The Popularity of Bandy Sport in Russia - Case Study Example

• Introduction

Bandy game is a very popular game among the Russians. Bandy originated in England in the late 19th century (Richmond and Elliot.2006). The game is that of very few contacts: the players do not actually tackle the other directly. Bandy game is mostly related to the ice hockey, it is also played in the ice during winter seasons. Players for the game are usually 11 from both teams. Like football it lasts for 45minutes for the both halves, the size just similar to the one for football. ‘’The goalkeeper plays without a stick, catching the ball with his gloves and kicking it away, with his legs protected by pads. A 40-foot penalty shot is awarded for fouls committed in the penalty area: this is similar to the 36-foot penalty kick in soccer11. (Trisvyatsky.2013). The sticks that are used by the players to give the ball directions. The sticks used are structured to allow the play get the grip of the ball with it, the stick is used to direct the ball into the goal of the opponent However, there is use of other parts of your body as a player. One of the rules includes: offside rule. The player should not over tackle in the penalty area. Just like other games, the winner is determined by the number of the goals scored. Since it is somewhat a risky game as it involves even skating, the players must therefore protect themselves. The members of both the teams put on protective equipments such as; helmets, mouth-guard, and the goalkeeper the faceguard. With the skates and the bandy sticks, one is good to go.

• Rules of the gameand the facilities

The bandy game is has two halves of 45minutes each. The game is play in ice rinks that has a dimension which is similar to that of football pitch. The pitch may also be covered by the brick- wall so as to control wind entrance ‘’Placing facilities design and operation at the heart of sports development, this book adopts a holistic approach, integrating experience in the field with collective knowledge across many different uses and technologies.’’ (Culley and Pascoe. 2009). There are goalkeepers for both teams, the player that play in the field are 10, making a total of 11 members of the team; however, a player can be substituted. The main objective of the game is to get the ball to get inside the opponents goal. The ball used here is just 6.6 centimeters in their axis and the weight is about 3 once. The goal for both the team is about 11.5 feet wide and 7 feet high. In most cases the players are required to use the sticks to score into the opponent`s goal. Unlike other players, the goalkeeper does not use the hooked sticks but uses the gloves to grasp the ball, then kicks it with the legs covered with the pads to protect them from unnecessary injuries. There is a penalty awarded when the opponents commits an offence against the game rules within the penalty area. The penalty is given 40 foot away from the goal. Fouls are awarded when the players do not follow the stipulated rules of the game. Other games also by some of the rules from the Brandy game, in football fouls are awarded free kick and the crime around the penalty area is punished by giving the opponent a 36 foot shot. The referee is charged with full responsibility to officiate the Match to the end of it. No extra time shall be accepted after the final whistle is blown by the referee. The play is also give the chance to jump above the ice and still play with the stick; however the player should not be higher above the height of their breast. The player is also allowed to control the ball directly with the skates or other parts of the body for as many times as possible. A shot that hits the opponent’s skates or maybe the body and finally gets to hit inside the goal the goal is considered a goal. The play area is properly marked and flag is put by the corner sections to indicate the end of the pitch diagonally. The playing area should be free from any sharp objects.

• The nature of the pitch

The goal post is so distinctive for all players to see. The markings in the field are made very conspicuous so as to allow for easy visionary effects. The penalty area is clearly marked in front of the goal. The ball should be maintained within the ice boarders this to ensure smooth gaming. Extra ball are availed by the pitch should the ball slide over the pitch, this helps minimize wastage of time unnecessarily. The benches around the pitch are meant for those put as substitutes, some are team leaders, coaches, and even team owners. Spectators should not cross the line into the field.

The bandy game has with it some of the basic rules; when an attacker gets the ball over the line, the goalkeepers is supposed to grab the ball, and pass it over to the teammate. Offside comes when the defender gets the ball at him from the opponent player. The player gets rewarded a free stroke when, they kick or dribbles the ball or even get hold of the opponent player. The free stroke is also give when there is a foul committed not close to the penalty area. Corner stroke is awarded when the defender plays outside the line, the teams on the attack can use sticks to shoot the ball into their goal. These bandy rules closely relates to those of the soccer. The referee flips the coin to determine who starts the game. After the coin has been flipped and the winner determined, it is therefore the winning teams choice to choose the side of the rink they want to star on. The teams have to play in both the rinks by full time: teams shift their position after the first half s over. When a stroke is given the players are not supposed to be on the sides of their opponents divide lest, another stroke is given at that line the player crossed .the player must also keep considerable distance from the ball for about 5m.The stroke should be done according to the rules of the game otherwise another stroke is awarded to those who break those rules. The play must not touch the ball twice during the stroke-off until the other player dose.

