LADIES’ HOCKEY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 June 1939, Page 8

LADIES’ HOCKEY

ADVICE TO PLaVERS WHAT RECRUITS SHOULD KNOW. ILLEGALITY OF TURNING ON BALL. (BY LES. M. MURPHY) (Wellington Ladies’ Hockey Critic.) Today’s hockey article is confined to the illegality of turning on the ball, faults in hitting, advice to half-backs, one-handed play and art of deception. In hockey of high standard, such as was exemplified in this country last season by the Indians and Englishwomen’s touring' teams, the illegality of turning on the ball is seldom seen in its crudest form. Modern umpiring is far too good and strict to suffer it. But lower down the scale, where ignorance on the part of players and umpiring go together, this illegality is seen at its worst. For the benefit of those who need enlightenment I will briefly explain what turning on the ball really is. When two players are facing each other, each with her back to her own goal, and with the ball between them, one turns so as to present her back to her opponent, as to be between the latter and the ball, that constitutes turning on the ball, which is wholesome obstruction. So long as she is facing her opponents’ goal, a player is safe from the illegality but not from other forms of obstruction. Turning on the ball, if legitimate, would ruin the game by intro-' ducing weight as an asset and roughness as an element. It would 'destroy the cleanness and cleverness that is the charm of the game. In hockey of top class this particular foul invariably takes the form of a half turn. So quickly is it achieved that only the trained eye would detect anything amiss. A forward will dribble the ball up to a halfback and, just as she reaches her. will make a half-turn to the right, with the object of passing the ball that way. thus interposing her left shoulder and left side in a manner constituting an obstruction. This is one of many ways in which players can be guilty of illegality.

Advice to Half-Backs.

Halves and full-backs possess a dangerous practice of retreating before the forwards instead of going to tackle them. By. retreating, they hope to get a move favourable tackle or else to chance on some blunder of their opponents. This retreating is invariably a fatal mistake. It allows the attack to come nearer the circle, whereas the object of the defence should be to keep it as far out of the circle as possible. My best advice is to go and meet the oncoming forwards, tackle them at once, remembering that attack is the best form of defence. If you do miss your opponent at the first attempt, you will have another chance. But so long as you keep on delaying your tackle so long will you not have a chance of so doing. Faults in Hitting., With little care and commonsense many faulty hits can be avoided. For example, if you take your'eye off the ball, you will miss-hit it, or if dribbling, you will over-run 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 other side. If you dribble 100 much on your own you will probably spoil the combination of your forward line and get an unenviable reputation for selfishness. If you indulge in gallery play you will demonstrate your cleverness, but you will not by any means be benefiting your side, most of whom will probably be mentally castigating you. So you will see from the above “ifs” that there is much to be avoided in the game to make a successful player. One-Handed Play. Although some players with particularly strong wrists can control the ball well 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 control. By one-handed play it is not intended to induce you to lunge and thrust and cut. Far from it. What I really mean is the dribbling or hitting the ball on the.right side with fhe stick held in the right hand only, in preference- to both hands. The fact that one-handed play is not often seen in good play is the best argument against it. I am pleased to state that in the senior grades in Wellington I have seldom had cause in my experience as a newspaper critic of ladies’ hockey, to check players on this point. But it is a common fault of inferior hockey, and in the case of some players, is simply gallery play. Players who persistently indulge in such type of plaj' are not an asset to their team. 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. There is nothing mean about such deception. Some experienced senior players in Wellington deceive opponents cleverly by this means. It calls for quick thinking and action. “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 defnec 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, no matter the grade, bristles with such and similar instances of doing the obvious thing.

(To be continued next Monday.)