Test your sporting knowledge! This is the second question in our sports quiz:
Are field hockey sticks always right-handed?
Answer: Yes!
When left-handed people learn to play field hockey they have to play shots that go against their dominate side. Why is this?
Each field hockey stick has a flat and a rounded side. Players must only use the flat side of the stick to hit the ball and this should face upwards. When anybody picks up a hockey stick for the first time, they will place their strong hand on the bottom of the stick, as your dominate hand generates the most power. The less powerful hand is placed at the top of the hockey stick to stabilise it.This makes the field hockey stick ‘more’ right-handed.
Why are there not custom-made left-handed hockey sticks? This is because a left-handed and a right-handed opposing player would risk being hit by the swing follow through when meeting head-on in a tackle for the ball using their dominate-handed field hockey stick (if a left-handed hockey stick was used by the left-handed player).This is less likely to happen if opposing players use the same dominant hand position. As most people are right-handed then playing with a left-handed stick is not permitted in field hockey matches.
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