• Game period

Extra time is given by the referee and other officials of the game in any case after the normal time has been play and still there is no winner. Should nothing change within the added extra minutes, the game proceeds to the bit where the teams are again given second round of 10 minutes for each halve it is played under the legal rules(Casentiono.2016). If after both halve there is no change the game is put into a replay of the over time. The referee may also decide that after the barren normal time the first goal wins in the overtime. The first gall in the over time is called ``Golden goal `` a match well officiated under the governing principles will always get the winner. Penalty kicks is however given in cases where even after addition of extra minutes in the two rounds there is no winner. The referee must always be time conscious; he shall always not waste any unnecessary time wastage. Anytime time lost due to maybe sudden stop of the game by the referee must be added into the additional time.

• The spectators and fans

Initially the color of the ball used to be orange, and due to the television specifications an contrast it was made to be pink: Avery screaming color for vision. Some people also say bandy is not actually a television game as they find difficulty straining to see the tiny ball on the screen. Bandy game is very fast game which sometimes makes it hard for the spectators or the viewers to follow the move s of ball. Bandy ball needs a lot of attention whether one is watching it in the rinks or the television screen.

• Desirable conditions for the game

The game requires extreme conditions, in this case very cold. Russia therefore is very ideal place for this game. Russian has held lots of the is sports in bandy game, especially during the World Champion in Arkhangelsk, this time the temperatures were about 37 degrees Fahrenheit it is therefore a very good place for the game (Sorensen. K.2016). The Bandy sport is played widely in Russia. The game is considered as a national sport. The bandy sport got into Russia in 1898. The first championship which was for the soviet was at around 1928. Most tournaments have been held starting from 1913, in which those countries 3that turned up for the action were; Austria, England, Belgium, Germany, Ital, Holland, France, and Switzerland (Nauright. 2012). Other countries that I may have not mentioned maybe do not appear in the official list.

• Countries participants

It is the Russia that has won lots of the trophies in the World Champions of the Brandy sport. The soviet team of the Russia has taken the gold 21 times. Sweden also a very competitive member of those countries that play the bandy sport has won 11 titles. For the championship games only four nations have participated namely, Russia, Sweden, Finland, and Norway. Finland has won in only once, that was in 2004. These four countries were united by the United States after the end of the soviet power. Russians joined the Kazakhstan team making the strongest team then.

• Challenges of watching the game

The bandy is a very fancy game for the outgoing guys since it involves a plenty of party like activities. There is a lot of drinking of drinks that could make one high such as, alcoholic drinks and other stimulants such as coffee. One may not be able to hold for long because the place is extremely cold, covered by cold smog. Nevertheless intake of alcoholic drinks in the play grounds is now prohibited; this has also impacted negatively on the attendance of the matches. The Ru ssian government has to see how they will make the legislations to accommodate the game lovers.

Physical implications of the bandy game

Since the bandy game demands a lot physical fitness it is ideal for those of young age; however one with that similar ability can just play it very well. A lot of practice is employed to increase the player`s fitness. One needs to be on toes to always learn new skills. The referee officiates the game to ensure all players play safely to each other. The discipline of the player is required in the game at all time.

The pictures above shows how sometime the game could be of a real tackle. For people who are less vigorous might find it hard to play it. One has to be keen on the opponent as every step of the opponent may lead to a goal. This game has a lot of effects on both the young and the old, like the other, bandy game is so addictive it has all the addiction effects with it. One can even spend the whole day training in the fields; this is because the game is too enjoyable. It also requires one to sacrifice a lot of time learning new tricks of the game. Taking too long in the cold may have some negative effects on the player such as; pneumonic diseases, cold fevers, and many more: this mostly to children. However, the negative effects are outweighed by the positive impacts on the player and the nation. Physically playing the bandy makes one fit, improves one`s healthy due to the continuous exercise. The exercise also helps reduce the fat load on one`s body.

• Psychological implication of the game

Psychologically bandy game helps one to develop a critical and a very fast mind, one is required to very fast think for every move they make. Since it is a very risky game it helps one do away with the fears of life of having to fear taking certain risks. For young children the game helps them spend their constructively. It is a very interesting game one may not only enjoy watching but also even oneself. For adults, the game is very vital in discouraging idle activities. One is kept busy either by watching or practically playing the game. It is it is both thrilling playing and watching the game. The moves of the game can keep one locked on the game for hours. Watching the game on the television screen is rather tiresome since one has to squint in order to see the ball, one most people prefer going to the rinks to practically witness the game played.

