Roller Hockey

Introduction

Roller hockey is a hybrid team sport which combines roller skating along with hockey. It is a popular sport, played in almost 60 countries worldwide. It can be regarded as hockey with roller skates. The game is usually performed on a hard surface in a dimensioned court. The sport is popular in Latin countries. 

In 1992, roller hockey was included as a demonstration roller sport in the Summer Olympics hosted in Barcelona. The rinks are made of blue and white pavements so that the ball could be more visible on the television during live broadcasting.

Objective

The skaters try their best to hit the ball in the net of the opposing team to earn points whereas, at the same time; the goalkeeper of the opposite team tries to block the ball so that they can't win any points and his/her team may have the chance of winning the match. 

History of Roller Hockey

The game was initially known as the "roller polo", which was first played in 1878 at the Denmark Rink, situated in London, England. In 1882, the National Roller Polo League was organised, and hence, the sport was introduced in the United States. 

The league, at that time; consisted of teams from seven different cities. With the increasing demand of the game, the Massachusetts Roller Polo League also began which consisted of 14 teams. The popularity of the game was highest in the 19th to 20th century. In the 1990s, the game spread its roots in Asia as well. 

The sport expanded its wings throughout the European continent in the early 1900s. In 1936, the first-ever World Championship was organised in the city of Stuttgart, Germany. In 1961, the sport made its successful debut in the United States National Championships. 

In 1979, Roller Hockey was also included in the Pan American Games, but unfortunately, since 1995 the game discontinued. However, the World Championships of roller skating have been a part of the World Roller Games since 2017, predominantly conducted by the World Skate. 

In 1992, roller hockey was an exhibition sport in the Summer Olympics. Today, there are three events of roller hockey: Men Roller Hockey World Cup, Women's Roller Hockey World Cup and the U-20 World Cup of Roller Hockey. 

In 1995, the sport was introduced in India with the establishment of the Roller Skating Federation of India (RFSI) affiliated with the World Skate Asia. 

Variant

Rink Hockey

Inline Hocke

Inline Hockey is a popular variant of roller hockey similar to ice hockey. It is also regarded as Ball Hockey, Longstick Hockey, Deck Hockey, Rock Hockey as well as Skater Hockey. Inline Hockey is a contact sport derived from the ice skating, played on an ice surface. The rink on which the inline hockey is played doesn't consist of any icy surface. The game is played in three rounds of 15-20 minutes with 4 players and one goalie in each team. The International Inline-skater hockey federation governs this sport. 

Equipment

Roller Hockey - Protective Cup

The players wear the protective cup to protect the genitals.

Roller Hockey - Shorts/Pants

Players wear light and durable shorts/pants usually made of polyester that allows good freedom of movement.

Roller Hockey - Shirts

Players wear light and breathable polyester shirt. Each player on the team wears same color shirts except the goalkeeper.

Roller Hockey - Mouth guard

Mouth guard covers teeth and gums and is used by players to protect their teeth, arches, lips and gums from injuries.

Goalie’s gloves

In inline roller hockey, goalie’s wear a catch glove to catch a shot at the goal while in quad roller hockey, they wear a flat batting glove to block a shot on the goal.

Roller Hockey - Helmet

Helmets with a grid made of unbreakable transparent material is worn by players.

Roller Hockey - Shin guards

Protective equipment worn by players to protect their shin bone from any injury caused by hitting of the ball or any other object.

Knee caps

These are used to support the joints and to protect them from injuries.

Jockstraps

A jockstrap is an undergarment for protecting genitalia during any contact sports. 

Protective Gloves

Padded gloves are worn by players to avoid injuries caused by hitting from the sticks and/or the balls.

Roller Hockey - Shoulder guards

Players wear shoulder guards made of shock absorbing foam material with a hard plastic covering for protection against injuries.

Roller Hockey - Ball

Ball made of vulcanized rubber having a circumference of 23cm and weighing around 155g is used in rink (quad) roller hockey.

Roller Hockey - Puck

A puck made of hard rubber or plastic and equipped with bumps or ball-bearings is used in inline roller hockey.

Quad Skates

Roller/quad skates are used in rink roller hockey having two pairs of wheels with a minimum diameter of 3cm. Brakes with a maximum diameter of 5cm are permitted to be attached in front of the skates. 

Roller Hockey - Inline Skates

These skates consists of a close-fitting leather boot attached to a frame holding two to five wheels arranged in a single line and sometimes have a rubber brake block attached to the rear end of the frame.

Hockey sticks

Sticks made of wood, aluminium, carbon composite or graphite are used in roller hockey having a length of 90-115cm in quad roller hockey and around 163 cm in inline hockey, a maximum width of 5cm and weigh around 500g. Skaters and goalkeepers use different types of hockey sticks.

Gameplay

Roller hockey is a team sport which is played on a hard surface between two teams comprising 5 players in each team in which 4 are skaters, and one is the goalkeeper. The ball can only be moved with a hockey stick, but if the ball is pushed with the roller skates, then the players are rewarded with a penalty score. The game is conducted into two halves, each of 25 minutes.