Field hockey rules, explained

What is field hockey?

Field hockey is a fast, flowing team sport in which two sides use hooked sticks to pass and shoot a small ball, trying to score in the opponent's goal. It rewards clean stick skills and quick passing over brute force, and it is one of the most widely played team sports in the world.

The game is especially big in the Netherlands, India, Australia, Argentina and England — all traditional powerhouses at Olympic and World Cup level — but it is also a common school and club sport well beyond those countries.

The pitch and equipment

• Pitch: about 91.4 m × 55 m, usually artificial turf rather than grass, which gives a truer, faster surface for passing.
• Stick: a hooked stick, traditionally wooden, now usually a wood-composite. It has a rounded side and a flat side.
• Ball: a small, hard plastic ball, similar in size to a cricket ball.
• Protective gear: mouthguards and shin guards are standard for outfield players; the goalkeeper wears a full kit of pads, helmet and kicker boots.

Players, positions and substitutions

A team fields 11 players: 10 outfield players plus 1 goalkeeper. Squads are larger than the starting 11, because field hockey allows rolling substitutions — players can be swapped in and out throughout the match, as often as a team likes, not just at fixed breaks.

The stick rule: flat side only, no feet or body

The single rule every beginner has to get used to: you may only hit or touch the ball with the flat (left) side of the stick — using the rounded side is a foul. Outfield players also cannot play the ball with their feet or any other part of the body; if the ball touches your foot, even by accident, it is usually given against you.

The goalkeeper is the exception: inside the shooting circle, the goalkeeper has special privileges and may use feet, pads and body to block and clear the ball, in addition to the stick.

How goals count: the shooting circle

This surprises a lot of newcomers: a shot does not have to go in from just anywhere. A goal only counts if an attacker plays or touches the ball inside the shooting circle — often called "the D" or the striking circle, a curved area marked out roughly 14.63 m (16 yards) from each goal. A powerful strike from outside the circle that flies straight in does not count as a goal.

Match duration: quarters or halves

Modern international matches are played in four quarters of about 15 minutes each, with short breaks between quarters. Many grassroots and older-format games still use the traditional structure of two halves of about 35 minutes each. Both formats are common, so it is worth checking which one applies before a match.

No offside in field hockey

Unlike football, there is no offside rule in field hockey — attackers are free to run in behind the last defender at any time. Field hockey did have an offside law once, but it was abolished in 1998, which opened the game up and made it faster and more attacking.

Restarts and penalties: free hits, corners and the stroke

Most stoppages restart with the ball placed on the ground and played from where the offence happened. The main restarts and penalties are:

• Free hit: awarded for the majority of fouls; the fouled team plays the ball from a stationary position.
• Long corner: awarded to the attacking side when the ball goes out over the back line off a defender's stick from outside the circle; play restarts from the corner of the pitch.
• Penalty corner ("short corner"): a set-piece awarded for a defensive infringement in or near the circle; the ball is played in from the back line for a shot at goal.
• Penalty stroke: a one-on-one shot taken from just 6.4 m (about 7 yards) directly against the goalkeeper, awarded for a foul that denies a likely goal.

Cards and discipline

Umpires use a progressive card system for increasingly serious offences:

• Green card: a formal warning for a minor offence.
• Yellow card: a temporary suspension — the player leaves the pitch for a set period (a "sin bin"), leaving their team a player short.
• Red card: a permanent send-off; the player takes no further part in the match and is not replaced.

Basic skills to know

These are the fundamentals every beginner learns first:

• Push pass: a low, accurate pass rolled off the flat side of the stick without lifting the ball — the most common way to move it between teammates.
• Hit: a full swinging strike used to shoot or clear the ball hard and far.
• Dribble: running with the ball close to the stick, using small touches to keep control while moving at speed.
• Reverse-stick: turning the stick over to play the ball on your backhand side — essential, since the rounded side of the stick can never be used.