Find out what air hockey is: History, Rules & Tips

by Joost Nusselder Updated on: August 3, 2022

Air hockey is irresistible, you've probably noticed that when you went to the arcade hall. But how EXACTLY does it work?

Air hockey is an arcade Games on a table with a puck and two nylon handles with which to drive the puck into the opponent's goal (a narrow slit on the short sides). The puck does not experience any friction from the playing surface due to holes through which air is forced upwards.

In this article I look at the rules and some tips on how to play it.

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Get the puck in the goal with air hockey!

Air hockey is a great table game that can be played by 2 or 4 players. The target? Try to get the puck into the opponent's goal!

How do you play air hockey?

Playing air hockey is easy:

• Use a pusher to bounce the puck in the direction you want.
• Play on a smooth playing field with little friction.
• Try to get the puck into the opponent's goal.

Ready to play?

Air hockey is a great way to challenge your friends and pass the time. So what are you waiting for? Grab your pusher and get the puck rolling!

How Air Hockey Was Invented

The origin

Air hockey was invented by a group of Brunswick Billiards employees, with Bob Lemieux being the most famous. In 1969, three engineers, Phil Crossman, Bob Kenrick and Brad Baldwin, began designing a game with a smooth surface.

The comeback

The project was put on hold for several years until Bob Lemieux brought it up again. He decided to make a game based on ice hockey, with a thin disc, two pushers and slots with photo sensors as a goal. Then it was decided that the game could exist on the market for a long time and Air Hockey was born!

The recognition

Who gets to take all the credit as inventor of air hockey is still disputed. The original patent says it was Crossman, Renrick and Lemieux. But the air table itself was already patented, just for other purposes.

The popularity

At every event, air hockey was a great financial success and in the mid-70s the interest in competitive tournaments turned out to be very high. In 1973, a team was formed in Houston, the Houston Air Hockey Associations, followed soon after by the Texas Air Hockey Player Association. To ensure the highest quality unilateral playing rules, the United States Air-Table Hockey Association (USAA) was founded in 1975 by J. Phillip “Phil” Arnold.

Why get an air hockey table at home?

A sport for everyone

Air hockey is a sport that can be played by anyone. Whether you are a beginner hobbyist or a professional player, air hockey is a sport that anyone can play. It is a sport that can be played in schools, institutions, sports canteens and even living rooms.

Entertainment and fun

With an air hockey table at home, you can be assured of a lot of fun. It's a fun way to play with friends and family, or improve your own skills. It is a competitive sport that anyone can play, allowing you to have a good time with your loved ones.

No more boredom

With an air hockey table at home, you will never be bored again. It's a fun way to spend your time and you can play it whenever you want. You can play it with your friends, family or even alone. It's a fun way to spend your time and you can play it for as long as you want.

A great gift

An air hockey table is also a great gift for someone you love. It's a great gift for anyone from kids to adults. It is a gift that everyone can use and enjoy.

How do you choose the right air hockey table?

If you are looking for an air hockey table, it is important to consider a few things first. Do you want to use the table with adults or with children? How many players will play? Is the table used intensively or only occasionally? And how much space do you have for the table?

Who is the table for?

The first question to ask yourself is: Who is the table for? Is it for adults or children? If it's for kids, make sure the table isn't too big. If it is for adults, you can opt for a larger table.

How many players?

It is also important to know how many players will play with it. If you're playing with more than two players, you'll need a bigger table. If you play with two players, you can opt for a smaller table.

Intensive use?

If you are going to use the table intensively, such as in a professional setting, you need a sturdy table. Then choose a table with a sturdy construction and good air circulation.

Space

Finally, it is important to know how much space you have for the table. Of course you want to have enough room for the players to move around so that no accidents happen. So choose a table that fits the space you have.

So if you are looking for the perfect air hockey table, it is important to first consider who you are buying the table for, how many players will play with it, whether you will use the table intensively and how much space you have. Once you have answered these questions, you can choose the right table.

The Essential Supplies for Air Hockey

The table

If you want to play air hockey you need an air hockey table. This consists of a large, smooth playing field with a rail or boarding around it to prevent the puck or pusher from falling off the table. In the rail or boarding there are two slots on either side of the table that are used as targets. Some air hockey tables also have a tray under the goals that the puck ends up in when a goal is scored. Professional tables have an air system that blows a little air through small holes in the playing area to give the puck more float and speed. Some tables have dispensed with this system and put the focus on the smoothness of the playing field by placing a flat layer on top of the playing field.

The Pusher

The pusher consists of a simple handle that is attached to a flat surface that fits nicely with the surface of the playing field. The most common pushers are the so-called "high-tops" with a round ball at the top that you can easily grip. There are also “flat-tops” with a smaller handle.

The Puck

Air hockey pucks are made of Lexan polycarbonate resin and are available in yellow, red and green. In competition, a white tape is often glued to the top of the puck to give it just a little more speed. Most pucks are round, but there are also other shapes such as triangle, hexagon, octagon or square.

