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Official Air Hockey Rules

The rules of air hockey have been put in place to keep for a fair and balanced game against opponents. It also creates structure for the game so there is a standard for things like who gets the first puck, how many points wins a game and a way to define fouls. The list of rules below will provide you the basics you need to know. However, if you are preparing for a professional tournament, you will need to be aware of all of the official USAA air hockey rules.
  • A face-off or coin toss decides which player gets the first possession of the puck
  • The first person to score 7 points by shooting the puck into the opponent’s goal wins the game. When the puck breaks the horizontal plane inside the goal, a point is counted, whether or not captured by the electronic scoring device
  • Once the puck is on a certain player’s side of the center line, he/she has 7 seconds to hit the puck back across the center line. Otherwise a foul is committed and the opponent receives possession of the puck
  • Placing one’s mallet on top of the puck, known as topping, is a foul. The opponent receives possession of the puck
  • A player cannot touch or strike the puck with any part of his/her body or with any object other than the mallet. Doing so causes a foul and possession changes hands
  • If the puck is on a clear path into the goal and the player stops it with anything other than the mallet, this is goal tending. When goal tending occurs, the other opponent gets possession of the puck
  • Hitting the puck when it is on the opposite side of the center line, or crossing the center line completely with one’s mallet causes a foul.When this foul occurs, the opponent receives possession of the puck
  • If the puck leaves the table, a foul is called on the player that caused the puck to go out of play due to offensive motion and the opposing player gets possession of the puck. Generally, when a player causes the puck to leave the table with a forward motion of the mallet, even defensively (known as charging), the foul is charged on them. An out of play foul results in the opponent receiving possession of the puck