From: darling@cellar.org (Thomas Darling)
Newsgroups: rec.skate,rec.sport.hockey
Subject: ** Inline Hockey FAQ  (Beta Test Version)
Date: 12 Aug 92 14:07:35 GMT
Organization: The Cellar BBS and public access system


                        Inline Hockey FAQ File
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This file reflects the observations of our small group's trial-and-error
approach to organizing and playing hockey on inline skates.  We've done a
lot of experimenting with gear, play, etc. and it is hoped that our
experiences will be helpful to others getting involved in this fun and
fast-paced sport.

The FAQ administrator for rec.skate is welcome to repost this file along
with the other FAQs, if so desired.  Also, if anyone has information
on the Olympic (or other "official") version of the game, I'm sure
we'd all like to see that as well.

                                                    Thomas Darling (RW)


GEAR """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Sticks //  Many of our players use standard street hockey sticks, with
______//  wooden shafts and plastic blades.  These seem to survive the
surface with minimal wear.  However, those more experienced players
(former ice hockey players all) prefer wooden ice hockey sticks, with taped
blades, for superior puck control.  These obviously wear down a lot
faster than on ice, being scraped across concrete and leant on for power
turns.  Once the blade is taped, a razor is used to trim off the bottom 1cm
or so to prevent fraying.

Perhaps the benefits of wooden ice hockey sticks are predominantly
psychological, based on the familiarity factor.  But to those of us who
use them, they "feel" better and therefore give us better results.

If you decide to use a plastic-bladed street hockey stick, you should
make sure to get one long enough for you to use when on your skates;
most street hockey sticks are designed to be used on foot. 

Pucks //  Sun Hockey makes a nifty three-wheeled puck called the "Hot
_____//  Puck."  The puck is hard rubber, and the "wheels" are three teflon
balls that protrude through the top and bottom.  Advantages: It appears to
be regulation size and weight, and it feels great against the stick.  It's
an extremely cool design.  Disadvantage: It doesn't work.  Even on the most
ideal surface (we tried it on a tennis court-type deck), it bounces,
flips, and ends up rolling on its edge more than on the "wheels."  I really
wish they'd come up with a better functioning design, because the feel and
idea are sound.

Since the Sun puck doesn't happen, we use Mylec street hockey balls.  They
come in three different colours, coded for different temperatures.  The
orange one works best so far; minimal bounce, but a bit light.  Be
aware that the temperature type of the puck is important; we've heard
of a warm-weather ball that shattered when used in cold weather.

Also be aware that there are cheaper balls out there, and some of them
suuuuuuck.  We've even encountered one that was unevenly weighted and
textured.  Not good.  Since the Mylec balls are only a couple of dollars,
there's no reason not to get the real thing.

Nobody's completely happy with this compromise, but it's the best option
we've seen so far.

Padding //  Checking is a bit less frequent in the inline game, which
_______//  is good, because the summer heat makes heavy padding out of the
question.  Hardshell knee pads are a necessity, because everyone
occasionally collides with the boards or the ground.  Elbow pads are also
highly recommended.

Those nifty wristguards are probably a good idea for skating and training,
but for all practical purposes it is impossible to hold a hockey stick with
them.  This is OK, because you can use the stick to break your fall in many
circumstances, and you can't build up huge speeds in a small rink anyway.

Opinions vary on hand protection.  Some players prefer ice hockey gloves.
They provide superb protection against sticks, decent padding for when you
get crunched, and enough finger coverage to make hand passes safe.  On the
other hand, they tend to be very hot.  Many of us opt instead for
weightlifting gloves, the fingerless mesh kind with leather palms.  These
allow your hands to stay cool, yet prevent the loss of skin when you're
knocked sprawling.  They allow good stick control.  Just don't go grabbing
the puck with 'em, lest your fingers be rolled over/chopped off.
 
(Note: Weightlifting gloves are difficult to dramatically throw down.  So
if you get into a violent confrontation, you may incur a few bruises while
trying frantically to peel them off.  If you play this way, be careful.)

Eye Protection //  It's always been too hot to wear my helmet.  Ray-Bans
______________//  look cool, and are better than nothing.  Use one of those
goofy ShadeStraps so they don't go flying when you get cross-checked from
behind.

Goalie Gear //  A good mask is essential, regardless of puck type.  Either
___________//  a cage-type ice hockey mask or an inexpensive Mylec mask
will do.  An ice hockey stick is highly recommended, since they tend to be
larger than their street hockey counterparts.  Any variety of blocker will
suffice.  If you're playing with a ball of some kind rather than a puck,
we've found that using a baseball glove for a catcher will give good 
results.

In regards to leg pads, the cheapest Mylec ones appear to work the best.
Since they're made of hard plastic, a goalie can slide on his knees in
them, which improves effectiveness.

