What is defending in Hornussen?

Verdict

The fielding team spreads out across the length of the Ries, each player holding a Schindel — the handled board.; As the Hornuss comes in, fielders hurl their Schindel spinning up into its flight path to bring it down. Judging the line of a small, fast, high-flying puck is...

Why people argue about this

People often assume that in Hornussen, defenders are supposed to catch incoming pucks instead of stopping them with their boards. But actually, they're meant to intercept by hurling their Schindels at just the right moment and angle to knock the puck out of play. The confusion arises because it's a bit counterintuitive compared to other hockey-like sports where catching is more common.

Send this to your friend — argument over.

Section 5: Rules of Play

Hornussen is played in alternating innings. One team strikes while the other defends the field, then the roles swap. Unusually, the two sides use completely different equipment and do completely different things — the striking side is trying to send the Hornuss as far down the field as it can, and the fielding side is trying to knock it out of the air before it lands.

Striking

The Hornuss is placed on the Bock, the curved metal ramp at the head of the field, so every strike begins from the same position.
The striker takes a run-up and swings the Stecken in a long overhead arc, whipping the Träf head down onto the Hornuss. The power comes from the flex of the shaft rather than from arm strength, which is why the technique takes so long to learn.
A well-struck Hornuss leaves the ramp at up to 300 km/h (about 185 mph) and can carry several hundred metres down the Ries.
Every player on the striking team takes their turn before the innings changes over.

Defending

The fielding team spreads out across the length of the Ries, each player holding a Schindel — the handled board.
As the Hornuss comes in, fielders hurl their Schindel spinning up into its flight path to bring it down. Judging the line of a small, fast, high-flying puck is the core skill of the fielding side, and it is why the sport is followed as closely for its defence as for its hitting.
A Hornuss brought down before it touches the ground is stopped, and no mark is recorded against the fielding team.

The objective

A Hornuss that lands in the Ries without being intercepted is recorded as a Nouss against the fielding team. This is the part that surprises newcomers: the marks accumulate against the side that failed to stop it, not in favour of the side that struck it, so the winning team is the one with the fewest Nouss rather than the most points. How far the Hornuss travels matters too — the Ries is marked out in numbered zones, and a strike that lands deeper in the field is worth more against the defenders than a short one.

The exact zone values, innings count and match length are still being pinned down — see Section 6, and propose them if you play.

Section 5: Rules of Play

Striking

The Hornuss is placed on the Bock, the curved metal ramp at the head of the field, so every strike begins from the same position.

The striker takes a run-up and swings the Stecken in a long overhead arc, whipping the Träf head down onto the Hornuss. The power comes from the flex of the shaft rather than from arm strength, which is why the technique takes so long to learn.

A well-struck Hornuss leaves the ramp at up to 300 km/h (about 185 mph) and can carry several hundred metres down the Ries.

Every player on the striking team takes their turn before the innings changes over.

Defending

The fielding team spreads out across the length of the Ries, each player holding a Schindel — the handled board.

As the Hornuss comes in, fielders hurl their Schindel spinning up into its flight path to bring it down. Judging the line of a small, fast, high-flying puck is the core skill of the fielding side, and it is why the sport is followed as closely for its defence as for its hitting.

A Hornuss brought down before it touches the ground is stopped, and no mark is recorded against the fielding team.

The objective

The exact zone values, innings count and match length are still being pinned down — see Section 6, and propose them if you play.

Defending