Air Hockey > Defense
Air Hockey Defense
Having a solid offense isn't enough to be a good air hockey player. Much like in any other sport, most people come from the mindset that a strong offense wins games. This is actually not true when it comes to table hockey because of all of the fast paced action, pucks flying off the wall and close margin for error between a blocked shot and a goal.
Paying Attention and Following the Puck
Playing smart defense starts with simply paying attention. One of the most important things you can do to protect your goal is to always be focusing on the placement of the puck. If you not only know where the puck is but are also following it with your mallet to get in the best position to defend a quick shot, your percentage of blocking will drastically improve. When we say "follow" the puck we don't mean chasing the puck, it is simply to make sure your mallet is following the movement and still staying home on defense. You never want to actually chase towards the puck once it has been shot because your reaction time will be slower than its speed. In fact, you actually need to do the opposite by moving backwards towards your goal where the puck is going to enter it. This will give you the best chance of blocking it and the most time to properly react. Most air hockey games are decided over one or two points since the game is a mere 7 total points to win, so blocking one extra shot because you were prepared can make your game. Don't just give up an easy goal, make your opponent work for every one they get.
Playing smart defense starts with simply paying attention. One of the most important things you can do to protect your goal is to always be focusing on the placement of the puck. If you not only know where the puck is but are also following it with your mallet to get in the best position to defend a quick shot, your percentage of blocking will drastically improve. When we say "follow" the puck we don't mean chasing the puck, it is simply to make sure your mallet is following the movement and still staying home on defense. You never want to actually chase towards the puck once it has been shot because your reaction time will be slower than its speed. In fact, you actually need to do the opposite by moving backwards towards your goal where the puck is going to enter it. This will give you the best chance of blocking it and the most time to properly react. Most air hockey games are decided over one or two points since the game is a mere 7 total points to win, so blocking one extra shot because you were prepared can make your game. Don't just give up an easy goal, make your opponent work for every one they get.
The Proper Position
Defense is all about being in the right place at the right time. It seems like a simple concept but actually knowing some of the geometry around the proper placement of your mallet on defense will instantly improve your game. Some shots are so fast that your reaction time will not be quick enough to race the puck to the goal. This is why we recommend placing your mallet about 8-14 inches in front of the goal when you are playing defense.
There is a delicate balance of positioning your mallet too close or too far away from the goal. If you are too close, you are not maximizing the real estate used to block straight or angled shots. Just think about it in terms of soccer, goalies come further out of their box when a 1 - 1 breaks out in order to block a higher percentage of the goal and cut off additional angles. The trick in air hockey is if you come too far out away from the goal you are exposing more space behind you for your challenger to shoot a bank shot.
Defense is all about being in the right place at the right time. It seems like a simple concept but actually knowing some of the geometry around the proper placement of your mallet on defense will instantly improve your game. Some shots are so fast that your reaction time will not be quick enough to race the puck to the goal. This is why we recommend placing your mallet about 8-14 inches in front of the goal when you are playing defense.
There is a delicate balance of positioning your mallet too close or too far away from the goal. If you are too close, you are not maximizing the real estate used to block straight or angled shots. Just think about it in terms of soccer, goalies come further out of their box when a 1 - 1 breaks out in order to block a higher percentage of the goal and cut off additional angles. The trick in air hockey is if you come too far out away from the goal you are exposing more space behind you for your challenger to shoot a bank shot.
Triangle Defense
The triangle style defense is probably the most common method to playing the game. The basic premise of this style is to position the mallet 14 inches out from the edge of the table where the goal box is. From there, players move their mallet from left to right in front of the goal box to block straight and angled shots. The most exposed shot from this position is the bank shot, so players must also move the mallet backwards in order to avoid under bank shots sneaking behind their defenses.
The triangle style defense is probably the most common method to playing the game. The basic premise of this style is to position the mallet 14 inches out from the edge of the table where the goal box is. From there, players move their mallet from left to right in front of the goal box to block straight and angled shots. The most exposed shot from this position is the bank shot, so players must also move the mallet backwards in order to avoid under bank shots sneaking behind their defenses.