 
SKATES """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Choice of Skate //  ...depends on playing style and the ever-important ice-
_______________//  hockey familiarity factor.  As an ice-hockey player, I
use Bauer XS/5's with the brake removed.  They're all laces, no buckles,
and are nice and light.  They've got good bearings (hence decent speed)
and strong frames.

The most popular skate among our skaters is the Rollerblade Zetra 303. 
It's a little heavy and clunky, but has an extremely durable boot, which is
good if you like to plant yourself in front of the goalie and get your
ankles whacked at a lot.

The bottom line, really, is that you can make do with what you've got.  One
of our best players uses el cheapo skates (Phantoms?), yet still manages to
come up with the breakaways and finesse plays.

Rockering //  None of us rocker our frames.  I know that every book in
_________//  the world says that you should rocker them for hockey, but
the difference in turning ability (especially at high speeds) is
negligible.  All that appeared to be seriously affected were speed,
traction and stability, none for the better.

Wheels //  So far, we haven't experimented greatly with different wheels.
______//  I've used both hard and soft, and liked the hard ones better,
since they last longer and feel better on grinding stops and turns. 
Rollerblade makes a "Hockey Wheel" with better perimeter width (to reflect
the need for stopping/turning over straightaway speed), but since they're
hubless and generally cheap-looking, nobody has picked any up yet.


TECHNIQUES """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Stick Turns/Stops //  Many of us ice-hockey players are aggrivated by 
_________________//  the limited turning and stopping ability of inline
skates.  A typical drag stop (rear foot 90 degrees against leading foot)
works in most circumstances.  But another good technique is the stick
stop.

In this stop, the skater begins a tight turn towards his stick side.  For
this example, we'll use a right-handed skater.  Right foot forward, he
makes a tight turn, putting his stick blade down (to the right) in the
process.  He leans against the stick, grinding his left foot outwards,
until coming to a stop.  With practice, one can even hang onto the puck
while executing this stop.

Sometimes, when going very fast, I find that I must crouch low to keep
pressure on the outer foot -- often to such a degree that the boot, instead
of the wheels, makes contact with the ground.  This gets good results, but
is not recommended for less durable boots.

The same technique is used in the stick turn.  The skater uses the same
combination of tight turn and stick friction, but instead of using the
stick as a mere brake, uses it as a pivot point to make a tighter turn and
continue on in a new direction.

Goalie Techniques //  The best bet for goalies, in many cases, is simply
_________________//  not to wear skates.  A sneakered goalie has
side-to-side mobility and backwards control that are difficult to match on
skates of any kind.  As long as the goalie doesn't leave the crease for
extended periods (i.e. Ron Hextall lead-the-rush-up-ice maneuvres), this
makes for fair and fun gameplay.

As previously mentioned, hard plastic Mylec street hockey leg pads are
recommended.  A good goalie can fearlessly slide about in them, making for
a more ice-like game. 


SURFACES """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Generally speaking, you're stuck with whatever your area offers.  For
economical reasons, we've been playing on street-hockey decks, which have
asphalt or cement surfaces and decent boards all around.  One such surface
is quite good; very smooth cement approaching tennis court quality.  It's a
decent drive for most of us, but worth it; we've played on a rougher
surface and it's exhausting.

There are also commercial venues available in our area.  One huge indoor
facility has a perfect surface, good nets, an electronic scoreboard, you
name it.  It's also $70/hour, but with enough people playing a real game,
this can be cost-effective.


RULES """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Our goal is to be as ice hockey-like as possible.  In the reduced size of
most street-hockey decks, 4 skaters per side is probably the realistic
maximum.  And we'd like to someday have enough players for full 60-minute
change-on-the-fly games, but for the time being it looks like three 10
minute periods with no line changes and frequent timeouts.

When we can, we aspire to NHL rules.  With 10-minute games, half-length
penalties are probably best (1 minute or 2.5 minutes).  Enforcement of
offsides and icing are aed in hearing how other players deal with this.

Best of luck to anyone getting started in the game; may you find all the
players you need and a prime surface.  If you live in the Philadelphia/
South Jersey area, we invite you to join us!  Interested parties can Email
me directly, or reach me on the Cellar BBS (the number is in my .sig).
We play Sundays, are still organizing for fall, and would welcome any new
participants.


CREDITS """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Thanks for the following for their field testing and other assistance in
the preparation of this file:
 
Anton "Slapshot" Shepps (LW), Dan Reed (LW), Chris "Nate" Collins (G),
Earl Schieb (D, no relation), Rachel MacGregor (D), Steve "Doc" Roth (D),
Rob "Franchise" Tedesco (RW), N.Y. State Assemblyman Allan K. Race (C,
Democrat), and "Pittsburgh" Bob Safier (C).

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