Drag flick (field hockey)
Encyclopedia
In field hockey
, the drag flick is a specialist scoring shot usually played as a set piece during penalty corner
s, that appeared in the 1990s. It was introduced to the outdoor game by Dutch
international Taco van den Honert
in the summer of 1992, after a change in the penalty corner rules permitting shots higher than 45 cm. Drag flicks had already been used in indoor hockey prior to 1992, as no hitting is allowed in this form of hockey.
The action involves a player crouching low down next to the ball and picking it up on the shaft of the hockey stick
. The ball is then pushed along the ground whilst the stick is moving with a 'slinging' action. This serves to accelerate the ball, which is eventually released in a goalwards direction, often raised.
Drag flicks are especially common during penalty corners, and are used as a variant to the 'straight shot' or hit. The main difference between the drag flick and the hit is that the drag flick is classified in the rules of field hockey, as a push, which are allowed to be raised higher from a penalty corner first shot. This has created a controversy, as drag flicks, although being allowed to be lifted at goals (and consequently the defenders within the goal), are often nearly as powerful as a hit. This leads to danger and a high risk of injuries.
The differentiation to a simple flick is that for drag-flicking the player accelerates the ball from behind, leveraging the ball past his body and thus achieving a higher speed. Flicks are often used to quickly transfer the ball to an attacker when defence inhibits a flat pass. Besides, the technique of drag-flicking is not easy to perform when the ball is moving.
As drag flicks have become more popular, specialist hockey sticks have been designed to complement the slinging action of the shot. These sticks are notable for their 'bow' or curve. An example of this would be hockey equipment manufacturer Grays International
's Jumbow and Megabow range, which featured sticks from their GX series with greatly increased curvature. In 2005, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) limited the possible size of 'bows' allowed in international competitions which is now limited to 25 mm. The reason for this was that sticks with extravagant bows began to emerge. This led to dangerous levels of power being generated. (see Field Hockey#Equipment).
However, there have been recent calls for further changes to the FIH rulings. The FIH official rules states that a bow's maximum curvature from a rest position can be no more than 25 mm. To traverse this, many top stick manufacturers began to build sticks with one significantly heavier edge than the other, thus, when the stick was put at rest, it tilted to one side, reducing the measure curvature. Using this loophole, many stick manufacturers have produced sticks that have bows much greater than 25 mm, sometimes even exceeding 35 mm.
Along with changes in stick topography, as the drag flick became more prolific, it introduced the specialist drag flicker into a hockey team. In some cases, the drag flicker was not even part of the standard team but was substituted for a field player whenever a team was awarded a penalty corner. As soon as the penalty corner was over, the substitution was reversed. Because of this, it is now disallowed to substitute whenever a penalty corner situation is in effect, except for an injured goal keeper, who may be substituted at any time. Calum Giles
(GB) was noted for being the best drag-flicker during this time, scoring 110 goals in 143 caps. Most national teams have a flicking expert within their sides, with some notable figures including Sohail Abbas
of Pakistan, Jugraj Singh
of India, Taeke Taekema
from the Netherlands, Troy Elder
hailing from Australia and Hayden Shaw
of New Zealand.
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, the drag flick is a specialist scoring shot usually played as a set piece during penalty corner
Penalty corner (field hockey)
The penalty corner or short corner is a special and important phase in the development of a field hockey match.Also called "PC" or simply "penalty", it is awarded to the offending team when the defending team committed a foul in its circle or a particularly bad foul in its defending quarter...
s, that appeared in the 1990s. It was introduced to the outdoor game by Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
international Taco van den Honert
Taco van den Honert
Taco Hajo van den Honert is a former field hockey player from The Netherlands, who represented his native country in three consecutive Summer Olympics ....
in the summer of 1992, after a change in the penalty corner rules permitting shots higher than 45 cm. Drag flicks had already been used in indoor hockey prior to 1992, as no hitting is allowed in this form of hockey.
The action involves a player crouching low down next to the ball and picking it up on the shaft of the hockey stick
Field hockey stick
In field hockey, each player carries a stick and cannot take part in the game without it. The stick is usually between 36" and 38" long and traditionally made of wood but now almost all the more expensive sticks are composite, that is made of a number of materials...
