The New Field Hockey Self - Pass Rule

The new self pass rule is coming this fall to high school field hockey play.
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What is it? Yes I know a lot of you have never heard about this new rule. I believe this to be an amazingly good rule.

The self-pass rule was designed to make to game of field hockey more fluid and much faster paced. As many people that have not watched or played much field hockey will tell you,http://www.edna.tv/elgg/pg/blog/7e1q...ay-fashionista, the two things they notice the most are there are a lot or rules and there are even more whistles stopping in the game.

The reason for so many rules is for safety and this new rule is being interdicted to help lower the stops in the game.

At meetings towards the end of 2008, the FIH Executive Board agreed on proposals from the Hockey Rules Board for rule changes in 2009.

One of the changes focuses on a “self-pass” from a free hit. In essence,http://dominio########.com.br/hell/pg/bl...ion-fashionist, this enables the player taking the free hit to play the ball again after taking the free hit. This will encourage free-flowing hockey. An associated rule change will stop attacking free hits taken inside the 23 meters area from being played directly and potentially dangerously into the circle. Both changes will be introduced as mandatory experimental rules with effect from 1 May 2009 for international hockey and was soon adopted at the collage level.

It is never easy to introduce a new rule to such an old sport,http://myprcagent.com/blog/tootwo43/788083/Nordstrom+Rack+Opens+in+New+York+City+Tomorrow%26a mp%3B%238211%3BWi.html, nor is it easy to coach it when so many people aren’t aware of the change or what it means.

The long and short of it is that if you are awarded a free hit you can pass the ball to yourself. You must first make sure you stop the ball completely and then with a separate movement make a passing motion, were you can collect the ball and move on with it.

The ball must move 7 yards before you play it off to another player, and there is more to it than just this. The free hit rules change depending on where you are on the field, so I have added a link to a video that I think explains it very well.

I for one can’t wait for the new rule to be as common as dribbling the ball or driving the ball. With time it will be an every day part of the wonderful game of field hockey. I know with the high school team I coach and my travels team that this will only help make the game be played at a much faster pace, with many more scoring opportunities. This in turn will help the game grow at all levels and that is what every coach including myself works so hard for.


About The Author
Coach Ken Humphreys is head coach of 3 Lions Field Hockey in Virginia, serving Prince William County, Fauquier County,http://theconservativeconnection.net...own-the-comple, and Loudon County. Coach Ken has been playing and coaching field hockey for over 25 years and is a Level I Coach with the English Hockey Association. His coaching has taken place in 3 different countries, has included men and women between the ages of 6 to 54, and has covered every surface from indoor to water based astro turf.