Air hockey tables are rising in popularity not only in arcade rooms and bars, but also in personal game rooms for practice and enjoyment. Most of the air hockey players work towards developing offense moves as it allows them to win games faster. The cross-straight is one of the many offense moves that a player can use over an air hockey table to score a quick goal against most opponents regardless of their skill level. The following guide will show you how to execute a good cross-straight in a game.
The shot: The cross-straight basically incorporates two distinct moves to hit the puck towards the goal. The first shot is a basic drift shot which gets the puck close to the center, after which it is hit again with much more force. The cross-straight works because it gives the opponent much lesser time to react than a shot that originates near your goal.
Set-up and execution: The first step is to gain control of the puck and bring it towards your goal, from where you will be able to hit a good drift shot. As the puck approaches the center, lean forwards into the air hockey table and move your hand like you hit a backhand shot in tennis, and let the mallet connect with the back of the puck. Most of the movement originates from your elbow in this move to allow maximum speed.
Practice: The cross-straight, although one of the most well-known and consistently scoring shots in air hockey, depends heavily on the speed and accuracy of your shot. Practice the shot with a relatively slow movement to build up on accuracy and gradually increase the speed so that your opponent has a hard time defending the shot.
The first objective while learning this shot is to become familiar with the movement and improve accuracy. Once you are comfortable with the cross-straight, you may try to increase the power of your shot and aim towards the corners of the goal so that you have a higher chance of scoring against an advanced air-hockey player.
