Underwater hockey

Underwater hockey (also called Octopush) is a non-contact sport in which two teams compete in a swimming pool to maneuver a puck sliding across the bottom of the pool into the opponent's goal with a short stick.

Equipment

Glove-stick-puck_over.jpg

Players wear a diving mask, fins, and a snorkel to play. Safety gear includes a water polo style cap, a mouthguard, and a glove for the playing hand (different glove designs use different techniques to protect against pool-bottom abrasion and, in the case of some glove designs, knuckle protection in the event of puck impact). Because current rules permit a player to alternate which hand wields the stick, it is possible for players desiring to switch hands mid-play to wear a protective glove on both hands. Because water resistance makes large swinging motions inefficient, the puck is played on the leading edge of the stick (not a large playing face as in ice hockey). The stick is quite short (according to recent rules, not more than 350mm. in length including the handle) and is colored white or black to indicate the user's team. In tournament play, both stick and cap color indicate each players' team. The puck, which is a lead or similar material (Adult size weighs 3 lb(pounds) 1.3-1.5 kg, Junior 1 3/4 lb 800-850gm gm) and is surrounded by a plastic covering, is approximately the size of an ice hockey puck. Its weight brings it to rest on the pool bottom even if lofted during a pass, and the plastic coating is usually matched to the pool bottom to facilitate good grip on the stick face while preventing excessive friction on the pool bottom. The goals are three meters in width and lie at the ends of the playing area.

Play

Two teams of up to ten players compete, with six players on each team in play at once. Substitution happens continually from a substitution area, which may be on deck or in the water outside the playing area, depending on tournament rules. Before the start of play the puck is placed in the middle of the pool, and the players wait in the water, touching the wall above the goals they are defending. At the start-of-play signal, in-play members of both teams are free to swim anywhere in the play area and try to score by sending the puck in the opponents' goal. Play continues until (a) a goal is scored, and players return to their wall to start a new point, or (b) a break in play is signaled by a referee (whether due to a foul, a time-out, or the end of the period of play).

The most typical playing formation in the US is the 3-3 (three offensive players or forwards, and three defensive players or backs). Other options include 2-3-1 (i.e., two forwards, three midfielders, and a back), 1-3-2, or 2-2-2. As important to tournament teams' formation strategy is the substitution strategy: which players will substitute for which positions, and how many players are substituting for how many positions. A 10-member team playing 3-3, for example, may have two players substituting for each other at the center-forward position, three players covering the other two forward positions, and five players covering the three defensive positions. Substitution errors might result in a foul (too many players in the play area) or a tactical blunder (too few defenders in on a play).

There are a number of penalties described in the official underwater hockey rules, ranging from use of the stick other than against the puck or the playing surface, playing or stopping the puck other than with the stick, or "screening" (interposing one's self between a team mate who possesses the puck and an opponent; one is allowed to play the puck, but not merely block out opponents with one's body). If the penalty is a minor one, referees award an advantage puck -- the team that committed the foul is pushed back 3 meters from the puck, while the other team gets a free possession. For major penalties, such as a dangerous pass (.e.g., over an opponent's shoulder near the head) or intentional or repeated fouls, the referees may eject players for a specified period of time or the remainder of the game. A defender committing a serious foul sufficiently close to his own goal may be penalized by the award of a point to the fouled player's team.

Games consist of two halves, typically ten to fifteen minutes in length (depending on tournament rules; 15 minutes at world championship tournaments) and a short half time interval. At half time the two teams switch ends.

Referees

Refereeing the game are two (or three) "water refs" (referees in the pool with full snorkelling gear, and usually a distinctive refs cap and t-shirt) to observe and referee play at the pool bottom, and one or more poolside "deck refs" to track time (both in the period and for each ejected player), maintain the score, and call fouls (such as excessive number of players in play, failure to start a point from the end of the playing area, or another foul capable of being committed at or noticed at the surface). The "deck ref" responds to hand signals given by the water refs to start and stop play, including after an interruption such as a foul or time-out.

Spectators

Spectators may either try on fins, a snorkel, and mask and enter the pool for a view of the playing area, or take advantage of the work of underwater videographers who have recorded major tournaments. Organizers of major tournaments are usually the only contacts for acquiring underwater hockey footage, and no worldwide repository yet exists for recorded games. Filming the games is challenging even for the experienced videographer, as the players' movement is fast and there is no place on the surface or beneath it which is free from the frenzied movement of the players. The forthcoming World Championships in Sheffield (UK) will have live web-streaming of matches via the UK Worlds Web-Site.

History

The sport was invented in 1954 and first played by four divers from Southsea, England: John Ventham, Alan Blake, Jack Willis, and Frank Lilleker. Originally called Octopush (and known primarily by that name in the United Kingdom even today), the original rules called for teams of eight players (hence, "octo-"), a bat reminiscent of a tiny shuffleboard stick, called a "pusher" (hence, the "-push"), an uncoated lead puck called a "squid", and a goal known at first as a "cuttle" but soon thereafter a "gully". The first rules were tested in a 1954 two-on-two game, and an announcement was made in the November, 1954 issue of Neptune. The object of the game was to keep members of British Sub-Aqua Club #9 from abandoning the new club during the winter months in which it was too cold to dive the North Sea. The substantial changes in equipment, team size, and other factors have helped make the game the international sport it is today.

Other

Underwater hockey enjoys popularity in Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Netherlands and France, and can be found in numerous additional countries catalogued at The Underwater Hockey Tourist, which has catered to the needs of traveling underwater hockey players since 1996.

The world championships are held every two years in an event sanctioned by the World Underwater Federation (Conféderation Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques, or "CMAS"). At the 2004 World Underwater Hockey Championships held in Christchurch, New Zealand, at least 36 teams competed in six age and gender categories, including teams from Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, the Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America. Winners of the elite divisions current world champions were the Netherlands in women's division, and New Zealand in men's division.

The Official Rules promulgated by CMAS, are available in PDF form without charge and define (including with illustrations) a valid goal, the fouls and signals, and the dimensions of the playing area, sticks, and goals.

External links

2006 World Championships in Sheffield (UK), (will feature live matches and replays)
Team USA, Information on underwater hockey in the United States.
The Underwater Hockey Directory Frequently updated list of tournaments and lots of information about training, equipment and more
Hockeynet, worldwide UWH email list
Latest Rules v9.10
The Underwater Hockey Tourist, find a game near you
DMOZ Directory of Underwater Hockey Sites
The British Octopush Association
What is Underwater Hockey and how is it played?
SeeTheGame) offers the online spectator a look at some club-level games.
Alan Blake - How Octopush was created Essay from Alan Blake about the history of Octopush.
Archive.org, A collection of downloadable film footage of underwater hockey games.

Team sports | Hockey | Water sports