What kind of situations involving rules or interpretations have actually occurred in matches and how have they been handled?
This happens quite often – because the game is continually developing and it is right that people playing the game lead those developments. A good example of a change of rules as an outcome of match experience is the one which permits a defender to stop a shot at goal with their stick above the height of the shoulder. A brilliant save of a high shot in the past would be penalised and therefore was not understood widely by players or spectators. The Hockey Rules Board responded to this match scenario and recently introduced a mandatory experimental rule which permits defenders to use their stick to stop the shot at any height so long as their action is safe. Another example is using the edge of the stick to play the ball. This started to occur in matches so the Hockey Rules Board assessed the issues and consulted widely. There was a range of views but on balance there was support for allowing this. So the Hockey Rules Board introduced a mandatory experiment in 1998 and after three years
