The Development of an Emerging Sport in Taiwan: Inline Hockey
Abstract
As globalization provides new opportunities and new challenges for the sport market, many sports have spread out of their places of origin to other countries, some even getting more and more popular into the mainstream. Inline hockey is one example of such kind of sports. For its speed movement, excitement, and easy-to-learn characteristics, inline hockey is attracting people in Taiwan to engage in. Since inline hockey is still an emerging sport in Taiwan, this article intends to introduce the origin, development, rules and equipment of the sport and provide suggestions for relevant institutions on the promotion of inline hockey in the future.
Keywords: in-line hockey, globalization
Introduction
Globalization has given different definitions to the process of the world’s development and the evolution of social relationship. It bridges, or shortens, distances created by time and space and brings all parts of the world closer to each other to form a unity. Yang (2008) indicates that as the world’s economy is getting globalized, sports have already possessed the potential value as the economical backbone and played an important role in the world’s economic development. The output value of the overall sport industry is high enough to outweigh those of other industries and its value is therefore recognized by economists. Such development echoes with Chen’s argument (2002). Chen suggests it is inevitable for sport industry to go globalized. It is noteworthy that, however, before globalization takes shape, sport industry has already involved international business, whether it is international sports events or the import and export of sport industry. The prevalence of globalization pushes the level of commercialization and rise of emerging markets. Pitts & Stotlar stress that, the growth in emerging sports, the increasing awareness of physical fitness and leisure activities, the public’s growing exposure to mass media’s coverage and promotion on sports, the fad of professional sport activities, enterprise sponsorship, and the globalization of sports have triggered the rapid growth of sport industry after 1980 and sport industry, as a result, becomes an emerging industry (translated by Jheng, Wu, and Siao, 2000).
The development of emerging sports provides more chances for people to know new sports. For example, American football is getting popular in Europe. And in Africa, people have begun to engage in cycling; Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have even developed skiing. In Taiwan, as Kaohsiung City is the host of the 2009 World Games, relevant governmental agencies have started to promote emerging sports, such as racquetball, fistball, casting, fin swimming, inline hockey, etc. Among the abovementioned emerging sports, inline hockey has a close link with National Hockey League (NHL). The advancement in technology has made it possible for sports enthusiasts outside of North America to enjoy the high-speed, thrill-filled sports events via different media. The development coincides with Huang’s observations (2002). Huang suggests that, a lot of professional sports leagues have begun to reach out overseas by the end of the twentieth century and inline hockey, amid the trend, is therefore introduced to Taiwan. Hou (2009) has made remarks on the development of inline hockey in Taiwan, noting that, although inline hockey had been in Taiwan for more than ten years, for most people it remains a new sport that has not yet become a fad. The thesis intends to take an overall look at the evolution and development of inline hockey and provide suggestions for local efforts on the promotion of inline hockey.
History of Inline Hockey
Inline hockey is quite a young sport in contrast to the long development of ice hockey. The former is an emerging sport that has just developed for the last two decades. Duan (2003) notes that the world’s first pair of inline skates was invented in 1980 by two brothers in Minnesota who were so passionate about ice hockey that in order to practice hockey during summer season, they replaced the blades of the original ice hockey states with wheels. In a historical view, the game of hockey has been around from the time of ancient civilizations with relevant written records found in China, India, and Persia. It is inferred that people in early times celebrated military triumph by hitting ball-like objects with branches or sticks, or spent leisure time throwing stones at a fixed aim or rolling round stones with sticks for fun. Such games gradually developed into what is now known as hockey (the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, 2008). Inline hockey, combining the fast movement of inline skating and the excitement of hockey games, can be played in subtropical areas, where climate poses barrier to ice hockey ambitions. And this is why inline hockey is getting more popular in countries where ice hockey is not played. The invention of inline skates also helps to promote inline-hockey activities.
Back in as early as 1896, the English invented the sport of inline hockey where two teams comprising four players and one goalie contesting on four-wheel skates or inline skates with long sticks and no body contact allowed. Later on, as the sport was gaining in popularity, National Roller Hockey Association was founded. Despite its English origin, inline hockey is very popular in non-English-speaking countries, such as Spain, Portugal, and Argentina, where a lot of professional games are being played. Famous teams include FC Barcelona, FC Porto, and Deportivo LaCorunia and the games attract more than 5,000 players to participate in (National Roller Hockey Association, 2009). In 1993, Roller Hockey International was established in North America. The league did not provide guaranteed contracts and teams should all split prize money. Teams consisted of minor league ice hockey players and the inline-hockey games were held during the summer months between ice seasons. After five seasons of the play, with two of its teams joining Major League Roller Hockey, Roller Hockey International began to decline in 1999.
