From: dpappas@pdx125.NoSubdomain.NoDomain (Derek Pappas)
Subject: Re: Offside rules OK?
Reply-To: dpappas@ichips.intel.com
Organization: INTEL X86 Focus Group
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 19:36:28 GMT

In article <29858@castle.ed.ac.uk>, airdg@castle.ed.ac.uk (Richard Grey) writes:
|> Yo !
|> 
|> 	I come back from my Xmas hols in Paris to see 13 articles
|> 	awaiting my pleasure, but of course, all but two of them
|> 	are unobtainable because the system junks articles over
|> 	5 days old ... sniff ! And to think that I would have
|> 	seen a dozen new names !!! Oh well !
|> 
|> 	Anyway, as to the subject. Although I didn't see the
|> 	original article, but presume it came from Daniel (by
|> 	the dcu username) in Derek's article (the one I could see !)
|> 	I'm not going to offer much on offside. In fact, I'm
|> 	not going to offer anything at all !
|> 
|> 	As it happens, my father happens to be a member residing
|> 	on the FEH (European) and FIH councils. This involves
|> 	organising all international tournaments (from home
|> 	country "friendlies" to intercontinental cups and the
|> 	olympic qualifiers and finals. However, this also 
|> 	involves discussion of possible rule changes and enhance-
|> 	ments - of which I tend to get an "airing" as my old man
|> 	rambles on.
|> 
|> 	The short corner change had been discussed for the last
|> 	two years, along with the use of rolling subs and the
|> 	360 degree turn etc. But my point is that many things
|> 	get discussed and are tried out in isolated practice
|> 	matches (often friendly internationals) but are never
|> 	sanctioned as FIH rules changes. One good example of
|> 	this has been with indoor, where the is alot of scope
|> 	for change. Two things have been discussed :
|> 
|> 	[1] - Putting boards along the backline which can
|> 		be used similarly to the sideboards.
|> 
|> 	[2] - Extending the playing surface so that there
|> 		is a five feet (or so ?) zone behind each 
|> 		goal which can be played in - similar to
|> 		ice hockey.
|> 
|> 	Now, these give rise to an indoor situation in which I
|> 	would love to play - however, they have yet to be
|> 	implemented as FIH rule changes, and who knows if they
|> 	ever will. Basically, both cause the same problem : the
|> 	ball rarely goes out of play, meaning that super fit
|> 	people (like me - joke !) are needed. This, already fast
|> 	games increases in pace, detracting from making it
|> 	TV viewable which is needed to give the game, as a whole,
|> 	necessary exposure.
|> 
|> 	These views are as a player, but now an umpires dilemma
|> 	on the 360 degree turn. How exactly is this to be 
|> 	interpreted when, it seems perfectly logical to hold the
|> 	ball up with your back to a player, and then commence
|> 	to rotate one way - the opposing player notices and goes
|> 	to tackle correctly - so you stop and rotate back the way
|> 	you came and hence away from the oppostion. All the time
|> 	this is done without backing into the tackler.
|> 
|> 	This is quite a nifty trick, one which I have perfected
|> 	playing centre forward or half. If I turn once, then I
|> 	can in the same move turn back, and then back again and
|> 	then back again etc etc. ie. keep swiveling until I can
|> 	get clear of the opponent. However, the problem is the
|> 	umpiring of such - some seem to allow in others don't.
|> 	Some will allow a turn oneway and then back the other, but
|> 	not back again in the original direction.
|> 


My general comment about rule changes are that they are ridiculous. I
don't know of any other sport which has had so many fundemental rule
changes. It takes a long time to develop skills which adhere to the
rules of the game and the rule changes then dictate that more
individual skills should be learned in order to keep up with the other
players who are also learning the new skills. As a result less time is
spent on developing team work and set plays. Also set plays need to
change, for example, every time the short corner rule changes.
Therefor, the set plays are not executed as well and the number of set
plays that a team has in its bag of tricks is lower.

Rule changes are disruptive to league play and cause alot of
confusion. The game is a great game. The members of the FIH should
stop trying to indluence the outcomes of international tournements
through rule changes. For example, they eliminated the hand stop on
short corners because the europeans had perfected their short corner
drills and the asian teams were at a disadvantage.

Umpires certainly are a big problem, especially at the lower levels.
They constantly need to change their "understanding" of the rules
based on rule changes.

Constant rule changes in the '80's have left many players and many
umpires confused. Problems arise when club teams from two different
countries play agianst each other and the umpires are from a third.
Even in league play there are people with a different understanding
of the rules because some people don't keep up with the rule changes.

Soccer has made one fundemental rule change involving kicking the ball
back to the goalie and delay of game. NBA Basketball has added the
three point rule but only after a ten year trial in another pro league
called the ABA. College basketball added the 24 second clock after
seeing that the pro 24 second clock worked in keeping the game more
interesting. These rule changes were not fundemantal changes that
influenced the way that teams played the game in terms of the skills
used. Hockey rules have changed the skills required to play the game
and the tactics.

|> 	I would be interested to hear peoples views on this and
|> 	the other bumf above.
|> 
|> Richard.
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|>   	   	         airdg@castle.ed.ac.uk
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|>       /_/  \_\  /_/  /_____/  /_/  /_/  /_/  /_/  /_/  \_\  /______/
|> 
|> 	{ Edinburgh University Dept. of Artificial Intelligence }
|> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

-- 

Derek

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Derek Pappas                US mail M/S JF1-19
dpappas@ichips.intel.com            2111 NE 25th Ave.
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