Snooker is a popular indoor sport which is played on a rectangular table that has pockets at each corner and in the middle of the longest sides. Many out-of-school clubs have a small table-top snooker table which can be brought out each session. Both boys and girls enjoy playing the game and you can play it with either two or four players.
To play you will need:
* One snooker table - these come in various sizes, have a slate base and are covered in green baize (fine quality wool cloth).
* The table is set up as shown in the illustration, below. You will need:*J 15 red balls, which are worth one point each.
* one yellow ball, worth two points.
* one green ball, worth three points.
* one brown ball, worth four points.
* one blue ball, worth five points.
* one pink ball, worth six points.
* one black ball, worth seven points.
* And a cue ball, which is the ball used throughout the game to hit other balls.
* At least two cues - cues are used to hit the balls and are made from ash, maple or other hardwoods. The tip is made from leather. Shorter cues can be bought for children.
* A chalk cube - this is rubbed on to the tip of the cue to improve contact with the ball.
* A rest - rests are used when the ball is sitting in a difficult position on the table. It provides the player with a bridge to site the cue on.
How to play
* Players toss a coin to see who will 'break' (play) first. If the player does not pot a ball then it is the turn of the other player.
* Players score points by potting a red ball first, after which they try to pot a 'colour' (coloured balls are worth more points). If a coloured ball is potted before all the reds are potted then it is placed back in its position on the table.
* When the red balls have all gone then each colour must be potted in a certain order.
* The coloured balls are potted in this order: yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black.
* A player is 'snookered' if the direct path to the object ball is blocked by another ball.
* The winner is the player with the most points after all the balls are potted.
Badminton
Badminton is an indoor sport that can be played very easily in most out-of-school clubs because the feather or plastic shuttlecock is so light. It appeals very much to both boys and girls who enjoy a challenge and who need to let off steam.
Two or four players can take part and the game is played on a court with a high net. The new rackets are light, flexible and strong and the shuttlecock can be hit much harder with them.
How to play:
* The shuttlecock is hit from below the waistline in badminton; the head of the racket must be below the server's hand when the shuttlecock is hit.
* The server has to hit the shuttlecock into the opponent's box. If this is successful then the whole court becomes available for play. If the serve is unsuccessful the opponent serves.
* Points can only be won on service and they are scored when the shuttlecock touches the ground inside the court on the opponent's side. The winner is the first one to reach 11 points with at least two clear points.
Darts
Another popular, and relatively inexpensive indoor sport is darts. The game is usually played by two people, although you can play with teams of two. The board is divided into segments of 1-20 points in random order. The segments are further divided into rings. If the dart lands in the outer ring the points are doubled, in the midway ring the points are trebled. The larger of the centre rings is worth 25 points and the dead centre, or 'bulls-eye' is worth 50 points. To determine who starts, each player throws one dart at the board. Whoever is nearest the 'bulls-eye' goes first.
To play you will need: * A dartboard
* One or more sets of three darts
* A blackboard to keep the score
* For younger players safety Velcro darts and dartboard are available from toy shops
How to play:
* Each player starts with 301 (or 501) points.
* Each player then throws three darts in turn. Depending on where the darts land the score is added up and then subtracted from their previous score.
* The winner is the first to reach zero. The last dart must equal the remaining score - that is, if 12 points remain the player must hit the 12 segment, or the 7 and then the 5 and so on.
* A simpler scoring system can be adopted for younger children.
