If you are new to hockey you might think it is simply a case of hitting a ball with a wooden stick. However, there is much more to it. There are various positions, as well as different ways of hitting the ball. Here we look at various ways of striking a hockey ball as well as the different positions on the team.

According to the BBC hockey has seen an increase in participation by women with almost 100,000 women now playing hockey every week. If you think you would like to join the growing number of people playing hockey then you will need to know more about the positions and how to hit the ball.

Different types of hockey strokes and shots

There are a few ways for a hockey ball to be moved around the pitch. Flicking the ball is a way to shoot for goal by putting the ball over your opponent’s stick, while a backhand involves hitting the ball with the ‘wrong’ side of the stick. A regular hit involves using two hands to hit the ball quite a distance along the ground using a backswing, while a push stroke doesn’t use a backswing but uses the wrist to move the ball shorter distances across the ground. A quick pass, using a half back swing is called a slap.

Different hockey playing positions

A hockey team has 11 players, including the goalkeeper. Attacking and midfield players have to run up and down the pitch and score goals or set them up. They must also tackle and intercept the ball. Hockey goalkeepers are not allowed to pick the ball up but can touch it with any other part of their body. They have to be able to react quickly. The job of defenders is to stop the ball reaching the goalkeeper and to stop the other team from scoring. Whatever position you want to play watching a hockey drill video such as those from https://www.sportplan.net/drills/Hockey/ will help you to improve your performance and contribution to your team.

So if you fancy taking up hockey you should now have a better idea of the role you think you could play in the team and how to hit the ball, as there is more to hockey than just hitting a ball with a stick!

By krish