Air Hockey Tips
A mallet (sometimes called a goalie, striker or paddle) consists of a simple
handle attached to a flat surface that will usually lie flush with the surface
of the table. The most common mallets, called “high-tops”, resemble small plastic
sombreros, but other mallets, “flat-tops”, are used with a shorter nub.
A classic air hockey tables consists of a large silky playing surface,
a contiguous rail to avoid the puck and mallets from going off the table,
and slots in the rail at whichever end of the table that serve as goals.
On the ends of the table in the rear and below the goals, there is usually a puck return.
Furthermore, tables will characteristically have some sort of mechanism that produces a
cushion of air on the play face, with the function of reducing friction and
escalating speed of play
Tips from the professionals
There are many ways to get around your opponent’s defense. Aim for the corners of the goal.
On bank shots, try to get the puck in the goal off of a one-wall bank. If you hit double or triple banks, the puck loses velocity and will be easy to block.
In some tables, the technology is eschewed in support of a
slick table face, usually plastic, in the interest of saving money in both
maintenance costs and manufacturing. Note that these tables are officially not
air hockey tables since no air is concerned, conversely, they are still usually
understood to be as such due to the basic resemblance of game play.
Here are some basic rules as defined by the USAA:
A player cannot touch or strike the puck with any part of his/her body or with any object other than the mallet. Doing so causes a foul and possession changes hands.