Welcome the 2021 year with this unique list of alternative ping pong table games
There’s no surprise that this year is prompting people to look for new ways to use old things, including using your ping pong table to play games that aren’t ping pong. Why are people into doing these sorts of things — DIYing and upcycling? One word: quarantine. The reality is that being at home isn’t the easiest way to keep people busy. In fact, at home boredom is sort of a thing we’ve coined over here at Games For Fun in recent months. If you haven’t read about AHB, don’t worry. You could read about the pandemic’s creation of extreme AHB here, here, and here.
Now, don’t you think you’ve given your ping pong table enough of a break? If you need to figure out what to do with your ping pong game room table that’s been sitting in your game room collecting dust for the last few months, keep reading. If you need to figure out what to do with what seems to be too much time on your hands, keep reading.
While playing a game of ping pong on a ping pong table is a great way to pass the time, we’re all about creativity. We know that you could upcycle that table to be useful for more than just a game of ping pong. A lockdown can be an opportune time for you to find new ways to use old things, so, yes, your ping pong table can be converted into a non-ping pong game room table. Consider some fun options below.
Table Bowling
Set up small plastic bottles on one end of the ping pong table and use a larger ball, such as a tennis ball, to bowl down the length of the table. This can be made harder or easier, depending on how close the bottles are set up by each other as well as the weight of the ball that is used as the “bowling ball.
P-Pong, B-Ball
Play basketball on your pingpong table by taping two plastic or Styrofoam cups to opposite ends of the table. Take turns bouncing a ping pong ball across the table, aiming for the cup on the other end of the table. Prevent your opponent’s ball from entering the cup closest to you with a ping pong paddle or your hand. Score the game similarly to traditional basketball — or devise your own scoring system
Tied Up
Teams of two stand back to back and are tied together so that they are facing opposite directions. Every time a player hits the ball, then the team must turn 180 degrees so that the other player will hit the next ball. This constant back-and-forth motion can be overwhelming for some people, but it is a great way to add laughs to the game.
Ping-Pong-Blow
The Disney FamilyFun website suggests marking a goal on each end of the pingpong table with masking tape. Put a ping pong ball in the middle of the table and hand your opponent a drinking straw. Starting at “Go!,” attempt to blow the ping pong ball across the table using only the straw. Make it past your opponent’s line to earn a point. The first player to make it to the previously designated number of points wins. Each player has to try to keep his or her ball under control, and they aren’t allowed to touch the ball with their hands or straws while guiding it down the table. If the ball falls off of the table, then it must be put back on at the beginning. Players could also use cotton balls in place of ping pong balls and try to blow them.
Hockey Pong
Design a rectangular-shaped hockey rink on your ping pong using hardcover books or blocks for walls. Leave open spaces at both ends of the rink. Use an ice cream stick to volley a ball of paper into the opposite goal. You can use the sides and entire length of the table to attempt to gain possession of the puck and score a goal — just be careful not to knock over the books or blocks in all the excitement.
Dinosaur Arms Ping Pong
Hey, no hate on the dinosaurs here! But this is an entertaining game to watch. This fun game uses all of the rules of regular ping pong, but players must pretend that they have tiny dinosaur arms while playing. Instead of being able to stretch out their arms to hit the ball, players keep their elbows bent and their arms tucked in close to their body. If this game is too difficult, then it is a good idea to play with 2 people on a team to help provide more coverage.
Double Trouble
In this fun game, players each have two paddles – one in each hand. They use their paddles to hit and return ping pong balls as normal, but they must not cross their bodies with a hand, which means that they have to use the paddle on each side of their body. This game is really difficult for players who have a weak non-dominant hand and can result in balls being hit all over the room.
Sharp Shooting
Cut five different-sized holes into the side of a box. Label each hole with a corresponding value — for example, a smaller-sized hole can be labeled with a high score, such as 500. Set the box at one end of the pingpong table and use tape to designate a starting spot on the opposite end of the table. Using an ice cream stick, take turns rolling marbles toward the box, aiming for the highest numbered holes. The player with the highest score at the end of five tries wins.
Three-Legged Ping Pong
Teams of two players each tie one leg together, as in a three-legged race, to compete in this game. Each pair of players must work together to move back and forth to return the ball to their opponents. It’s only with open communication that players will be able to move together as a team without falling or running into each other.
Three-Legged Ping Pong
Teams of two players each tie one leg together, as in a three-legged race, to compete in this game. Each pair of players must work together to move back and forth to return the ball to their opponents. It’s only with open communication that players will be able to move together as a team without falling or running into each other.
Tag Ping Pong
This game combines ping pong with the fun elements of Tag!. One player is it and the other players take turns playing ping pong. When someone is tagged out, then he or she has to go to the ping pong table to play for a chance to get back into the game. If a player is then able to beat his or her opponent, then he or she can rejoin the game, while the loser must wait until a win to get back into the game.
