him is the winner.
The best players of Holland play in the international competition. They play against teams from other countries. You can see this on the television and you can read about it in the newspapers.

Chapter 5: the hockey fields

Most of the fields are made of bogus-grass, but some fields (by poor clubs) have ordinary fields (made of grass). When it has rained on the ordinary fields it becomes a slough. Then the match must be cancelled.
The pitch is 100 yard long and 60 yards wide, divided by a centreline and a 25-yardline on each side of the field. A striking circle is marked 16 yards out from each goal post. In the circle, out of the goal post is a little dot at 7 yards, that's for a free push (which means the player versus the keeper). When you make a goal from outside the circle it doesn't count.

Chapter 6: the work-out

There are two kinds of teams in most clubs: teams were the players play just for fun (recreation-hockey) and teams where all players want to reach the top (selection-hockey).
When you play in the top by hockey you must train twice or three times a week. Thomas trains always on Tuesdays and on Thursdays.
If you want to be a good player, you must train often and also do your best.
The trainer of a team makes inconvenient exercises. He explains them first, then he watches everyone doing the exercises and, if necessary, he corrects someone.
By training you learn to hit the ball and to push the ball, to walk with the ball and your stick and to improve your skill.
The training is very important, if a team doesn't train often, the team loses every match and that is not so nice!
After a training it's very normal that you are tired, but it's very good for your condition.

Chapter 7 Competition

Two teams play against each other. Every team has 11 players. One of them is the keeper. You must get the ball with your stick in the goal of the other team.
The team who has scored the most goals is the winner of the match. You must always play fair. Matches are played in the weekends. You must be on time on the field.
A team has mostly a coach. He says in the pause of the match what you must do better. The match is two times 35 minutes. After the first 35 minutes you have a pause of 5 minutes. Your coach speaks to you and you can drink some water.
After the pause you change side with your opponent.
After the match can you drink together.
For children from 6 to 10 years old there is mini hockey. Children from 6 and 7 years old don’t play matches but little hockey games.
Children from 8 and 9 years old play matches of 2 times 25 minutes with 6 players on a little field.
From 10 years old and older you play with a normal team of 11 players and on a real field.

Literature:
Hockey / by Peter van den Bergh.
Hockey / by Noud Moeskops.
Hockey : leerplan voor de complete hockeyer / by Wim van Heumen.
Internet: http://www.usfieldhockey.com/hockey/rules.htm