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Message: [QUOTE="sutomcat, post: 1123530, member: 27"] Yes. The info below comes from a wiki on artificial turf... [SIZE=4][B]Field hockey[[URL='http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Artificial_turf&action=edit&section=5']edit[/URL]][/B][/SIZE] For more details on this topic, see [URL='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_hockey_history#The_synthetic_revolution']Field_hockey_history § The_synthetic_revolution[/URL]. The introduction of synthetic surfaces has significantly changed the sport of [URL='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_hockey']field hockey[/URL]. Since being introduced in the 1970s, competitions in western countries are now mostly played on artificial surfaces. This has increased the speed of the game considerably, and changed the shape of hockey sticks to allow for different techniques, such as reverse stick trapping and hitting. Field hockey artificial turf differs from artificial turf for football (any of them) in that it does not try to reproduce a grass 'feel', being made of shorter fibres. This shorter fibre structure allows the improvement in speed brought by earlier artificial turfs to be retained. This development in the game is however problematic for many local communities who often cannot afford to build two artificial fields: one for field hockey and one for other sports. The [URL='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Hockey_Federation']FIH[/URL] and manufacturers are driving research in order to produce new fields that will be suitable for a variety of sports. The introduction of this playing surface coincided with the end of the dominance of field hockey by India and Pakistan, which had endured for many decades. The subsequent decline of the sport in these countries is often blamed on the switch from natural to artificial turf, with many in the region seeing the high cost of artificial turf, and the relative lack of such facilities outside the most developed nations, as the key reason for India and Pakistan being at a competitive disadvantage.[URL='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_turf#cite_note-2'][2][/URL][URL='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_turf#cite_note-3'][3][/URL] However, there are alternative explanations which contradict this popular narrative. It has been suggested that Indian hockey had already begun to lose dominance prior to the adoption of artificial turf, and that outdated coaching methods, alongside failures in administration, have been the primary causes of the current malaise.[URL='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_turf#cite_note-4'][4][/URL] Legendary Indian hockey player [URL='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balbir_Singh,_Sr.']Balbir Singh Sr.[/URL] has praised the speed of the modern game played on artificial turf and has stated that the superior ball control and potential for dribbling skills offered should be turned to the advantage of teams from the sub-continent, rather than using the change of surface as an excuse poor performance.[URL='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_turf#cite_note-5'][5][/URL] The use of astro turf in conjunction with changes in the game's rules (e.g. the removal of offside, introduction of rolling substitutes and the self-pass, as well changes to the interpretation of obstruction) have contributed significantly to changed the nature of the game, greatly increasing the speed and intensity of play, as well as placing far greater demands on the conditioning of the players. [/QUOTE]

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