What is a Bully in Field Hockey?

A bully in field hockey is often a cause for confusion for people who are not familiar with the game. A bully is the method that is used to restart the game after it has been stopped for some reason other then when a penalty is called. A bully involved two players, one from each team, the face off against one another in an attempt to take possession of the ball for their team. There are specific rules in place that govern the proper method of how a bully should be conducted.

When play is stopped for some reason and a penalty is not called, for example, if one of the players on the field sustains some type of injury, then a bully will take place after the player is escorted off of the field. The bully itself takes place roughly where the ball was when the play was stopped, provided that the stoppage did not occur when the ball was within sixteen yards of the back line.

The actual bully in field hockey involves two players at a time. One player from each team will line up perpendicular to the goals facing each other. The players should always have their teams defending goal on the right side of their bodies when they line up. The ball is put directly in between both of them. The field hockey players should then both put their sticks on the ground on the their right side of the ball. On the umpires signal, the players are to tap their sticks together just above the ball one time and then attempt to gain possession of the ball using legal plays.

While the bully is taking place, all of the other players on the field must remain at least five meters from the ball. The players in the bully need a proper amount of space in order to properly conduct the bully. After it takes place, play resumes as usual and players should attempt to score a goal on their opponents goal. Proper technique is essential to winning bullies, so players should often practice their skills so that they will be successful in games.

Sources:

Planet Field Hockey
Field Hockey Sticks