Air Hockey is an interesting and popular game. Originally this game was invented with the idea to create a surface that doesn’t have friction. Though games like football were very popular, it was always very difficult to bring a rolling ball to a halt. So a group of three engineers named Crossman, Kendrick, and Baldwin who belonged to Brunswick started working on the idea to find out a technique with which they could create a frictionless surface.
The three engineers did patent the idea but even after working on it for several years, they didn’t get anywhere and gave up. That’s when bob Lemieux took up the gauntlet and tried to make a go of their original concept. He tried using pucks and mallets first and eventually found success by creating an air hockey table that used low flowing air vents to create that elusive frictionless surface.
The air hockey table got an overwhelming response after coming onto the market. Its popularity can be judged from its demand by every bar, club and arcade. In fact, the game was so hot that it quickly started being the center of tournaments during the 1970s.
By 1975, the Air Table Hockey Association created the rules and regulations to govern the tournaments and annual championships began to be held. So far a dozen players have been named World Air Hockey champions.
In 1970 when there were other games like football and pool which were the craze among people, nobody would have ever imagined a game that has zero friction. But three engineers and a man named Bob thought outside the box and developed an instant game room classic.
Of course, game play has evolved more than the sport itself. The rules and regulation with which air hockey is played today are different from the rules and of the original. The players have discovered new and different techniques for using air hockey equipment, too.
Drifts, another name for a shot, have become even more difficult. There are set patterns in which the puck flies across the hockey table, throws off the opponents expectations and scores a goal. The shots and drifts can be arranged in a particular pattern to confuse the opponent. In this, the puck is hit in a way that sends it flying back and giving you the opportunity to hit it again and again in quick successions. There is one more playing strategy known as Combos in which the puck is hit in a way that the opponent feels like you are going for a specific drift and direction but the puck goes in different direction due to spin or quick movement.
I personally have purchased one for the kids and has been a blast they truly enjoy it and is a perfect alternative to video game and kids sit idle for hours and hours.
Clearly the game shows there’s always something new that can be created with a little inspiration and perseverance. Without both, we’d never know the fun of air hockey.
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