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The student news site of Clayton High School.

The Globe

The student news site of Clayton High School.

The Globe

Field hockey stroke explained

Watching a sport that seems foreign or alien is never an easy thing to do.

Sports ranging from field hockey to equestrian have skills and techniques that are known by players, but are rarely known by the average spectator.

One of the more confusing skills for spectators seems to be the stroke in field hockey. With players committing violations on strokes regularly the technique behind a proper stroke is something that confuses many people including players.

For those who do not know, a stroke is the field hockey equivalent to a penalty kick in soccer. Like penalty kicks, strokes are often used to decide the fate of a tied game after over time has ended in a draw.

Strokes can also be awarded during regulation for rule infractions. Similar to soccer, the ball is placed at a set distance, which for a stroke is seven yards from the goal line. This is, however, where the similarities end.

During strokes, the restrictions on what needs to be done and when are relatively simple. The shooter is required to stand a stick length from the ball to start the stroke and they are not allowed to make noise while shooting. In between standing a stick length away from the ball and focusing on not making any noise you are allowed to take as many steps as you want to.

“I stand a stick length away from the ball and do a crossover step following the referee’s whistle,” senior captain Anna Krane said. “After their crossover step I drop their right shoulder while staying low to the ground in order to lift the ball.”

While the shooters are doing all of this the goalie is lined up behind the goal line motionless like a statue. Upon the referee’s whistle the goalie comes to life stepping up in order to cut down on the angle.

With both the goalie and shooter having to focus on what is at hand the number of possible violations to no help. A stroke is blown down or stopped if the shooter makes any backwards movements prior to the whistle, the shooter makes noise while shooting, your teammates making noise after the other teams shooter has come set or if the goalie is in front of the line, or moves before the whistle.

This large list of infractions is the reason that so many strokes are being blown down.

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Field hockey stroke explained