Air Hockey > Offense > Bank Shot
Air Hockey Bank Shot
Air Hockey Bank Shot Overview
The bank shot is defined as striking your mallet against the puck to force it to bounce off one of the side walls and score in your opponent's goal. The puck must only bounce off a single wall before scoring or else it is considered a double bank. This can be an effective way to score in air hockey as it is one of the more deceptive and hard to read ones to read when you are playing defense. It is the most popular shot in professional play, so recommend that you carry this one in your offensive arsenal.
Striking the Puck
For a proper bank shot, most beginner players attack the puck from the side instead of from behind at a slight angle from behind it. Striking the puck from behind actually adds more force to your shot and will result in less double bank shots which have a lower percentage of scoring. Good players actively slide the mallet forward and hit it off the side in order to transfer the most energy to the puck straight at the wall for a crisp shot on goal. In order to learn the correct amount of force you should apply, practice hitting the side walls slightly harder and harder until you cause the puck to fly off the table. You need to establish a muscle memory that allows you to hit it just hard enough to keep it on the table to ensure your shot is the correct speed.
The bank shot is defined as striking your mallet against the puck to force it to bounce off one of the side walls and score in your opponent's goal. The puck must only bounce off a single wall before scoring or else it is considered a double bank. This can be an effective way to score in air hockey as it is one of the more deceptive and hard to read ones to read when you are playing defense. It is the most popular shot in professional play, so recommend that you carry this one in your offensive arsenal.
Striking the Puck
For a proper bank shot, most beginner players attack the puck from the side instead of from behind at a slight angle from behind it. Striking the puck from behind actually adds more force to your shot and will result in less double bank shots which have a lower percentage of scoring. Good players actively slide the mallet forward and hit it off the side in order to transfer the most energy to the puck straight at the wall for a crisp shot on goal. In order to learn the correct amount of force you should apply, practice hitting the side walls slightly harder and harder until you cause the puck to fly off the table. You need to establish a muscle memory that allows you to hit it just hard enough to keep it on the table to ensure your shot is the correct speed.
Overview of Under Banks vs. Over Banks
When we talk about the bank we are really talking about two different variations that you can use to score. First is the concept that you can bank it off the wall where the puck slides behind the opposing team's defensive mallet. This method is called the "under" because you score behind or under their defense. On the opposite side of that approach you can also have an "over" where you perform the bank to go in front of their defense or over it.
When we talk about the bank we are really talking about two different variations that you can use to score. First is the concept that you can bank it off the wall where the puck slides behind the opposing team's defensive mallet. This method is called the "under" because you score behind or under their defense. On the opposite side of that approach you can also have an "over" where you perform the bank to go in front of their defense or over it.
Under the Mallet Banks - "Unders"
The under shot is the most common of the two methods but it will depend on how far your opponent plays their mallet out in front of the goal. You can exploit your competition with understand if they choose to play further away from the back rail of the goal because there is more room behind them to sneak the puck. Unders should be aimed at the very corner of the goal on whatever side you bounce off the wall. The further you aim towards the center of the goal versus the corner, the more percentage you are allowing for it to be blocked. |
Over the Mallet Banks - "Overs"
The less common is the over bank because you actually have to pass the puck in front of their defense to score. The bank angle on this variation is typically sharper and requires you to hit the wall closer to your side of the table. You should look for opportunities to attempt these when their mallet is close to the back rail, allowing you to pass the puck in front of their goalie. |
Bank Shot Level of Difficulty
The bank comes in at a 3 out of 5 in level of difficulty. The hardest part about a bank is determining exactly where to hit the wall based off your striking location and the angle you are shooting. Both of these need to be quickly calculated on the spot as you make contact with the puck. The best way to learn this is to practice it from all different locations on the table so you understand the proper wall striking locations of land an accurate goal.
Defending Against the Bank Shot
The bank shot is extremely hard to defend against when your opponent knows how to be accurate with it. Remember that air hockey is literally a game of inches and you must get yourself in the right position because there is little time to react. The best method for defending against a variety of shots is to leverage the triangle defense. This is a basic defense that players can use in order to block incoming pucks. The name describes the possible placement positions of the mallet, which makes a triangle from two points on both sides of the goal and a single point about 1-foot in front of the goal
The bank comes in at a 3 out of 5 in level of difficulty. The hardest part about a bank is determining exactly where to hit the wall based off your striking location and the angle you are shooting. Both of these need to be quickly calculated on the spot as you make contact with the puck. The best way to learn this is to practice it from all different locations on the table so you understand the proper wall striking locations of land an accurate goal.
Defending Against the Bank Shot
The bank shot is extremely hard to defend against when your opponent knows how to be accurate with it. Remember that air hockey is literally a game of inches and you must get yourself in the right position because there is little time to react. The best method for defending against a variety of shots is to leverage the triangle defense. This is a basic defense that players can use in order to block incoming pucks. The name describes the possible placement positions of the mallet, which makes a triangle from two points on both sides of the goal and a single point about 1-foot in front of the goal