The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is to reduce the limit to the amount of bow allowed in hockey sticks from the beginning of next year.
On the advice of its Equipment Committee and Hockey Rules Board, the FIH Executive Board has specified a change to the 2006 Rules of Hockey, limiting the depth of the stick bow/rake to 25mm.
The FIH is concerned that the extent of the bow/rake of some sticks has increased significantly over the last few years, which appears to enable an increase in the power with which some players can flick the ball, especially for shots at goal.
Wolfgang Rommel, chairman of the FIH Hockey Rules Board, comments, "With players and officials we share concerns about the increasing power of flick shots. A limit to the stick bow/rake will curb some of this power without detracting from dribbling and other attractive ball control skills."
For international hockey matches, these rules come into force from 1st January 2006. However, individual National Hockey Associations have discretion to decide the date of implementation for matches within their jurisdiction. If they so wish, they can therefore delay implementation for levels of the game where other sticks are likely to continue to be used.
The recently published 2005 version of the Rules of Hockey contain only a small number of updated rules clarifications and no significant rule changes. This change to the stick specification from 2006 has already been finalized in order to give reasonable notice to players at all levels when choosing a new stick.
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