| Hockey is one of the most popular contact games | | | | scoop for catching and guiding the puck. |
| played in the US, probably next only to soccer and | | | | Field hockey uses a molded plastic ball. Ice hockey and |
| rugby. There are several versions of hockey played | | | | inline hockey use hard, vulcanized rubber discs called |
| such as field, inline, rink and ice hockey. All use | | | | pucks. Both balls are sized according to hockey |
| specialized gear and equipment. | | | | associations. The objective of any version of hockey |
| The basic equipment of hockey is a stick, which may | | | | is to guide the ball or puck towards the goal net. Goal |
| be about three feet long. Hockey sticks are round and | | | | nets are supported by steel frames and have durable |
| generally made of wood covered with fiberglass; | | | | synthetic nylon nets. |
| aluminum sticks are also used and both varieties | | | | Protective gear and team jerseys are just as |
| feature suede and rubber grips. Field hockey sticks | | | | important as the skates or footwear, the stick and the |
| have hooked bases, which are rounded at one end | | | | puck. Protective hockey gear is comprised of a chest |
| and flat at the other to accurately smack the ball into | | | | protector, a helmet, large padded shorts, shin pads, a |
| the goal. Ice hockey and inline hockey sticks have | | | | neck protector, and other gear. Make sure you use all |
| broader bases and most are designed for right-handed | | | | protective gear whenever you play hockey. Some |
| players. When holding the upper portion of the stick | | | | pick-up games of hockey are not played with |
| with your left hand and the lower portion with your | | | | protective gear, but safety should come first. |
| right, the base curves forward, forming a shallow | | | | |