There is no single player in a team than the centre half who epitomizes the strength and weakness of the team. He/she is the most important member of defence as well as attack and has to possess a high level of intelligence.
Another very important requirement is that the player needs to have more than just ordinary skill level. Together with the team's centre forward, they have to be the chief schemers of the team and work in unison.
No single player on the pitch has the variety of duties to perform than the centre half; he/she needs to be everywhere on the pitch, carrying out countless odd tasks and taking advantage of the shortcomings of others. Never still, he/she is the springboard of attack and the solid anchor in defence. Therefore, this player needs to have boundless energy and a shrewd ability to read not only the opposing team's game, but also his/her own. This watchfulness enables a player to anticipate the opponent's intentions and the direction of the ball.
In defence: Despite the various changes, systems and roles in modern hockey, the centre half's important duty is to mark the opposing centre forward; shadowing and disrupting his/her play. During an attack by the opposing team, the full backs tend to be concentrating on the inners, therefore, the centre half needs to concentrate on the opposing centre forward. However if need be (depending on the game), he/she may be required to tackle the inners as well.
In attack: The centre half must transfer his attention to his own centre forward as well as his right and left inners by supplying them with a never ending supply of passes. Subconsciously, the centre half may find it easy to pass to his left inner rather than the right inner (as he/she needs to adjust body position to make a pass to the right inner) but it is not the easy thing thing that the centre half should do, but what is the best for the team. It is a matter of judgement regarding which forward to pass the ball to and this decision need to be made instantly in a match situation. At the same time, this needs to be executed in a 'flash'.
Another very important requirement is that the player needs to have more than just ordinary skill level. Together with the team's centre forward, they have to be the chief schemers of the team and work in unison.
No single player on the pitch has the variety of duties to perform than the centre half; he/she needs to be everywhere on the pitch, carrying out countless odd tasks and taking advantage of the shortcomings of others. Never still, he/she is the springboard of attack and the solid anchor in defence. Therefore, this player needs to have boundless energy and a shrewd ability to read not only the opposing team's game, but also his/her own. This watchfulness enables a player to anticipate the opponent's intentions and the direction of the ball.
In defence: Despite the various changes, systems and roles in modern hockey, the centre half's important duty is to mark the opposing centre forward; shadowing and disrupting his/her play. During an attack by the opposing team, the full backs tend to be concentrating on the inners, therefore, the centre half needs to concentrate on the opposing centre forward. However if need be (depending on the game), he/she may be required to tackle the inners as well.
In attack: The centre half must transfer his attention to his own centre forward as well as his right and left inners by supplying them with a never ending supply of passes. Subconsciously, the centre half may find it easy to pass to his left inner rather than the right inner (as he/she needs to adjust body position to make a pass to the right inner) but it is not the easy thing thing that the centre half should do, but what is the best for the team. It is a matter of judgement regarding which forward to pass the ball to and this decision need to be made instantly in a match situation. At the same time, this needs to be executed in a 'flash'.
A common mistake that centre halfs should refrain from doing, is to run unnecessarily with the ball as this gives the opposing halfs and fullbacks time to cover each player.
As a rule, the centre half should pass the moment he /she sees an opening. Dribbling at this moment should not be overdone.
Furthermore, there needs to be a telepathic understanding between his/her own left and right halts to avoid confusion during the game.
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