The most popular drifts are the "center", "diamond", "diagonal", and "L". Shots are often hit out of "drifts", where the puck travels in set patterns designed to throw off the opponent's expectations and timing.To block bank shots, one pulls back quickly to the corners of the goal. In this position, very slight movements to the left and right will block virtually all straight shots. For basic defense, the mallet is kept centered at least 8 inches out from the goal.This allows more wrist action and helps the player to move the striker around the table faster. The mallet is gripped behind the knob using one's fingertips, not on top of it.( July 2016) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Ĭompetitive (tournament) play is usually distinguished by the following: Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Air Hockey pucks come in circles and other shapes ( triangle, hexagon, octagon, or square).įour-player tables also exist, but they are not sanctioned for competitive play. In competitive play, a layer of thin white tape is placed on the face-up side. Standard USAA and AHPA-approved pucks are yellow, red, and green. A group of five air hockey pucksĪir Hockey pucks are discs made of Lexan polycarbonate resin. The most common paddles, called "high-tops", resemble small plastic sombreros, but other paddles, "flat-tops", are used with a shorter nub. This is due to the small dimensions of the table, bits, washers.Ī striker (sometimes called a goalie, mallet or paddle) consists of a simple handle attached to a flat surface that will usually lie flush with the surface of the table. There are also tables for air hockey having a size of 1.5, 2, or 2.5 feet. Other full-size novelty-type tables with flashing lights on the field of play, painted rails, and/or smaller pucks are not approved for tournament play but can be used to learn the game. Approved tables include all Gold Standard Games 8-foot tables some 8-foot tables from Dynamo and the original 8-foot commercial Brunswick tables. The only tables that are approved for play and sanctioned by the USAA (United States Air Hockey Association) and the AHPA (Air Hockey Players Association) for tournament play are 8-foot tables. There also exist pucks that use a battery and fan to generate their own air cushion, but as they are prone to breakage, they are commonly marketed only as toys. These tables are technically not air hockey tables, since no air is involved however, they are still generally understood to be as such due to the basic similarity of gameplay. In some tables, the machinery is eschewed in favor of a slick table surface, usually plastic, in the interest of saving money in both manufacturing and maintenance costs. Additionally, tables will typically have some sort of machinery that produces a cushion of air on the playing surface through tiny holes, with the purpose of reducing friction and increasing play speed. On the ends of the table behind and below the goals, there is usually a puck return. ( November 2017) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Ī typical air hockey table consists of a large smooth playing surface designed to minimize friction, a surrounding rail to prevent the puck and strikers (paddles) from leaving the table, and slots in the rail at either end of the table that serve as goals. This causes the puck to hover and move easily across the table with little loss of velocity, which simulates the lubricated sliding of an ice hockey puck across a well polished rink, hence the name of the game. The air hockey table has raised edges that allow the puck to reflect off horizontally, and a very smooth, slippery surface that further reduces friction by suspending the puck on a thin cushion of air ejected from tiny vent holes built inside the surface.
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