While Roller Hockey International once had up to twenty-four franchises, Roller Hockey International, which was founded in 1988, had only six franchises but had a stronger hold. In 2008, Major League Roller Hockey Euro Cup was held in Washington, D.C., July 18-20. The name of inline hockey has different variations in different places, such as roller hockey, ball hockey, longstick hockey, dek hockey, road hockey, street hockey, and skater hockey. The sport is played in more than sixty countries in the world (Wikipedia, 2008). Although local sports enthusiasts might not have chances to see professional-level hockey matches held in Taiwan, they can still benefit from the globalization of sport industry. Su (2004) points out that the impact of globalization on sport industry can be analyzed from three different aspects: politically, economically, and technologically. According to Wu, it is economical globalization that brings sport industry across national and regional boundaries. This also accounts for why inline hockey has gradually spread all over the world from its English place of origin.
Characteristics and Functions of Inline Hockey
Inline-skating is a sport that can be played all year round and enjoyed by people of all ages because it is highly safe. The sport involves fast maneuvering and, in terms of speed, inline skates provide higher speed than the traditional four-wheeled skates. In recent years, as inline skating gradually combines speed skating, figure skating, dancing, hockey, and overlanding, it has gained in popularity. Just like what Zhang (2001) indicates, for the last decade or so, inline skating has spread in Taiwan and been taken up by a growing number of people—the inline skating population is ranked in the top-five in Taiwan’s total sporting population. Inline skating is least costly and not confined to any particular playing surface. It is easy to learn for people of all ages and both sexes. Besides, hockey is a sport that requires maneuvering of individuals and team efforts. The use of inline skates in hockey makes it possible for countries in tropical regions to develop hockey. According to National Roller Hockey Association (2009), inline hockey is a fast-paced and excitement-filled sport that has “tactical similarities to basketball (screens, blocks, and set plays) and is played on smooth hard surface.” Liou (2005) holds similar views, noting that inline hockey is a high-speed team sport, where players, through practices and matches played, develop a sense of teamwork and honor, learn to cooperate with each other, make quick judgments and right decisions in a short time, develop explosive force, endurance, keen observation, and sportsmanship.
A. A sport that provides more fun
An inline skating competition provides a lot of fun and excitement and so does a hockey match where players chase after each other, collide with each other, catch up with one another, offend, and defend under organized rules. For players, a hockey match is a time of self-realization; and for spectators and the competitive match provides a great way to unwind from daily stress and tension, which help to improve their physical and mental well-being.
B. A sport that provides a whole-body workout
According to a study conducted by the University of Massachusetts in 1994, inline skating works out and strengthens all of the body’s muscles, burns more calories than other sports do in the same amount of time, provides a complete work-out, and involves fewer risks of sports injuries as it causes 50% less impact on joints than jogging does. Inline skating also improves brain health, benefits the functioning cardiovascular and respiratory systems, and enhances joint flexibility and balance, which is why it is considered beneficial for overall health.
C. A sport that provides intense excitement
A variation of ice hockey, inline hockey provides intense thrill for both players and spectators. The fierce body contacts among players, who put on complete safety gears and contest under organized rules, make a hockey match even more exciting and attract a lot of young fans to engage in the sport.
D. A sport that involves varied tactics
Like most of other sports, inline hockey requires not only physical strength and stamina but also intelligence and teamwork. Players have to employ different tactics for different game situations on the rink and make the most appropriate decisions possible in a short time to gain victory.
E. A sport that is adaptable
With the furtherance of inline skating, more and more people begin to know the sport. And since inline hockey is a sport that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and both sexes, in any climate and at any time of the year, it attracts different groups of people to engage in—be it preschool children or middle-aged people, or those in their prime of life (Hou, 2009).
From the above discussion, it can be inferred that compared with ice hockey, inline hockey is not peculiar for specific weather conditions or venues and it has the characteristics of ice hockey—the excitements of speed and explosive force. Engaging in inline skating can oftentimes bring different benefits of leisure for the players. Benefits of leisure mean the mental and physical fulfillment or experience gained from leisure activities and such benefits are either external or internal. Inline hockey can effectively help weight management, heart and lung functioning, muscle strength and endurance, and body flexibility.
According to Chen and Li (2003), from the view of sensory integration, the act of putting on and taking off of the skates and gears involves many proprioceptive actions, such as standing, squatting, sitting and other actions in playing inline hockey, such as gliding, turning, accelerating, and balancing, provide stimuli to the vestibular system. In terms of mental benefits, inline hockey helps to form self-achievement, self-fulfillment, self-expression, a sense of achievement, and uplifting self-image. Stebbins (1982) argues that activities, such as baseball, hockey, tennis, and bridge games, should be further categorized under serious leisure, which provides participants with a sense of fulfillment and mental benefits.
