Subaqueous hockey

The subaqueous hockey - underwater hockey or octopush- is a Sport of team which is played in Apnée at the bottom of a swimming pool.

Play

The play opposes, in a swimming pool, two teams, during two 14 minutes half-times (in general). The goal of the play is to progress, in apnea, while pushing or while passing a metal disc, using a specific stick in order to insert it in the But adverse.
The goals are posed on the bottom at the ends of the swimming pool.

The players are 6 per team at the same time in water. There can be to 4 substitutes on the edge of the swimming pool. The team is, in general, made up of three defenders and three attackers.

Following certain faults, a player can be sanctioned by a " prison" , thus reducing the number of players of his team in water. When a player is in prison he sat on a chair outside the swimming pool. The time of prison, proportional to the gravity of the fault, can be 2 minutes, 5 minutes or final.

In order to be different in water, each team is identified either by the white color, or by the black color. This color is that of the stick and the helmet of the players.

Material

The players use a mask, a tuba, palms, a helmet which protects the ears, a protective glove and a stick (stick) specific (~ 30 cm length). The stick must be made in a floating material.

The metal disc (or disc) measurement approximately 8 cm diameter and 3 cm thickness, and weighs 1,3 kg (± 0,2 kg).

The goals out of treated or stainless steel are in the form of angle a length of approximately 3 meters. The volume of the goal is delimited by a basin of 300 cm × 12 cm and a 18 cm height on the back wall of the goal.

Adventure playground

The play proceeds at the bottom of a swimming pool. The minimal adventure playground is of 300 square meters. The bottom of the swimming pool must be flat with a slope of 5% at the most.

The depth must be included/understood between 1,80 m and 4,00 m (2,00 m and 3,65 m +-10%).

Arbitration

The matches are arbitrated by two watery referees, and a referee of surface. This last actuates, when that is necessary, the watery aural signal. The watery referees are equipped with a red distinctive bonnet and a yellow undershirt. The referees use gestural codified to communicate between them and with the players.

Spectators

An important part of the actions proceeding under water, nothing to miss, the spectators can:

is to be in the swimming pool provided with a mask and a tuba;
is to look at the watery part on screens connected to watery cameras which film under water.

Short history

This young sport appeared for the first time in the middle of the Années 1950. Hockey was invented in England by Alan Blake, then “reinvented” in particular in South Africa and United States in a little different forms.

The play enormously evolved/moved. It for example was applied to the beginning with bottles of diving. Subaqueous hockey was also practiced with long sticks of Hockey…

In order to gain of speed and handiness, certain precursors reduced the size of the sticks and got rid of the bottles.

It was necessary about fifteen years so that all the federations of the world join with this faster play and it is in the middle of the Années 1980 that the rules were standardized.

Subaqueous hockey did not cease since developing by federating around the world Confédération of the subaqueous activities (CMAS).

In France it is with Montauban, in 1968, that subaqueous hockey appears for the first time. For Canada, subaqueous hockey (commonly called underwater hockey with the Quebec) appeared in 1962.

Tactics

Very many tactics were developed, nevertheless it is possible to distinguish some traditional diagrams largely used.

A very used tactic consists in playing with 3 attackers and 3 defenders. Upon the engagement, the fronts called left winger, before center and right winger form a triangle. Before center is most advanced, the wingers at its sides are slightly in withdrawal. Upon the engagement the three backs called left, center back Pivot and right pivot form a triangle reversed compared to the fronts. Each of the two pivots is stuck to its respective winger (left and right), the back is slightly in withdrawal.

Another technique consists in playing with 1 defender, 3 mediums (left, center and right) and two attackers.

A play in 2-2-2 is also often practiced.

Older techniques, were organized with a player " goal" very in withdrawal not taking part in the construction of the play. One thus could find teams playing into 1-2-1-1-1.

A complete guide at summer carried out in 2000 by Lionel Dumeau.

Accidents

The accidents are very rare and are, in a general way, generally benign.

