Field Hockey

First Olympic Year:

1908, Every Olympics since 1928

Origin:

This game is pretty new. It has origins around the Irish game of hurling that started around 1272 B.C. That is only 500 years before the Greeks started the original Ancient Olympic games somewhere around 700 B.C. Those city states were pretty poor at stick games so they stuck with the naked wrestling thing.

The modern version of the game was popularized in England, oddly enough on the east side of London where many of the new Olympic buildings stand.¹ Basically, Cricket clubs were inventing a new game to do during the winter. Apparently you can't play Cricket when it is colder out because it will stain those all white outfits they love so much. A couple of different games were created, one with a cricket ball that was all nancy and had rules like keep the stick below your waist, the other was a game that was rugby with a thing you could hit people with that was played with a rubber cube.

Clubs would begin to play each other but it never really became a huge game because clubs would argue about the rules calling each other tossers, wankers, and gits trying to get away with cheeky bullocks. Eventually, because lads would join the army the sport got more popular and international rules were created in 1895 so people would stop taking the piss out of one another.

The first international match was between in England and Wales. I don't think it really counts, if it does than I have no issue we Yanks calling it the World Series and the NBA the World Champions. The International Hockey Federation was created in 1924.²

After Double U Double U Two a Belgian helped keep the game structured and made it popular up until 1970s.³

First Competition:

In 1908 there were 6 teams: Germany, France, England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. The last four of those were really Great Britain at the time so technically there were 3 nations going for the medals. Great Britain is really good at dominating games in which they invent. You know until other nations start competing in the in the event.

Because it really was Great Britain vs Germany and France they decided it was fair to have Germany face Scotland and France compete against England. Both England and Scotland succeeded to defeat the mainland European countries pretty simply.

So then to puff their chests they decided to have a semifinal of England versus Scotland and Wales against Ireland. This means if Germany and France would have won they would have to face each other in the final and Great Britain would automatically have a team in the Gold Medal match. That's well played ya bloody nutters and you wonder why you are all Billy no-mates.

England ended up winning the Gold, Ireland the Silver, and they gave both Wales and Scotland all Bronze medals.

You found a loophole where you could make sure you gave out 4 medals in one event.⁴

Dominant Countries:

India dominated for a long time after the British Army brought it over, even beating the Brits in 1948 in London. Pakistan also did well. The Aussies, Dutch, Germans and Spanish have been the best men since the 90s.

The ladies started in 1980 with the Aussies, Dutch, and Germans again being big factors as well as it seems the Argentinians and Chinese being quality sides.⁵

Basic Concept:

In America field hockey has become a primarily women's game. Many high schools have it as a female sport with no male equivalent. I never played or watched a single high school game and any prior experience with the game. So, if I get stuff wrong, tough shit.

It is an 11 on 11 game with each team having 5 substitutes that are unlimited. Each side has a goalie. The stick has a flat side and a round side and you can hit the ball, as hard as you want with the flat edge. The round side they let you control the ball and “dribble” with it but anything taken as “hard” becomes a penalty because it is hard to control where its going with a round thing hitting another round thing. It seems to be a bit of controversy inside hockey to allow it. I don't know I imagine if you control it, it may not be called. I don't know I will have to watch a game first.

You want to use the hockey stick to advance the ball and put it in the goal. Simple enough right.

Other basic rules, you can't control it with your feet especially to your advantage, only two people can battle for the ball. If there is a third person going for the ball the team with only one dog in the fight gets the ball. You are not supposed to shove and push or hack someone with the stick, I'm sure this gets liberal at the time and who is using body position etc.

The field is about 100 yards long and 60 yards wide, similar enough to a football field. The goals are 7 feet high and 12 feet wide. A pretty big area, but it seems difficult to be supremely accurate with the equipment. So there is a 16 yard “shooting circle” that you must be inside of in order to score. Basically they don't want people just launching the ball as hard as they can taking eyes out and bloody concussions all over the place.

So like all sports with goalies, they are crazy. They are padded up a bit, but they fight the natural human reaction of getting out of the way and willing dive for a high speed object. These people would lose in the evolution game, but are successful in sports.

There is a three tiered card system. There is a green card that is a warning. A yellow card that means you go into a penalty box for a period of time. There is a red card that kicks you out of the game without substitution. If you get an infraction for the exact same reason the card must be escalated. However, you can receive multiple green or yellow cards as long as it is not the same type of penalty.

Tactics:

Like many other games, Field hockey is a space game. Try to outnumber the defense in on spot on the floor. If you can drag defenders to one side to open space on the other side it creates better scoring opportunities.

The main change is the shooting circle. The defense knows you must be in side the circle to score. Luckily the real defense is intercepting passes to give the offense more of a chance. The defense will often be seen putting their stick as horizontal as possible to create a larger barrier.

Balls can be hit up 70 mph. It really can fly around and the best teams in the world will keep the ball moving as quickly as possible.

Formations can look similar to soccer. You may see 4-4-2⁶ or a 4-3-3. Australians apparently use a 2-3-5. They are backwards down there so who knows.

Understand? I don't really either, but I can cheer for it.

How is the Outlook for the US?

The men didn't qualify.

The Women will have to represent Old Glory in the homeland of the Red Coats. They qualified by winning the 2011 Pan-Am Games. I didn't know these still existed, but they do. They haven't medaled since 1984 so the history doesn't look great. They did beat the Argentinians⁷, so that is a good sign they can compete and with a nice run possibly get to the semi-finals and get a medal!

Betting Odds:

Men: Aussies are 7/5 with Germany at 7/2 and the Dutch at 9/2. I like the odds for Spain at 7/1

Women: The Dutchwoman are 3/2 favorites with Argentina 3/1 and no one else close. If you are feeling American US is at 33/1 for Gold. I like the Aussie lasses at 14/1,

What to Look For:

Jamie Dwyer of Australia was the 2011 International Player of the Year. He is the captain and looks like a goof.

Maartje Paumen is the 2011 International Player of the Year. She is openly lesbian, so stick it to Chick-fil-a and root for her.⁸

1I start using British slang, probably incorrectly, this place has most of them: 

2It's actually a French name that end up making it the FIH, but who cares about the Frogs from Paris, they didn't have it at the games in Paris in 1924.

3Réné George Frank was the guy. You know what they say, don't send a Frenchman to do a Belgians job. Plus, Belgium has beer.

4Read their own bias report (231 on your friendly PDF reader)

5Undoubtedly the Chinese have some torture training center to make sure the women will be top notch.

6Starting with the defense: 4 Defenders, 4 Midfielders, and 2 Forwards.

7Argentina was Ranked number 1 in the world at the time. USA! USA!

8I do not know if Field Hockey is the world's Softball for the stereotypical lesbian sport