Tackling from the left safely in field hockey

1. Tackling from the left. The right hand must be used to catch the handle of the
stick halfway up the stick on the follow through. The GB player in the Olympics
would not have been injured as severely if she had her right hand up to protect
her face.
The right hand should be up like a boxers hands. If a player wants to hit you
they can hit you even if you are standing next to the player. They will hit you
in the head. You and I both know the trick. The only way to save yourself is to
have your right hand up to catch their stick. Be careful not to use your thumb
to stop the stick or it will be dislocated. Second point. if a player wants to
hit you they will hit you when you are inside of their follow through. This is
called the danger zone. Anyone who enters the danger zone from the left of the
player is more than likely going to get hurt. The only time to tackle from the
left is if the player is running down the right side of the field and your right
shoulder is next to their left shoulder and you have your right hand up.
There is a new trick that the full back of Holland uses. He grabs the players
right arm with his left hand and swings at the ball with one arm and follows
through into the players face. He plays for Bloemendaal. I saw him do this in
the EHL while running down the field. This is a new foul in Europe where the
offensive player grabs the defenders stick or arm with their hand to prevent
them from making the tackle. Players are also grabbing the defender's left arm
to prevent the defender from tackling the ball
And when tackling a dribbler you must use your right hand to catch the stick if
the player tries to hit you in the head as they run at you.