Beer pong is one game that takes over your mind on its own. You don’t learn it at school or take extra-curricular classes to master it. You just run into two groups of people on opposite sides of a wide table tossing a ping pong ball turn by turn into plastic cups half-filled with beer to sink the ball into as many cups as possible.
Then, all of a sudden, you badly want to know how to get better at beer pong. If you get better, you can aim the ball more accurately and sink it into a cup at least half the time, right? Wrong. Statistics show that even professional beer pong players have a measly 40% chance of sloshing that ball into that cup. If you read this article to the end, you’ll learn how to use that 40% chance to your advantage.
Before Playing Beer Pong…
Practice Drunk
If you’ve played beer pong at least once or watched others play, you’ll find the beer is the show’s star. You take a swig of beer for every shot your opponent successfully makes. One swig may not be enough to tip your soberness over the scales, but three, four, or more might, depending on how long the game lasts. So, how do you ensure that even with all that alcohol in your system, you can sink the ball with precision and put your enemies to shame? Practice beer pong with actual beer or some other alcoholic drink.
If you’re a minor, you can use some beer alternatives, such as non-alcoholic beer, wine, or cider. During practice, try as hard as possible to get the ball into the cups and down your drink for every shot scored.
A beer-pong school of thought decries the idea of practicing drunk because it deprives you of the opportunity to learn which tricks and throws help you play better, but that’s just one side of the story. Practicing beer pong drunk reduces your anxiety and relaxes your muscles so you can make better shots.
Play Games Similar to Beer Pong
To get better at beer pong, you’ll need to learn how to control your arm muscles, wrists, and fingers to sync with certain parts of your lower body, such as your thighs, knees, and legs. Gaining such control over body parts is challenging, and that’s why you may want to try your hands at other sports, such as basketball or darts.
While playing basketball, you’ll discover that you’ll need to flick your wrist and keep your eyes focused on the rim of the goalpost to make a good free throw. This technique is helpful during beer pong, as the involvement of your wrists and narrowing down your aim to one cup help you to sink the ball.
Darts help you practice what is similar to the low arc in beer pong. Experts have advised that beginner dart players should place their dominant foot in front and their non-dominant foot behind while holding the dart in a manner that best suits them before propelling it in a straight line. Since the cups used for beer pong are placed on the table or any other surface beneath you, the ping pong ball may not land inside a cup if you launch the ping pong ball straight forward. However, tilting the angle of your launch slightly downwards can help you make the shot.
You can also try cornhole, in which you must toss a bean bag into a round hole on an elevated board.
While Playing Beer Pong…
Maintain a Resting Stance
While playing beer pong, your nerves need to be relaxed. Standing in positions that place much tension on your body, such as on tiptoe or craning your neck, usually stiffens your hand muscles. It also takes your focus away from the cup and makes you worry more about missing the shot. You can try stances instead:
Leaning forward
Don’t lean on the table, but bend your body slightly to get a better aim at the cup.
One leg forward
The leg placed in front should be your dominant one. This means that if you’re right-handed, your right leg should be in front of your left leg. If you’re left-handed, your left leg should be placed in front of your right.
Feet together + a mini squat
If you’re wearing something that makes it difficult to stand with your legs apart comfortably, you can place them together and lower your hips slightly. You can put your non-dominant palm on your hip for more support.
Aim for One Cup
When you aim for one cup, your eyes send specific visual information to your brain, which then processes that information and sends signals to your muscles, which influence your shot. However, aiming for a cluster of cups or no cup, in particular, distorts the information sent to your brain, adversely affecting your hand-eye coordination and reducing your chances of sinking the ball.
Use Medium Arcs
Playing beer pong involves shooting the ball in an arc or at an angle. Throwing the ball at a higher angle propels it more upward than forward, so it may either land before it reaches the cup or miss the cup and land on the floor. Conversely, throwing the ball at a low angle makes it easier for the force of gravity to push it downwards before it reaches your targeted cup.
That’s why expert beer pong players praise the medium arc, which mimics a 45° angle. This arc causes the ball to travel far enough to reach the cup and come down into the cup.
Throw More, Think Less
In other words, make your shots drastic. Once you’ve picked a cup to target, take your resting stance and toss that ball. Waiting too long gives you more time to work your nerves, get tense, and decrease your chances of winning your shot. Remember, there’s only a 40% probability you’ll sink the ball. Why make it lower?
I am a passionate beer connoisseur with a deep appreciation for the art and science of brewing. With years of experience tasting and evaluating various beers, I love to share my opinions and insights with others and I am always eager to engage in lively discussions about my favorite beverage.
