Each player carries a "stick", normally between 36–37 inches long, but they make them shorter and longer, and are traditionally made of wood but now often made with fiberglass, Kevlar and carbon fiber composites, with a rounded handle, flattened on the left side and with a hook at the bottom. Metal is forbidden from use in hockey sticks.
There was traditionally a slight curve from the top to bottom of the face side of the stick and another on the 'heel' edge to the top of the handle (usually made according to the angle at which the handle part was inserted into the splice of the head part of the stick), which assisted in the positioning of the stick head in relation to the ball and made striking the ball easier and more accurate. The hook at the bottom of the stick was only recently the tight curve that we have nowadays. The older 'English' sticks had a longer bend, making it very hard to use the stick on the reverse. For this reason players now use the tight curved sticks. The handle makes up the about the top third of the stick. It is wrapped in a grip similar to that used on tennis racket. The grip may be made of a variety of materials, including chamois leather, which many players think improves grip in the wet. It was recently discovered that increasing the depth of the face bow made it easier to get high speeds from the drag flick and made the stroke easier to execute. At first, after this feature was introduced, the Hockey Rules Board placed a limit of 50 mm on the maximum depth of bow over the length of the stick but experience quickly demonstrated this to be excessive. New rules now limit this curve to less than 25 mm so as to limit the power with which the ball can be flicked.
The ball is spherical, hard and made of plastic sometimes over a cork core and is often covered with indentations to reduce hydroplaning that can cause an inconsistent ball speed on wet surfaces.
Many players wear mouth guards to protect teeth and gums from impacts from the ball or stick. Some local rules require their use. Many players also wear shin guards, and again these may be required equipment in some areas. Many players wear Astor gloves: a padded glove which is designed to protect hands from abrasion from contact with the ground especially that of sand-based Astor pitches and some even protect against impact from a ball or a stick. A few competitions require goggles to protect the eyes. Defenders may sometimes use short corner masks; these are designed to reduce the impact of a drag flick from short corners, though they do not provide guaranteed protection.
The 2007 rulebook has seen major changes regarding goalkeepers. A fully equipped goalkeeper must wear a helmet, leg guards and kickers. Usually they wear extensive additional protective equipment including chest guards, padded shorts, heavily padded hand protectors, groin protectors, neck guards, arm guards, and like all players, must carry a stick. However, such a player may not cross the 23 m line, the sole exception to this being if the goalkeeper is to take a penalty stroke at the other end of the field, when the clock is stopped. The goalkeeper can also remove their helmet for this action. However, if the goalkeeper elects to wear only a helmet and a different colored shirt, they may cross the 23 m line if they have removed their helmet and placed it safely off the field of play. If play returns to the circle without them having opportunity to replace the helmet, this player still has "goalkeeping privileges", that is, they are not limited to using their stick to play the ball whilst it is in the circle. The helmet must be worn whilst defending penalty corners and penalty strokes.
It is now also possible for teams to have a full eleven outfield players and no goalkeeper at all. No player may wear a helmet or other goalkeeping equipment, nor will any player be able to play the ball other than with their stick. This may be used to offer a tactical advantage, or to allow for play to commence if no goalkeeper or kit is available. Purchase OlympicHockey Tickets from Global Ticket Market at very inexpensive rates. Olympic Tickets of all types are available at Global Ticket Market. Buy any of OlympicTickets including Olympic Hockey Tickets from Global Ticket Market in easy and secure way and at cheap rates.
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