The effect of the own goal rule on attacking play in men’s international field hockey.

Abstract

Rule changes are an important aspect of sports today and it is critical to evaluate the impact of such changes. This study aimed to establish if the introduction of the own goal rule has had an effect on attacking play in men’s international field hockey. The own goal rule was introduced by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) in September 2012. To examine the effect of the introduction of the own goal rule by the International Hockey Federation, matches from one tournament prior to the rule (n=10), and one tournament subsequently (n=10), have been analysed. Specifically, this study looked to see if there were any differences for the method of entry into the attacking 23m area and circle, the position of entry into the attacking 23m area and circle and the type of shots used. The study found a significant difference (p < 0.05) for the method of entry into the circle and the position of entry into the 23m area (p < 0.05) between the tournaments. The results showed no significant difference (p > 0.05) for the method of entry into the 23m area, the position of circle entry (p > 0.05) and shot types (p > 0.05) between the tournaments. The results showed that the hit and slap methods of entry into the 23m area and circle were used more frequently in the World League than in the Olympics. There was no significant increase in the amount of deflection shots following the introduction of the own goal rule. This study has shown how some of the tools of performance analysis can be used to evaluate the impact of rule changes in a sport. In relation to this, coaches can use the results of this study and from similar research to develop drills and practices that are likely to help their teams achieve success.