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Field Hockey 101: Equipment

Field Hockey 101: Equipment
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Goalkeeper
A goalkeeper usually wears protective headgear, including a full helmet with full-face protection. The leg pads worn may not exceed 12 inches in width and hand protectors may not exceed 9 inches in width and 14 inches in length.

Goal Cage
Positioned outside the field of play at the center of the back line, the goal cage is 7 feet (2.14 meters) high, 12 feet (3.66 meters) wide and 4 feet (1.22 meters) deep. The goal cage is lined with boards on the back and sides measuring 18 inches tall.

Ball
Made of solid plastic, the dimpled ball used for field hockey weighs 5.5 to 5.75 ounces with a circumference of about 9 inches. When struck forcefully, the ball, which is slightly larger than a baseball, can reach speeds of up to 100 miles per hour.

Stick
The J-shaped sticks used in field hockey are between 36 and 38 inches long and usually weigh between 18 and 22 ounces. The heaviest a stick can weigh is 26 ounces. The sticks, which must be made out of wood, have a curved head and are rounded on one side (right-hand side) and flat on the other (left-hand side). Only the flat side can be used to hit the ball. There are no left-handed sticks in field hockey. Those players that are left-hand dominant must convert to the right-handed sticks. 

Face Mask
Provides head and face protection for players during short corners. These masks can only be worn by defenders during a short corner. Once the ball is cleared, players must remove masks.