FOR HOCKEY PLAYERS

Chronicle (Levin), 19 May 1949, Page 7

FOR HOCKEY PLAYERS

M.

Murphy)

Advice About Faulty Hitting And One-handed Play

(By Les.

Today's hockey article is confined to the illegality of turning on the ball, faults in hitting, advice to half-backs, one-handed play, anc art of deceotion. In hockey of a high standard, the illega'ity of turning on the bal is seldom seen in' its crudest form. Modern umpiring is far too good and strict to suffer it. When two players are facing each other, each with back to their own goal, anc with the ball between them, one lurns so as to present her back to ner opponenL, as to b'e between the '.atter and the ball constitutes turning on the bah, which is who-esome obstruction. So long as ihe is facing her opponents' goal, a player is safe from' the illegality mt not from other forms of obstruclion. Turning on the ball, if .egitimate, would ruin the game by introducing weight as an asset and roughness as an element. In hockey of top class this particular foul invariably takes the form of a ha f turn. A forward will dribble the ball up to a half-back and, just as ihe reaches her, will rnake a half turn to the right, whh the object oi passing the bal1 that way, thus interposing her ieft shoulder and left ide in a manner constituting an ■bstruction. This is one of many ways in which players can be guilty of illegality. For Half-backs. Halves and ful -backs possess a dangerous nractice of retreating uefore ihe forwards instead of going to tackie them. By retreating, they hope to get a more favourable tackie or else to chance on some blunder of their opponents. This retreating is invariably a fatal misfake. It allows the attack to come learer the circle, whereas the object of the defence shou'd be to keep it as far out of the" circle as possible. My best advice is to go and meet the oncopiing forwards, tackie them at once, rememberi.ng that attack is the best form of defence. Faults In Hitting. With little care and commonsense many faulty hits can be avoided. For example, if you take vour eye off the ball, you will misshit it, or if dribbhng, you will overrun it. If you hesitate to shoot

you will probably never shoot because an opponent will have time to prevent you and enable the opposition defence to get into position. If ,you try for an extra big hit you will probably give "sticks-' and a free hit or penalty corner, as the case might be, to the othei side. If ycu dribble too much on your own you will probably spoil the combination of your forward line and get an unenviable reputation for selfishness. One-handed Play. Although some p.ayers'with particulariy strong wrists can control the ball we 1 with one hand on a smooth ground, their example is not to be emulated. Play with both hands as much as possible — both are better than one and give more power and ccntrol. By one-hEnded play it is not intended to induce you to lunge and thrust and cut. Far from it. What I mean is dribbling or hitting the ball on the right side with the stick heM in the right hand only, in preference to both hands. The Obvious Thing. To be a success a player should practice the art of 'deception. She must lead her opponents to believe she is going to do one thing and then do something quite different. It calls for ouick thinking and acting. "Doing the obvious thing" is a very common weakness among the less experienced players. For instance, a centre forward will dribble the ball 'down the field, and by shaping to pass it to the right will draw the defence that way. So far so good, but having done this she proceeds to pass the ball to. the right instead of to the left, where the inside left is waiting unmarked. Every match bristles with such and similar instances of "doing the obvious thing. ■ (Continued Next Week)