Why is field hockey popular

From these origins sprung not only the formidable field hockey nations of India, Pakistan and Australia but the development of the game in over countries. As a result, field hockey became the second largest team sport in the world, after soccer.

Records show that as early as , clubs in Vancouver and on Vancouver Island were enjoying regular fixtures. Schools also started playing the game with the earliest record being a match played between a girls and boys team in at Vancouver High School. Field Hockey is now played and enjoyed right across Canada. Field hockey in BC is predominantly played within a thriving club structure.

A typical club consists of around three to six adult teams, although some will consist of only one team. A lot of clubs will have junior youth sections and provide opportunities at a multitude of differing age and ability levels.

Competitive opportunities lie in the form of senior and junior leagues that are tiered into divisions that reflect each level of play. Annual club, provincial and invitational tournaments complement league play and provide an extended opportunity to enjoy the game.

With the addition of new rules like the self pass, this has helped to improve the speed of the game allowing for less time for teams to setup and better flow of the game.

The advantage rule is also a great way to ensure play continues without stopping the game unnecessarily. With the ball travelling at high speeds it also adds an element of danger which is exciting and gets the adrenaline pumping. Hockey is one of the most physically demanding sports on the body. Players cover greater distances over a shorter period of time compared to most other team sports.

Hockey players are required to be fit, fast, strong, powerful, agile and perform many sprints throughout the game, often with little time to recover between each. Add this to the fact that the synthetic astroturf that hockey is played on is not as forgiving as other surfaces. Hockey is one of the most skilled based games. Most other sports only have a ball but using a stick requires a higher level of skill and co-ordination.

Think of some of the technical skills required such as hitting the ball, the tomahawk, overhead, push, slap, flick, dragflick, 3D skills, eliminating a player, dribbling with the ball, trapping the ball, etc. There is something about working together with others to achieve a common goal.

The Olympic Games is the greatest sporting event in the world. What more do I need to say? What other sport has such a high participation rate while not being known as a professional or high paid sport? It is the 3rd most popular sport in the world, only behind soccer and cricket both of which are professional. Everybody has their own reasons as to why certain sports are better than others. So, what makes field hockey so awesome outside of your time at camp?

There are tons of reasons we could be listing, but we decided to take our five favorites and detail them below. There are a number of various technical skills to be successful on the field, with a few being the tomahawk, overhead, push, slap, flick, and 3D skills.

The camaraderie is fantastic, and field hockey being a team sport ups the ante a bit.