What country invented underwater hockey? Underwater hockey is a spectator sport

What should a hockey player do when the ice has melted? Either look for alternatives or train hard off the ice. Today in HS, I present to your attention the first alternative, enough unusual view sports, underwater hockey. What it is and how to play it, read right now. - the discipline of underwater sports. During the game, two teams of athletes compete, each of which consists of 3-6 players equipped with fins, caps, masks, snorkels and clubs. The object of the game is to drive the puck into the opponent's goal by pushing it along the bottom of the pool. Summer has come and your favorite ice rink has melted? Then go play hockey in the pool. Underwater hockey...

Underwater hockey


Underwater hockey


- the brainchild of British diving instructor Alan Blake, who was looking for a way to keep himself in shape during the long winter, and also in order to train students to hold their breath underwater for as long as possible. It was invented back in 1954, in the city of Portsmouth.


Underwater hockey


As in regular hockey, the main task of the game in underwater hockey is to score as many pucks as possible into the opponent's goal. The size of the goal for underwater hockey is quite large - 3 meters wide. The puck for underwater hockey, in size, is about the same as for regular hockey, but its weight is much higher than that of a conventional puck - as much as 1.36 kg. Thanks to the heavy steel core of the washer, it does not jump and always remains securely pressed to the bottom of the pool.

It is forbidden in underwater hockey to use power moves and in any way hold an opponent, as well as touch the puck with anything other than a stick - a violation is punishable, as in hockey, with a two-minute penalty. Let's talk about the underwater hockey stick. To start, her appearance: Usually underwater hockey sticks are about 30 centimeters long. The sticks for the defenders, by the way, are slightly wider than the sticks for the attackers. Also, the player, on the hand with the club, must wear a thick glove. This glove is an analogue of a hockey legging that protects the hand from possible blows to the hand with the puck and clubs of opponents.

The size of the pool for playing underwater hockey must be 25 meters long, 15 meters wide, and 2 meters deep. Game duration: 2 halves of 10-15 minutes. Think a little? Not at all, because for a breath of air, the player has to pop up about every 15 seconds.

The big advantage of underwater hockey is that absolutely everyone can play it, regardless of gender, age and build of the player - water almost completely equalizes the chances of underwater hockey players. The leading countries in underwater hockey are South Africa, Australia, Great Britain, New Zealand and, as in all other forms of hockey, Canada. Underwater hockey is played in many countries, but it is worth recognizing that it is still considered very exotic all over the world ...

This is an extreme and spectacular sport. The history of the emergence of underwater hockey is interesting. It was invented in England in 1954. The first rules of the game were invented by the owner of the diving club Alan Blake. His main goal was to attract new members to the club in the winter, when open water activities are not popular. At first, the game was used by divers as an additional training. But gradually it grew into an independent sport. Divers praised new game. It quickly spread throughout the world. Underwater hockey is especially popular in Canada and Western Europe.

World Championships

In 1980, the first Men's Underwater Hockey World Championship was held. A similar competition among women was organized four years later. World Championships are held every two years. The first underwater hockey competition in Russia was held in 2010.

Currently, more than 220 clubs of this type of hockey are registered around the world. The game is very democratic and has no age restrictions. To start classes, you only need ordinary diving equipment and special protective gloves.

Rules

The rules of underwater hockey are similar to the rules of regular hockey. The game takes place in a pool 25 meters long and 2.75 meters deep. Two teams consisting of 10-12 players compete with each other. Athletes are equipped with masks, fins, snorkels, caps, gloves and sticks. During the game, six players from each team are in the pool. The rest are located in a special zone and come out for replacements. Athletes do not use scuba gear. During the game, they constantly rise to the surface of the water, so in underwater hockey there is no clear division of athletes into goalkeepers and defenders.

Players spend a lot of time practicing breath holding. Many athletes have experience playing water polo. The goal of the game is to hit the puck into the opponent's goal with a short stick. The washer is made of lead and plastic. In this case, the projectile can only be moved along the bottom of the pool. The gates have a special recess in the center. It is necessary to lower the puck into it. For convenience, teams use sticks of different colors. Just like in regular hockey, athletes use different passes and combinations. Players claim that they can feel their partners through the vibration of the water.

Violations

Three arbitrators monitor compliance with the rules. Two are in the pool, one is on its surface. They communicate with hockey players using gestures and various sound signals. Violations are punishable by free throws. Two players attack the net before the puck or projectile is released from the offensive zone. Any grips with hands and sticks are prohibited. The pucks can only be touched with a stick. Hockey players practically do not get injured during the competition. The hands of hockey players are reliably protected by gloves from stick blows.

The game consists of two periods of 15 minutes of pure time. The stopwatch stops at every pause. Teams may take one minute time-out during the game. Underwater hockey is a very entertaining game. It is one of the most popular underwater sports. Television broadcasts of this game gather a large audience.

There are several varieties of underwater hockey. Ice hockey is very popular in Europe. Austria is considered his homeland. The main feature of the game is that athletes compete under a frozen pond. In this case, the playing field is ice. Hockey players play in a head down position. The puck is made of lightweight polymers, so it is always pressed against the ice. The gates are triangular holes carved into the ice. Athletes use special insulated wetsuits and fins with skates at the ends. The game is played at low speeds. Most often, competitions are held in a one-on-one format. The game lasts three periods of ten minutes.

Hockey players are required to swim to the surface of the ice every thirty seconds. Beginning athletes often lose their orientation in space. The safety of athletes is monitored by a rescue team equipped with oxygen cylinders. Live broadcast from underwater cameras is organized for viewers. In Russia, a more common type of game in which scuba gear is used. The first Ice Hockey World Championship was held in Austria in 2009.