The surface wounds most usually observed are:

of the cuts to the knees and the elbows caused by the tiling of the bottom of the swimming pool
of the bulbs on the levels of the feet (toes, heel)
of the hématomes following a shock (metal disc, palm…)

The more serious wounds sometimes met are dependant:

with a shock with the face which can involve broken contusions or teeth (is to avoid that the gum-shield is obligatory today);
with a shock with the hands which can involve tendinitises or even in the extreme case of the microphone-fractures on the level of the phalanges of the fingers of the hand.

Accidents of apnea met at the time of the tests of traditional apnea (syncope S…) are non-existent because the apnea are relatively short and dynamic.

Sporting structures

Subaqueous hockey is a structured sport which depends in France on the French federation of studies and underwater sports (FFESSM). With the Canada, it depends on the Canadian Underwater Games Association (CUGA).

There exists a championship by country, continent and also a championship of the world.

Famous players

Alan Blake This English player is the creator of subaqueous hockey and was a large player.

Kendall Banks
This American player of the club of San Jose, born in 1957, took part in 2006 as a veteran in his 14^e championship of the World. He is the only player to have taken part in 2006 in all the championships of the world since 1980.

the brothers Buki
These three French players worked to export hockey in particular in Eastern Europe. Their name is remainder attached to a pretense of the metal disc passing under the elbow.

Taylor Benson
Taylor is a New Zealand player, world champion in 2006, who has, enter others, given its name to a pretense of metal disc " Benson" or the metal disc passes under the player tended arm.

Championships of the world

Sheffield 2006

The last championships of the world took place from August 10th to 26th 2006 with Sheffield in Great Britain. The podiums
elite man: News Zealand (1st) Netherlands (2nd) France (3rd)

elite woman: Australia (1st) Canada (2nd) and France (3rd)

Junior man: News Zealand (1st) Great Britain (2nd) France (3rd)

The countries represented were:

Australia
Belgium
Canada
Colombia
France
Great Britain
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Jersey
Netherlands
New Zealand
South Africa
Spain
Turkey
the USA

Cities and organizing countries of the preceding editions

1980 Vancouver, Canada
1982 Brisbane, Australia
1984 Chicago, the USA
1986 Adelaide, Australia
1988 Amersfoort, Netherlands
1990 Montreal, Canada
1992 Wellington, New Zealand
1994 Large-Crown, France
1996 Durban, South Africa
1998 San Jose, the USA
2000 Hobart, Tasmanie
2002 Calgary, Canada
2004 Christchurch, New Zealand

Prize list of the Championships of the world

Championships of Europe

The last Championships of Europe proceeded with Marseilles in May 2005. The championships of Europe which should have been held into 2007 were replaced by the plays of CMAS, which will be held in Italy with a restricted number teams.

Organizing cities and participating countries

Charleroi, Belgium in 1993 committed Teams:
Ammersfort, Netherlands in 1995 committed Teams:
Rheims, France in 1997 committed Teams:
Kranj, Slovenia in 1999 committed Teams: Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, Yugoslavia.
Belgrade, Yugoslavia in 2001 committed Teams: France, Netherlands, Great Britain, Yugoslavia, Slovenia, Hungary, Spain, Italy, Scotland, Turkey
San Marino, San Marino in 2003 committed Teams: France, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Turkey, Slovenia, Hungary, Germany, Yugoslavia
Marseilles, France in 2005 committed Teams: Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, Turkey, Serbia Montenegro.

Prize list Championship of Europe

Championships of Europe of the Clubs

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Championships of Belgium

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Championships of Canada

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Championships of France

The championship of France includes/understands for the adults two female divisions and four male divisions. The trophy of the best male and female teams are given concerned each year. There exists also a championship by category of age for the minors (youngest children, tiny, juniors and juniors).

The first championship of France was organized with Rheims in 1982.

The trophy of the best progression is given each year at the conclusion of the championship of France of D1.
a trophy underlining the most important progression is given to the best female team, another with the best male team. The shape of this trophy, a chair, comes owing to the fact that at the beginning it rewarded the team which had had the most players in prison . After a few years, and to avoid an unhealthy competition, one allotted it to the team having progressed more compared to the previous year. This single trophy is preserved one year by the team which gained it, it is given concerned the following year.

References

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