Table of Contents
Indiaโs Amit Rohidas in action
| Photo Credit: Anjum Naveed
The primary objective in field hockey is scoring the most goals in 60 minutes. These 60 minutes are split into four 15-minute quarters. This is how the hockey field is laid out.
Before the game begins, a toss decides which team controls the ball first and which side they play from. The team that wins the toss plays a pushback, where the player plays the ball from the courtโs centre. After the ball is played, each team attempts to wrest control of the ball from the opposing team to score a goal. Over the course of the game, either team can make a foul, or a forbidden player action. The same foul can be more severe if made within the Dee.
These are some common fouls.
Each foul gives the opposing team one of three strike options – a free hit, a penalty stroke or a penalty corner. With each option, the difficulty to score a goal changes.
Free hit
A free hit is given when a foul is made outside of the Dee. For instance, if the ball hits the foot of a player, the opposite team gets a free hit. This is similar to how the ball is played in the beginning, with the same 5m distance between the striker and defending players. However, the location where it is taken from changes.
Penalty Corner
When a foul is made within the Dee, the opposing team gets a penalty corner. India got its first goal against Germany from Harmanpreet Singh through a penalty corner after the ball hit a German playerโs foot within the Dee. Hereโs how it works.
The team can sometimes strategically earn penalty corners by aiming the ball at an opposing playerโs foot.
Penalty Stroke
A penalty stroke is an opportunity unlike any other to score a goal. It is given when a serious foul is committed within the Dee, like if a player deliberately blocks the ball using his feet or other body parts. This foul is seen as an illegal action that prevented a goal that would have otherwise been won. Germany scored a goal through a penalty stroke after the ball hit Indian player Jarmanpreet Singhโs foot in the semi-final. Hereโs how it works.
All these opportunities are lost if time runs out before the team can take it, since they do not carry forward to the next 15-minute quarter.
Tie-breakers
If the game is tied at the end of four quarters, a shootout begins. In shootouts, the attacking player starts from behind the 25-yard line and moves forward to score a goal in eight seconds. Each team gets five attempts and whoever scores the most goals wins.
If the shootout also results in a tie, the game is decided by โsudden deathโ. This format is similar to a shootout when it comes to attacking player position and the eight-second rule, but the teams do not get five attempts. The first team to score one point more than the other team wins.
For instance, if after one try each, one team scores a goal and the other does not, the team that scored the goal wins.
