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.
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
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.