. The ball is then pushed along the ground whilst the stick is moving with a 'slinging' action. This serves to accelerate the ball, which is eventually released in a goalwards direction, often raised.
Drag flicks are especially common during penalty corners, and are used as a variant to the 'straight shot' or hit. The main difference between the drag flick and the hit is that the drag flick is classified in the rules of field hockey, as a push, which are allowed to be raised higher from a penalty corner first shot. This has created a controversy, as drag flicks, although being allowed to be lifted at goals (and consequently the defenders within the goal), are often nearly as powerful as a hit. This leads to danger and a high risk of injuries.
The differentiation to a simple flick is that for drag-flicking the player accelerates the ball from behind, leveraging the ball past his body and thus achieving a higher speed. Flicks are often used to quickly transfer the ball to an attacker when defence inhibits a flat pass. Besides, the technique of drag-flicking is not easy to perform when the ball is moving.
As drag flicks have become more popular, specialist hockey sticks have been designed to complement the slinging action of the shot. These sticks are notable for their 'bow' or curve. An example of this would be hockey equipment manufacturer Grays International
Grays International
Grays International is a sporting goods manufacturing company, based in Cambridge, England. The company was founded in 1855 by rackets champion H. J...
's Jumbow and Megabow range, which featured sticks from their GX series with greatly increased curvature. In 2005, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) limited the possible size of 'bows' allowed in international competitions which is now limited to 25 mm. The reason for this was that sticks with extravagant bows began to emerge. This led to dangerous levels of power being generated. (see Field Hockey#Equipment).
However, there have been recent calls for further changes to the FIH rulings. The FIH official rules states that a bow's maximum curvature from a rest position can be no more than 25 mm. To traverse this, many top stick manufacturers began to build sticks with one significantly heavier edge than the other, thus, when the stick was put at rest, it tilted to one side, reducing the measure curvature. Using this loophole, many stick manufacturers have produced sticks that have bows much greater than 25 mm, sometimes even exceeding 35 mm.
Along with changes in stick topography, as the drag flick became more prolific, it introduced the specialist drag flicker into a hockey team. In some cases, the drag flicker was not even part of the standard team but was substituted for a field player whenever a team was awarded a penalty corner. As soon as the penalty corner was over, the substitution was reversed. Because of this, it is now disallowed to substitute whenever a penalty corner situation is in effect, except for an injured goal keeper, who may be substituted at any time. Calum Giles
Calum Giles
Calum Giles is a former Great Britain olympic field hockey player, who competed in the British squad at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney...
(GB) was noted for being the best drag-flicker during this time, scoring 110 goals in 143 caps. Most national teams have a flicking expert within their sides, with some notable figures including Sohail Abbas
Sohail Abbas
Sohail Abbas is a field hockey defender and penalty corner specialist from Pakistan. He is the highest scorer of goals in Hockey breaking Dhyan Chand's record 274 goals for the most goals scored in international competition, with his current goal tally at 328...
of Pakistan, Jugraj Singh
Jugraj Singh
Jugraj Singh, born in 1983 to a Sikh family in Punjab. A self coached drag-flicker who became a youth icon for anybody who ever followed Indian Hockey or Hockey in general. Iconic drag flicker’, young face of the India hockey team’, the spirit of Indian hockey and brave fighter’ are synonymous for...
of India, Taeke Taekema
Taeke Taekema
Taeke Wiebe Doekes Taekema is a Dutch field hockey player and drag flicker who won the silver medal with the national squad at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens...
from the Netherlands, Troy Elder
Troy Elder
Troy Elder OAM is a field hockey striker and midfielder from Australia, who was a member of the Men's National Team that won the golden medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens...
hailing from Australia and Hayden Shaw
Hayden Shaw
Hayden Jonathan Shaw is a field hockey player from New Zealand, who earned his first cap for the national team, nicknamed The Black Sticks, in 2002 against Australia. He has played for HC 's-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands.Shaw is often involved in penalty corner set moves and can perform a drag...
of New Zealand.
External links
- Planetfieldhockey.com - Article discussing history of drag flicking and impact
- Field Hockey Forum - A discussion about the difference in the Drag-Flick and Hitting skills