Planet Hockey Features

COMMONWEALTH GAMES
Who can challenge Australia?
The nine other men’s and women’s teams competing at the sixth hockey competition at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games have a mammoth task on their hands.
For the men’s teams the challenge is to wrest the trophy from the unbeaten Kookaburras, while only India, in 2002, has ever managed to stop the Hockeyroos
...

AFRICA
Lots of potential, but no-where to play
“If you build it, they will come,” Erwin Handura utters the famous mis-quote as he explains that Namibian hockey, particularly indoor hockey, is full
of potential, it purely lacks facilities and funding.
...

USA Field Hockey
USA women ‘mesh together’ at Indoor Hockey World Cup
They came into the cauldron of the Max-Schmeling-Halle as the lowest ranked team. They had an average age of just 20 - the lowest in the tournament. They
had the least caps – an average of seven, compared to the tournament average of 14. In Madison Orobono, they had the youngest player at the event ...
WALKING HOCKEY
Walking to Hockey Success
Fast-paced, speedy, high energy – all words that you associate with hockey. But for some people, these descriptors make hockey an intimidating activity
in which they feel they can take no part.
“In October 2016 one of our ladies team members came to me and said that she was finding my hockey ...

THE COACH
The Coach shares his wisdom
Coaches and hockey lovers were in for a treat when they logged onto the Hockey Today Coaching Clinic for the inaugural online series of hockey seminars.
The keynote speech was delivered by one of the greatest hockey coaches of all time, former Australia head coach Ric Charlesworth.
...

OCEANIA
Watch out Auckland, the Netherlands are coming
The Netherlands are rebuilding. After a silver medal at Rio 2016, a match in which they will have considered themselves to have lost gold rather than to
have won silver, the world number one side are now pushing themselves to reach new heights of dazzling brilliance. Two players at the heart of
Dutch ...

EUROPE
Doing it the ‘German Way”
Jami Mülders has been the head coach of the German women’s team since 2012 and in that time he has been rebuilding Die Danas in a mould and model that
is very much player-centric. In the early stages of his tenure, sceptics saw his approach as too ...

EUROPE
Final Four Battle for Europe’s Top Spot
Europe’s best club sides are closing in on the title of 2017 EHL KO16 Club Champions. After a weekend of scintillating action at Eindhoven, Netherlands,
over the Easter weekend, the 16 clubs who hailed from Netherlands, France, Poland, Germany, Belgium, England and Ireland were reduced to a final four.
The matches that ...
Stick/Equipment Reviews
Stick Reviews
Mazon Black Magic V7 (24mm L-Bow)
Hitting – 4.5/5
This stick feels like the whole thing is a sweet spot. The power that this stick generates when hitting is through the roof. This stick is very well balanced
and light weight which makes hitting the ball that much nicer and smoother feeling. There is next to no ...
Stick Reviews
Alien AX1
Hitting – 3.5/5
The Alien AX1 is very similar to the AX5 I’ve previously played with. The super stiff composition allows for greater hitting power to be generated. The
feel when hitting the ball is a let-down as it feels quite hard through the hands when making the connection. However when ...
Stick Reviews
Mazon Fusion Elite 360 (21mm M-Bow)
Hitting – 4.5/5
This stick was amazing for hitting both forehand and reverse. Nice soft feel when connecting with the ball but still a whole lot of power. The 21mm bow
shape helps keep the ball flat and along the ground for the most part. The reverse edge is reinforced with Mazon’s THZ technology helping ...
Stick Reviews
Espada Primera XB
Hitting – 4/5
The Espada Primera XB hits the ball something wicked. The 95% carbon build of this stick gives it awesome amounts of power when hitting on the forehand.
The bow shape meant having to change technique ever so slightly to help keep the ball on the ground. Reverse hitting was also made a little ...
Travel & Lifestyle

Riding The Namib Desert
Want to try something unique, then how about doing a horse ride through the Namib Desert.
Social Media Presence
Columnists Corner

Lauren Penny Colum
Dealing With Disappointment In Sport
By Lauren Penny
The countdown to the Olympics has begun.
It is a time that people look forward to because we get the chance to watch the world’s best athletes compete in sports that we don’t always get the
...

