Friday, June 29, 2012

ALL ABOUT HOCKEY

This is a sport in which two opposing teams try to score in their opponent's goal using a special ball or a puck and a hockey stick. The main aim of the game is to score more goals than the opponent during the seventy minutes playtime. The game is common in many countries and especially India and Pakistan where it is the national sport.

Brief history
The first recorded use of the term hockey is in a 1363 decree by King Edward III of England banning certain games, which he termed as 'idle' games. The origin of the game can be traced as far back as 4000 years ago in Egypt.

Another proclamation in Ireland, the Galway statute, is another evidence that hockey stayed on even in the middle ages. The statute decreed a ban on games including hockey.

With the dawning of the 19th century the sport's popularity rose with the first hockey club being formed in 1849 in south east London UK. A hockey association was formed in 1886 and the first major international game was played in 1895. In 1900, an international hockey board was formed to oversee the game internationally. In 1928, the sport made a major milestone by being included in the Olympics.

Women's hockey was formed in 1887 but had to face many challenges before an organisation (international federation of women hockey association) was formed in 1927. Women's hockey was officially included in the Olympics in 1980.


Subtypes of hockey
Several games are derived from the sport, the major ones are;Field hockey- this is the most popular type of hockey in the world.Ice hockey- Is the second most popular type. It is played on ice using a puck and a hockey stick.Inline hockey.Roller hockey.Sledge hockey.Street hockey.

From these we get many other subtypes of hockey.


Basic rules and mode of play
Number of players
Each team consists of 16 players of which 11 will be on the field at any time during a game.
Player positions
There are well defined positions and roles for the players in those positions. These positions include;Forwarders or frontlines.Fullbacks or defenders.Halfbacks or midfielders.Goalkeeper.

Equipment
Equipment used in playing includes a hard smooth ball with indentation lines and a j-shaped hockey stick. Due to the hardness of the ball all the players must be properly guarded against any injury. Some of the protection wear include mouth guards, leg guards and chest guards among others.


Play time
The match is divided into two halves each 35 minutes long and ten minutes break in between. So in total the game is 80 minutes long.
Game terms
Some of the terms used in the course of the game include;Free hit.Penalty corner.Corner.Tie breaking.Green card.Yellow card.Red card.

E-Gaming
In this age of technology and the internet we can't finish off without talking about the technological aspect of the game.


SBOBET.COM is one of the leading players in the e-gaming field. If you are a hockey fanatic then sbobet is one of the best ways to keep yourself updated. It also provides a chance for you to bet on your favourite teams. Sbobet odds(ราคาบอล) and returns are better than the traditional fixed odds bets.
Other sites also give you the opportunity to watch football online(ดูบอลออนไลน์), hockey and other games.