What Is Roller Hockey?
Roller hockey or roller skate hockey is a sport very similar to ice hockey with some minor key differences between the two sports. The main key difference between them being that ice hockey is played on ice and the other is played on a dry ground such as pavement or concrete.
The history of roller hockey can date back as far as the late 1870’s and originate in London, England. By the early 1880’s roller hockey was becoming a popular upcoming sport all over the U.S. specifically around the midwestern cities. By this time it was becoming a professional sport that had its own leagues, rules and regulations to play.
Types of roller hockey
There are not many types of roller hockey but the rules and equipment used will vary depending on where you’re playing the sport. Playing the game for fun on a street surface with some friends can be the simplest way to play and your rules may not require you to abide by all the regulations or even use all of the protective equipment. At this point you are playing at your own risk. Some professional leagues play using inline skates while others use quad skates, each having they own reasons as to why, it’s really just a preference of style and approach you want to have.
Inline hockey being the same sport just played on a street surface with less rules to follow. As the name describes, the players are required to use inline skates for this particular game. Players in a games do not mix and match quads and inline skates, everyone will either wear quad skates or inline skates. Rink hockey is the same game with just a different surface, roller rinks are smoother surfaces enclosed either indoor or sometimes even outdoor. Being that it’s a smooth surface, this opens up your options to using quads if those are the rules that were set
Equipment for roller hockey
Roller hockey like in the name, requires roller skates or inline skates to play. There are no ice skates used in this sport, though the rest of the equipment or protective gear is very similar to those used in ice hockey. There is always a possibility of falling on roller skates, use protection and learn how to fall. The following is a list of equipment used during a professional game:
- Face grill with or without shield
- Mouth guard
- Shoulder padding
- Elbow padding
- Chest padding
- Inline girdle
- Cup
- Knee padding
- Shin padding
- Inline skates or quad skates
- Hockey cane or stick
- Hockey puck or ball
Roller hockey tournaments
A sport such as roller hockey can draw crowds as big as the ones you would see for a FIFA World Cup. Roller hockey has made quite a name for itself worldwide. Some countries that play roller hockey with professional leagues are:
- France
- Italy
- Portugal
- Spain
How to play roller hockey:
Roller hockey being a sport closely similar to ice hockey requires a different terrain to play on. Roller hockey is played on a dry hard surface such as a rink, cement, or pavement. It’s a game that requires two teams to be played and the game can take place in an indoor or an outdoor setting.
Being that there are two ways to play this game, either variation will have the same rules and regulations. One way that the game can be played would be on quad skates or the other being inline skates. Players on either team are moving a ball or hockey puck around using a hockey cane or stick until a goal is scored in the opposing team's goal. Each game has a set time duration and the team that scores the most goals wins the game.
Check our else articles about roller derby and learn to dance on skates once you read about what is jam skating.
