Every now and then, we all want to relax from our busy daily lives. That’s when the SODAH kids indulge in their favorite hobbies. Sometimes it's difficult to choose a hobby, which is why we created this section.

New this month:

Field Hockey

By Marlana Jean Shile, College student writer

Field hockey is an organized team sport and a lot of fun to play. It's different from ice hockey or roller hockey. It's played with 11 players on a side, including a goalie. The set up is very similar to soccer except that the goalies wear a lot of padding and the game is played using sticks and a ball.

Getting Started
Field hockey is not as popular as other sports, but it is getting more common. Your school may have a team or there may be a local club that you can join.

Playing
The goal of field hockey is to score more goals than the other team. There is one goalie and 10 field players divided into three lines, similar to soccer. There are defenders, midfielders and forwards. Unlike soccer, there is no "off-sides" and you can’t touch the ball with any part of your body. The only thing that can touch the ball is one side of your sick.

Stick Skills
The stick is a tricky part of field hockey because it is very short and you can only use one side of it to dribble. The stick is rounded on one side and flat on the other. You can only use the flat side to dribble, stop and hit with. Your stick should not come up higher than your ribs.

Hitting
In order to hit the ball you have to change your grip on the stick. Bring your hands together like you would swing a golf club at the top of the stick. When you hit the ball you want to follow through with your stick in the direction you want the ball to go. Try not to swing too high because that is a dangerous foul.

Stopping
To stop a field hockey ball widen your grip to give yourself more control. Watch the ball closely and bring your stick very low to the ground. Make sure you angle the stick forward towards the ball so it won't pop up and hit you.

Skills
Field hockey takes a lot of hand-eye coordination and teamwork. Stick skill is important in moving the ball up and down the field and in scoring. Learning how to read the play and follow the ball are also important skills in field hockey.

Protection
The ball and stick are very hard so you should always wear shin-guards and a mouth-guard. You can find both at most sport equipment stores and some drugstores.

Last reviewed January 2008
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