7 laws of Hockey

Hockey passing
Moving the ball can cause more trouble than running with it

#3 The passer is free 9 times out of 10

Passer hockey
The passer is often left unattended

Go ahead and observe this law during your next game or practice. You will be pleasantly surprised to see how true this law is. It is indeed surprising that teams don't take maximum advantage of this law, and end up getting into trouble time and time again.


#4 Attack from the right, score from the left

Teun de Nooijer
Teun de Nooijer was known for his effective play down the left

This is a powerful concept and is employed diligently by the top-tier teams. Many key field goals, in matches of critical importance, have been initiated from a pass by the right-in, floating in and making space for the leading centre-forward.

There is always room for some flexibility in this law. Teams that have a strong left-in prefer to attack from the left. For example Pakistan with left-in Shahbaz Ahmed in the 1994 Sydney World Cup, and Teun de Nooijer of Netherlands in recent times.

Cross-sport Example: In the 1962 and 1990 Men's World Cup Football finals, the winning goals in both finals came through the usage of the above law. Same was the case in the 2007 Women's World Cup football final in China, where Germany scored the winning field goal against Brazil using this law and went on to become the first team to repeat as Women's World Cup football champions.

Quick Links