The Rules

Here are some basic rules of the game of air hockey:

• To decide who gets to start with the puck you can play heads or tails or play a short game. Whoever scores first gets to start.
• The first player to score 7 goals wins the game.
• If the puck crosses the goal line, it counts as a point, even if the electronic scoreboard has not detected this.
• If the puck lands on the player's side, that player has 7 seconds to shoot the puck to the other side of the court in an attempted goal.
• If the pusher is placed on the puck, it is a foul and the puck must be given to the opponent.
• A player must not touch the puck with any part of his body or with any object other than the pusher.
• If the puck goes straight for goal and is stopped by anything other than the pusher, it is goal interference and the opposing team is allowed a free hit to open goal.
• Touching the puck on the opponent's court or your pusher on the opponent's court is a foul and the puck must be given to the opponent.
• The red lines on the playing field must not be crossed with the pusher, this is a foul and the puck must be given to the opponent.
• If there is a red line in the goal, the pusher may not cross this line, otherwise the puck will go to the opponent.
• If the puck leaves the table, the player who caused it is fouled and the opponent gets the puck.
• Under no circumstances may the puck be touched by anything other than the pusher, except on a goal it is given to the loser.

The rules of Air hockey for laymen

The game of air hockey is a fun game for anyone who likes competition. But before you start playing, it's important to know the basic rules. Below is a list of rules you should know before you start playing.

Who starts?

To decide who gets to start with the puck, you can play heads or tails or play a short game. Whoever scores first gets to start.

How do you win?

The first player to score 7 goals wins the game. If the puck crosses the goal line, it also counts as a point, even if the electronic scoreboard has not detected this.

What if the puck lands on the player's side?

If the puck lands on the player's side, the player has 7 seconds to shoot the puck to the other side of the playing area in an attempted goal. If this fails, the opponent gets the puck.

What if the pusher is placed on the puck?

If the pusher is placed on the puck, it is a foul and the puck must be given to the opponent.

Can you touch the puck?

No, you may not touch the puck with any part of your body or with any object other than the pusher. If this happens, the puck must be given to the opponent.

What if the puck goes straight to the goal?

If the puck goes straight for goal and is stopped by anything other than the pusher, it is goal interference and the opposing team is allowed a free hit to open goal.

What if the puck leaves the table?

If the puck leaves the table, the player who caused it is fouled and the opponent gets the puck.

What if the red line is crossed?

Under no circumstances may the puck be touched by anything other than the pusher. If the red lines on the playing court are crossed with the pusher, it is a foul and the puck must be given to the opponent. If there is a red line in the goal, the pusher may not cross this line either. If it does, the puck goes to the opponent.

Tips for Playing Air Hockey

Hold the Pusher

Have your fingertips ready to grip the button in the center of the pusher. This is the best way to move the pusher because you can use your wrist to move quickly.

Defense

Hold your pusher about 20 inches (XNUMX cm) from the target. This makes it easier to move your pusher left and right and block shots. Also try out the “Triangle Defense” to block deflected shots.

Pods

Most shots are "drifts", where the puck travels a pattern to disrupt the opponent's timing. Try out the center, diamond, diagonal and L-shaped drifts. Shots are usually played at an angle by hitting the puck with one side of the pusher.

Will you become the champion of the air hockey table?

The addictive appeal of air hockey

Have you ever played a game of air hockey? Once you try it, chances are you will become addicted to it. You can get so good at it if you play often enough. In schools where there is an air hockey table, you soon see that there are certain students who do it very often and organize some kind of championships.

The battle for the title

In these matches you always play against a different opponent, and every time you win you are one round further. In the end, of course, there remains one person who has consistently won everything, and who is the ultimate winner of the air hockey game. How many points do you have to win per game to win that game? You can of course decide that yourself. Usually that is 5 or 10 points, and you have to win with a difference of 2 points or more, otherwise it doesn't count.

Find the right table

Do you want an air hockey table or football table? In the webshop where they sell them you can click through to their webshops for:

• Air hockey tables
• football tables
• Pool tables
• Table tennis tables

You can easily order all these tables online, after which they will of course be delivered to the desired address. So you don't have to carry it yourself. That's a good thing, because this type of table is very heavy. Incidentally, it depends on which type of air hockey table you buy. They are available in both light versions for home use and in very professional, super heavy tables for public spaces. Anyway, they will be delivered to the place where you want them, which is very convenient.

The ultimate champion

So, if you think you're the ultimate air hockey champion, why not give it a try? Find an air hockey table, set the rules and find out who the best air hockey player is. You can even add a prize to it, such as a prize for the winner or a free meal for the loser. Whatever you choose, it will surely be a fun experience!

Differences

Air Hockey Vs Foosball

Air hockey and foosball are two different games, each with its own charm. Air hockey is a fast-paced, intense game in which two players use their mallets to slide the puck back and forth across an air-cooled gaming table. Foosball, on the other hand, is a tactical game in which two players slide the ball back and forth across a foosball table with their soccer players. Both games are fun to play and offer a lot of fun. With a combination of both games you can have double the fun!

Conclusion

Air hockey is actually just fun for all ages and can be played at all levels. Whether you play purely as a hobby or rough and professional.

Now that you know how it works and know that there are different types of tables, such as recreational tables, professional tables and even mini air hockey tables, the step to playing and perhaps buying one YOURSELF has become very small.

Joost Nusselder, the founder of Speelkeuze.nl is a content marketer, father and loves trying out new toys. As a child he came into contact with everything related to games when his mother started the Tinnen Soldaat in Ede. Now he and his team create helpful blog articles to help loyal readers with fun play ideas.