Because practitioners of serious leisure devote perseverance and efforts to their leisure activities and might confront challenges, they can develop a sense of fulfillment and get relevant mental benefit in their pursuit of serious leisure. Inline hockey also provides social benefits such as improving interpersonal relationships and quality of living.
Rules and venue requirements vary from one sport to another. The following introduces inline-hockey game rules, space requirements, gears, etc.
A. Equipment
Chen (2003) suggests that inline-hockey skates look like ordinary inline skates and that the difference lies in that inline-hockey skates have one-piece leather boots and do not have lining and the base part is made of aluminum alloy for two reasons. One is that hockey is played on a flat surface and needs no shock-absorbing plastic base part. The other reason is that aluminum alloy base part helps the skater to get the feel of the playing surface under the wheels so that the skater can have a better control. Chen also summarizes the gears required for inline hockey.
- stick
- Although there are many different kinds of hockey sticks, most are made from wood and other composite materials. Wooden sticks are not replaceable when worn or broken but a broken or worn blade of an aluminum or carbon-fiber stick can be replaced by a new blade of any material.
- shoulder pads
- Players wear shoulder pads under their uniform to protect shoulders, chest and back even though some shoulder pads are not well ventilated.
- gloves
- Gloves help to protect the players’ hands from injuries in a hockey match. A pair of gloves is around NT$1500.
- shin guards
- Shin guards protect the players’ shins from hockey sticks. Hockey shin guards are often thicker than skating shin guards.
- helmet
- Head protection is very important and helmets can help to prevent head injuries in collision. A hockey helmet costs between NT$1000 and 1500.
- girdle
- Players are recommended to wear girdles to prevent from bruising or abrasion in the hip and thigh. A girdle is usually priced at NT$1,500 or so.
- jockstrap
- Male players would wear a jockstrap under the hockey girdle for better protection.
- elbow pads
- Falling and collision make players’ elbows vulnerable to injuries or even fractures. Elbow pads provide protection from such injuries.
As inline hockey is contested in 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung, the host of the games has set out rules for player’s and goalie’s gears, as shown in Table 1.
Table 1
| 1. Player’s Equipment | 2. Goalie’s Equipment |
|
|
| 3. Suitable inline skates | 4. A proper rink for practice |
|
|
B. Rink
The following is a summary of the requirement of an inline-hockey rink set up by the Committee for Hockey Tactics of Chinese Taipei Skating Union (2000):
- For competitions, the size of the rink will be 40 to 60 m long by 20 to 30 m wide.
- The size of a standard tournament rink is from 60m to 30m. A standard game rink should be 60m long and 30m wide. And the rink has rounded corners.
- The tubular steel frame of the goal should be of a special design with an internal diameter of 7.5cm and should be painted red. The goal post should be set 120cm apart and the crossbar shall be vertically 180cm above the playing surface.
- The goal frames should be set, with the opening facing each other, at the middle of the goal line on each end of the rink. The distance between the goal line and the end line varies from a minimum of 2.5m to a maximum of 4.5m, depending on the size of the playing surface.
- Diameter of the face-off circle should be 30cm and painted red. The face-off circle should be marked exactly in the center of the rink. It is used for the opening face-off of each period of play or after a goal.
- In front of the each goal, a semicircle 180 cm in radius is called the goal crease. It is drawn using the center of the goal line as the center point.
C. Rules
The following summarizes the inline-hockey rules set by Chinese Taipei Skating Union (2000):
- There should be at least eight (8) people in the team roster but only five (5) are allowed in the rink at any time during the play, with four (4) being the skaters and one (1) being the goalie.
- Prior to the game, the mangers or coaches from both teams should submit the team roster to the referees or timekeeper.
- Players may be changed at any time during the play and the changing players should be within an imaginary area three (3) meters from the boards.
- A player serving a penalty, who is to be changed after having served the penalty, shall proceed to the playing surface and then a change can be made.
- Only one goalie can be in the rink during the play and when the goalie is away from the goal, other player of the same team can act as the defense but does not have the defense privileges of a goalie in the defending zone.
- When a player is injured or has to leave the rink for any reason, the player can be changed without stopping the play.
- If the goalie is injured and needs to be substituted, the play can be stopped. And no warm-up shall be permitted for the substitute goalie.
Inline Hockey in Taiwan
As the idea of time allocation and time management changes, people nowadays have more chances to spend their time on things they like. People regard the remaining unscheduled time as free time, or leisure time, during which they can engage in activities for various purposes, such as recreation, happiness, or self-expression. This is why emerging sports began to develop. According to Hou (2009), although inline hockey has been in Taiwan for more than ten years, it remains an emerging sport that has not yet become a mainstream. Presently, Chinese Taipei Skating Union and Taipei City Skating Society are two most aggressive groups that promote inline-hockey activities in Taiwan. Besides, Chinese Inline Skating Society is another aggressive group that promotes sporting activities on inline skates, including inline hockey. On top of that, there are a lot of inline-hockey fans in Taiwan, most of whom are members of school clubs or school teams.
