OVER THE next 10 months, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) will try out a new penalty corner rule that, if eventually implemented, could spell the end for drag-flicks. The FIH also believes it could reduce the danger of defenders getting injured as they tend to rush towards the ball struck at up to 150 kmph when a drag-flick is executed.
According to the proposed rule, during a penalty corner, all attackers except the pusher at the backline must start at least 5 metres outside the striking circle – called the ‘D’. The ball must travel outside the 5m dotted line — which is beyond the ‘D’ — before it can be played back into the ‘D’ for a shot on goal, and give defenders more time to react to situations.
The current captain of the Indian hockey team, Harmanpreet Singh, is one of the fiercest drag-flickers in the world and if the rule change is introduced post the trials, a player like him may not be as impactful when it comes to goalscoring.
In a letter to national federations last week, the FIH said they “would like to conduct the trials between August 2023 and May 2024”. The proposed rule, hockey’s world governing body said, will be tried at a “small number of competitions around the world” in men’s and women’s senior, junior and masters hockey.
Based on the data and feedback, the FIH will decide whether to continue with the existing rule – wherein the attacking side starts at the edge of the ‘D’, a pusher pushes the ball, which has to be stopped just outside the ‘D’ before a shot can be taken at goal, either a hit or a drag-flick.
The FIH, however, has underlined that the rule change, if implemented, will be introduced only after the Paris Olympics next year.
The trials are likely to be held in domestic hockey
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