| Name of Game | Noodle Hockey |
| Type | athletic |
| Age Range | 5-adult |
| Number of Players | 4-16 |
| Playing Environments | pavement, gym |
| Shared Equipment | two goals, one tennis ball or whiffle ball, four corner markers |
| Individual Equipment | one four-foot "Fun Noodle" - a flexible foam tube |
| Summary | This is a very safe form of hockey. The players use noodles to try to hit the ball into the goal. Any smooth surface will do. We usually play outdoors during the winter, using a well-plowed parking lot, but a gym floor would work well, too. The playing area will vary according to the number and size of the players, but around 140 feet long and 80 feet wide seems about right for a 5-on-5 game. |
| Rules | Use soccer rules throughout, except as follows:
The goals should be around 8 feet wide. A shot is good as long as it passes between the markers at a height lower than the top of the goalie's head (when standing erect.) The game can be timed in quarters of 10-20 minutes, depending on the stamina of the players, but we usually just play until we're tired, typically around 1.25 hours. |
| Comments | Some players might need to be reminded to keep their noodles near the ground. Getting whacked in the head by a noodle is only dangerous with an unlikely type of hit on the eye, but it can sting enough to make some kids cry. As long as players use mild restraint, the noodles won't hurt anyone at all. Contact should be minimal, especially on pavement. Small children can play safely and effectively with much larger players as long as people are fairly sensible. On pavement, players should wear gloves, as the backs of their fingers will likely scrape the ground when they hold the noodle near its end in trying to get maximum power. |