Hockey, also known as field hockey, is really a team sport, wherein the objective of each and every team is to score points more than their opponents by guiding the ball into their goal. Like any other team sport, even hockey requires proper coordination between the players. And when it comes to coordination in this sport, it truly is important to possess the fundamental knowledge about the diverse field hockey positions, and their role inside the game. There are no specific positions in hockey, and a single player may have multiple roles based on the circumstances that prevail. For example, a player who plays as a defender may have to double up as a midfielder during the teams attack or a player playing as the midfielder may have to fall back and play as a defender during the oppositions counter-attack.

What are the Positions in Field Hockey?

Hockey positions determine as to which part of the field the player is supposed to play on, and what are the key responsibilities he is supposed to handle. Basically, you'll find 11 player positions in field hockey, and each of these have a specific role assigned to them. These positions include:GoalkeeperRight halfRight backLeft backLeft halfInner rightCenter halfInner leftRight wingCenter forwardLeft wingHockey Positions Explained

These field hockey player positions are categorized into three groups – the attacking positions, midfield positions and the defending positions. Given below are the details of every of these positions of field hockey.

Goalkeeper: One of the most important field hockey position, the goalkeeper is assigned the responsibility of guarding the goal. In order to do this, he can either use the hockey stick, the glove or even his entire body and block the shots attempted at the goal. Soon after he has blocked the shot successfully, he can use his feet to clear the ball off the sidelines. Considering that hockey is really a quite fast game, all these things tend to happen extremely fast. That getting said, the player playing as the goalkeeper has to be quite agile, and should have the ability to coordinate withe the fellow players playing within the defense line.

Defenders: In most of the cases, the teams field 4 players as a part of the team's defense – the right half, right back, left back and also the left half. Defense becoming among the most vital aspect of the game, the players playing in this position need to be agile, and more importantly have a good coordination using the goalkeeper. A single goal can cost the team the match, and therefore these players can't afford to do any mistakes. Defenders generally stress on man-to-man marking method, and therefore having 4 players inside the defense line is considered to be a significant advantage.

Midfielders: As far as midfield is concerned, three players are fielded in this region – the inner right, inner left as well as the center half. These players need to have an exceptional stamina, as they are expected to play in both the halves of the field. During the teams attack, they are expected to be in the opponents half, teaming up with all the attackers to form attacking strategies, and during the teams defense, they are expected to fall back, and help the defense in defending the goal.

Attackers: Generally, teams prefer fielding three players within the attacking position – the right wing, left wing along with the center forward. A player playing in any of these positions needs to have a good coordination with all the fellow attackers, as well as the midfielders. According to the new set of field hockey rules and regulations, there's no off side in the game, and this itself works as an advantage for the attackers, as they can take a strategical position in the opponents D area, waiting for the fellow players to create scoring opportunities.

This was fundamental data about the diverse field hockey positions, and also the key responsibilities of each and every of the players playing on these positions. Other than these positions, there are specialist positions like penalty corner specialists to take penalty corners, and sweepers to clear the ball within the D area. As a player, you also need to be well versed with various field hockey formations. Among the several formations in field hockey, 3-3-4, 2-4-4 and 3-4-3 are the most common. Having the basic Knowledge of player positions and formations in hockey is important as these aspects of the game play a vital role when it comes to the formulation of winning strategies of hockey.