According to Zhang (2001), more than ten senior high schools and colleges have inline-hockey teams. Such colleges or universities include National Taiwan University, National Chengchi University, Tamkang University, Fu Jen Catholic University, and Taipei Physical Education College. Senior high schools that have school inline-hockey teams include the Affiliated Senior High School of National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School, Zhongzheng Senior High School, Taipei Municipal Datong High School,and Taipei County Shu-lin High School, etc. Chen (2008) indicates that most school clubs outsource coaches and form school teams to take part in contests.
Chen (2008) notes that high school teams include those from the Affiliated Senior High School of National Taiwan Normal University, Nengren Vocational School, and Kaohsiung Municipal Sin Jhuang Senior High School. Chen (2008) also notes that the collegiate teams come from Taipei Physical Education College, Shih Chien University, Fu Jen Catholic University, National Taiwan Sport University, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, National University of Tainan, and Chang Jung Christian University. The development echoes with what Taipei City Skating Society (2009) has observed: skating is suitable for people of any kind of build, especially Asians. In the recent years, many ethnic Chinese skaters or Asian skaters have shined in international skating competitions; which means that there is a lot to explore in the sport. The extent of recreation and explosive force of inline hockey can be compared to those of basketball and this is why the inline hockey population in Taiwan is increasing. Currently, there are many annual nation-wide competitions and a lot of schools, including senior high schools in Taipei or colleges, and communities have their own teams.
The promotion of an emerging sport takes a lot of corresponding efforts. In the case of inline hockey, there is still a lack in proper playing surfaces or rinks. With a growing number in inline-hockey population, although inline hockey does not restricted to specific venue conditions like ice hockey does, standard rinks are still needed for competitions and practices to promote the sport. Secondly, there are few studies on domestic inline-hockey rinks. In Taiwan, there are four standard inline-hockey rinks, two of which are in Taipei, one in Changhua, and the other in Kaohsiung. These figures suggest a lack of appropriate rinks for inline hockey, compared with other more popular sports and the lack of proper venues should be taken into consideration in future promotion of the sport. Based on the observations of current development, the following suggestions intend to provide reference for relevant organizations on the promotion of inline hockey.
1. The promotion of a students’ league match system
From the above literature review, it is learned that in Taiwan, inline hockey is taken up mostly by school clubs and young people. Hence, relevant organizations should co-work to set up a complete league match system to bring the overall inline-hockey activities to a higher level in terms of the number and quality of games played. A complete league match system has to be accepted by most people so that relevant parties can work smoothly toward their goals and sports enthusiasts can have a chance to fully develop their potentials. In other words, matches can encourage sports involvement on campus and make inline hockey better understood by more people. It is also by holding contests can flaws of the league match system surface and then be treated. Regular contests can boost the development of inline-hockey activities and promote its popularity as well.
2. The construction of standard rinks
There are not enough inline-hockey rinks in Taiwan that conform to standards. Most of those available are in disrepair condition with some even having cracks on the hard playing surface, which will pose potential danger to players. It would be a pity for both players and the development of inline hockey in Taiwan if the lack of appropriate rinks results in the stoppage of a game or cause barrier to Taiwan’s bid to host international contests. As a result, relevant organizations should be serious about the designing and planning of inline-hockey rinks as well as the construction, management, and use of the venues, and adopt more visionary approaches to meet the needs of the present and future.
3.The cultivation of inline-hockey professionals and talents
Since inline hockey is still an emerging sport, efforts, for the present time, should be invested in the promotion of the sport as well as the improvement of the overall level. However, to improve the overall strength, professional tutoring on tactics and maneuvering is needed. Relevant organization can invite professionals or coaches to hold training sessions or bid to host inline-hockey events. Besides, a grade system for professional judges should be established as well as relevant advance study programs.
Conclusion
Baseball and basketball have long had the central hold on sports enthusiasts in Taiwan whereas emerging sports, despite receiving minimal attention and discussion, are more likely to be forgotten like passing fads. Just like what Stebbins (2001) points out, “serious leisure is the systematic pursuit of an amateur, hobbyist, or volunteer activity that participants find so substantial and interesting that, in the typical case, they launch themselves on a career centered on acquiring and expressing its special skills, knowledge, and experience.” Hence, each sport has its essence and each individual expects to get benefits from leisure activities and find self-meanings in doing exercises.
With the spread of the globalization stream, people all over the world are having more chances to know different sports. Inline hockey, without exception, is introduced to Taiwan amid the trend. There is still a long way to go. The article begins with an introduction on the origins and developments of inline hockey and then explores the tactics, gears, and cultivation of professional talents to provide reference for interested organizations and people.
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