Game Tables: Foosball, Air Hockey, Ping Pong

The Ping Pong Diplomacy
Nothing had prepared the world for the startling spectacle that happened in Peking, China in April of 1971. Chinese Premier, Chou En-lai greeted the first American delegation to set foot in the ancient Chinese capital since Mao Tse-tung took control of the land 22 years earlier. After nearly two decades of hostility towards the United States, fifteen American table tennis players and three journalists had made a breakthrough of historic proportions. One young American diplomat had clearly stated that he had joined the State Department to solve the problems of the world, and then sat analyzing the political impact of a ping pong game. Never before in history, has a sport been used so effectively as a tool for international diplomacy. This article details more about the diplomacy that table tennis and ping pong brought.

The United States Air Hockey Association
This is a members-only discussion group allowing members to receive information about upcoming tournaments, local events, rankings, tips, hints, and even information on tables and other supplies. This group was founded in June of 2001 and currently has 390 members. Joining is free. Simply click on the button which says Join Now and then follow the simple directions. Members can send and receive message from other members of the group, they can upload and view photos, they can chat, use the group's calendar and much more. If you'd like to be part of a group that cares as much about air hockey as you do, then this is the group you'll want to join. Become a member of America's air hockey family.

How to Play Foosball
Here is a brief but thorough explanation of foosball rules. Rules include information about balls, time limits, keeping score, using goalies, illegal shots, angles, opponents, defense and offense. Includes what to avoid when playing foosball, and ideas for a better game.

National Foosball Association
The National Foosball Association operates this website, which features foosball product information, foosball tables, fooswear, game accessories, a foosers forum, and links to more foosball resources. The association offers people the opportunity to donate tables and funds to the organization, as well as donate their old tables for restoration to the association.

Ping Pong History
An abstract article about the history of ping pong. Commonsense suggests - and one day, perhaps, it will be proved from private correspondence - that on such an occasion impromptu games of tennis were played on a table, that is table tennis. This is certainly the earliest title for the game, not ping-pong as so commonly supposed. Materials for play were readily to hand as all English households of any note, and certainly all those with a lawn tennis court, had a dining room and a large dining table. Such accessories as rackets and a net could be conveniently improvised and a child's small rubber ball was most suitable for batting to and fro. In America during the late 19th century, it is reported by Comelius G. Schaad in his book A Manual of Ping-Pong (1928) that an indoor game based on lawn tennis was played with knitted balls so that damage to furniture was avoided.