Equipment
The ball used is a specially designed ball for ball hockey and street hockey. The International Street and Ball Hockey Federation, the world wide governing body of official street hockey tournaments and leagues, officially recognizes two types of ball for play: a hard (Pro) version for adult warm climate play and a soft version for non-summer play and younger youth age groups. At the highest levels of ball hockey, teams use a hard, orange, small, round, and smooth orange/reddish ball 3 inches in diameter. This allows for players to make the ball curve by over/under exaggerating a windup and follow through on their shots. Several ball manufacturers now market the balls with the temperature range the ball was designed for on the packaging itself. Although there is no certified industry standard for the balls since no street hockey standards organization exists, all hockey ball manufacturers sell their balls according to the following temperature range: red/orange = hot/warm above 60 degrees (15 C), pink = cool - between 40-60 degrees (4.5-15 C)yellow = cold - below 40 degrees (4.5 C)
In most non-international tournaments, the following equipment requirements are instituted for the runners:
- Helmets are optional for adults but mandatory for players 17 and under.
- Some type of hand gloves must be worn, and they do not have to be hockey gloves. Specific gloves for the sport of ball hockey have been developed and are manufactured and sold to ball hockey players.
- Some type of shin guards must be worn, and they do not have to be hockey shin guards. Specific guards for the sport of ball hockey have been developed and are manufactured and sold to ball hockey players.
- Teams must have matching jerseys with numbers. These can often be t-shirts with numbers on them.
- Appropriate footwear for running.
- Some type of official hockey stick
NOTE: Specific helmets, shin guards, and gloves for the sport of ball hockey have been developed and are manufactured and sold to ball hockey players, but it is not mandatory for players to wear these for all tournaments.
The following equipment requirements are instituted for goaltenders:
- Goaltender's helmet with full face mask
- Chest protector
- Thigh pads
- Goaltender leg pads
- Goaltender Glove or trapper
- Goaltender Blocker
- Goaltender Stick
- Shirt that fits OVER all chest equipment
- Appropriate footwear
The flooring used for ball hockey tournaments is typically a specific type of a game court, often referred to as a "sport court". Sport courts very simply are plastic modular tiles, typically 1 square foot, that snap together for quick installation and removal. The tiles come in a variety of colors and are manufactured by several different companies. The tiles often come prefabricated with lines on them which make up the markings required for tournament play, such as center and blue lines, face off circles, and goal creases.
For official international tournaments, the I.S.B.H.F. rules apply, and players must wear protective equipment as stipulated in their rule book.
Read more about this topic: Ball Hockey
Famous quotes containing the word equipment:
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—Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908–1973)
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—Central Advisory Council for Education. Children and Their Primary Schools (Plowden Report)
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—Joseph O’Donnell, and Clifford Sanforth. Arthur Perry (Bela Lugosi)