Air Hockey

product

Carrom Air Table Hockey
Air Hockey is a fast game that can be enjoyed equally as a serious sport or just for fun. It has been described as the world's fastest table game, with the puck reaching speeds of up to 80 mph! Most people (especially here in the UK) are probably mainly familiar with the game from bars, arcades, sporting venues, etc and these machines are often coin operated. However you can also buy air hockey tables for home use.

Air hockey was invented by engineer Bob Lemieux whilst working for Brunswick, who released the first tables in the early 1970s.

Today you can buy air hockey from a number of manufacturers. As well as Brunswick well known brands include Dynamo, Harvard and Sportcraft.

Air Hockey Equipment

An air hockey set consists of a table, puck and mallets (sometimes called paddles or bats).

The table has a smooth surface and for official play is eight feet long - although you can buy smaller home sets. The table is surrounded by rails and a hole in the rail at each end represents the "goal".

A true air hockey table will have make tiny holes in the surface through which air is blown. The puck then floats very slightly on this cushion of air, allowing it to reach extremely high speeds. Some less expensive tables don't actually have this air cushion but rely on an extremely well polished, low friction play surface to supply a similar effect. These tables are not technically air hockey but to a casual player the game is very similar.

The US Air-Hockey Association (USAA) has approved a number of tables for tounament play. These currently include a variety of Dynamo tables and the Brunswick Blue Top.

The puck is a thin disc of plastic. The USAA currenly sanctions three pucks: "lexan-yellow", "lexan-red" and "Dynamo green".

The "mallets" are plastic circles with a handle on top. The USAA specifies that these must be no more than 4 1/16" diameter and must weigh less than six ounces.

How to Play

The rules of air hockey for casual play are very simple. In essence, players bash the puck with the mallet, sending it from end to end in an attempt to get it into the opponent's goal. Serious play is, of course, a lot more skillful than that description might suggest!

Games are usually played "best of 13". In other words, the first player to reach 7 goals wins. Commercial air hockey tables often contain sensors to detect a goal and indicate this via electronic scoring.

When playing air hockey as a serious sport there are, of course, many more detailed rules. For example, once the puck crosses to your end of the table you must return it within 7 seconds or this is a foul.