Two New Sports

Underwater Hockey

Underwater Hockey—also called Octopush—is a globally played limited-contact sport where two teams compete to maneuver a puck across the bottom of a swimming pool into the opposing team's goal by propelling it with a pusher.  It’s like regular hockey only it’s done underwater.

It originated in England in 1954 when Alan Blake, the founder of the newly formed South sea Sub-Aqua Club, invented the game he called Octopush as a means of keeping the club's members interested and active over the cold winter months when open-water diving lost its appeal. Underwater Hockey is now played worldwide, with CMAS as the world governing body. The first Underwater Hockey World Championship was held in Canada in 1980 after a false start in 1979 brought about by international politics and apartheid.

Knowing the Game

Two teams of up to ten players compete, with six players in each team in play at any one time. The remaining four players are continually substituted into play from a substitution area, which may be on deck or in the water outside the playing area, depending on tournament rules.

Before the start of play the puck is placed in the middle of the pool, and the players wait in the water while touching the wall above the goal they are defending. At the start-of-play signal (usually a buzzer or a gong) in-play members of both teams are free to swim anywhere in the play area and try to score by moving the puck into the opponents' goal. Players hold their breath as they dive to the bottom of the pool. Play continues until either a goal is scored, when players return to their wall to start a new point, or a break in play is signaled by a referee (whether due to a foul, a time-out, or the end of the period of play).

Game-play

Games consist of two halves of typically ten to fifteen minutes (depending on tournament rules; 15 minutes at World Championship tournaments) and a short half-time interval of usually three minutes. At half time the two teams switch ends.

A typical playing formation is 3-3 (three offensive players or forwards, and three defensive players or backs) of which 3-2-1 (three forwards, two mid-fielders and a back) is a variation. Other options include 2-3-1 (i.e., two forwards, three mid-fielders, and a back), 1-3-2, or 2-2-2. Formations are generally very fluid and are constantly evolving with different national teams being proponents of particular tweaks in formations, such as New Zealand with their 'box' (2-1-2-1) formation. As important to tournament teams' formation strategy is the substitution strategy - substitution errors might result in a foul (too many players in the play area) that can result in a player from the offending team being sent out, or a tactical blunder (with too few defenders in on a play).

There are a number of penalties described in the official Underwater Hockey rules, ranging from the use of the stick against something (or someone) other than the puck, playing or stopping the puck with something other than the stick, and "blocking" (interposing one's self between a team-mate who possesses the puck and an opponent; one is allowed to play the puck, but not merely block opponents with one's body). If the penalty is minor, referees award an advantage puck - the team that committed the foul is pushed back 3 meters from the puck, while the other team gets free possession. For major penalties, such as a dangerous pass (e.g. striking an opponent's head) or intentional or repeated fouls, the referees may eject players for a specified period of time or the remainder of the game. A defender committing a serious foul sufficiently close to his own goal may be penalized by the award of a penalty shot, or a penalty goal to the fouled player's team. Since this is an underwater sport, surface spectators may be unaware of just how physical Underwater Hockey is.

Often players who are most successful in this game are strong swimmers, have a great ability to hold and recover their breath, and are able to produce great speed underwater whilst demonstrating learned skills in puck control. It is also important that they are able to work well with their team members and take full advantage of their individual skills.

Equipment

Players wear a diving mask, snorkel and fins, and carry in one (either) hand a short stick for playing the puck. A full list of equipment is given below:

 

Swimwear

There are usually no restrictions on swimwear, however, baggy style trunks or shorts are not recommended as they reduce speed and increase drag in the water. Typical swimwear is swim briefs for male players and one-piece swimsuits for female players.

 

Mask

A diving mask is used for several reasons:

• Players can equalize their ears as the nose is covered
• Unlike swim goggles a mask sits outside the eye's orbit, reducing the effects of any impact on the mask
• Improved underwater visibility

A low-volume mask with minimal protrusion from the face reduces the likelihood of the mask being knocked, causing it to leak or flood and temporarily blind the player. In line with the rules any masks must have two lenses since a single lens mask poses a significant safety hazard in the event that an unfortunately placed puck should hit (and possibly pass through) the lens. A variety of webbing strap designs are available to replace the original head strap with a non-elastic strap that further reduces the chances of the player being de-masked.

Snorkel

A snorkel enables players to watch the progress of the game without having to remove their head from the water to breathe. This allows them to keep their correct position on the surface, ready to resume play once they have recovered. In order to maximize the efficiency of breathing and reduce drag underwater they are often short and wide bore, with or without a drain valve. They must not be rigid or have any unnecessarily acute edges or points.

Fins

Fins allow the player to swim faster through the water. A wide range of fins are used in the sport but large plastic/rubber composite fins or smaller, stiffer fiber glass or carbon fiber fins are commonplace at competitions. Once again they must have no unnecessarily acute or sharp edges, nor buckles.

