My Knowledge of The Game Of Hockey

I like to play many outdoor games like cricket, football, tennis, hockey and badminton. The one I like the most is hockey. The true spirit of the game is that of teamwork, self-control and fair play. Hockey is a famous sport played by different countries. It is the national sport of India and Pakistan. By using a hockey stick, two teams play against each other. The players try to manoeuvre a ball into the opponent’s goal.

On my last birthday, my uncle gifted me a book on hockey. In the book, it was mentioned that every team has 11 players and 3 reserved players. Each team has its own uniform. Their uniform consists of t-shirt, shorts, socks and shoes. The goalkeeper has to remain active and alert in preventing the ball from his team’s goal.

However, there are different forms of hockey. I know some of them. They are field hockey, street hockey and ice hockey.

Field hockey is played on grass. It can also be played on water or sand-based field. A small, hard ball is used. The game is popular among both males and females in Europe, Asia, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In 1908, field hockey was entered in Summer Olympic Games. Modern field hockey sticks are of J-shaped. They are made of wood or glass. They have a curved hook at the playing end, a flat surface on the side and curved surface on the rear side.

Another popular form of hockey is street hockey. It is also known as road hockey. Street hockey is played throughout the year. Such hockey is played with the same rules but on the street. Mostly a ball is used instead of a puck. A puck is a hard flat rubber disc that produces friction on the surface of the road and does not slide.

Ice hockey is played on a large flat area of ice. Sticks are long L-shaped. They are made of wood and graphite. A hard flat puck is used. The puck is frozen before the game. This decreases the amount of bouncing and rubbing on the ice. Ice hockey is played in many Europe countries. It is the most popular sport in Finland and Canada. From 1924, men’s ice hockey is played at the Winter Olympic Games.

India has a good record in hockey. It has won eight Olympic gold medals. A period of twenty-eight years that is from 1928 to 1956 is considered as the `Golden Era’ of Indian hockey. During this period, India won six gold medals in the Olympics. India had played twenty-four Olympic matches and won all. Indian team had scored hundred and seventy-eight goals and gave only seven in return.