Editing Field hockey (section)

===Field hockey stick===
{{Main|Field hockey stick}}
{{More citations needed section|date=July 2022}}
[[File:Splice Handle Head.jpg|thumb|Naming parts of stick]]
Each player carries a [[field hockey stick|hockey stick]] that normally measures between {{convert|80|and|95|cm|in|abbr=on}}; shorter or longer sticks are available. The length of the stick is based on the player's individual height: the top of the stick usually comes to the player's hip, and taller players typically have longer sticks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.longstreth.com/How-to-Choose-a-Stick/products/1951/ |title=How to Choose a Stick |website=Longstreth.com |access-date=15 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714053805/http://www.longstreth.com/How-to-Choose-a-Stick/products/1951/ |archive-date=14 July 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Goalkeepers can use either a specialised stick, or an ordinary field hockey stick. The specific goal-keeping sticks have another curve at the end of the stick, to give it more surface area to block the ball.

Sticks were traditionally made of wood, but are now often made also with [[fibreglass]], [[kevlar]] or [[carbon fibre]] composites. Metal is forbidden from use in field hockey sticks, due to the risk of injury from sharp edges if the stick were to break. The stick has a rounded handle, has a J-shaped hook at the bottom, and is flattened on the left side (when looking down the handle with the hook facing upwards). All sticks must be right-handed; left-handed ones are prohibited.

There was traditionally a slight curve (called the bow, or rake) from the top to bottom of the face side of the stick and another on the 'heel' edge to the top of the handle (usually made according to the angle at which the handle part was inserted into the splice of the head part of the stick), which assisted in the positioning of the stick head in relation to the ball and made striking the ball easier and more accurate.

The hook at the bottom of the stick was only recently{{when|date=August 2021}} the tight curve (Indian style) that we have nowadays. The older 'English' sticks had a longer bend, making it very hard to use the stick on the reverse. For this reason players now use the tight curved sticks.

The handle makes up about the top third of the stick. It is wrapped in a grip similar to that used on tennis racket. The grip may be made of a variety of materials, including [[chamois leather]], which improves grip in the wet and gives the stick a softer touch and different weighting it wrapped over a preexisting grip.

It was recently discovered that increasing the depth of the face bow made it easier to get high speeds from the dragflick and made the stroke easier to execute. At first, after this feature was introduced, the Hockey Rules Board placed a limit of 50&nbsp;mm on the maximum depth of bow over the length of the stick but experience quickly demonstrated this to be excessive. New rules now limit this curve to under 25&nbsp;mm so as to limit the power with which the ball can be flicked.