The goal in underwater hockey is higher than in its land-based counterpart. They have a height of 3 meters, and also have a recess into which the puck must be hammered.

Underwater hockey is essentially the same classic hockey, only teams in his case play underwater. Currently, this unusual sport is part of the World Confederation of Underwater Activities. And it was invented in England in 1954. It was invented by Sir Alan Blake, who was the owner of the Sub-Aqua Club. The purpose of the creation was quite prosaic: to keep the members of the club who were interested in outdoor activities in winter, as their favorite diving was impossible at this time of the year in the open sea.

Currently, underwater hockey is played all over the world. He gained no small popularity in South Africa, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada. But in Russia, it is still exotic and known to a few. In Canada, the first Underwater Hockey World Championship was held in 1980. And in 1984 it was held women's championship world in this sport.

The rules for playing underwater hockey are simple. The playing field is located in the pool, in which two teams of athletes compete. Each consists of 10 players equipped with fins, masks, snorkels and clubs. During the game, 6 players swim out into the pool, and four are outside to replace. As in ordinary hockey, they try to score the puck into the opponent's goal by moving it with a stick along the bottom of the pool.

By the way, the puck weighs 1.2-1.5 kg. It is made of lead, covered with a plastic shell, and has negative buoyancy, so it is always pressed to the bottom. It is allowed to touch the puck only with sticks no longer than 30 cm. Sticks have different widths. Defenders are wider than attackers. A silicone glove is put on the hand with which the player holds the stick. The glove protects the hand from hitting with a stick, puck and other injuries.

The goal in underwater hockey is higher than in its land-based counterpart. They have a height of 3 meters, and also have a recess into which the puck must be hammered. There is a wall at the back of the goal, from which the puck bounces if it accidentally hits it. However, a goal in this case counts. Game over at goal scored or if the referee sees fit to stop her. As in regular hockey, underwater hockey consists of two periods, but their duration is 10-15 minutes. The game is judged by two referees in the water and one on the surface.

Underwater hockey is a non-contact sport. Since, unlike the classic version, it does not have protective equipment, then captures, holdings or any other influence on the opponent are strictly prohibited.

What kind of hockey does not exist: underwater, under ice, swamp, vertical?

Game "Who wants to be a millionaire?" for December 8, 2018 has already been aired in the eastern regions of the country, so the answers to all the questions of the game are already known and they can be found on the Teleotvet website as well.

Here is one of interesting questions today's game and the correct answer to it.

What hockey doesn't exist?

  1. underwater
  2. under ice
  3. marsh
  4. vertical

The history of this sports game is one of the most contested of all sports. The traditional birthplace of hockey is Montreal, Canada (although more recent research points to Kingston, Ontario or Windsor, Nova Scotia).

However, some 16th-century Dutch paintings also show many people playing a hockey-like game on a frozen canal. But, despite this, Canada is still considered the birthplace of modern hockey.

Types of hockey regarding answer options in the TV game:

  • Vertical hockey and sledge hockey are varieties of hockey for the disabled.
  • Underwater hockey and its variety - ice hockey.

Answer: option number 3 - swamp.

There are many sports in the world today, some of which are quite ordinary and familiar to any person. However, among them there are very impressive and unconventional sports, one of them is underwater hockey. This is a relatively young sport, the official date of its creation is 1954. This game was first hosted by Alan Blake, a diver. He wanted to diversify his underwater training and thus came up with the new kind sports. the first official game held only 8 years later in 1962 in Vancouver. Since then, underwater hockey has become quite a well-known and popular hobby.
The pace of development of underwater hockey is really amazing. Of course, when a person first hears the name of this sport, he has a variety of questions. It is quite difficult to imagine how exactly this game is played. In fact, underwater hockey is a variation of regular hockey, the difference is only in the place of training and competition: all the actions of the game take place at the bottom of the pool.

Let's talk a little about the structure of the team. Underwater hockey is usually played by two teams, the standard number of participants in each of them is ten people. Six players directly take part in the game itself, and the remaining four people are in reserve. Each player is equipped with special equipment, consisting of a mask, fins, breathing tube, swimming cap, gloves and a small club. The puck during the game should not pop up and rise. That is why its weight is about one and a half kilograms. An interesting fact is that the participants in the game are not allowed to dive underwater with scuba gear. During the game, they hold their breath for a sufficiently long period of time and then constantly emerge to get oxygen. That is why, in addition to bottom training, athletes often practice holding their breath.

The main goal of the game is to hit the opponent's goal. To do this, you need to move the puck along the bottom of the pool, and thus throw it into the opponent's goal. The competition consists of two periods, each of which lasts fifteen minutes. Two referees help to judge the game at once. One of them is under water in full diving equipment and constantly monitors what is happening at depth. The second referee watches the game from outside, he is called the surface referee.
As already mentioned, the main goal of the players is an abandoned goal into the opponent's goal. What do these gates look like? In fact, they are very similar to ordinary hockey goals, only their dimensions are much larger, they reach three meters in length. They are made from stainless steel for maximum durability. The gate is installed at the bottom of the pool at its opposite ends. They have a small recess where the puck should actually fly into. Behind the gate is not an empty space, but a wall. That is why, if the puck flies into the goal and bounces off the wall, the goal is also counted.

This sport is becoming more and more popular among guys. However, many girls are also fond of underwater hockey. Unfortunately, there are no competitions between exclusively women's teams yet. However, given the speed at which this sport is spreading around the world, it can be assumed that such competitions will also begin to be held in the near future. In fact, underwater hockey is great way diversify your life and test your sporting abilities.