Peter Langford Colum
Reducing Hamstring Injuries
ONE SIMPLE EXERCISE THAT CAN CUT YOUR RISK OF HAMSTRING INJURY IN HALF
Our resident exercise specialist, physiotherapist Peter Langford offers advice on prevention and cure of the hockey players’ curse – hamstring injuries.
Hamstring injuries are a common complaint for athletes. They can ...

Peter Langford Colum
Taking the pain out of DOMS
By Peter Langford
It’s two days after that tough match and you are still feeling the effects. In this issue, fitness and exercise guru Peter Langford offers advice on understanding
and overcoming DOMS.
We all know about training for sport. Athletes work hard to gain fitness and improve their performance. But one area where a lot of ...

Lauren Penny Column
Winning the Mind Games
By Lauren Penny
Five ways to turn frustration into better performances
Sports coach and former international Lauren Penny helps you take control of your emotions
How do you feel when an umpire makes several bad decisions in a game?
What about when your team mate doesn’t pass you the ball even though you’re open and possession is turned over again?
How about ...
Events/Tournaments

Commonwealth Games
Comm Games Update
The XXI Commonwealth Games has produced some shock results as well as confirmed some of the pre-tournament predictions. Wales women’s spirited 3-2 win
over India was one such surprise as was India’s own 2-1 win over world number two team England.
In the men’s ...

EHL
Dutch clubs make it three from four in weekend of thrilling hockey
In a weekend of high tempo hockey action, which saw much criticism of a new scoring system, four teams have confirmed their places in the blue riband event
of club hockey, the EHL Final4. The teams who will be competing in Rotterdam on 26 May are: Dutch clubs HC Bloemendaal and HC Rotterdam, along with
...
Commonwealth Games
Hockey’s Talent Takes Centre Stage at the Gold Coast Games
In just over a month, the best sportspeople from across the Commonwealth will be descending upon the Gold Coast for the 21st Commonwealth Games. Over
a two-week period, 23 sports will be on show to the world, with athletes from as far afield as Rwanda, Guyana, Monserrat and Tuvalu travelling to Australia
to ...

Indoor World Cup
Joy for Austria and Germany at the Indoor World Cup
Dramatic, exciting, thrilling, the “best indoor hockey event ever” – the superlatives and praise just keeping coming for the Fifth Indoor Hockey World
Cup. The five-day hockey extravaganza took place at the Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin, a massive sports complex that had been modified, branded
and prepared to meet the demands of a hockey ...
News
Dec 13 2016
Former International Hockey Federation (FIH) President Leandro Negre, from Spain, has been awarded the Olympic Order for his outstanding services to the
Olympic Movement.
... Read more!

Dec 08 2016
Applications are now open to join Hockey New Zealand as head coach of the Black Sticks Men.
The role is responsible for leading the performance ... Read more!

Dec 08 2016
Hockey Australia today confirmed the new head coaches for the Australian national hockey teams, the Kookaburras and the Hockeyroos, as Colin Batch and
Paul Gaudoin ... Read more!

Nov 27 2016
The Black Sticks Men have secured a stunning 3-2 come from behind victory over India to progress to the final at the International Festival ... Read more!

Nov 26 2016
The Kookaburras have dominated the match against Malaysia today at the International Festival of Hockey, with a 5 – nil win thanks to some fantastic goals
... Read more!

Nov 25 2016
The New Zealand Under 21 Women have been edged 2-1 by Belgium in their first game at the Women’s Junior World Cup in Chile.
... Read more!
Nov 22 2016
This Thursday (24 November), the women’s Junior Hockey World Cup gets underway in the Chilean capital city of Santiago.
Sixteen of the best young women’s teams in the world ... Read more!
