Field Hockey 7v7 is a whole new game

Traditionally, play is 11 to 11 including the goalkeeper.

Therefore, playing a game with eight fewer players without changing the dimensions of the field (100 yards x 60 yards) is quite different from a coach and player perspective.

Kim GoodDuring her seventh season at Weston High, she was part of a group of 25 field hockey coaches and sent a letter to the Massachusetts Inter-University Athletic Association explaining her concerns about the change. She felt “playing a fairness game” in that MIAA could be said to have made the same number of changes for each sport, rather than changes in game impact or game outcomes.

“Above all, we are grateful that we are playing,” Good said. “But when you look at sports like soccer that can be played by 11 people on the field and sports like field hockey that have been reduced to 7 to 7, it’s very difficult to find a change in legitimacy and safety. From that point of view, it is inclusive. “

According to Goode, the nature of field hockey is socially farther than football. Contact is strictly prohibited. Use the stick, not the foot, to get the ball.

The penalty corner, the true method of attacking many, was replaced by a free hit from a 25-yard marker as the defensive penalty whistled in the circle.

The 7v7 format, pointed out by some coaches, is designed to finish the game quickly in overtime after the season.

“It takes a lot of skill. Like any other, it changes the whole game,” said Walpole’s coach. Jenquin..

Quinn predicted the influx of penalty strokes instead of corners and pointed out that a deliberate foul by the defending team in the circle had to cause something.

Weston Co-Captain Jackie GoodHe scored four goals on Wildcats’ 2-0 start and said her and her teammates were forced to take a more sneaky offensive approach due to the lack of corners.

“It’s much more widespread,” she said.

Conditioning is also at the forefront of coach concerns. In addition to the four fewer players per side, all competitors are required to wear a mask in addition to the existing rules that require a mouthguard.

Depth becomes more important and can give a clear advantage to programs with more players in the system. Quinn was able to take all 21 of her Varsity rosters to the field with Pokers’ opening 4-0 victory over Milton on Monday. In a typical 11 to 11 game under normal circumstances, Quinn said the numbers could be much smaller in the range of 12 to 13 players.

In-game coaching has changed with a quick alternative.

Norwood Allison Driner At the opening of Mustang on October 17, we anticipate that additional coaches will be needed to manage the undercoat.

“It’s a very big field, and there are only seven, so I’m lucky to have a few coaches on the sideline, one coaching the game and one keeping an eye on the undercoat. “Doliner said.

Goode, who also plays ice hockey in Weston, likened a quick dive to her winter sports.

“It’s very helpful to have a lot of players this year,” said Goode, one of the 10 seniors on the 23 national team.

“We were able to get off the field, recover and return quickly. I think we handled it very well as it affected our game. . “

Programs with long-term offensive systems, such as Hingham, which has a 15-year coach Susan Petrie, I had to rethink their philosophy on the spot.

“We are very accustomed to having small passing triangles,” Petrie said. “Suddenly you got this wide open field, and such things change the way you approach the game.”

The option of waiting for MIAA’s floating season or Fall II from February 22nd to April 25th was not accepted.

“It wouldn’t fall without field hockey,” Petrie said.

However, the games that will be on display for the next five to six weeks are unfamiliar to anyone.

“The strategies are very different,” Good said. “It takes a lot of time and consideration about how to structure the practice. There is a lot to think and think about. Children are resilient and do a great job with it.”

Free hit

▪ The fall sports season of the three EMass leagues, the Greater Boston League, the Mayflower League and the South Coast Conference has moved to Fall II.

The SCC has Somerset Berkeley, who has twice defended Division 1 state champions.

“I couldn’t believe it when almost every other town in Massachusetts had some fall season,” said the SB coach. Jen Crook Both the school committee and the superintendent of education noted that the Raiders had approved their return to play. “It’s very strange.”

Meanwhile, several SB players are competing in the Rhode Island Pickup League. Next week, the team will be eligible to return to school-approved practices.

Crook remains skeptical about the feasibility of the Fall II season, but keep in mind that Raiders is the only program with a turf field at SCC. “We can host the game,” she said.

▪ Not all non-League rivals have been suspended, but Hingham played against Crosstown’s enemy Notre Dame Academy on Monday (Patriot League plans to play NDA in women’s sports this fall. I have).

After being demoted to the Tri-Valley League from the Bay State Conference in 2018, Norwood, who has been demoted to the non-league, will not face adjacent Walpole.

Cousin Drinder, Natalie GriffinSaid he was a junior playing at Quinn’s Pokers and couldn’t compete in tournaments offered by Walpole and Canton (Hokkomock).

▪ TVL is one of the leagues that is transitioning to a weekend match schedule, where teams will face the same opponent in a row on Saturday and Sunday. According to Driner, if the player is contagious, it would take five days to face the next enemy and enough time to catch a potential case of the coronavirus.

▪ Sub-national team level field hockey is also affected by the pandemic. In Weston, Goode said her JV team had only four games planned. In normal season, JV teams play as many games as Varsity. Quinn avoided Walpole’s problems by splitting the players on her sub-national team into two JV teams instead of one JV team and one freshman team. The two JV teams, like Walpole’s Bird Middle School team, scribble each other for a total of eight “matches.”