Hockey is any of a family of sports in which two teams compete by trying to maneuver a ball, or a hard, round disc called a puck, into the opponent's net or goal, using a hockey stick. The dominant version of hockey in a particular region tends to be known simply as hockey, other forms being more fully qualified. Origins Games like hockey have been played in almost every populated region of the globe, from Ancient Greece to North America. Its basic concept is that of fighting in teams over an object or ball, using staves, and bringing it back to one's own side of a field. Often goals were set up to keep the players within a defined area. It was played both on foot and on horseback, and sometimes both at once, often as a form of military training. The mounted form is known as polo. Field hockey Main article: Field hockey Field hockey game at Melbourne University.Field hockey is played with a ball on gravel or natural grass, or on sand-based or water-based artificial turfs, with a small, hard ball. The game is popular among both males and females in many countries of the world, particularly countries in Europe, India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South Asia. In the United States and Canada it is played predominantly by women. The 116-member governing body is the International Hockey Federation (FIH). Field Hockey has been played at each summer Olympic Games since 1908 (except 1924). Modern field hockey sticks are J-shaped and constructed of a composite of wood, glass fibre or carbon fibre (or both) and have a curved hook at the playing end, a flat surface on the playing side and curved surface on the rear side. There are 4000-year-old drawings in Egypt of a game resembling field hockey being played. While modern field hockey appeared in the mid-18th century in England, primarily in schools, it was not until the first half of the 19th century that it became firmly established. The first club was created in 1849 at Blackheath in south-east London. Ice hockey Main article: Ice hockey The Barrie Colts applying pressure at the Brampton Battalion net in an ice hockey game.Ice hockey is played on ice with a three inch (76.2 mm) diameter vulcanized rubber disc called a puck. There are two teams of skaters consisting of a goaltender, two defence players and three forwards. The game is played all over North America, Europe and in many other countries around the world to a greater or lesser extent. It is played with two teams, while 5 skaters and 1 goalie are allowed on the ice at a time. In NHL rules, the periods are 20 minutes long. There are three periods. The 64-member governing body is the International Ice Hockey Federation, (IIHF). Ice hockey has been played at the Winter Olympics since 1924, and was in the 1920 Summer Olympics. North America's National Hockey League is the strongest professional ice hockey league, drawing top ice hockey players from around the globe. The NHL rules are slightly different from those used in Olympic hockey. Ice hockey sticks are long L-shaped sticks made of wood, graphite, or composites with a blade at the bottom that can lie flat on the playing surface when the stick is held upright and can curve either way as to help a left- or right-handed player gain an advantage. There are early representations and reports of hockey-type games being played on ice in the Netherlands, and reports from Canada from the beginning of the nineteenth century, but the modern game was initially organized by students at McGill University, Montreal in 1875 and, by two years later, codified the first set of ice hockey rules and organized the first teams. wikipedia.

Hockey is an awesome spaort played on a sheet of ice. You shoot arpund a nice little rubber puck and try to get it into the opposing teams net. Of course, you have to get it past their goaltender. plus, there are 5 other players on the ice you have to work around. There, that was simple enough. Not as complicating as the other guys answer.

By the rules.

Not very well. I've got two left feet.

I wish I could. I can't skate.