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Table Hockey Glossary of Terms

Air Hockey Terms
  • Bank Shot: When a player bounces the puck off the wall before it goes in the goal
  • Block: When a defensive player blocks a shot with the mallet
  • Centerline: The horizontal line in the center of the table that divides it into equal halves
  • Charge: When a defensive player moves their mallet forward towards the puck during a shot
  • Chase Shot: When a player chases down a puck that is moving towards the centerline for a shot
  • Defense (Defender): The player that does not have possession of the puck.
  • Drift: Refers to tapping the puck to move it and get it in position for a shot
  • Out of Play: During time-outs, penalties or fouls, the puck is out of play
  • Goal Box: A hole that can be found at both ends of the table where the puck can go into to score a goal
  • Goal Tending: A technical foul, where a player "palms" the puck when it's moving towards the goal. Penalty is a single shot from the opponent
  • Mallet: The game accessory used to block shots and strike the puck for shots. Sometimes referred to as a striker, pusher, goalie or paddle
  • Offense (Attacker): The player that is currently controlling the puck
  • Over the Centerline: "Over" is a penalty called when a player strikes the puck when it is completely on the opponents side of the centerline
  • Over the Mallet Shots: A bank shot that hits a side rail and then crosses in front (over the top) of the defender's mallet before scoring a goal. Over shots can be defined as LWO = Left-wall over and RWO = Right-wall over
  • Palming: A foul, where a player places a hand, finger or other non-mallet object on top of the puck
  • Puck: The object players strike with the mallet in attempts to score a goal
  • Pump-Fake: When an attacker winds up and fakes a shot on the puck before shooting their real shot
  • Rail (Wall): The side walls on the air hockey table that keep the puck in play
  • Straight Shot: When a player executes a shot that moves the puck across the centerline straight towards the opponents goal
  • Topping: A foul, where players place their mallet on top of the puck
  • Triangle Defense: 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
  • Under the Mallet: A bank shot that hits a side rail and then crosses behind (under the bottom) of the defender's mallet before scoring a goal. Under shots can be defined as  LWU = Left-wall under and RWU = Right-wall under
  • USAA: Also known as, United States Air Hockey Association, is the governing body who standardizes air hockey rules
Bubble Hockey Terms
  • Breakaway: Refers to a 1-on-1 open shot on goal between the center offensive player and the goalie. This occurs when the defense hasn't gotten back in position to defend the center offensive player
  • Center: The center refers to the bubble hockey man that is an offensive player in the center on the table. This is the only man that can complete a breakaway shot
  • Deke: Refers to a deceptive move or fake with the puck in order to confuse the defense and get around them
  • Defenseman: The two outside defenders are referred to as left and right defenseman
  • Goalie or Goaltender: The man who sits in front of the goal to block shots is referred to as the goalie or goaltender
  • Dome: The dome is the cover that goes over the top of the bubble hockey table surface. This serves the purpose of making the game look like an ice hockey rink, keeps dust out of the machine and keeps the puck in play
  • Face Off: Refers to the initial serve of the puck in the center of the game machine to start the game or between goals
  • Hat Trick: Three goals scored by a single player in one game
  • Periods: Similar to how most sports are broken into halves or quarters, hockey is broken into periods. Periods refer to three equally timed segments of the game where you can score a goal
  • Puck: The puck is the plastic circular disc that is moved around and scores goals inside the dome
  • Long Stick Player: This refers to the offensive player on the right wing that carries a longer stick than the other men on the bubble hockey table
  • Wings or Wingers: Outside offensive players are referred to as left and right wings/wingers