Full Contact Roller League

[Aussie Joe 0]

Hey guys, Just wondering If any of you have ever played in a full contact inline league? They are starting up a new one soon here in Aus (Inhouse league to begin with) that will follow NHL rules and also have players required to wear face cages and neck guards regardless of age!

Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?

[#28tz 0]

Yh i play full contact inline its great it has all the inline qualities with more pro NHL feeling.

[seanmccann 3]

You are going to go through equipment fast. One fall and your $85 pants are in spreads.

[Jim A 4]

I avoided the leagues that had it, etc..because of the ice hockey on wheels mentality in the beginning....2 different games..play them as such..plus my biggest fear was just getting hit and not being able to "slide" you can on ice to absorb it...I'm amazed that more people didn't blow out their knees

[Guest Marcelo Cordoba]

Karate Hockey!

[Eazy_b97 1]

Kneck guards? I don't think the wheels will be cutting anyones throat.

[Tanner23 0]

i wouldnt play in this league i geuss just because im not a custom to being hit on roller blades

[Chadd 916]

Kneck guards? I don't think the wheels will be cutting anyones throat.

Sticks and pucks

[Eazy_b97 1]

Kneck guards won't stop anything like that though, or at least not anything substantial. Unless maybe opening up that area from the impact?

[mickz 107]

Kneck guards won't stop anything like that though, or at least not anything substantial. Unless maybe opening up that area from the impact?

I wear a neck guard too but I don't see the real purpose if it doesn't protect you from impact too. Sure, if you're wearing a neck guard and someone skates over your neck, your neck won't get cut. What about the person actually skating on your neck and breaking it? Sure, you won't get cut, just a broken neck. I think it would make more sense to put some kind of insert into neck guards. Put something like the inserts they have in the Nike Compression shirts. It might restrict mobility a bit but I'd rather have something more than just cloth protecting my neck.

[#94 3]

Full contact inline hockey is simply STUPID. People need to use their heads here...

You cannot slide like you can on ice. There will be a ton of injuries.

Inline hockey was designed to be a finesse sport for a reason...

[Aussie Joe 0]

my biggest fear would be a blow out of a knee or least a mild hyper extension. Im thinking I should check it out first from the stands before stocking up and taking to the rink.

The reason Its been introduced? Mainly because the city I live in (Melbourne) has just lost another ice rink, making the up and coming Ice season very difficult considering its left one rink open and operational for the whole Melbourne metro area!

I wonder what the future holds for such a poor substitute.

PS: Got a clarification on the rules and they've decided against neck guards and full cages, 4 on 4 with offside lines and all..... no sign of interest otherwise.

[Jim A 4]

roller hockey in my area of NY started like that 5 on 5..NHL rules..etc..then they moved to modified RHI style offsides,,,then 4 on 4 with the RHI style..and I think finally they changed to tournament style..

its tough..not sure what its like where you are Joe, but for me when i moved back it was all the guys who made the rinks happen, all outdoor stuff, but they were only versed in ice hockey..and not too well at that either...it took me a while to show that the tournament rules could actually help their play and flow, etc..and ice game...

[Adam91 0]

if you decide to play I'd make sure you have played at least some contact inline hockey before becasue I'm sure it will take a while to get use to the rules and overall speed of the game

[7joe1 0]

Which rink in Melbourne are they starting it at? When does it start?

[MDE3 0]

I have watched full contact inline hockey over here now for three years at the semipro level....the concerns about extra injury as a result of the contact are very overblown. All the injuries I have seen, have come from pucks, slashes, or falling awkwardly into the boards...not even as a result of contact, with one exception...Someone missed a hit and strained a groin muscle trying to change direction at the last moment.

I have seen as many or more injuries from non checking house hockey and "pro" inline... Actually their are probably more opportunities for injury in the non contact versions from hitting the floor due to a more flagrant use of the stick from hooks and trips....where you will see a player flying down the floor get tripped, or hooked and then fall hard. In the full contact game the defender will be concentrating more on trying to put the body on this player than using the stick to slow them down...a lazy excuse to not skate hard.

Also in so many of the tournament versions of inline hockey, the sport officially is "non check", but then much checking is actually allowed, and goes uncalled...this is even a more dangerous situation for those who are not expecting the check when it comes.

Have seen one broken nose from a shoulder check...otherwise no more injuries from full contact than other sports. Actually the use of the stick as a "weapon of harrassment" seems to get reduced in the full contact version. The neck guard rule is somewhat superfluous for the full contact game...it's biggest protection would be from an abrasion caused by a high stick....and as such should be worn equally in the non contact version...where it is even more likely to happen.

When players know they can be "tooled" in full contact game, they seem a bit less likely to be careless with the stick.

The full contact game requires some different skating skills, in order to make or avoid the hits. Many players who are standouts in the non contact game, become invisible in the full contact version....and to a degree vice versa. The full contact game does promote puck movement as well....people are much less likely to try to rush the puck end to end....if they do it once successfully, they will become a real target in the future.

With good refereeing I think the full contact 4 on 4 version, with RHI type rules is a more exciting game overall....both to play and to watch. Those who think they want to play full contact just to run people will learn very quickly, that it is harder to make contact on inlines than on ice, and where they are trying to hit an agile player.....they will really need to hone the skating skills. In order to avoid cheap shot retaliations from behind, those infractions must be dealt with severely by the leagues..so that frustrated "hitters" cannot vent their frustration of not being able to make open floor contact very easily and take out the skilled player illegally from behind.

If the refereeing is up to the full contact version, (they need to be trained if they have never been exposed to it), then I think those who play it and watch it will find it very exciting.