Ok. For you first-timers visiting my blog. First off, thank you for stumbling upon this rare niche in the corner of the interwebs.
I’m going to write a little blurb about why I think air hockey is the greatest sport.
Let’s start with the table. The table is the great equalizer. When it comes to sports, there’s generally a place for those who are physically gifted. If you’re tall, strong, fast, or quick – there’s a sport for you. The table takes away much of your physical advantages you may have over someone else. There have been air hockey champions that have been short, tall, young, old, skinny, and fat. It doesn’t really matter, because it’s not your physical presence that gives you an advantage over someone else. The table welcomes everyone.
What are you left with? It does require a certain amount of dexterity, but this comes fast. A player who’s been playing a couple months can get to the point of being not much worse than a pro who’s been playing for years when it comes to puck control. Once you master puck control it comes solely down to strategy.
When people think of air hockey, they usually think of a couple kids just blindly whacking a puck around. It seems random and pointless. When pro air hockey players compete, it’s anything but random. You have time with a possession to think about what shot you can take, how you’re going to drift the puck before you strike it, and even consider how you’re going to strike the puck into your opponent’s zone. The choices are near-infinte. In air hockey, deception is the key to offense. Trickery and power. All of which can happen in a blink of an eye, or it can be drawn out with a slow, methodical attack. Deception is key – otherwise a good defense will block every shot.
Just like every great 1 on 1 sport, you have someone actively trying to overcome your every move. Not so in golf or bowling, where it’s essentially you vs. the course or alley. I could be good at shooting a particular shot in air hockey, but it wouldn’t take a master player to shut that one shot down. Air hockey forces you to be balanced. If there is a shot you cannot defend, you are toast. If you fail at controlling the puck, you’re done for. If you are not deceptive with your offense, you may as well give up. All aspects of the game are equally important. To be successful, you have to master them all.
This is why I love air hockey. The table levels the playing field like no other device is sports to the point that all you’re left with is your wits. Every good air hockey player is the definition of cunning. No other sport rewards intelligence and physical control like air hockey does. This is why air hockey isn’t just a good sport, but the greatest sport.
