Roller hockey

Roller hockey is a form of hockey played on a dry surface using wheeled skates. The term "Roller Hockey" is often used interchangeably to refer to two variant forms chiefly differentiated by the type of skates and sticks used. There is traditional "Roller hockey" (Quad hockey, Rink hockey), played with quad skates, and "Inline hockey", played with inline skates. Combined, roller hockey is played in nearly 60 countries worldwide. A minor variant of roller hockey is called skater hockey, played on both quad and inline skates.

Similarities and differences between Quad Hockey and Inline Hockey

Roller Hockey is played on both Quad skates and Inline skates, have different rules and equipment, and involve different types of skating but share the category and name of Roller Hockey. Roller hockey (Quad) is played using traditional quad roller skates, affording greater maneuverability to the player - this results in games filled with fancy footwork, tight maneuvering, and is more similar to football or basketball. The stick is more or less the same as in bandy and shinty. Roller Hockey (Inline) bears close resemblance to ice hockey and is played on Inline skates, uses an ice hockey stick and includes a lot of fast "racing back and forth" action. Inline hockey goalies use a glove called a catcher to catch shots made on goal, and a flat, usually square, mitt called a blocker which is used to deflect shots on goal. The Quad hockey goalie uses a flat batting glove that provides rebound characteristics when blocking a shot on goal.

Roller hockey (quad)

Roller hockey (in British English), rink hockey (in American English) or quad hockey is a team sport that enjoys significant popularity in a number of Latin countries.

Two five-man teams (four skaters and one goalkeeper) try to drive the ball with their sticks into the opponents' goal. The ball can only be put in motion by a stick. The game has two 25-minute halves (for adults), with the clock stopping when the ball becomes dead. Each team has a one-minute timeout in each half. Each team has a minimum of six players (a backup goalie is required) and a maximum of ten.

Players use quad skates, whereas inline skates are used in inline hockey. Excessive contact between players is forbidden in rink hockey, unlike inline hockey.

Roller Hockey was a demonstration rollersport in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. There have been 42 editions of the FIRS Roller Hockey World Cup, with Latin countries dominating the sport since the 1940s: Spain (16 World titles), Portugal (15 World titles), Argentina (5 World titles) and Italy (4 World titles). Other countries, such as France, Brazil, Germany, Switzerland, Andorra and England are regular international competitors, but rarely overcome the traditional powers.

Roller in-line hockey

In-line hockey, commonly referred to as roller hockey, is a team sport played on a wood, asphalt, cement or sport tile surface, in which players use a hockey stick to shoot a hard plastic hockey puck into their opponent's goal to score points. It is considered a contact sport but body checking is prohibited. Inline hockey teams are composed of up to four lines of players including two forwards and two defensemen on each line. There are five players including the goalie from each team on the rink at a time. It is the goalies job to prevent the other team's players from scoring. Teams normally consist of 16 players that sit on the bench until it is their turn to play. As the name suggests it is played on inline skates.

Inline hockey is a very fast paced and free flowing game, this is because it does not have the same rules as ice hockey. There are no blue lines or defensive zones in roller hockey unlike ice hockey. This means that, according to most rule codes, there are no offsides or icings that can occur during game play; this along with fewer players on the rink allows for faster game play. There are traditionally two 20-minute periods or four 10-minute periods with a stopped clock.