• Similarity with other games

Bandy sport is not that common as football. In football soccer, the game is played on plain ground mainly covered by grass carpets as opposed to bandy sport which is played only on ice covered grounds. In spite of this big difference, both the games consist of eleven players. In which case, there is a goal keeper and ten players in the field. Another similarity is on the size of the fields. All the games are played on the same size of fields taking the same number of minutes. This is ninety minutes in fulltime. Ice hockey is another interesting game. It involves use of ice as a ground just like it is in bandy sport. Both bandy and ice hockey involve use of sticks in moving their balls around. The balls are however different. In ice hockey, there is use of the punk while in bandy sport players use a ball. The number of players all depicts a considerable difference. There are only a total of five players in ice hockey but a total of eleven in bandy sport. However, there is no protection that is provided to the bandy goalkeeper or even the fans as it in ice hockey.

• Areas mostly played

The fact that bandy is played on ice has made the game concentrated upon mainly by the northern nations. Comparing the game with rugby game which is worldwide and of so much physical strength, bandy sport is however of less physical strength as compared to rugby. With rugby, the number of players in the field varies. This majorly depends on the type of tournament that is involved. Rugby sevens and rugby fifteens both contain respective number of players as stipulated by the tournaments naming. This is not the case with bandy, bandy sport is however simple to understand. The rising bandy sport can also be compared to handball sport game. While bandy sport involves use of sticks to move the ball around the ice ground, handball game involves use of hands in passing and moving the ball around. They are only similar in the way of protection, whereby in each case the goalkeeper is not protected. In handball again, the size of the ball varies according to the gender. The ball is smaller when its women handball game but bigger in males games. Bandy sport remains simple since it’s mainly played by the male gender and such considerations are minimal. Bandy sports unlike other games such rugby requires less physical ability, as demonstrated by the photos below, courtesy of ( Berehulak.

• Conclusion

In conclusion, the bandy sport game has made useless parts of northern countries that are covered by ice almost throughout the years to be useful grounds. It has made use of lat grounds that could not be used for skirting and other games. However, the game is bias since it is only for specific countries. But its interest goes all over the world. Reduced protection on the spectators makes it cheap since it only involves use of nets and field making. Russia however is better off. All the conditions of the game are catered for in Russia. Moreover, the country brags of being the winner of many of the titles in the bandy sport category. Don’t you think it is a motivation? To the team and the couches even to me, it is indeed a motivation that has seen the team triumph over their opponents.

• Psychological implication of the game

Psychologically bandy game helps one to develop a critical and a very fast mind, one is required to very fast think for every move they make. Since it is a very risky game it helps one do away with the fears of life of having to fear taking certain risks. For young children the game helps them spend their constructively. It is a very interesting game one may not only enjoy watching but also even oneself. For adults, the game is very vital in discouraging idle activities. One is kept busy either by watching or practically playing the game. It is it is both thrilling playing and watching the game. The moves of the game can keep one locked on the game for hours. Watching the game on the television screen is rather tiresome since one has to squint in order to see the ball, one most people prefer going to the rinks to practically witness the game played.

• Similarity with other games

Bandy sport is not that common as football. In football soccer, the game is played on plain ground mainly covered by grass carpets as opposed to bandy sport which is played only on ice covered grounds. In spite of this big difference, both the games consist of eleven players. In which case, there is a goal keeper and ten players in the field. Another similarity is on the size of the fields. All the games are played on the same size of fields taking the same number of minutes. This is ninety minutes in fulltime. Ice hockey is another interesting game. It involves use of ice as a ground just like it is in bandy sport. Both bandy and ice hockey involve use of sticks in moving their balls around. The balls are however different. In ice hockey, there is use of the punk while in bandy sport players use a ball. The number of players all depicts a considerable difference. There are only a total of five players in ice hockey but a total of eleven in bandy sport. However, there is no protection that is provided to the bandy goalkeeper or even the fans as it in ice hockey.

• Areas mostly played

The fact that bandy is played on ice has made the game concentrated upon mainly by the northern nations. Comparing the game with rugby game which is worldwide and of so much physical strength, bandy sport is however of less physical strength as compared to rugby. With rugby, the number of players in the field varies. This majorly depends on the type of tournament that is involved. Rugby sevens and rugby fifteens both contain respective number of players as stipulated by the tournaments naming. This is not the case with bandy, bandy sport is however simple to understand. The rising bandy sport can also be compared to handball sport game. While bandy sport involves use of sticks to move the ball around the ice ground, handball game involves use of hands in passing and moving the ball around. They are only similar in the way of protection, whereby in each case the goalkeeper is not protected. In handball again, the size of the ball varies according to the gender. The ball is smaller when its women handball game but bigger in males games. Bandy sport remains simple since it’s mainly played by the male gender and such considerations are minimal. Bandy sports unlike other games such rugby requires less physical ability, as demonstrated by the photos below, courtesy of ( Berehulak.

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