With the weather outside changing, before you know it, you will be leaving your outdoor living space behind for the season and trying to find entertainment inside your Northeast Ohio or Erie, PA home. When it comes to your home’s game room, you have lots of options. From billiards to dart boards, to shuffleboard and ping pong, it may seem like the possibilities are endless. With many of these games having been around for centuries, they are tried and true, including shuffleboard. Let’s review how adding shuffleboard to your home can provide fall entertainment and enjoyment for your family and guests all year round.
What is Shuffleboard?
Before we get into how adding shuffleboard to your home can provide fall entertainment, we wanted to review what it is. Shuffleboard, often referred to as table shuffleboard, so it’s not confused with the similar game played on the ground, can be linked to being around since the 15th century. While the game has evolved over the years, the concept is mostly the same.
To play this game, you need a shuffleboard table. Official tables are usually around 22 feet long and 20 inches wide, are waist high, and have a smooth finish. Each end of the table is divided into three scoring sections by straight lines across the width of the table. The table is surrounded by a gutter, or “alley”; pucks that accidentally fall, or are knocked, into a gutter are out of play for the rest of the round. Players take turns sliding, or “shuffling,” the weighted pucks to the opposite end of the board, trying to score points, bump opposing pucks off the board, or protect their own pucks from bump-offs. Points are scored by getting a puck to stop in one of the numbered scoring areas.
The objective of the game is to slide, by hand, all four of one’s pucks alternately against those of an opponent, so that they reach the highest scoring area without falling off the end of the board into the alley. A player’s puck(s) must be farther down the board than his opponent’s, in order to be in scoring position. The game is usually played to 21 points.
What are the Benefits of Adding Shuffleboard to Your Home?
Adding shuffleboard to your home can provide fall entertainment and many other benefits that you may not think of. Below we take a look at some of the benefits of shuffleboard.
- Social Engagement: The game requires at least two players, but it’s possible to play with teams of two people each, some people prefer this method. This creates interaction with at least one other person no matter how you play the game. While the digital age allows us to connect with others online, in-person connections are beneficial for the mental and physical well-being of all people. For example, social well-being is associated with lower risks of cardiovascular disease. It also can help to increase family time. As with most games, shuffleboard can make the perfect option for a family game night.
- Lower Stress Levels: Any exercise is good for you and can lower your stress levels, and with an interactive game like shuffleboard, you get exercise and entertainment all in one. Players are moving to push their pucks and concentrating, which also allows for less time to think about anything that is causing stress. Play of any type can reduce stress by triggering the release of endorphins, the chemicals naturally produced by the body to create a sense of well-being. Shuffleboard is particularly beneficial since it adds the benefits of physical and social engagement.
- Exercise: As referenced above, adding shuffleboard to your home can provide entertainment and exercise all in one. This game allows you to get up and get your blood flowing and can be played year round. Sitting too long is not good for your health, and shuffleboard keeps you on your feet. Because this game does not require a strenuous cardio workout, people of all ages and fitness levels can play. Plus, it’s not only great for you physically, but mentally.
Adding shuffleboard to your home can provide entertainment year round. Shuffleboard creates a way to entertain family and guests while you are stuck inside during the frigid days of fall and winter. This is an active game, much like billiards, that allows interaction for people of all ages, and creates a space for building relationships with friends and family. Without the distraction of cellphones, computers, TVs, and tablets; game night, and a little competitive fun, is the perfect time for people to open up and really enjoy themselves and share what is going on in their lives.
If you are looking to add shuffleboard to your Northeast Ohio or Erie, PA home. Litehouse Pools & Spas can help. We offer shuffleboard tables and accessories. Visit us online or in one of our stores today.