Stick

The stick (also referred to as a 'bat' or 'pusher') is relatively short (according to recent rules, not more than 350mm including the handle) and is colored white or black to indicate the player's team. The stick may only be held in one hand, which is usually determined by the player's handedness, although players may swap hands during play. The shape of the stick may affect playing style and is often a very personal choice. A wide variety of stick designs are allowed within the constraints of the rules of the game, the principal rules being that the stick must fit into a box of 100x50x350mm and that the stick must not be capable of surrounding the puck or any part of the hand.

A rule concerning the minimum radius of edges tries to address the risk that the stick might become more of a weapon than a playing tool. Sticks may be made of wood or plastics; rules that previously required sticks to be homogeneous have been superseded, although they usually are. Many players of UWH manufacture their own sticks to their preferred shape and style, although there are increasingly more mass-produced designs to suit the majority (such as Bentfish, Britbat, CanAm, Dorsal, Stingray etc.).

Puck

The puck is approximately the size of an ice hockey puck but is made of lead or similar material (Adult size weighs 3 lb (1.3-1.5 kg), Junior 1¾ lb (800-850 g)) and is surrounded by a plastic covering, which is usually matched to the pool bottom to facilitate good grip on the stick face while preventing excessive friction on the pool bottom. The puck's weight brings it to rest on the pool bottom, though can be lofted during passes.

Hat

Safety gear includes ear protection, usually in the form of a water polo cap to protect the eardrums and as a secondary indicator of the player's team (colored black/blue/dark or white/pale as appropriate). Water referees should wear red hats.

Glove

A glove should be worn on the playing hand to protect against pool-bottom abrasion and, in some designs, for protection against puck impact on knuckles and other vulnerable areas - no rigid protection is permitted though. Players may choose to wear a protective glove on both hands, either as additional protection from the pool bottom or, for ambidextrous players, to switch the stick between hands mid-play. A glove used in competition must be a contrasting color to the wearer's stick, but not orange which is reserved for referees' gloves.

 

Referee

Refereeing the game are two (or three) water referees (i.e. in the pool with full snorkeling gear, and preferably wearing a distinctive red cap, orange gloves and golden yellow shirt) to observe and referee play at the pool bottom, and one or more poolside deck referees to track time (both in the period and for each ejected player), maintain the score, and call fouls (such as excessive number of players in play, failure to start a point from the end of the playing area, or another foul capable of being committed at or noticed at the surface).

The deck (chief) referee responds to hand signals given by the water referees to start and stop play, including after an interruption such as a foul or time-out, or indeed to stop play if he himself sees a rule infringement.

 

Fistball

Fistball is a sport of European origin. It is similar to volleyball in that players try to hit a ball over a net. The current men's fistball World Champion is Germany, winners of both the 2011 World Championships and the fistball category at the 2013 World Games.

 

Game-play

Fistball is a team sport in which two teams compete against each other on two half-fields, similar to volleyball. They are separated by a center line and a net stretched between two posts up to two meters in height. If the net or posts are touched by either a player or the ball during play, this is considered an error.

 

Each team consists of five players, with players trying to play the ball across the net from one half of the field of play to the opponents' half – using only their arm or closed fist (unlike in volleyball where open hands are allowed) – in a way in which the opponents cannot return it. After clearing the net, the ball may be contacted up to three times by the five players on each team – with a bounce being permissible before each contact (also unlike in volleyball where no bounce is allowed), but no repeat hits by any individual player within the three attempts. Similar to volleyball, the three hits are ideally used to save, set and spike the ball back into the opponents half, in that order.

 

Scoring

The game is played for points and sets. If a team cannot return the ball or makes an error, the other team gets a point. The team that lost the last point or committed the last error makes the next service. A set ends when one team has scored 11 points and is at least 2 points in the lead (i.e. at least 11:9). If the score reaches 10:10, play will be extended automatically until one of the teams takes the lead by 2, or is the first to win 15 points (scores may therefore end 15-14). The number of winning sets varies depending on the game class, but is generally played to best of five or three.

In some cases, set results are limited by time, and this can be common in large tournaments for organizational purposes.

 

 

Errors

The most important errors (i.e. points to the opposing team) are as follows:

• The ball or a player touches the net or post.
• The ball touches the ground outside the court.
• The ball touches the ground twice in a row without any contact by a player in between.
• The ball is played on the side of the post past or below the net into the opponent's box.
• More than three players on a team to touch the ball during a game turn.
• A player touches the ball a second time within a turn.
• The ball touches a part of the body other than the upper or lower arm or fist. For example, the ball cannot touch the head, foot, or open palm of the hand.
• A player's first grounding foot lands over the service line on a serve.

 

Field

Dimensions of an outdoor fistball field

Fistball is not a seasonal sport. In summer (field season), it is played outside on a grass or turf sports field (field size 50 x 20 m). In winter (indoor season) is played in an indoor sports hall, and generally an already existing handball court is used as a playing field (field size 40 x 20 m). In the hall, the ball has a more controlled bounce than on grass, which has an effect on the game tactics. In addition, in the hall, any wall contact by the ball is an error.

