The play formally known as “The Circle Free Hit”

Australia v Germany – 2006 – Monchengladbach

What’s wrong with this picture? Seldom has the attacking circle free hit been captured by a photographers lens quite so well and this example highlights the reasoning behind the change in rules for the attacking 25. As seen above, this play involved both Germany and Australia in a pre-World Cup Test Match at Monchengladbach, Germany, in 2006. Both these teams went on to make the final of the ’06 World Cup in what is well know as one of the greatest finals ever played in the modern game.

So if this was the state of play for the very elite, and we are talking about extremely talented players who train every day that…

From an attacking view point; execute powerful, flat hits into the circle for team mates who are experts at deflecting, trapping and manipulating defensive units…

And from a defensive view point; commit to a tough, well organised defensive unit that mark, screen, block and pressurise the attacking team into error’s both forced and unforced…

Then one can only imagine the risks associated with these set ups at lower levels the World over. So, we think the question is not was FIH right in changing the rule, but are they correct in implementing the rules they have in the attacking 25? We approached staff writer and Kookaburra Rob Hammond to get his thoughts…

So Rob, having played Internationally for 9 years, what are your thoughts on the past 3 1/2 months with the implementation of the new rules?

My experience with the new rules extends longer than that,  back to April in fact as we played the AHL in Australia with the new rules a month before they became mandatory at the top level. At first, my opinion was that this rule was not a suitable answer, as the ball rarely travelled into the attacking circle from these free hit situations. Players were not sure what to do, tactics were not thought through and the defensive team easily controlled the opposition. Adding to this was the fact that the attacking team was greatly penalised by having to bring the ball back outside the 5 meter arc which allowed the defensive team more time to cover up. However, having now played with these new interpretations for a few months, my views are changing, at least at the elite level. To give you an insight into the Kookaburras, without giving away any secrets, we’ve been working hard on trying to create space on the circles edge to deflect the ball in, plus manipulating defence’s so the player taking the free hit can run the required 5 metres and feed the ball into the circle.

And are you getting better return’s from ACFH’s than prior to the rule change?

We’re finding that we can still get the ball into the critical zone as often as we used to through manipulating the space on the circle’s edge. Opposition teams are still trying to work out the best way to defend, so we do several things to maximise our ability to expose their weaknesses. One point that is valuable with the new rule is that it forces you change the point of attack from where the free hit originates, which means that by the time the ball enters the circle the opposition defence is usually shifting or sliding as well, so they are not settled, balanced and have to re-adjust their marking, tackling and interception lines. With the traditional rule teams would set up a mini wall 5 metres from the free-hit, and have their centre half and spare fullback/sweeper just behind this wall protecting the direct line to goal, which meant any balls into this area were generally intercepted. All in all the opportunity to win PC’s and generate goal scoring opportunities is roughly the same, but we’re seeing a much more clever twist to the players skills in doing so.

So where do you see this rule taking the game of hockey?

Well I can really only speak for the elite level, and I think the players involved internationally will adapt very well to the new rules. It will make players develop a better understanding of movement and angles in the attacking 25, plus force them to learn a greater array of skills, especially 3D skills, so they can dribble and attack the circle’s edge when auto-playing the free hit from the 5m arc. A really big positive from these rules, as I stated before, is that it changes the point of attack and therefore can create better penetration through other sections of the circle where the defenders are not grouped in such big numbers, which results in more goal shots and less of a “win a PC” mentality. In the end I think the approach for teams is to stop complaining about the slowing of the game in the attacking 25 as players now understand and expect to quickly return the ball to the 5m arc, and start focusing on how to use the new rules to there best advantage. We’ll see smarter players as a result, and not just “big-hitters” dominate the ACFH.

Ok, great insight Rob, keep us posted on how this all develops at the elite level. For the rest out there, what are your thoughts? Leave a comment below and tell us how this rule is changing your game.. Thanks for tuning in to G-Life!