In outdoor fistball, the field size is 50 m long x (25 x 20 m per half-field) by 20 m wide. In indoor fistball, the field size is 40 m long (20 x 20 m per half-field) by 20 m wide. Since the indoor field size corresponds with the regular size of a handball field, the existing external lines are usually used. The service line is 3 m away from the center line. The server's stationery foot (for standing serves) or first landing foot (for jumping serves) must be completely behind this line when serving. The boundary lines belong to the field, i.e. when the ball touches the line, this is not an error and play will continue.

The playing field is divided in half by a 5 cm wide ribbon-like red and white net. It is held above the center line between two posts, its upper edge is located at 2 m height (men) and 1.90 m (women).

For the D-Youth (under 12), the height is 1.60 m, the C-youth (under 14 years) 1.80 m. The field also includes a run-off area, which when playing outdoors is 8 m to the rear and 6 m on the sides. For indoor play, run-off areas are limited by the wall or stands, but are generally a minimum of 1 m to the rear and 0.5 m at the sides.

The field dimensions given are for adult players, as youth fields are generally smaller.

Ball

A standard fistball is hollow, filled with air and is made of leather. It must be inflated evenly until it is round and taut. For indoor fistball games, and for different weather conditions in outdoor fistball games, players can use trade association-approved balls with different surfaces (for example, natural leather, plastic coating, rubberized surface).

The weight of a ball can vary between 320-350 g (females) and 350-380 g (males). Its scope must be 65–68 cm, and its air pressure from 0.55 to 0.75 bar. It is thus as hard as a soccer ball (0.6-0.7 bar) and harder than a volleyball (0.29 to 0.32 bar). In physical size, it is similar to a soccer ball or a volleyball.

The right to select the game ball is determined by lot before the game and replaced after each set. Increasingly, uniform balls are outlined and provided by the organizers to ensure equal opportunity for all teams participating at international championships.

The ball can often be spiked at speeds of up to 100–120 km / h.

 

Formation

 Formations used for outdoor (A) and indoor (B)

In contrast to volleyball, where the players rotate and assume a different position after each change of service, in fistball each player has a fixed position. While players can rotate into different positions during a game, this is rather unusual, as each player is a specialist in his or her position. Another difference from volleyball is that a fistball playing field is much larger, and fistball teams have less players on the field at one time than volleyball teams, and therefore fistball players are required to cover much more space during play. The main reason for these differences is due to the fact that the ball can bounce once between each player's hit, resulting in differing strategies to volleyball.

Depending on playing conditions (hardwood or grass, wet ground etc.), formations can change.

Team A shows the typical formation for outdoor play on grass ( W-shape ). The setter covers the front middle to be ready for short balls (e.g. drop shots) played by the opposition. However, as he or she is in the middle, they also need to be prepared for hard attacking shots played through the middle by the opposition, and quick reflexes are required to be able to defend these.

Team B shows the typical formation for indoor play on hardwood ( U-shape ). As the bounce of the ball indoors is more predictable, short balls are not as effective. Therefore, the setter moves to the rear foul line to assist on defense. However, he or she will be required to constantly run, as they will need to consistently run to the front after each defense in order to set the ball for the attackers.

At international levels, outdoor fistball is also played in the U-shape, mainly due to the better defenses that it can provide against fast and powerful attacking shots. The players playing at this level are required to have significant speed and fitness in order to cover the ground for both defending and attacking hits.

Another formation option, although rare, is the V-shape. This is generally used when playing on wet grass. In this case the setter stands behind the baseline and the two defensive players move diagonally inwards to form a V shape. As an attacking shot hit on wet grass tends to slip more and bounce less, this formation gives teams more chance to get underneath the bounce of the ball to hit it upward in return.

Substitutions may be anywhere at any position field, but only before that team is about to serve, during a time out, between sets, or whenever the referee has stopped play.

 

Referees

A fistball game is controlled by a referee, who is assisted by two linesmen.

The referee has sole decision-making power. He or she makes the final decision on all points or errors. Since the linesmen are relatively far away from the referee, he or she is also responsible for observing the sidelines on his side of the field.

The linesmen are stationed in the opposite corners of the field from the referee, and use flags to signal their calls. Their task is to make judgment on line calls, similar to a soccer linesman. The observation area of the two linesmen is dependent on which of the two teams is currently attacking and which is defending. The linesman on the attacking side is responsible for the entire sideline to the end, and therefore he or she turns to face the side line. The linesman on the defending side is level with the base line and is therefore solely responsible for observing that line. The linesmen change their observation areas as the play changes between attack and defense.

In addition to displaying off balls (flag held upwards) or good balls (flag held downwards) the referee is used to rule violations or other important game situations, such as substitutions, injuries, unsportsmanlike conduct etc.